Here's another reason to be vegan that donations alone can't replicate: individual vegans create crucial demand-side pressure that drives market transformation. Even one vegan in a social group often forces restaurants to add plant-based options (the "veto voter" effect). This creates positive feedback loops by:
1. Making veganism more accessible for others by increasing availability 2. Providing the initial market that makes alternative protein R&D viable 3. Normalizing plant-based options in mainstream establishments
This market development mechanism is distinct from direct animal welfare impact. Without a base of committed vegan consumers, it may be harder to develop the scalable alternative proteins needed for widespread adoption - something that donations to animal welfare charities don't directly address. This is one way to signal to the market that there's a segment of customers willing to buy (and potentially pay more for) cultivated meat in the future.
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Here's another reason to be vegan that donations alone can't replicate: individual vegans create crucial demand-side pressure that drives market transformation. Even one vegan in a social group often forces restaurants to add plant-based options (the "veto voter" effect). This creates positive feedback loops by:
1. Making veganism more accessible for others by increasing availability
2. Providing the initial market that makes alternative protein R&D viable
3. Normalizing plant-based options in mainstream establishments
This market development mechanism is distinct from direct animal welfare impact. Without a base of committed vegan consumers, it may be harder to develop the scalable alternative proteins needed for widespread adoption - something that donations to animal welfare charities don't directly address. This is one way to signal to the market that there's a segment of customers willing to buy (and potentially pay more for) cultivated meat in the future.
Agreed. The silver lining may be Vivek Ramaswamy, who seems committed to animal welfare.
https://x.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1853441547825504394
the scale/degree of suffering is much higher