I recently watched a mukbang by YouTuber Megan McCullom in which she shared why she is no longer vegetarian (well technically pescatarian but she said vegetarian so I'll keep true to that). Even though being a vegetarian was never more than a passing comment on her channel, she was extremely nervous about admitting to her viewers that she was going back to eating meat. The fact that she was nervous at all to make such a video really demonstrates how caustic the online plant-based community can be.
I am a vegetarian and I do it for the animals and the environment. I always tell people, if I don't have to eat meat to survive, why should I? And that's the mantra I have lived by for more than 2 years. However, Not everyone comes to a plant-based lifestyle this way. I know from personal experience that it is easy to come into this lifestyle with the wrong intentions. Before I was vegetarian, I used to be vegan. But Back then, I didn't do it for the animals. I thought that being vegan was healthier and if I ate that way, it would not only make me healthier but elevate me above those who didn't have the willpower to restrict themselves as I could. Clearly, this was not a lasting or healthy mindset to have. And it's not hard at all to imagine how this type of lifestyle can be turned into a restrictive, eating disordered diet.
If someone is vegan or vegetarian for the wrong reasons, it will forever be a diet for them. Shaming people into this lifestyle will only bring about more dramatic confessions and tears. We don't need shame or namecalling or bullying. We need education, patience, and kindness.
I think it's amazing that there are people out there who are shunning meat or even all animal products in general for the sake of the environment and animals rights. It's great that people are passionate about this lifestyle and want to share it with people. What's not okay is shamming people for doing what's best for their mind and body. This is not a diet, it is a lifestyle and like all lifestyle changes, it requires the right mindset.