I get downvoted a lot by .worlders even for unbiased true statements, but I still think it's the most effective for convincing debatebros. Irl the most effective is just having good meals that happen to be vegan, so people around you see it's really not that hard and you can still eat good food.

I wish political campaigners, propagandists, and advertisers would adhere to this!

By your definition and description, capitalism itself is a cult. Advertisers spend a whole lotta time and effort trying to convince people to buy shit that they don't really need. The tech sector trying to cram AI down everyone's throat certainly must qualify.

I would also note that the animal ag industry exhibits this cultist behavior in trying to convince people that the atrocities it commits are OK. And trying to convince people to consume more meat than what is medically beneficial. To the point that they'll utilize state violence to shut down dissenters.

Society is full of cults.

This isn’t going to be popular but meat eaters need to put their ego aside and hear what those who speak out against animal torture are trying to tell them. Factory farmed meat is anything but civilized.

To be blunt, other than demonstrating plant-based foods and offering my experiences and recommendations of non-animal options (food, clothing, or otherwise), it isn't even a discussion I put much effort engaging in. Typically it comes up due to questions people have for me when they see what I eat (and don't eat).

My actual "counter-strategy" for the animal ag industry is to sell the childfree lifestyle, since that indirectly results in fewer meateaters. This has several advantages:

• it's fairly easy, since I can really play up the economic reasons. If not that, I can point to environmental degradation and a laundry list of other things.

• childfree is already an order of magnitude more common than veganism, so it is already a bit mainstream

• actually following through with it is easier since it is less frequently challenged and very defensible in terms of personal freedom

• building on the previous point, it is promoting a freedom rather than a restriction. It's even in the name: childfree

I do not, and absolutely will not push it. That goes directly against my concept of promoting personal freedom. I simply present the information, and it sort of just sells itself. If someone doesn't see the advantages, oh well.

I'm sure this will piss some people off (including vegans), which just goes to show that there really is no pleasing everyone.

So I should never try to persuade anyone of anything?

How can one change society if we aren't allowed to challenge people's beliefs? I'm glad that people have confronted others on the various inequalities and injustices in society in order to effect change, rather than just going "welp, that's just how things are!"