I mean... you're not wrong, but I wouldn't quite say it like that.

I've dated a girl who was very much into it, though she wasn't a full vegan, just a fairly strict vegetarian, for the same reason you mentioned (i.e. some of their meat replacement products just being ultra high processed food science experiments), and the fact that you can easily eat vegan without eating health (French fries are technically vegan as long as they're fried in veggie oil).

I'd basically consider it a nerd hobby at this point – I've had some very impressive vegan stunt food, like vegan McMuffins that tasted better than the ones from McDonald's (albeit at 3x the price of course), so I can certainly can't hate on their dedication to the cause, because that takes a lot of passion.

But yeah, from a practical point of view, most people are likely better off with your recommendation, because it'll get you at least 90% of the way there without costing you half of your income, and it'll probably still achieve most goals that vegans are after (better health, less pollution, and improved animal welfare).

And yeah, I get it, it can be quite annoying when you run into a fanatic vegan and they can't stop chewing your ear off about the supposedly unlimited benefits, but it really isn't much different than running into a hardcore Trekkie, a conservative Christian, or your average anime fan. Veganism is basically almost a religion, and some people tend to take a bit too far, but you know what? It could be worse, because at least they're not going to eat you, because that would definitely not be vegan.