Vegan Dogma Hurts The Animals

If someone is mindful of the end they are trying to accomplish and whether their action will help achieve that end, then that person's actions are not being dictated by dogma. However, when someone avoids something only because it's "not vegan," then they are acting from dogma.

It's not always easy to find out if the bread in a restaurant contains whey, eggs, dairy, sugar, or honey. As polite and charismatic as one might be when questioning the waiter, observers get the impression that to be vegan you must do bold and uncomfortable things. This gives them a welcome excuse for thinking they could never be vegan.

An example of not acting from dogma, so as to reduce animal suffering: Say you’re out with nonvegetarian friends who want to go to BK, and there will be no other options for you for a few hours. In this case, eating the BKV would show your friends that vegans have food choices and do not have to fast. This could reduce more animal suffering – especially if you can convince one of them to get the BKV, too. Saying, “You should eat the veggie burger, but it’s not ethically up to my standards” sends a mixed message.
Some of my omnivorous friends think they cannot possibly be "pure" vegans, but they respect my rationale and some of them admire my idealism.

Do we want respect, or would we prefer results?

Perhaps the best course is to emphasize to our friends that it's not necessary to be "pure"; they can reduce their support of animal cruelty by avoiding obvious animal products. This makes the avoidance of cruelty more obvious and more convenient. Why present veganism as an impossible (to them), idealistic philosophy?

In our experience, for every person who has been turned on to veganism by seeing a shining example of consistency and purity questioning waiters and hosts, a greater number have been turned off by thinking, "I could never do that." A practical vegan example is more welcoming to people who want to help the animals, but fear the slippery slope to fanaticism (or religion) and/or having nothing to eat at times when the only foods available are judged to be taboo.

Purity is great for self-satisfaction. But for persuading others, purity has less force than convenience.