The Rise of the Intolerant: Vegans
Part I of a Series: What Vegans, Islamic Radicalism, and Politically Correct Comedy Have in Common
Every so often I come across a counter-intuitive idea that fundamentally changes the way I see the world.
One such idea is what I call the rise of the intolerant:
An intolerant minority will quickly override the preferences of a flexible majority.
Here are some examples of the concept in action:
- 70% of New Zealand export meat is Kosher, even though the majority of meat-eaters are not Jewish.
- Prisons, hotel buffets, and school hostels will never cook meals that contain peanuts, even though the majority will happily eat them.
- Every new school building in New Zealand is required to have wheelchair access, even though most schools don’t have a single student in a wheelchair.
You get the point. If a small group of people really cares about something that most people don’t care much about, the small group always wins. It’s the exact opposite of democracy, where everyone’s preferences are considered equally.
Now, this idea is not new. But it is one of those ideas that have stood the test of time, and can be joyfully applied over and over again to help explain current events.
Because it’s such a big topic, I’ll devote my next few posts to the unexpected ways this theory works in practice.
For my first post, I’ll look at how the rise of the intolerant applies to vegans.
Why Vegans Are Contagious
Being vegan is not a disease, but it sure does spread like one.
Don’t believe me?
This graph is worth a thousand words:
Google searches for ‘vegan restaurant’ (blue) have grown 400% in the last 5 years, while searches for ‘vegetarian restaurants’ (red) have barely budged. What gives?
My theory: Vegan restaurants are now more popular than vegetarian restaurants for the same reason New Zealand now exports Kosher meat.
Vegetarians (the larger, but more flexible group) will happily eat at vegan restaurants. Vegans (the smaller, but intolerant group) will not eat at a vegetarian restaurant unless they know it serves vegan food. Because the cost between making vegan and vegetarian meals is small, the restaurant owner will always choose vegan.
But, there is more to Veganism than just restaurants.
Here’s some crazy stats for your next conversation with your mum. A recent study shows 6% of Americans now identify as vegan. In the UK, veganism has grown 350% in the last 10 years.
When vegans eat with meat-eaters, they slowly convert the minds of their victims. I have some anecdotal evidence of this: I recently met somebody that had gone to the dark side after living with his vegan girlfriend. During my last relationship with a vegan I had a similar experience— I now eat much less meat than I used to. Not because I don’t like meat as much anymore, but because I’ve just gotten used to being without it.
If my mum or dad were vegan, there would be a good chance I would be too. If it’s too hard to cook two dinners, why not just make family dinners animal-free?
When it comes to choosing what to eat, the tolerance of the people around you matters. The intolerant minority always wins.
A cheery footnote: In my engineering course at university we were once asked to create a mathematical model of how a zombie apocalypse would unfold. It doesn’t end well for us humans.
