Thank you for explaining. When you said "To consistently keep a Vegan diet is still expensive," I naively thought you were talking about budgeting. Now I see you are shouting the more nuanced view that poor people cannot "afford" – in terms of time, energy, and attention – to live by strict dietary ideals. I agree. My kid eats meat, eggs and cheese every day and I would not welcome the challenge of keeping him on a vegan diet, especially if I were also struggling to pay the bills.

You and thenewgreen seem to be responding to a jerk who says poor people should go hungry rather than eat animal products. I have not seen that view expressed on Hubski. Perhaps it was implied, or I missed it.

For my part, I will state that:

• Poor people should be allowed to do whatever they need to do to get by.

• Hunters should be allowed to enjoy their sport.

• Alaskans should be allowed to eat polar bear.

I could go on to discuss matadors, circuses, and snake charmers. Eventually, the only thing left to talk about will be ... the majority of meat consumption in this country.

I believe that most meat is consumed by people who could comfortably reduce their consumption and thereby reduce suffering. Do you think they should?