# Is it OK to present veganism to 9 year olds? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2019, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704 "2019-12-11T10:54:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/121 "2019-12-12T21:53:56Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Exactly. At best, they can come and say that, but a Democratic politician ought to show up too, and explain the other side, and the teachers should have the kids compare/contrast the two viewpoints and list pros/cons, etc… > > But for one side to show up and essentially preach their viewpoint to children as if it was fact? Not acceptable except in situations where the “viewpoint” isn’t really a viewpoint, but actual accepted scientific fact. For example, if someone came in and gave a talk about kids needing to get their flu shots, I wouldn’t have a problem with that, as it’s not proselytizing any more than talking about kids eating a balanced diet is proselytizing. I have no problem if someone would want to go into the local school and introduce the idea of nutrition through combining foods to get all the nutrients from nothing but vegetation, and through lacto-ovo vegetarianism, pescatary-lacto-ovo vegetarianism and fullon omnivore. What I do not hold with is framing it as better for the environment, kinder to animals or anything other than as a nutritional option. Hell, my sister and brother in law are members of some religious association that meditates, is vegetarian and will not eat onions/garlic/alliums- got no problem with that, they have never tried converting us, and it is interesting figuring modifications to regular dishes I make to allow for their needs without sacrificing flavor. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/122 "2019-12-12T22:18:35Z")
Back to the OP, I’m glad you’re writing to the principal. The school screwed up. My guess is the presenter billed himself as “presenting the health advantages of veganism,” and the school thought that’d be OK. But at the very least, someone should have checked out his credentials and his presentation in advance to ensure it was appropriate for 9-10-year-olds. I wonder if the presenter wasn’t a nephew of the principle or something. Assuming there were teachers and an administrator at the assembly, the animal snuff film, if that’s what it was, should have been stopped. In your letter to the principal, you might ask whether he or another administrator was present at the assembly, and if so, why he didn’t stop the film; if not, why weren’t they there? ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/123 "2019-12-13T10:27:33Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > If that was my child, I’d be having a meeting with the principal, the scenario as you presented it is not acceptable or appropriate in any way. That was not “presenting” an alternate style of eating/living, that was indoctrination pure and simple. That’s how I read it as well. About two years ago I translated a text for a major meat processor in Germany. I learnt all sorts of useful terms such as 'the pluck" and “poll knocking”, but it is not stuff for little kiddies. Still less a film of an abattoir! There is a difference between an activist and a teacher, and here an activist was totally inappropriate. Vegetarianism and veganism is picking up in Europe and a lot of young people choose it, but by young I mean mid-teens or later. I see no point in forcing any particular form of nutrition on children, for any reason. IMHO, that applies to religious prohibitions, which are really just outdated taboos. Adults can do what they want, they are responsible for what they do. Or are supposed to be, but I wonder in some cases. Nutritionally, it’s tough to feed children adequately on a vegetarian diet. The problem is mainly protein and some B vitamins. Vegetable protein needs the missing amino acid to be complete, and the only vegetable that has that is soybeans. You either need dietary supplements, a little meat or a lot of tofu. This is easier if, like the Japanese, your idea of vegetarianism allows fish. This gets really difficult if you cut out dairy and eggs as well, you have to work hard at getting enough of certain minerals and vitamins. That is even harder for kids, and damn near impossible with picky kids. Once you are fully grown physically, it matters much less what you eat as long as you avoid gross deficiencies. But don’t do this to kids. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/124 "2019-12-13T12:44:48Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > Vegetarianism and veganism is picking up in Europe and a lot of young people choose it, but by young I mean mid-teens or later. I see no point in forcing any particular form of nutrition on children, for any reason. IMHO, that applies to religious prohibitions, which are really just outdated taboos. Adults can do what they want, they are responsible for what they do. Or are supposed to be, but I wonder in some cases. > > Nutritionally, it’s tough to feed children adequately on a vegetarian diet. The problem is mainly protein and some B vitamins. Vegetable protein needs the missing amino acid to be complete, and the only vegetable that has that is soybeans. You either need dietary supplements, a little meat or a lot of tofu. This is easier if, like the Japanese, your idea of vegetarianism allows fish. This gets really difficult if you cut out dairy and eggs as well, you have to work hard at getting enough of certain minerals and vitamins. That is even harder for kids, and damn near impossible with picky kids. Once you are fully grown physically, it matters much less what you eat as long as you avoid gross deficiencies. > > But don’t do this to kids. There’s some odd stuff here. My whole family went vegetarian for a year when I was eight, and I stayed vegetarian for many years after my family returned to eating meat. I know plenty of people both my age and at my school who were vegetarian from birth. There’s nothing at all wrong with that, nor with keeping kosher or halal or whatever. Parents force “a particular form of nutrition” on kids every time they cook a meal for a kid and it’s not what the kid ordered, every time they say, “eat your veggies,” every time they deny a kid dessert. Keeping vegetarian is of a piece with all other direction of a kid’s diet. And getting sufficient protein as an ovolactovegetarian is trivially easy. In fact, it may be easier to get a vegetarian kid to maintain proper health than to get a carnivore kid to do so, given the importance of veggies and fruit for a growing kid. (note that I won’t defend that claim in a 20-post back-and-forth, which is why I included that weaselly “may”). Veganism is a much harder diet to carry off successfully for kids, but as I linked earlier, there’s ample research showing how it can be done. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/125 "2019-12-13T15:10:36Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > Nutritionally, it’s tough to feed children adequately on a vegetarian diet. The problem is mainly protein and some B vitamins. Vegetable protein needs the missing amino acid to be complete, and the only vegetable that has that is soybeans. You either need dietary supplements, a little meat or a lot of tofu. Is it really that hard? I’m not a vegetarian and I don’t have kids, so I haven’t tried. But I do spend time with a lot of people of Indian descent who don’t eat meat or eggs (they do drink milk & eat milk products) and neither do their kids. From a distance - the kids don’t seem to be unhealthy. I can see it being really difficult if you’re expecting to feed someone an “American diet.” But I wonder if there aren’t workarounds? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/126 "2019-12-13T15:32:38Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Is it really that hard? I’m not a vegetarian and I don’t have kids, so I haven’t tried. But I do spend time with a lot of people of Indian descent who don’t eat meat or eggs (they do drink milk & eat milk products) and neither do their kids. From a distance - the kids don’t seem to be unhealthy. I can see it being really difficult if you’re expecting to feed someone an “American diet.” But I wonder if there aren’t workarounds? milk contains both complete protein and B12, so it would easily provide what might be more difficult to get from vegetable sources. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/127 "2019-12-13T16:10:17Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Does this mean that you don’t think sex ed should be taught until the kids are engaged in sex and at risk of pregnancy? > [@QuickSilver](#): > > I’m okay with waiting until they are about 12 y.o. So what’s that… grade 6?.. middle school? Isn’t that the typical age where sex ed is introduced in schools? 12 year olds these days, or even when I was one, are often well into puberty. Basic sex education should start a whole lot earlier than that. But basic sex education doesn’t require, and shouldn’t include, showing porn films. And basic education about the fact that different people eat different diets, or even about the fact that eating meat requires killing animals, doesn’t require and shouldn’t include showing film from a slaughterhouse – let alone from a poorly run one, which I suspect is what was in the presentation. > [@kayaker](#): > > Alternatively, introduce her to some live chickens. My daughter was an omnivore her entire life. She lived with us for 6 months when she was relocating. Interacting with our hens made a huge impact on her and she’s been unable to eat chicken since then. Might work out that way; or might not. I remember a conversation from years ago with some friends who raised their own chickens; they said they’d been asked ‘how can you eat those chickens, when you raised them!’ and that their reply was ‘if you knew those chickens like we know those chickens, you’d understand how we can eat those chickens!’ In practice, we seem to be getting more and more vegetarianism as fewer and fewer people actually raise any chickens. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/128 "2019-12-13T16:29:27Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Might work out that way; or might not. I remember a conversation from years ago with some friends who raised their own chickens; they said they’d been asked ‘how can you eat those chickens, when you raised them!’ and that their reply was ‘if you knew those chickens like we know those chickens, you’d understand how we can eat those chickens!’ > > In practice, we seem to be getting more and more vegetarianism as fewer and fewer people actually raise any chickens. We raise our hens for egg production only. They start off as day old chicks living in our house in our sun room. We buy live meal worms at the pet store and feed them to the chicks as treats. At around 3 weeks of age they are transitioned to our basement, where they live in a dog run for a while. They are old enough to be hand-fed peanuts as treats. After another week or two they are introduced to the outside world. We get eggs from them ten months out of the year. We let them rest (no artificial light) for January and February, so they remain productive for 7-10 years. Once they go through chicken menopause we continue to care for them throughout their retirement. When they die they receive the same burial service that our other pets get. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/129 "2019-12-13T17:24:04Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > When they die they receive the same burial service that our other pets get. Old hens like that make the absolute best chicken soup. Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/130 "2019-12-13T17:32:31Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > Nutritionally, it’s tough to feed children adequately on a vegetarian diet. The problem is mainly protein and some B vitamins. Vegetable protein needs the missing amino acid to be complete, and the only vegetable that has that is soybeans. You either need dietary supplements, a little meat or a lot of tofu. This is factually incorrect. It may be difficult to find a single plant-based food that offers complete protein, but it is trivially easy to [combine multiple plant sources to get complete protein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_for_a_Small_Planet#Protein_combining) (i.e., all essential amino acids). This was explained thoroughly and clearly as early as 1971 in _Diet for a Small Planet_ by Frances Moore Lappé. Protein is a matter of least concern to vegans who eat a varied diet, and most Americans get much more than they need. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/131 "2019-12-13T18:25:26Z")
When I was in middle school, we had to watch a video on the dangers of smoking. But it wasn’t just, “smoking can cause cancer”, it was an interview with people who had their jaws removed, or speaking through a hole in their throat. I remember being so freaked out I got dizzy, almost passed out and had to leave the classroom. I returned to find my classmates being made to breathe through tiny straws. I’m not opposed to kids being told, “don’t smoke - these are the problems it can cause.” But they shouldn’t be exposed to gruesome imagery (and yes, I would consider much of what I saw in that video to be fairly gruesome). My grandpa died of lung cancer - I’ve been exposed to plenty of its horrors, and I think lots of other kid will be too. Ultimately, it’s something their parents should guide them through, not schools. As it is, my parents did complain to the school about the experience. I don’t know if anything changed. It’s similar to how I feel about this. It’s not the school’s responsibility to expose a kid to different styles of eating. Let their parents do that. I’m for being exposed to different cultures/lifestyles, and in my grade school that meant taking a French class once a week on school time. Not being scared out of my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/132 "2019-12-13T18:37:19Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > But they are not given a platform at elementary school assemblies to do it. If the parents allow their children to watch TV, then ads for Burger King and KFC are part of the package. But that is with consent of the parents. That’s not remotely true. There are partnerships with school lunch programs, “food pyramid” nonsense sponsored by in-bed-with-corporations government agencies, school fundraiser bake sales and barbecues, construction-paper turkeys on the bulletin board, and a thousand other ways animal agriculture has made sure to indoctrinate children, and schools and government have been happily compliant. Just because you’ve given no thought to this issue doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/133 "2019-12-13T18:41:08Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > This is factually incorrect. It may be difficult to find a single plant-based food that offers complete protein, but it is trivially easy to [combine multiple plant sources to get complete protein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_for_a_Small_Planet#Protein_combining) (i.e., all essential amino acids). This was explained thoroughly and clearly as early as 1971 in _Diet for a Small Planet_ by Frances Moore Lappé. Protein is a matter of least concern to vegans who eat a varied diet, and most Americans get much more than they need. In fact, the viability (not to mention [the superiority](https://gamechangersmovie.com/)) of plant-based diets has been thoroughly established. It’s time for people to stop advancing claims that such a diet is difficult for, or bad for, anyone outside of rare medical conditions. So please stop doing so. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/134 "2019-12-13T18:42:06Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > It’s similar to how I feel about this. It’s not the school’s responsibility to expose a kid to different styles of eating. Let their parents do that. I’m for being exposed to different cultures/lifestyles, and in my grade school that meant taking a French class once a week on school time. Not being scared out of my mind. I don’t have a problem with them exposing kids to different sorts of eating- as a matter of fact, I’d welcome it- teach them about kosher, halal, vegan and vegetarian styles of eating, as well as various ones from around the world. Why not? What and how people eat is a fundamental cultural element, and exposing children to those elements is a good way to foster diversity and tolerance. Where I object is if the school does one of two things- presents any of those styles as superior (assuming it’s not a religious school), or what the OP was talking about, letting some third party come in and pitch it as superior without being countermanded by the school. I mean, if my kids were to come in and tell me about vegans and vegetarians or pescatorians, I would think it’s cool that they learned that. But if they came in and told me that at school a guy told them they shouldn’t eat or use any animal products and that we have to do that now, I’d be fairly upset because my children (by no means stupid) tend to take school-presented knowledge as gospel at their current ages (5 and 8), and clearly someone is making a judgment call about what they should be taught, that’s out of line. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/135 "2019-12-13T19:03:20Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I don’t have a problem with them exposing kids to different sorts of eating- as a matter of fact, I’d welcome it- teach them about kosher, halal, vegan and vegetarian styles of eating, as well as various ones from around the world. Why not? What and how people eat is a fundamental cultural element, and exposing children to those elements is a good way to foster diversity and tolerance. > > Where I object is if the school does one of two things- presents any of those styles as superior (assuming it’s not a religious school), or what the OP was talking about, letting some third party come in and pitch it as superior without being countermanded by the school. > > I mean, if my kids were to come in and tell me about vegans and vegetarians or pescatorians, I would think it’s cool that they learned that. But if they came in and told me that at school a guy told them they shouldn’t eat or use any animal products and that we have to do that now, I’d be fairly upset because my children (by no means stupid) tend to take school-presented knowledge as gospel at their current ages (5 and 8), and clearly someone is making a judgment call about what they should be taught, that’s out of line. All that has happened is exactly what you stated in your first paragraph. The school did not send your kids home with a note saying children will be expected to follow a new school endorsed diet guideline and children’s lunches will be inspected for compliance. Stop overreacting. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/136 "2019-12-13T19:03:26Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > In fact, the viability (not to mention [the superiority](https://gamechangersmovie.com/)) of plant-based diets has been thoroughly established. It’s time for people to stop advancing claims that such a diet is difficult for, or bad for, anyone outside of rare medical conditions. > > So please stop doing so. There’s a whole lot we don’t understand yet about human digestive systems; and a lot of what we’ve been learning recently leads, if anywhere, to the conclusion that people should stop advancing claims that any one diet is best for everybody. > **[Healthiness of a Vegetarian Diet May Depend on Genetic Disposition - The...](https://cornellsun.com/2016/04/26/healthiness-of-a-vegetarian-diet-may-depend-on-genetic-disposition/)** > > Study finds genetic basis for vegetarianism ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/137 "2019-12-13T19:53:51Z")
The real danger in raising your kids vegan is that they’ll rebel later with unforeseen consequences. One of Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s sons wound up a hyper-Christian. Just imagine unsuspecting vegan parents showing up at Junior’s house for dinner one evening, finding out that the menu is turducken with barbecued brisket and Wendy’s triple cheeseburgers for side dishes. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/138 "2019-12-13T20:09:22Z")
My biggest issue with the presentation would be that it wasn’t presented by a doctor or nutritionist. If they really wanted to present other types of eating, it seems like having a professional trained in that area would be the most neutral, unbiased way to go. It would’ve been cool, though, for that person to talk about why they’re an activist and how as an activist they want to change the world. I would be more than happy to have someone who was so passionate about something they were willing to dedicate a significant portion of their time to it describe what research they’d done to reach the conclusions they have reached, what their thought process is and how what they say resonates with people. All of this is assuming, though, that the person was relatively sane and intelligent and wasn’t advocating for, I don’t know, shitting in someone’s backyard as opposed to a toilet. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/139 "2019-12-13T20:41:04Z")
Vegans: are you concerned that the presenter’s methods may have done a disservice to veganism? A nine-year-old can easily confuse the methods with the message. If they think of veganism as some ranting guy who showed a movie with graphic slaughterhouse footage, they might well be less inclined to veganism than if a vegan presented the moral and physical benefits of veganism in an age-appropriate way nine-year-olds could understand and embrace. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704/140 "2019-12-13T21:08:41Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Vegans: are you concerned that the presenter’s methods may have done a disservice to veganism? A nine-year-old can easily confuse the methods with the message. If they think of veganism as some ranting guy who showed a movie with graphic slaughterhouse footage, they might well be less inclined to veganism than if a vegan presented the moral and physical benefits of veganism in an age-appropriate way nine-year-olds could understand and embrace. Presenting the “moral” benefits is inherently in the “ranting cultist” category. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-present-veganism-to-9-year-olds/844704.md?page=8)