This optimism seems incongruous with their eagerness to get EAs and EA events to be vegan...
I have been a vegetarian all my life, and I have mentioned it in conversation less than 50 times, and I doubt much more than half the people who know me also know I’m a vegetarian, and much fewer the reasoning why.
Having only vegetarian or vegan food catered at big events is visible to everyone there, and might get comments in the news media if there are reporters present, but involves a lot less dietary change than eating veg*n all year. That could be 3-4 orders of magnitude right there, for the more limited stance ‘if people want meat at a few conferences per year, they have to bring it separately rather than have it visibly catered.’ That’s why I encouraged EA Global not to serve meat, even while thinking that your point about overemphasis on personal diet is a good one overall.
If almost all the effects of of going veg*n year-round are symbolic, then there will be low-hanging fruit of symbolism orders of magnitude more important than the typical meal.
Having only vegetarian or vegan food catered at big events is visible to everyone there, and might get comments in the news media if there are reporters present, but involves a lot less dietary change than eating veg*n all year. That could be 3-4 orders of magnitude right there, for the more limited stance ‘if people want meat at a few conferences per year, they have to bring it separately rather than have it visibly catered.’ That’s why I encouraged EA Global not to serve meat, even while thinking that your point about overemphasis on personal diet is a good one overall.
If almost all the effects of of going veg*n year-round are symbolic, then there will be low-hanging fruit of symbolism orders of magnitude more important than the typical meal.