Claim: Why are vegans against Meatless Mondays? I thought they'd be for saving even a single animal

Details

The claim here is that:

• Vegans should be for incrementalism, such as meatless Mondays, flexitarianism, vegetarianism, etc.
• Veganism is hypocritical for being black and white about things on the basis of some other argument, e.g. that you can't be 100% vegan, or that one animal saved is still good even if the whole world isn't vegan.

Problems With This Argument

1. Vegans don't disagree that any single animal saved is a good thing

The real reason that vegans tend to oppose meatless Mondays is that it gives the person a feeling of warm absolution by contributing literally nothing. I mean, if you think about Meatless Mondays, the idea is to go from 100% meat eating to 87%, not even taking into account that trading in a beef burrito for one loaded with cheese and sour cream still contributes to animal deaths and fuels the calf-slaughtering business. Flexitarian in this way is a worthless term.

2. People tend to be absolutist in other situations where unethical things are mentioned

It's not that weird to see little difference between raping and "only raping a little". Or "abstaining from murder on Mondays". Typically, people discuss other criminal behavior in absolutist terms. Why is it weird to consider "I put baby chicks in a shredder" not a real step up from "I cut an animal's throat"?

Related Claims

• "I'm trying to be a part-time vegetarian"