The word "vegan" is probably one of the more controversial words that exist today, and we're here to break that stigma down a bit. There are a few issues related to this but we're discussing the ones that we feel has the most negative impacts.

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1. The preachy / aggressive vegans:

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Yes, being vegan is about not killing, eating the flesh of or exploiting sentient beings,

but yelling "meat is murder", "animal murderers" and "I hope you get cancer from the meat you eat" is extremely negative don't you think?

Don't be that person, ever. There is honestly nothing worse than a vegan who shoves it down everyone's throats and gets upset when people get rude or irritated with them. For the vegans who are angry from reading this right now, think about it; when you still ate meat you probably found vegetarians and vegans damn annoying, I know that I did. No one likes to have any beliefs shoved down their throat, whether it be religion, conspiracy theories, veganism or pyramid schemes, especially if you don't agree with what they're shoving own your throat. If someone asks you about being vegan then tell them about it, but don't call them murderers and animal abusers, that won't change anyone's minds about ANYTHING! Getting preachy, offensive or aggressive is just going to make people shut down and confirm their beliefs that vegans and vegetarians are crazy. One thing to bare in mind is that a lot of people feel subconsciously guilty about eating  animals, or rather what animals go through to end up on their plate. Positive communication, education, patience, under cover footage and time is what the majority of people need to make the transition to vegetarian or vegan.

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2. "The no excuse to not be vegan" vegans:

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There are many vegans that just take it much too far. There are about 8 billion humans on Earth, it is quite impossible for each person to become fully vegan. Many would say that there is no excuse good enough to justify why someone isn't vegan, however life is not so black and white, there are the grey areas too.

- Every day, 25 000 people, (including more than 10 000 children), die from hunger and related causes world wide

- 854 million people are estimated to be undernourished.

- Approximately 1.85 billion people (36% of the world's population) live in extreme poverty.

- More than 72 million children of primary education age are not in school

- About 759 million adults are illiterate and do not have the awareness necessary to improve both their living conditions and those of their children.

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So now you who has finished high school, has a nice house with electricity and running water and has food to eat whenever you're hungry, you tell me how those insane amounts of people who have close to nothing, are on the brink of starvation and have little to no education are going to just start living a vegan life? Where are they going to get information about being vegan, animal cruelty and living a healthy life as a vegan?

As for the rest of the lucky population; they have eaten meat, cheese and eggs their entire lives and have been taught at school and at home that we need animal products to grow up strong, clever and with enough protein. You need to quite literally change your thinking patterns and the way that you think about animals, for some it can take one video to change while others it takes a few years to change. Not every person is effected the same way as others when it comes to animals, we all process and think differently.

So in a lot of cases, there are reasons as to why someone consumes animal products, and those reasons have nothing to do with vegans, just like a vegans reasons have nothing to do with anyone else either.

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3. Vegans against vegetarians:

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The vegans that claim vegetarianism is doing more harm than good and is just as bad as eating meat need to stop. As a vegan you already know about all the atrocities that happen to animals throughout their lives, so vegetarians can be frustrating when they say that they have no issues with milk, eggs, etc. That does not mean however that they aren't doing good just because they're not fully vegan. Vegetarians don't eat animal flesh, that is an excellent start, and if that's as far as they get, that's fine too! Not everyone is capable of making the full transition to vegan, what ever their reasons are, and that is their business, what right does a vegan have to judge? Most vegans started out pescatarian or vegetarian, not everyone can make the transition straight to vegan.

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4. Judgemental of everyone vegans:

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It is practically impossible to be 100% vegan in this world; some car tires, alcohols, plastic bags, perfumes, firecrackers, make up, the list goes on, contains some kind of animal/s. So unless you live on a self-sustainable farm, grow your all of your own food organically using no chemicals or animal products (again almost impossible), make your own clothing with natural ink and material and use almost nothing man-made then you have more "right" to judge others. So basically, even vegans aren't vegan because there is an insane amount of things in this world containing animal products and have even been tested on animals. So yes, people not using plastic straws to "save the fish" while still eating fish and vegetarians saying that they don't eat meat because they don't want animals to die for their meal while still consuming eggs and dairy are both contradictory, both are still doing their part to help in some way.

Vegans still use Nestle, Amazon, Unilever and many more companies which are morally corrupt; testing on animals, using endangered animals for delicacies, using child labor, supporting and contributing to extreme deforestation, contributing to the pollution of the ocean and the list goes on.

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Vegan Society of South Africa:

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"Veganism is not simply a definition of a diet, but a way of living. The word 'veganism' denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."

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5. "The judging of the reasons for being vegan" vegans:

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Once again, vegans have no more right to judge people than anyone else. Sometimes vegans develop a bit of a "god complex" because they feel that they are more morally aligned than the rest of humanity, this is not the case. You can still love animals and eat them, this is called cognitive dissonance. From children we are taught that farm animals are for food and animals like dogs and cats are pets. Some of us can break through the ways in which we are raised easier than others. Vegans have no right to judge meat eaters, vegetarians or other vegans reasons for being vegan, whether it be for health, the environment or for the animals.

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To end off, if you want to be vegan but still want to use honey, that's fine. Just understand what the honey industry is all about and use only the best sourced honey possible. Be the change that you can be without worrying what everyone else is doing. If people ask you about your vegan diet / lifestyle, aim to educate and have a discussion rather than attack them. And for those who want to attack you for your choice of being vegan, try to educate them with solid verified facts and if they don't want to listen then they are simply not ready yet.