I have a sandwich with bacon, lettuce, and tomato, also known as a BLT. I enjoy my BLT very much. My BLT was made by a deli that produces a lot of sandwiches, but they’re most famous for their BLT, because it’s the most popular. They’ve been making them for a long time, so they’ve perfected their recipe.
I have options for my BLT. Maybe not always for this particular supplier, but I do have options. If I don’t like this particular sandwich, or if I’m in the mood for a different type of bacon or bread, I can get a sandwich elsewhere. Or I could just not get a BLT. Pretty simple.
However, I have a friend who is vegan. He is unable to eat a BLT. He gets angry when he sees me eat a BLT and begins yelling at the shop owner that their BLTs offend him. He says that the shop should stop using bacon in their BLTs. Naturally, many other vegans support him. And naturally, I and those like me don’t, because by removing bacon from a BLT, it is no longer a BLT. The chef prepared the sandwich as he liked, as he is accustomed to. He is free to modify or impove the recipe in response to public demand or personal taste. But he is still stuck within the confines of what makes a BLT a BLT. It’s his store, he should do what he likes. Likewise, as stated previously, there are options. My friend cannot eat a BLT, so his options are to stop being a vegan, or just not eat a BLT. Somehow, this does not occur to him, and he feels the need to push his veganism on others by telling them what they can and cannot eat or cook.
Unfortunately the chef caters to my friend’s demands and stops producing BLTs with bacon. Naturally, this is met with skepticism and outcry, but the vegans are louder. The shop’s profits tank as people go to get their BLTs elsewhere. The chef tries to convince the vegans to start purchasing their new LT sandwiches.
“Sorry, I’m not really a sandwich guy.” My friend says, as I swallow a bite of a different BLT than I wanted.
And this is why it’s stupid to cave into the demands of people who don’t consume the media they complain about.