How is it any people cannot put themselves in that place with imagining? Even animals could identify with what would not be desirable. Humans should have the sensibility to know they would not want what the animals being used are put through, we can likewise choose to not have anything to do with that, and we can already find out ourselves that there are ways to be very healthy this way without products from animals. And the same amount of use of resources for it and contribution to damage to environments with loss of species does not need to be continued then. https://healthyaging.emory.edu/could-eating-30-plants-a-week-be-the-answer-to-better-health/
I will bite, my take is that responsibility, accountability and empathy are all things lacking in society that encourages and rewards selfishness and betterment of self above all else. It really is a shock when you mention these things to people that then associate what you are saying with “their” food. You are attacking the very sense of self, ego and identity which leads to defensive reactions that are not based on logic let alone empathy. The only way to change this is to address the systemic reliance on self promotion and preservation, but this means equality and communities at all levels to not discriminate amongst people within them and support them with basic needs, including quality education that supports critical thinking and comprehension. With this, people will be more receptive and it will be less about advocating on behalf of those species that can’t or fighting against long held traditions and more that they will find this to be a reasonable thing that they conclude themselves because they no longer have to fight for their place or status in society.
We don’t need that much education to understand the argument, it’s quite simple actually:
You and animals both feel and want to live.
You don’t want others to harm your feelings or end your life.
If everyone respected eachothers feelings and desire to live, people wouldn’t harm you.
Therefore, we shouldn’t mess with the feelings and desire to live of beings that can feel and want to live.
And if nobody harmed each other or animals, there’d be no vegans.
Now, where to from here? Tell people you have an answer to a problem they don’t have, or to solve their problems so they understand yours?
Most of the people I outreach when doing activism are actually against exploiting animals when there is no need. It just follows that if you believe that and don’t want to be a hypocrite, you have to be vegan. Non-blacks that supported the civil rights movements didn’t do so because someone ‘tell them an answer for a problem they didn’t have’, they did so because they thought it was the right thing to do. It’s the same with veganism, people against needless animal exploitation will go vegan, they just need to be educated on what they are supporting. Most people I talk to have no idea how animals are exploited.
I’m not sure what you’re proposing, I’d love to listen to some actionable ideas that would help abolish or minimize animal exploitation though.