Its not about making excuses, its about meeting people where they are. Perfectionism sets people up for failure, and leaves many people feeling like it’s not worth doing anything because they can’t do everything. Encouraging people to take any steps they can helps the movement overall.

Welcoming new environmentalists and staying kind when having discussions helps the movement. It does take emotional labor, and its okay to take a step back sometimes. It is also okay to vent about how you’re feeling in an appropriate space (such as a post in the vegan community, during the weekly how you’re feeling thread on beehaw, with friends, in your journal, etc). However, taking that frustration out on random people in an innocuous post about bugs is neither helpful nor healthy.

So yes, please stay kind.