People like to characterize those they already want to disagree with by the worst, most extreme examples of the group. So before even considering the benefits/drawbacks of veganism, people have already chosen their position after thinking “vegans are just so preachy and annoying”.
It’s putting outrage before reason, and it’s really common in social media and news:
Think about how Fox News viewers picture liberals as the least coherent, unreasonable individuals that they see get interviewed, when in reality most are just normal people.
Or the reverse: how people in liberal circles might see conservatives depicted as Maga-hat wearing weirdos who think 5G is killing them.
Same with how many religious people evaluate atheism or atheists think of religion by their worst representatives.
In short, I think the answer is that it’s a symptom of tribalism and identity-politics.
Public opinion seems to be souring on all the big corporate social media sites, and I truly think if we’re able to get the word out about federated social media platforms, people will jump ship.
Also, it’s hard to dislike a platform that isn’t showing ads, selling user data, or generally making decisions for the enrichment of shareholders.
Everyone’s arguing about whether or not the main character should be black while forgetting the more important point: Ubisoft is trash, and we shouldn’t be buying their uninspired shovelware anyway.
I avoid it as much as I can. I’m not a fan of the outrage addiction, and I’m highly suspicious of gaining any reliable information about events from an echo-chamber, even if it’s on “my side” of the political spectrum.