Why are vegans always so self-righteous? The fact that you can maintain a well-balanced diet is always presented like they only realized it afterwords.
One can have a well-balanced diet and live a long healthy life, but it still contributes to the murder of defenseless animals.
If someone was truly concerned about the treatment of animals and wanted to do something about it, "becoming a vegan" is probably the most empty gesture they could make.
Money drives everything. Take money away from the slaughterhouse, and the abuse stops. Take money away from politicians, and the pandering to special interest groups stop. Take money away from Nike and the child sweat shops stop. Think about it.
And what do you suppose happens when money starts going to the alternatives? Not to mention that you simply aren't going to convince every person to adopt your lifestyle. You can't get rid of all the cruelty in the world. You can only mitigate it. And someone going vegan simply isn't the way to do it. When it comes to saving animals, going vegan only makes the individual feel better about their misguided, guilty conscience.
When it goes to the alternatives? I don't know, it's pretty hard to abuse a soybean.