In this week’s bonus content, Mariann shares an essay she originally wrote on Substack exploring a shift she’s noticed in how people justify eating animals. While defenses of meat-eating once leaned on arguments like necessity, naturalness, and tradition — the “four Ns” outlined by Melanie Joy — Mariann observes that many people have quietly moved away from reasons and toward excuses: claims that individual action is pointless, that their meat isn’t factory farmed, or that systemic problems make personal ethics irrelevant. It’s a nuanced, characteristically Mariann-flavored take on why the fact that the arguments have gotten this weak might actually be a reason for cautious hope.
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