I think what you say is a reasonable statement. At least in the US, food and eating is considered by some to be a pasttime/hobby rather than something essential for life. Needless death and suffering for the enjoyment of food.

Agreed. Veganism is the moral baseline.

The irony being that a ton of marketed vegan food is dripping with palm oil, and if the companies produced it using oppressive, slave-like animal labor instead of oppressive, slave-like human labor, vegans would choose not to eat it.

The suffering involved in the creation of palm oil over the course of years does not come anywhere close to the amount of suffering caused by a single day of factory farming. The latter is many magnitudes greater.

Two things can be bad at once and plenty of vegans will also watch out for palm oil.

I agree - my point is that mere veganism can't be a moral baseline because it completely ignores the suffering of the workers who help produce the food.

It doesn’t. You misunderstand veganism.

I don't. Otherwise palm oil wouldn't even be an issue in the community.

Not it is not.

My argument is descriptive while yours is merely insistent.

I disagree, and I think history will remember any belief system (or diet) that permits unnecessary suffering for temporary pleasure as being barbaric and ridiculous.

More likely to be remembered like the Shakers if it's remembered at all.

History belongs to those with children. The bike riding vegan city living set would surprise me if they have one full child per four adults.