So this story is about an anonymous person in Berkeley, California, requesting that their neighbors not cook meat with the windows open because the smell was overpowering to them when they went jogging. Even the worst interpretation of this story, this is a neighborhood issue. There's literally no reason for Alex to be wasting his time critiquing the politeness or lack thereof in a random neighborhood he's never been to. There's a decent chance this isn't even a real story. It's all based on someone posting an anonymous note they got making this request, which could easily be fake. No matter what, it doesn't merit Alex calling anyone scum or even talking about this story at all. It's the definition of trivial. Also, that story has nothing to do with the government. The vegan did not demand anything. It was a request. And the request was not for them to stop cooking meat. It was to close the windows when they did so.