Lots of people want to live without killing animals. Some people start by cutting down on eating meat, or only eating fish, and some people go Vegetarian and still eat dairy and eggs. We all know, though that consuming any meat, dairy or eggs still causes animals to suffer and die.
If you agree that it is wrong to hurt animals unnecessarily (who doesn't?) and you think things like fur and whaling are wrong, then you should consider going vegan. It is certainly not necessary to eat meat, dairy, eggs or wear leather or wool. The millions of healthy and happy vegans in the world prove this! It is also not possible to consume animal products without hurting or killing animals. Our tastebuds or fashion sense are just not good enough reasons to kill.
Here is a great resource for anyone considering going vegan. http://vegankit.com/
I think you can be on a cruelty free diet without being vegan though. Such as cruelty free milk, eggs, cheese .. if you make them yourself or along those lines. I can see the argument still that could lay within that, but none the less, it is cruelty free. But being on a vegan diet does make life highly cruelty free and in a sense of vegetarian or vegan, vegan is definitely more cruelty free.
It is much easier to be vegan these days also because it is becoming more popular, so there is more demand on vegan food, so it's great. However, it's probably only easier if you live somewhere that is meeting this demand, there is the option of online shopping, but is really expensive. The hardest part (I believe) about a vegan diet is the convenience and also the want. I still want alot of things that aren't vegan because they taste amazing, that's still hard, but my will power is stronger than the want for it, but it's still very hard & upsetting. Also in saying this, I went from an omni diet straight to a vegan diet. No stepping stones, no cheat days or moments. This worked alot better for me, because I know myself and if I did it gradually, I would have just kept jumping back and forth from steps (like, 1 to 2, then back to 1) So it is possible to go straight to vegan if that is within your personality. I remember saying to a vegetarian friend when I was omni, I said, "I can't live without meat. If there is no meat in my meal, it isn't a meal to me" I literally surprise myself every day that I'm vegan, because it has become my life and I almost forget that I'm vegan cause it's just the way my life is.
I can tell you quite a few reasons why milk and dairy isn't cruelty free, message me sometime and we can chat? It won't be attacking you or anything I promise, I just think there are some things you'd like to know. If not, go on my page and check out my blog post on dairy, should be near the bottom of the page a picture of a cow, click it and that can tell you the basics.
The topic question implies you are after genuine answers from people, but then what I read seems more like a morals lecture than a genuine interaction.
'Should' is judgemental. It is not about which is the better (more moral) person, rather it is about the decisions each person makes once they have become aware of the issues. People deciding to be vegetarian or vegan is a person decision. People may choose to stop at vegetarianism for a variety of reasons, or they may use it as a stepping stone, to allow their system to adjust to the different stages of a new diet, as they make slower changes. Who are you or anyone else to judge them? You are not in their shoes.
Yes animals suffer. Yes humans are the cause of that suffering. However, sometimes I think vegans forget humans are animals too and deserve a bit of consideration as well. Instead of looking at new vegetarians and admonishing them for not doing enough or pointing 'but there's still more you can do', how about backing off and giving encouragement for how far they've come - and giving advice only if asked for?
