Vegetarian Hate

[anriana]

I hate how annoying people are about vegetarians, and the stupid excuses they use to justify their hatred. "PETA is obnoxious so I'm obnoxious to vegetarians!" I find Focus on the Family obnoxious, that doesn't mean I walk up to everyone with a cross/Bible/etc and start telling them everything I dislike about their personal beliefs! I am just so tired of all of the lame jokes and all of the dbag comments. This is one of my most deeply held religious beliefs. I don't advertise it, I don't comment on what other people eat, yet because I eat soy products over my lunch break and can only eat certain things at restaurants I have to deal with people commenting on it all the time. I just want to smack the next person who interrupts my reading to ask "OMG what are you eating?" or who makes any of the following comments/"jokes:" "I totally couldn't do that!" "I just love my steak/etc too much!" "Do you eat animal crackers?" "Don't you know God gave us dominion over animals?" "I'm in PETA too! People for Eating Tasty Animals!" "I'm going to eat three just for you!" "Why do you hate vegetables?" "You're not changing anything" "Don't you know you can't get enough protein/B12/etc that way?"


I understand/tolerate this sort of teasing coming from friends, but from random people and coworkers, it is totally inappropriate and rude. It's not funny, no one commenting on my food has a perfect diet, and I am seriously considering going to HR and reporting religious harassment if it continues. It's not acceptable to make fun of people who follow kosher or halal guidelines, why do people think it is okay to make fun of mine? Yes, there are people who follow it for secular reasons, but it originated in and is largely practiced for religious reasons.

[Boozy]

I've always been baffled that people would take another person's dietary choices so personally.

Why does anyone care if someone else chooses not to eat meat? In fact, if the entire world ate as much meat as most North Americans, we'd be choking to death on methane gas right now.

Vegetarian is one of the most unobtrusive things you can be. It has almost no effect on others, so there's no reason for others not to mind their own business.

[Greenday]

I never understood how people could just survive on vegetables, but that's their own thing. It's their health, not mine. I worry about what I eat and that's it.

[Boozy]

I never understood how people could just survive on vegetables, but that's their own thing.

Vegetarians eat more than vegetables. They also eat fruits, grains, nuts, and beans. And most vegetarians aren't vegans, so they also eat animal by-products like eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese.

I'm not vegetarian myself, but I only eat meat once a week. I don't need to if I don't want; my diet is completely healthy and balanced without it. My weekly hamburger or steak is a luxury I could do without.

[MystyGlyttyr]

See, Catherine and I talk all the time, and she's a vegetarian and I am a self-professed carnivore...I eat very few vegetables or fruits, most of my vegetable or fruit nutrients come from juices. And...neither of us really care. We don't even care enough to tease each other. We're far too busy making Canadian/American jokes.

But then again, I think so many meat-eaters get the same sort of flack, from "Meat is murder" and "That settles in your intestines" and "That's the sort of thing that killed Elvis" (I actually heard that one!) I guess some of the meat-eaters think it's their way of "getting back" at vegetarians. Personally, I don't give a shit, if somebody starts harassing me over my grilled chicken, I'll just start chewing with my mouth open. That chases off 90% of them. The worst I'll do is ask if a person is vegetarian and leave it at that.

(No offense meant, but "Do you eat animal crackers?" cracked me up. I've never heard that one myself, though, which is why I suppose the novelty hasn't worn off.)

[Pedersen]

who makes any of the following comments/"jokes:" "I totally couldn't do that!" "I just love my steak/etc too much!"

I might be about to upset you, but I do hope you'll read the whole thing before you choose to blast me.

I know I couldn't be a vegetarian. I do love meat too much. And I have a great deal of respect for people who have the self-control to be able to stay away from meat. I don't. Thank you for giving me a model to look up to. Whether or not I ever become a vegetarian, I do hope to gain your level of self-control someday.

The only other thing I'll say on it is this: If I'm around someone who I know has specific restrictions on their diet, I'll ask if my eating something around them will bother them, and then try to avoid it if it does. I've known vegetarians who didn't mind if I ate meat, and ones who did. I try to respect their sensibilities.

[DesignFox]

I don't mind people who choose to be vegan or vegetarian. That's their choice. I only dislike the people who try to cram that belief down other's throats.

I have friends who are or were veggie or vegan. We would go to restaurants with vegetarian options. That way, I could have my chicken or burger or whatever, and they could have their veggies or fruits...not a big deal.

[the_std]

I think that people who make those comments to strangers are actually trying to justify themselves to themselves, and no one else. My sister chose to be a vegetarian at a very young age (11 or 12) and all she got was shit about it from everyone except her immediate family. But when I was around her, hearing these stupid comments, it seemed to me that the main reasons people do these things is because they feel guilty about their own eating habits, for whatever reason, and are embarrassed that someone is doing "better" than them. Therefore, it is necessary to point out all the flaws in their choice.

I'm not saying that's the only reason, but that was a big one that I saw.

[Norton]

I don't mind people who choose to be vegan or vegetarian. That's their choice. I only dislike the people who try to cram that belief down other's throats.

I quite agree. I know a few vegetarians. When we have a party, my boyfriend and I make sure to provide vegetarian food for them. They in turn are thankful, and don't complain that the main portion of the menu is meat (the bf and I are raging carnivores). We respect them, they respect us - all is well.

Contrary, a few years ago my former roommate decided to become vegan. The holier-than-thou attitude she began to carry, along with the anti-meat preaching she constantly spouted really irked me. She seemed to believe that I was less enlightened because I chose to eat meat, instead of realizing that I had my own valid reasons for not being a vegan - it was as if my morals were less developed than hers.

The hate goes both ways, as does the respect. I'll respect the choice of a vegetarian as long as they don't show disrespect for my choice of eating meat.

[BlaqueKatt]

I'll try to explain this as best as I can from what I've seen and experienced: some people cannot accept that someone would make a choice different than theirs, and they see that as a threat-or that their decision might be seen as "inferior"-so to make themselves feel better, and to reinforce that their decision is "right" they will attack others over over it. When this happens it tells me the person is rather insecure about their decisions-and feels they have to defend them(to complete strangers no less), lest their insecurity be revealed. And they also cannot fathom that someone's circumstances may be different than their own making both decisions "right" for the individuals involved.

some examples(I am not debating any of these points-just giving examples)

Stay-at home parent vs work outside the home parent
one religion vs another religion
breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding
Smoking vs non-smoking
gun owners vs gun control
cloth vs disposable diapers
pro-death penalty vs anti-death penalty

I could think of tons more really.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I don't mind people who choose to be vegan or vegetarian. That's their choice. I only dislike the people who try to cram that belief down other's throats.

I agree. The same goes for tee-totallers, born again Christians or nonsmokers. You've made a lifestyle choice; great, good on you. Just please don't try to force it on to me, or make nasty remarks about my choice of food or drugs. To my mind, someone who remarks, "Do you know that's a dead cow you're eating?" deserves a smack in the teeth. And yes, I have had someone, a complete stranger, come up to me in Burger King and tell me that. I replied, "Yes, his name is George and he's yummy!" XD

My uncle, aunt and little cousin are all veggie and I have no problems with them at all, cuz they never really mention it. When my family and I go round theirs, they serve up veggie food, but don't make a big deal of it.

[Rapscallion]

To give this some perspective, I used to be a butcher. I currently work for a company that sells only vegetarian or vegan produce. Many of my colleagues are vegetarian. A few are vegans. Even the vegetarians think that vegans need a little ribbing from time to time when their backs are turned.

Generally speaking, if a vegetarian makes no comment about what I eat, I don't worry about them. I go to a chum's house most weeks, and he's a vegetarian. When I'm under his roof, I don't eat meat. If we were both under my roof, I wouldn't hold back, but I wouldn't rub it in his face.

It's a matter of respect.

Rapscallion

[anriana]

"That's the sort of thing that killed Elvis" (I actually heard that one!)

Haha, that is awesomely stupid. I think I might use that if people ever ask me if I'm a militant veggie. I don't know if I could keep a straight face though.

(No offense meant, but "Do you eat animal crackers?" cracked me up. I've never heard that one myself, though, which is why I suppose the novelty hasn't worn off.)

Oh yeah, it was really funny the first five or so times.

I might be about to upset you, but I do hope you'll read the whole thing before you choose to blast me.

I know I couldn't be a vegetarian. I do love meat too much. And I have a great deal of respect for people who have the self-control to be able to stay away from meat. I don't. Thank you for giving me a model to look up to. Whether or not I ever become a vegetarian, I do hope to gain your level of self-control someday.

It would only irritate me if I didn't know you in real life and walked up to me eating tofu and said that. You are of course free to hold whatever beliefs you want, I just don't want them shared with me at random times. =)

It's not really self-control for me. I went veggie out a young age so I've never had steak or anything other than chicken fingers and other cheap meats. I tried going back to meat once (I craved ranch drumsticks for what seemed like years) and it tasted horrible to me. I don't know if it's because I always ate highly processed meat and had lost my taste for the chemicals, or what, but I haven't wanted meat in years. Going vegan and ditching chocolate would be self control.

The hate goes both ways, as does the respect. I'll respect the choice of a vegetarian as long as they don't show disrespect for my choice of eating meat.

And that's all I want. I have my own views on it but I'm certainly not going to walk up to someone eating meat and share them.

[lordlundar]

I don't mind people who choose to be vegan or vegetarian. That's their choice. I only dislike the people who try to cram that belief down other's throats.

I concur. Whenever a vegetarian or vegan comes up to me and starts ranting about my eating habits, I take a big bite out of my meat and go "Mmmmm!" and really try to make them vomit. (and the best part is they can't complain about me, as they were harassing me first)

Or I just point out that at least I'm doing the humane thing and killing the animal before I eat it. They're eating a living, breathing creature.

I am an omnivore, I eat flora and fauna. If you don't, that's your choice. If you try to cram your belief down my throat, I will happily shove it up your ass.

[Slytovhand]

You know what really shits me about the 'carnivore/veggie' thing...

I'm an omni, and it shits me when I get asked if I eat vegetarian food! WFT???

If it tastes good and isn't likely to do me harm, I'll eat it! What's it matter if it's a meat product or non-meat product? (how often is meat used as a flavouring, rather than as a base??)


(OT.. btw.. BK - while I agree with the general thought of what you said, some of the examples you use aren't just about personal preferences... some are about serious issues that have to be decided in the law for the benefits of society as a whole, for the safety and security as a whole... but we've got those threads under way

Although... we could always mandate to have meat products banned for the good of our intestines and economics... cows are far too expensive to breed and damage the environment a lot more than veggies! )

Slyt