Anti-Vegetarian? Why?

I was a vegetarian for 20 years so I'll add my input   For me it seemed that a lot of people would go defensive.  As soon as they found out I was the V word it was if I said all their behavior was wrong, wrong, wrong!  I wasn't out to change anyone else or judge for that matter, but apparently because the decision to not eat meat touches so many issues it was a political & spiritual statement every time I picked up a fork.

My diet is mostly vegan now but there have been times when I've had fish or chicken.  I wasn't a healthy vegetarian for so long.  Can't live on pasta and cheese without turning into a blimp, so now my goal is balance.  It's not everyone's choice but it works for me.

People get defensive because they know they're wrong, and they resent the fact that you made them think about it.

A parallel example: a young mother I know got a really hard time from her parents for breast feeding her baby. Not only did her parents find it uncomfortable to be around, they almost seemed offended that she was doing it at all. This seems strange on the surface, but if you think about it... back in our parents' day, they didn't know as much about the benefits of breast feeding and so fewer mothers did it. Now that we know better, these folks don't want to feel guilty that they raised their kids wrong. It's a decision they made long ago and they can't undo it. All the more reason to try to dodge the guilt.

Similarly, no one wants to be reminded that a cute furry animal lived a short life hunched in a dark cage and was then slaughtered with a bludgeon just so you could enjoy that lambchop. The guilt of this image multiplied over an entire lifetime can be too much to take on. The mind rejects what it can't digest, just like the stomach.

It is stupid to be mean to people who are making an effort with their own lives, just because you don't want to face your own guilt. 

FWIW I am not vegetarian but I respect the choice a lot and try to eat less meat all the time. 

Yeah I think it's a bit of "I bet you think you're better than me" complex, because vegetarianism is generally about giving something up for moral reasons.  And then there's a lot of PETA basically trying to guilt people into becoming vegetarian, which reinforces this complex.  Personally I admire vegetarianism and also try to reduce my own meat consumption, but PETA's campaigns really piss me off.  Trying to guilt trip people is not the way to convert them to vegetarianism.  In my opinion PETA does a lot more harm than good.

I think the other aspect is machismo.  Vegetarianism is viewed as wimpy and eating meat is viewed as manly.  So you get some guys trying to feel all macho by making fun of 'sissy vegetarians.'

dana, PETA has done a lot of wonderful things but the media loves to focus on the outrageous.  Any help for the animals scores in my book, but I have yet to join PETA so I guess I'm not totally sold either.  Guilt seems to be a rare emotion these days.  Maybe that's why they strive for more nudity.

greentea, right, there are a lot of people that would not be able to kill their own food but lucky for them they don't have to think about it.  My wake up call was watching a program on Chrissie Hynde when I was 17, but even prior to that my parents had a hard time feeding me meat.  My dad griping about how I should be thankful for pricey steak and I'm gagging at the table.

I think perhaps vegetarians have a more sensitive or compassionate personalty (no, no not sissy Why is compassion deemed a weakness by so many people?) towards animals because I'm sure there are people that are disgusted by meat packing plants but still love their pork chops.  My aunt runs one of the largest turkey farms.  Nice woman but when she talks about the turkey its a product not a living thing with feelings.  The one time I brought of cruelty with her she assured me they were very stupid.  There's definitely a lack of something..maybe on either side.  lol

I'm not anti-vegetarian, I think people should do what they want to as long as it doesn't bother me with it. What I do mind are those that preach at me, whether it's their life-style, their religion, or their political philosophy.

We have a friend that is a vegan. She comes to see us once a year and stays three days. She is nuts but we don't mind that so much as her insistence that her way of life is the only correct way. Then there are her conspiracy theories,: thank God she only stays three days!

Sometimes I just turn off my hearing aids and mumble replies when expected.

Why are people anti-vegetarian? Well that depends. I personally am anti-vegetarian NOT because I felt guilty or wrong for eating meat, but rather because many vegans I know or hear about are elitist snobs who act as if everyone should respect them highly for their life choices. Of course this isn't across the board, and many vegans are just vegans because they want to be and don't try to force it on others or act better than others.  Rolex Replica Replica Watches Replica Watch Rolex Replica Watches

Vegans still annoy me personally because I like eating everything and anything. Street food is my passion and I love discussing food, but with a vegan, it just turns into an argument. I especially dislike vegans who use the arguments of "saving animals" and how we should treat all animals equally as humans and blah blah. Vegans like that I spite by just eating even more meat.

If you want to be a vegan because you believe it's more healthy or because you believe you're saving the world by your actions by cutting down carbon emissions and whatnot, whatever. Just don't preach at other people about it, keep it to yourself.

There are a significant number of vegetarians (especially vegans) who are very self-righteous, judgemental, and moralistic. Moreover, these people, while in the minority, are extremely vocal about their beliefs and their moral superiority to meat eaters. It's the same way with religious fundamentalists. There is a very significant, very loud population of fundamentalist Christians that are also self-righteous, judgemental, and moralistic. People think that these minorities represent the movement as a whole because the majority of people who are vegetarian, or Christian, are unassuming and don't push it on anybody. Because of the vocal minority, the public has a generally negative impression of us all. As a result, all members of either group, deserving or not, are subject to the criticism that should only really be levelled at a small number of us. So, blame PETA, and I'll blame Jerry Falwell.

I think it's ironic when I see vegetarians wearing leather shoes, rocking leather purses and wallets, and sitting in leather seats... and enjoying veggies fertilized with dead bodies. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahilal 

People get defensive because they know they're wrong, and they resent the fact that you made them think about it.

This is dead right. Also, if they thought about it seriously, they'd have to stop being lazy and pay attention to what they eat instead of just shovelling whatever tastes good into their mouths (though we all do this to a degree, vegetarian or not).