Vegan bullying makes me sad

[DokiDokiTsuna]

By this I mean people bullying vegans (although the reverse also makes me sad, I guess). The other day I was watching a new cooking video by some of my favorite people, and they were doing a recipe with 'meatless meatballs' and dairy-free cheese. Personally, I don't go for BBQ flavors with meatballs in general, meatless or not, but the end result looked nice and I appreciated that they were doing something different and creative (and still up to their usual culinary standards ).

Unfortunately, the usually-appreciative and open-minded comments were naturally replaced by insults and wisecracks, as if it's somehow not respectable to use ingredients that aren't actual meat and cheese. I wasn't really surprised, though: any time I watch any recipe vid that suggests vegetarian/vegan alternatives (usually for meat, meat is the trigger), the same thing happens.

It's sad to think that I live in a world where people are so outraged by other people's food choices that they feel the need to attack them, or anyone who suggests they're okay. It's worst when they imply that they need to be jerks about it because "those sanctimonious vegans always are". Even if that were true, two wrongs don't make a right...

The scariest thing, though, was when I read this post about someone replacing someone's vegetarian burger with actual beef as a joke. It might not even have been a true story (it was just some screenshot from somewhere) but the comments underneath it certainly were.
People with severe allergies to things like gluten, lactose, and red meat (YES, you can be allergic to meat; look it up) live in fear every day of servers and cooks pulling these kinds of stunts on them simply due to laziness and a lack of respect. People are getting hurt and possibly DYING just because some people can't accept that not everyone wants to eat the way they do. It's awful...and it's something that's gonna stick with me for a long time.

[vothnthorvaldson]

As a vegetarian: food is such an emotional subject that people generally cannot be reasonnable about it, whatever their opinions on the question are.
So, even if it's unlike me, that's a subject I stopped trying to discuss. I'd rather discuss religion or politics, it's safer. Seriously!

[Kann]

I don't get why it's such a big issue when people decide to cut off animal products from their diets. I'm not a wegetarian myself but meat fanatics are so annoying. Yes, Greg. People can live without bacon. Get over it and go eat a steak or something.

Not saying vegans are completely innocent here, but I can understand more the reasons for going vegan than the need to brag about how you eat meat for every meal every day.

[borzoiteeth]

People can be really stupid. Humans can be allergic to anything. I love salad but I'm freaking allergic to lettuce.

[JackOfArtAndProse]

I think it's the fanatical people that we always have to watch out for(vegan or meat eater, it matters not). Intelligent folk who are able to have verbal discourse without letting it become emotionally charged seem to be the best folk to be around.

[Kittosaurus]

I think the main problem is that the loudest voices on both sides are the extremists ( both for Vegans and for avid Meat Eaters ), so we have a general expectation about how both sides will act. Unfortunately most of the 'reasonable' voices are outspoken and are often drowned out in the crossfire.

People can be really stupid. Humans can be allergic to anything. I love salad but I'm freaking allergic to lettuce.

Tell me about it! I'm allergic to certain flavored dental flosses ( they make my gums incredibly itchy ) and cat drool ( I get hives on any skin it contacts).

[JackOfArtAndProse]

Also, the sad thing here is that if a vegan who hasn't consumed meat in a long time eats meat(accidentally, more likely than not), it can be VERY hazardous for them. Their body wont be able to digest it, as it lacks the required gut bacteria. Imagine having chunks of undigested, tough and sinewy meat bowling around in your gut. It can actually damage your gut to a great degree.

[azzy-m]

Yea I was thinking about that too. Yes, some vegans/vegetarians stray away from animal products because it's a lifestyle choice, but some people are vegetarians because they're allergic to meat. In fact, I'm pretty sure there's an allergy for fucking everything (there are even people who are allergic to water lol)

Let people eat whatever they want. What another person eats isn't yours to control.

Little story bc why not: one time my sister asked me why I won't go vegan (she knows I love animals so lmao) and I told her "I love chicken and pepperoni pizza too much to give it up. Also vegan stuff is expensive"

[aqua03]

Honestly, as some one who loves to cook and loves meat (though I was planning on going at least vegetarian for a little bit just to see what happens.) I will admit that a lot of Vegans online haven't really done the best job endearing themselves to the general public. (I remember one time I made a light-hearted crack about bacon and vegans on a Facebook food page about burgers and the vegan responses were some of the most self-righteous and insufferable things I have ever seen as it eventually just devolved into the vegans throwing incredibly hateful insults my way for some reason.) That, and with people like PETA on the prowl, the Vegans honestly don't have it the best when it comes to PR it seems.

That, and as someone who was raised vegetarian for most of their childhood, I can tell you that vegan replacement meat just wasn't that good back in the day. (I still shudder remembering Morning Star "Bacon...") Thankfully, we seem to be getting better with that stuff as time goes on.

Honestly, everyone has their own unique dietary needs and tastes and that's fine. Some people just don't get why someone likes or doesn't like some foods and that's normal as well. But I do think that it is incredibly bad to be stuck up and smug about it, especially if you feel the need to belittle and hurt others for something like that as well. (Especially over something that is relatively trivial like food.) That, and I just hate food snobs and elitists in general...

[Maps]

I have a cousin who definitely became an extremist vegan threes years ago (along with his wife) and they make the rest of us feel very awkward and guilty for eating meat. Just because they became vegan doesn’t give them a right to be so judgmental of us or pushy about it.
My best friend is also a vegan and she doesn’t say anything about it to me at all. We just make sure to go eat at places that have both options available. I appreciate this about her.

[Trevor]

tl;dr the only real problems I've ever had with vegans are the ones who attempt to continually guilt trip me to change my life style into something that I cannot really be asked to do.

May I first and foremost explain that vegan and vegetarian are not the same thing, see vegetarians don't eat meat, but they will still drink cow's milk and eat chicken's eggs for example, while vegans don't eat animal made products period which isn't really all that allergy related unless you were somehow allergic to all animal products, but somehow I think that's a pretty rare condition that most vegans don't actually have. That said, it also means that someone who's lactose intolerant doesn't = vegan automatically. Now baring this in mind, you can see how I would find it somewhat annoying when someone tells me that I should actually drink almond milk or something because apparently their life style is superior to mine by using arguments like "humans are animals too" or something like that (the words of an actual protest sign I've seen before). It's almost like those weird glutton free fanatics who aren't actually allergic to glutton trying to get me eat shit tasting bread when I don't have to.

I will say that i'm fine with vegans and vegetarians who actually don't try to force their life style onto me, and are really just asking for alternatives in restaurants and all that though. That's just their life style, and like a religion, or a way of life, I can respect it. That said, they should in turn also respect my life style choices as well.

[aqua03]

However... If there is one thing we can all agree on regarding Vegans is this....

IF YOU WANT A PET THAT IS JUST AS VEGAN AS YOU, THEN GET A HAMSTER OR SOMETHING! DON'T BUY A PET THAT HAS BEEN BIOLOGICALLY DESIGNED TO RQUIRE SOME FORM OF MEAT IN ITS DIET AND FORCE IT TO BE VEGAN ALONG WITH YOU! IT IS CRUEL AND NO DOG, CAT, OR ANY OTHER CARNIVOROUS PET SHOULD EVER BE FORCED INTO SUCH A LIFESTYLE LIKE THAT!

[azzy-m]

THIS!!!

You can sometimes give cats and dogs some vegetables as a snack, there are some that are COMPLETELY safe for them to eat (for example, potatoes are ok for cats to eat, some cat foods even have potatoes in it). But giving them a diet of only plants is cruel.

Dogs and cats are carnivores and get the necessary nutrients from eating meat, especially since they're high-energy animals. If you make your pet dog a vegan, then you're essentially just sending your pet to an early fucking grave.

Okay my "love for all animals" filter is off, rant done.

[JackOfArtAndProse]

"Regarding vegans"? I would like to state that what you said isn't necessarily something that can be generally applied to all vegans. I'm a vegan, and yet your comment rings true to me. However, there are always... extremists who want to make things bad for both sides of any verbal or physical alteraction.

[aqua03]

Yeah, sorry about that if it seems like I was over-gneralizing. I get kind of passionate when it comes to animals' well-being. Especially pets.

[DiegoPalacios]

Personally, i respect people`s decision to eat or not to eat meat or animal based products. It could be a personal,religious,health reason or even just plain pickyness, but as long as they respect my eating choices i am chill about it.

I`m a carnivorous dude, but when having a meal with a friend/family member/girlfriend/guest/whatever, i want to make sure they can eat something they like and are comfortable eating.

Ironically, being a picky eater sort of helped me to be more empathic about people`s personal preferences.

But gotta say i heard stories of preachyness and jerkassery on both extremes of the spectrum, be it vegans/vegetarians, meat eaters or whatever.

[JackOfArtAndProse]

No offence taken. And I appreciate your apology.

[Darkstrong]

I think that the whole anti-vegeterian/vegan mindset developed because of how the vegetarianism and veganism first came into mass media. It was a position presumed of higher moral ground over "murderers" and "meat eaters". A lot of people didn't like it. Even now, when vegetarian diet is much more widespread, and most of the non-meat people are very adequate and positive in their approach, the myth that all vegetarian/vegans are meat hating lunatics is still fresh in a lot of minds.

[JackOfArtAndProse]

Just goes to show how much power mass media has over the average mind.

[azzy-m]

I do admit though, sometimes I like to joke about the stereotypes that vegans have lmao

(again no hate on vegans)