I've recently turned vegetarian, so has my hubby. My sister who lives with us is always picking and criticising. I was just wondering how new vegetarians cope with shit like this? It really gets me down, but I am not the type to say STFU.. but i will if she keeps at it. Any suggestions?
Just ignore them. You'll always have to deal with it. It's part of being a vegetarian. Most of my mates and parents don't say anything but my brother is always getting digs in.
my family doesnt pick on me about it, but the people at my school are horrible. i have gotten people shoving meat in my face, yelling things at me in the hall, and i have even gotten hate notes because i am a vegetarian. i really dont understand why people feel the need to do this. i try to ignore them but it is really hard. i often feel like punching them in the face but i wont get into that.
shrug it off. to do that though, is an acquired skill. I am pretty sure every veggie starts off angry at those who criticize, but you learn to deal with it, and accept it just as another part of the way people are. It's annoying all the same, but you catch my drift. Don't let it get you down, you are doing a wonderful thing for the planet, animals, and yourself, and you know it...and as long as YOU know it, who cares what anyone else thinks. Eventually, the people you are close to, will get used to it as well. They may even develop in interest in it. But it takes time...time, my dear. When I started out, it felt like everyone around me was putting me down for it....but now, I get more help, support, and compliments than I do anything. Or, maybe I don't, and I just focus on the positive things people say/do more often now. And, that might be key to not letting it get you down. Good luck, and congratulations. If you ever have any questions feel free to PM me, I'm always obliged to help a new veggie
yeah people make fun of me for it too. this one guy i know is always pretending he hides pepperoni under my pizza and always begs me to eat meat, i tell him to fuck off, but that just drives him to want to make fun of me more.. so ignoring it is hard. i just hate it when im doing something good and people need to be ignorant and tell me its wrong. Lisa
Ignore them, if some of them were to be completely honest, they would wish that they had our strength, and courage to become vegetarian/vegan too, the trouble with this rotten world is that people get jealous of those who are different, and have the courage of their convictions to stand out and be counted, just be proud of yourselves out there for being vegetarian...i am. I think they cannot be bothered with the thought that goes into being veggie, like being "food lable literate" taking the trouble to look into e numbers that are animal in origin, also by- products and animal derivatives, as far as i am concerned nothing is too much trouble if it means i am not eating the animals i love so much, i will justify myself to animals before i will some humans i know, animals are a major priority in my life, i will not live in a place if i am not allowed animals. If my heart were to rule my head....constantly, i would have had a mini menagerie by now. Anyway just be proud to be veggie/vegan, and remember this, that veggie/vegans are probably the most kindest, compassionate, and caring souls in the world, we really care about our animals, or we wouldn't be who we are, a true animal lover will not eat meat, that is my opinion anyway, i am not saying all meat eaters are horrible, but if you truly love animals, then as far as i am concerned, it is all, or nothing, there's no half way.
Whenever I'm in a situation like that, I just give them an intellectual beat-down. I know more about proper nutrition than anyone who would argue with me; if they knew as much or more than I do then they would be vegan too. So my recommendation is to educate yourself, and get to a point where you can respond to their criticisms and destroy/discredit every thing they say with solid scientific evidence.
I finally got her to watch a short vid or two on the abuse of meat animals.. she didn't really care alot.. said it was too hard to make a difference, but i think she will understand me a bit better now... I hope.
I agree to the FULLEST degree. Because, for those people, who aren't competitive/jealous/insecure, have actually told me straight out "I admire your willpower to do that. I probably never could, but that's so cool that you can" I TOTALLY give props to people like that. It shows a lot of maturity on their part, in my opinion. Half the people who used to give me shit for being vegan, who are close to me... now, instead praise me for it, even if they, themselves aren't veggies. My dad, for example used to harrass me til no end... and now, he will actually cook elaborate vegan meals for me, and eat them too. Same with my boyfriend, he used to get on my ass for it... and he actually tried going veggie not too long ago. It didn't last for him, simply because he's too lazy lmao... he likes convenient food, and doesn't like to spend time looking at ingredients and what have you. [he's such a sloth hahaha] anyway i agree 100%
If you were my daughter, i would be so proud of you, i would want to show you off to all the louts out there, as i have said, anyone who is veggie/vegan is a lovely person, i can't do it now, but over the weekend i will put a couple of vegan recipes here for you to try, take care........Veggie-mate .
Whatever you do, don't do what I'm trying desperately to learn not to do. Don't be gutsy and pseudo-intellectual and lame and try to make your case. Be honest, be happy, tell them everything and walk away. You've had some good advice on this thread, but unless you're talking to someone compassionate avoid the "intellectual beat-up" that someone else suggested.
Would you mind elaborating on the point you are making, what is wrong with my points? in all my years on forums never before have i recieved, and read such rubbish, if i have some useful tips and advice and can help fellow veggies, and it sounds too intelligent, or whatever you may think, well it is tough really, that is the way i am,if, on the other hand you are not getting at me, who are you aiming your reply at?
I believe WalrusKeeper was referring to the post that I made earlier, though he misunderstood what I wrote. Perhaps the term "intellectual beat-down" was a poor choice of words, but the basic point I was making is that vegans should know that they are right, and those criticizing them are wrong. At least from a health standpoint, the science proves the case for a healthy vegan diet. When someone attacks the vegan lifestyle from a health standpoint, they often are using misconceptions and false information. It's important to have the knowledge, and therefore the ability to recognize these false beliefs so you can correct whomever is criticizing you. You're not being a "pseudo-intellectual" when you are in fact self-educated, using accurate and honest information. Personally, I think it is "lame" to concede science when it's on your side, especially when correcting those false beliefs could be potentially providing life-saving information. Even among those in the vegan and vegetarian community, there are many misconceptions floating around. The most common are those concerning protein, calcium, iron, vegetable oil and B12. I prefer not to debate issues of animal rights because it's a subjective argument. There are plenty of people who simply do not care about animal welfare, and for that reason will likely be less than responsive to an AR argument. Health, on the other hand is supported by volumes of research and evidence. Even if someone claims they do not care about health, they eventually will once they've lost it.
this is especialy good if its fresh.(if u know what i mean) Deer Meat INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 pounds venison (deer meat) 2 onions, chopped 4 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced 3 tablespoons butter 1 clove garlic, minced 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon salt 1 pinch mustard powder 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley DIRECTIONS: Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent; then add meat and saute until browned. When meat is lightly browned, add mushrooms, garlic, tomato paste, flour, sour cream, salt, mustard powder and parsley. Stir together, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more tender the meat will be. Enjoy!
Oh, yeah. Like human rights. No, I won't accept for a second that animal cruelty is open to interpretation. It's like saying the atrocities in Sudan or Auschwitz were open to interpretation, and sure, from a strictly morally relativistic standpoint they are - kill, maim, dispossess, it's all good as long as you believe you're the more important (conscious) being. But let's be fucking practical here! Anyhow. I believe in being honest, but when it comes to expressing the fact that you are right be careful - besides the fact that you may not be, you might also lose valuable friendships with otherwise good people. Good people do bad things like meat-eating, and because they're good people they'll feel very annoyed with you telling them it is bad. Even "I think it is bad" can cause trouble. People need to be alerted to humanistic moralities, especially when dumb lives are at stake, but unfortunately there is a time and a place to mount our campaigns, and it's usually not around the people who are attacking us because they are the ones who will never absorb a point. As far as health is concerned, a balanced diet is healthy - whether it's vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous. Tell them that. I don't know. Perhaps react how you react. I'm no wiser than you. Just keep in mind any reaction ellicits multiple responses.
Deer meat eh? Well then, good luck with that. Again, you are misinterpreting what I'm saying. The simple fact is that some people do not care about the welfare of animals, and to other extents believe it is their right to do with animals as they please. I'm not saying this belief is right, only that you would be hard pressed to appeal to someone on the terms of animal rights when they believe "rights" in essence are something reserved for human beings. Not that it's impossible to win an AR argument, obviously those "Why vegan" pamphlets and PETA's "meet your meat" campaign manage to convert some people, but for those who are not sitting the fence it's most likely a losing battle. I was under the impression this thread was about dealing with people who put down your veg lifestyle. I never said anything about starting arguments, only how to win said argument. If your "friend" says something along the lines of, 'you can't get enough protein on a vegan diet' then I think it would help to know what a human beings protein requirements are and how much protein is in plant foods. If you knew this, then you could respond to your friend by saying, "No that's not true because the World Health Organization recommends 5% of calories from protein and all vegetable, starch and combinations of the two will exceed those protein requirements". It's not about getting those attacking you to absorb your point, only to expose their point as being inaccurate. The one downside to my strategy is that you do need to know your stuff. You need not worry about being wrong as long as you are educated and not guessing. Be honest, but keep everyone else honest too. People seem to have their own idea of what a "balanced diet" is, and personally I think this term was meant to be ambiguous and left up to each individual's interpretation. A healthy diet is plant-based, centered on starches with lots of vegetables and fruits; low in fat, high in fiber, adequate in protein and full of nutrition.