Why are people on this forum so into labels?!
Answers: Do you really care THAT much that someone who says they're vegetarian still eats fish? It's their choice, and they certainly need not be judged about the kinds of foods they eat.
I care, yes.
just like I care if someone calls me an Aardvark when really I'm a human
The word "vegetarian" has a definition, i think we should use it.
Its nothing to do with "labels", its to do with using the correct language.
Without using the correct language we cannot communicate properly.
If you have ever been on the receiving end of "Oh, so you eat fish ?" or "Veggies eat fish, you are all hypocrites" you'd see why it matters.
I'm not judging people for eating fish, I just wish they would not say they are vegetarian.
check out my profile for what the worlds largest veggie organisations say about this fishy topic
EDIT:
Once again, its not about labels.
Are you a Christian ? If so, would you be happy if i constantly refered to you as a Muslim ?
Are you black ? is it ok if i call you white ?
Are you kind, is it ok if i call you a murderer ?
See, definitions and true descriptions probably matter to you too.
and should not be judgmental either.
Labels tend to be used because there are a subset of diets under the broad term "vegetarian."
In other-words, it saves people a whole lot of time explaining to others exactly what's on and what's off their list within the vegetarian spectrum.
Yes, I know what you mean. I myself think that it's a little flakey when people do that, because if they are calling themselves vegetarians, they obviously feel that it is an admirable lifestyle and choice, but just aren't willing to commit to it. Lots of people also do it for health reasons, and therefore eat fish.
Really, I don't mind that much. Most of my friends are fish-eating vegetarians, and they call themselves vegetarians. That doesn't mean that I don't respect them or am going to cease being friends with them. Why should their diet and label of it be what determines whether they are understanding, compassionate, or smart?
Relating to that last point, however, if I hear that someone is vegan, I usually feel a connection to them, and know that if they can stick with something like that, they probably *are* understanding, compassionate, and smart!
This probably isn't exactly what you were looking for, but it's just my personal opinions.
I must admit I do find it annoying...the clue to vegetarianism is in the name. I have no problem with people's food choices, but vegetarians don't eat dead animals and the fish is an animal.
It also causes confusion as non-vegetarians don't understand quite what a vegetarian is & there's nothing worse than going for a meal, saying you're vegetarian & being served fish. (Well, there are worse things in the world obviously, but you get what I mean I hope!)
It's not just about what you eat.
People on this site (and much of America, according to the media) want to put other people into buckets. Apparently, we are all either liberals, neocons, feminists, chauvinists, meat eaters, tree huggers, upper class, middle class, working class, obese, anorexic or white trash. In truth, I have found that most people are a little bit of all of the above.
How about let's all eat what food works best for us, and call each other people.
Yeah I definitely agree.
Like I am a "vegan" but some people get mad when I say that because I eat cheese (i really like cheese) and occasionally I have ice cream.
But other than that I am completely animal product free! So is a little bit of cheese a big deal between Vegan and Vegetarian?
Good point!
:)
Because what you call labels are actually definitions. Definitions provide clarity. Definitions are what let you know that an orange is an orange and not a watermelon. Eating animal flesh and calling yourself a vegetarian makes as much sense as pointing to a watermelon and calling it an orange.
It is indeed their choice to eat what they wish. It is indeed their choice to call themselves what they wish. But it is NOT their choice that everyone accept what they wish to call themselves.
A diet that excludes most meats like your example is very healthy. The only people here that have a problem with that are the animal rights advocates because of the suffering of the fish.
But the fact remains, that vegetarians don't eat animal flesh.
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When u have dinner with someone it might be very helpful to know.
The point is not in the "judging" of their diet - in all honesty, we couldn't care less what they eat! (We only care what WE eat - or don't eat.)
The real point is that misuse of the term "vegetarian" confuses non-veg*ans. There are two obvious negative effects of this confusion (there may be more than two).
One, it fuels the rabid anti-veg*ans' argument "Vegetarians eat fish, so that makes vegetarians hypocrites."
Two, vegetarians get offered fish when eating at restaurants or having dinner at someone else's house. Why? "Well, So-and-so is a vegetarian and HE eats fish, so I though it was ok for vegetarians."
Other than that, can you honestly say that you wouldn't protest at all if (for example) you were a devout Christian and a bunch of Scientologists started calling themselves Christians, and a large percentage of non-Christians believed them that Scientology was a Christian denomination?
It is because of the category that it places you in. Being a vegetarian is sort of uncommon among people so therefore they think that if you are different then you should do it right.