Why do so many vegetarians panic when they accidentally eat meat?!
Help, my shoes have leather on them, what do I do?
These sorts of questions are posted nearly every day.
What sort of help are they looking for? Do vegetarians really have a difficult time thinking for themselves?
Answers:
That's what they have been programmed to believe by the websites they visit. With so many made up and anal retentive "rules" planted into their heads, they think they are violating something that is a matter of life and death. Frankly, unless you have a medical condition that disallows the consumption of meat, such dilemma as "accidentally" eating meat is about as important and life threatening as "Help I accidentally stepped on dog poop, what do I do?". Certainly not worth the time nor the bandwidth used to ask the question.
The other reason might be that because they "slipped" they are trying to see if they can get "forgiveness from fellow fanatic vegetarians/vegans and still be able to use the "cool" vegan/vegetarian tags after their names. That seems to be the bigger concern rather than any health issues they might ( but know they won't) suffer. Commonly the question will read "Hey I accidentally ate meat, can I still call myself a vegan/vegetarian?" Then add "I feel horrible" to get added sympathy.
funny though that the "accidents" always involve a particularly delicious meat/dairy/egg based food. Like that one vegan who "accidentally" ate a a whole loaf of newly baked bread before he realized it had eggs an milk in it. Or the "strict vegetarian" who did not notice a whole grilled chicken breast in his green salad or the one who nearly finished a bowl of chicken soup before " just realizing" she had eaten chicken.
If these people are young teens or kid who don't know any better, it is because of the websites "created by adults) who have planted wrong and misleading information into their heads. Or the adults in vegetarian and vegan boards who have the "activist" mentality and will give any so called validating information, true or not, proved or not in order to convince anyone to be a part of the "movement". And others vegans/vegetarians are just happy to clap their hands and say "congrats" and shoot down any other information that says otherwise.
I think that you will find that most of these panicked individuals are young people or teens. I think it is safe to say that some teens cannot think for themselves, which is probably a result of being young and for the most part not needing to think for themselves(most children rely heavily on parents to make decisions, or support decisions that are made). It could also be a way to gather support in a time they feel distressed.
Considering there really is no help for the situation(what's done is done), they are most likely looking for advice on how to react, reassurance on the distress they feel, etc.
I would say that a few panicked individuals seeking advice on what to do after eating meat hardly represents that vegetarians cannot think for themselves.
Also, remember that seeking advice and help from others is not a bad thing. It is a wonderful human trait to be able to bond with a group of others for support, advice, etc. Seeking help is not shameful, and certainly does not mean there is something lacking from the person asking.
It's not that, but as others have pointed out, they may feel guilty or violated about having accidentally eaten meat/used leather. And they probably are new vegetarians. And hopefully with enough people asking and answering this question, a newbie veg who does this again will know to search prior Q&A and realize that it happens, that they're human, and to try to do better next time.
It isn't a matter of thinking for themselves, rather for many, it isn't a dietary issue but a "philosophical" issue; approaching religion to some. They feel "unclean" and "contaminated' when they "pollute" their bodies with meat. I disagree with the other poster that their body enzymes decrease with years of not eating meat. The body is not engineered that way.
Hey, when someone feels strongly against doing something and they accidentally do it, it can be a horrible feeling. They want support or comfort from people who understand and have perhaps been through it themselves. When you feel bad about something it can make you feel better to have people reassure you, for example that it wasn't your fault, it was an honest mistake and it happens to everyone at some point. Those questions on here are looking for that kind of reassurance.
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If "asking questions on the Internet" implies that you can't think for yourself, where does that leave you, having just asked a question on the Internet?
As others have said, it's often from people who are inexperienced, young or insecure. But it's a big deal to a lot of people; imagine how you'd feel if you'd eaten a burger and then discovered that the server had added some of his own "special sauce" in the kitchen. How would you react?
because its important to them
because they feel its important enough to worry about if they do soemthing 'wrong' or not
id have thought that was a little simple to answer,
we all do the same thing when we do soemthing 'wrong' in some way, look to others for self assurance, its just what humans do, not a sole veggie thing only vegetarians do, and yes, we, humans have a difficult time thinking for ourselves when we are looking to our peers for their approval
Well, eating meat when you haven't for a long time can cause sickness. But other than that ifthey're new to vegetarianism, well, a new thing is always scary.
Yes, all of us vegetarians really have a difficult time thinking for ourselves. That's why we decided to become vegetarians.
if a vegetarian has been one for a long time, They can get physically sick from eating meat. Your stomach makes enzymes to break down meat. With the absence of that meat for a long time, your stomach stops making those enzymes. It wont be fun at all for the veggie to eat any meat.
Because it goes against everything they believe in I suspect. I've known vegetarians been given meat by accident at restaurants, and they certainly didn't ask for help. What help can one possibly get? They was annoyed however, and rightly so too.
Wouldn't you be upset if you accidentally ate human meat?
Some people need more emotional support than others.
If you want to generalize about all vegetarians based on an INTERNET FORUM,
I'd say you have problems thinking yourself.
Because they don't want to ingest meat.
Now, let me ask you this: Why do non-cannibals panic when they accidentally eat human meat?
No. These types of questions generally come from young or new vegetarians who are just looking for a little reassurance.
Hmmm... Well, what would YOU do if you accidentally ate human flesh? I bet you'd feel pretty disgusted afterwards. You might want some reassurance, or just an outlet for getting the incident off your chest.
they don't have trouble thinking for themselves but when something goes wrong people often want guidance from someone who has been there and has more experience. there's nothing wrong with that.
Non vegetarians think that eating meat is very healthy which I totally agree. whereas vegetarians think that killing animals is a sin which can be agreed too..... lol ;)
can u guess if I am a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian????? LOL
oow good question O.o
i wonder the same too . maybe it's because they're vegetarian and they're not suppose to ?
