Why is there so much hatred towards vegetarians?!
Don't bother wasting your life if all you have to answer with is some unintelligent rude comment.
Also I heard that Jesus may have been vegan, is this true?
Answers:
People are intolerant of other people's choices...
And Jesus probably wasn't vegan/veggie - as a Jew he would've partaken in the Passover feast which includes the eating of roast lamb.
I have three possible theories. They're quite different from each other.
THEORY 1
Just like there are rabid proselytizing advocates of Mormonism, Feminism, and Socialism, there are rabid proselytizing vegetarians and vegans. They feel strongly the moral importance of their stance, so whenever the topic comes up, they're sure to offend anyone who doesn't agree with their moral view of the world. A non-socialist whose primary exposure to socialism is to such a rabid proselytizer is bound to want to fight back. Similarly for vegetarians.
THEORY 2
A study (cited below) suggests that homophobic people are, by all physiological measures, more aroused by homosexual erotica than non-homophobic (heterosexual) people. The conclusion I draw from this is that people who feel most strongly that homosexuality is wrong are the ones that struggle the most day-to-day with trying to keep their homosexual feelings dampened.
Similarly, Theory 2 is that people most hostile to vegetarians are the ones that secretly feel some guilt associated with eating meat. Rather than acknowledging those feelings, they attack those that have openly addressed the ethical dilemma that the attacker has buried.
THEORY 3
Theory 2 doesn't seem universally applicable to anti-anything groups. I don't think vehemently anti-religious people secretly worry about God condemning them--they just think that religions make no logical sense, and are upset people so gullible can exist. So my third theory is that people just think the logic of vegetarians is ridiculous, and are upset people can be so gullible.
Side note: I have a harder time believing this theory. The logic is pretty straightforward--it's based on two ethical premises: it's not nice to make others suffer, and some animals have the capacity to suffer. If you accept both premises, then some avoidance of culling "smart" animals makes sense. I think the first premise is generally acknowledged. And the fact that animal cruelty laws exist suggests that the second premise is acknowledged by a democratic majority. Even if someone doesn't agree that cows have the ability to suffer, most people are a little more wary about eating dogs and monkeys because of a moral twinge. So it seems they could easily empathize with someone who draws the line at shrimp rather than at monkeys. But anyways, I digress.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/87720…
Being a vegetarian is a statement that you make whenever you eat - roughly three times a day. It is an action of non-participation. Even if vegetarians or vegans don't go around preaching the virtues of their diet, it is still seen and heard through their actions by not eating meat.
This can be seen as confrontational in its very nature by meat eaters and those on more traditional, meat-centric diets. Those who are openly hostile towards vegetarians and vegans are merely responding to the statements we make by not eating meat.
Even if they're angered by our vegetarian diet, at least it might get them thinking.
http://vegonline.org/Vegetarian-Lifestyl…
Anyone who spreads hate towards anyone is less evolved.
BTW it's always the 1%'ers. The 1% of vegetarians who look down on meat-eaters make the rest of us look bad. (Because human nature remembers bad encounters, not the 99% of the time a vegetarian was near you and said nothing.) Derrrr you can't remember an encounter where a vegetarian was next to you and said nothing. Because it didn't happen!
Also it's the 1%'ers of meat-eaters. 1% of them feel insecure around a person that doesn't eat meat. I personally don't eat meat b/c of ethical reasons. Sometimes people around me will feel insecure that THEY aren't doing something as well. This makes them feel not so good about themselves. Then they manifest that bad feeling about themselves by treating others bad or with hatred. Even though I said NOTHING to them & didn't judge them in anyway.
Meat-eaters that eat near me that are SECURE in who they are - don't feel bad about themselves. And thus they don't send that hatred out to others.
Don't let the 1%'ers hatred toward a group influence you to believe that most people have strong hatred toward vegetarians. Because honestly - most people don't. But those 1%'ers. Boy those 1%'ers! Their itsty bitsy brains & limited emotional range unfortunately do.
Jesus caught his dinner in the stream. He was a carpenter and a fisherman. So no.
Now to your question about society's animosity towards vegetarians..it is mostly because it takes great willpower and strength of character to be so strict with your diet. And it is very admirable to do so because of a deeply held spiritual conviction. It makes the general public realize how crappy they are.
There's also the goody-two-shoes component. Anytime someone is doing something better than you could, there's going to be hostility. Those who are most liked at the ones who show their flaws-- "yea f-it I'm eating McDonald's," etc..
In short, don't listen to them. Just be strong, that's who you are and that's what you do :-) Keep on keepin on.
Is there?
I went vegetarian in 1969, and have never encountered any hatred towards vegetarians or vegans (I'm vegan now).
I've sometimes come across hostility on V&V, but not in real life. My experience is that nobody really cares what anyone else does or doesn't have on their plate.
@ Daisy - for information, Hitler wasn't vegetarian. Not that I care whether he was or wasn't, but I'm a stickler for facts. He WAS advised by his doctor/s to stick to a largely vegetarian diet for medical reasons. He apparently had difficulty sticking to it though.
In May 1937 a New York Times article said ''It is well known that Hitler is a vegetarian...His lunch and dinner consist...of soup, eggs, vegetables and mineral water, though he occasionally relishes a slice of ham''.
Hitler's biographer Robert Payne says Hitler ''...had a special fondness for Bavarian sausages''.
Salvatore Paolini, a former waiter to Hitler said ''On the whole he never ate meat... but he did like sausages and ham''.
And Dione Lucas, Hitler's cook during the late 1930s, said his favourite dish was ''stuffed squab'' (that's young pigeon).
So unless the definition of vegetarian has been changed overnight to include consumption of ham, sausages and pigeon - Hitler wasn't a vegetarian.
I think there are a few reasons for this.
1. Some vegetarians are preachy and annoying. Speaking as a vegan, I really strongly dislike anyone who tries to force their viewpoint upon me so I can understand why some people find that sort of vegetarian annoy...in fact, so do I. Unfortunately the actions of a few give people a viewpoint about vegetarians.
2. A lot of people have no control over their eating habits, I used to be one of them. If I wanted chocolate and a can of Coke, I couldn't say no to myself even though I knew it was a bad idea (I know treats are OK but I was eating WAY too much chocolate and Coke). I think some people feel a bit of shame over not being able to control their cravings and thus they over-react with people who don't eat meat. I'm not in anyway saying all meat-eaters are like this, but some definitely are.
3. Some people probably feel guilty about eating meat and have to foist their guilt on others who are actually trying to do something. Again, not saying all meat eaters are like this.
4. Images of do-gooder hippies.
5. Outdated info about the vegetarian diet being unhealthy. Sadly, some people are still living in 1970.
Personally I think its not so much hatred as an attempt to annoy other people. I get this in daily life, people think wafting a hamburger past my nose is going to annoy me, when actually I couldn't care less and its really just laughable. People like this are immature imbeciles and the best thing is just to ignore them. Some people will try and get a rise out of you for anything, no matter what you believe or do with your life. For example, I have decided not to have kids...I get hassle for that. I have several (rescued) pet reptiles, I get hassle for that. I enjoy doing lots of activities that people feel they have the right to insult or whatever. Some people just enjoy annoying other people. Its pathetic and its lame.
Ignorance. Plus people who don't know anything about food or health who say vegetarians and vegans can't live off of eating 'just vegetables'. Don't forget those meat commercials that try to make vegetarians seem queer/snobby and eating meat to seem American and likeable.
http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/…
one reason is that many of the people who hate vegetables grew up on vegetables that was boiled in water until soggy and bland-tasting.there are other ways to cook vegetables.these Haters Of Vegetables should use The One Phrase A Search Idea with phrases such as: "vegetable cookbook", "vegetarian cookbook", "vegan cookbook", or "raw vegan cookbook" in the search box of amazon at http://www.amazon.com and barnes and noble at http://www.barnesandnoble.com
these Haters Of Vegetables should also try The One Word A Search Idea with words such as: protein, raw, quick, easy, pizza, breakfast, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lunch, sandwich, snack, fruit, greens, flaxseed, lentils, legumes, quinoa, casserole, souffle, soy, tofu, dinner, dessert,and smoothie in the search box of:
vegetarian times at http://www.vegetariantimes.com
and veg web at http://vegweb.com
and for these Haters Of Vegetables there are alternatives to fast food places in and around the area where they live, work, and vacation.for that type of information go to happy cow at http://www.happycow.net and veg guide at http://www.vegguide.org
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
http://www.vegetariantimes.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.happycow.net
http://www.vegguide.org
There is no hatred for vegetarians, there is hatred perhaps for in your face militant activist vegetarians. You can compare that to perceived hatred towards Muslims. They hate bin Laden, they hate the Islamic clerics who preach violence against non Muslims, etc but they don't hate Muslims in general. In fact, there are so few vegans and vegetarians that people don;'t really interact with them enough to hate. Another thing is vegetarians and vegans tend to focus ad obsess on their diet/lifestyle so much that they think it's the reason when in fact, they have other characteristics that are the ones people find offensive. .
One problem is many activist animal rights vegetarians and vegans attempt to speak for all vegetarians and vegans. These are the people who actually do more harm than good to the "cause". And these are often the only vegetarians and vegan people ever meet. You and the rest are all "guilty" by association. Right or wrong, that's what it is.
Jesus was not a vegan. Or at least despite being a "preacher" he wasn't "preachy" about it. Certainly there is no account in the New Testament that Jesus ever said, "You cannot call yourself a vegan because you eat fish..." Nor did He admonish his disciples for eating fish. If he was ever a vegan then he would be "lost" in today's nit picky anal retentive adherence to the "rules" commonly practiced by "young" and "trendy" vegans.
Quite stupid to say "we are not the norm so people hate us" when the US is in fact one of the most open minded societies there is. To suggest that a country which recently elected an African American president, has lawmakers and CEO's etc who are women, made it a nationwide/federal law to discriminate against any race , religion, creed, sexual orientation, and which for more than a century accepted people from all races and cultures, is "hateful" towards people of a certain diet is ridiculous and exhibits such a sanctimonious vision of oneself that anyone can find offensive.
I figure it's half defensiveness (insecure omnivores feel judged by people who don't eat meat), and half annoyance at what they may consider "picky eating." Especially when planning a dinner party or a wedding reception with a sit-down meal, vegetarians throw a wrench in things and require a change in the menu. I don't think it's hate - just frustration (and/or defensive anger).
As to the Jesus thing, I would feel safe to assume he wasn't vegan, but I'm sure he didn't abuse the privilege of eating meat the way people do these days.
Often because it is seen as a direct threat to the individual, One can have whatever opinion they like on political systems/music/philosophy etc, but when it comes to diet vegetarianism is a direct attack at pretty much everybody, where one can claim they don't know much about philosophy etc everybody shares the common understanding that meat=animals=used to be alive & therefore the opposition (ie ''normal'' diets) feel put under scrutiny.
This can often unnerve people & often the common way to brickade yourself in is to use ad hominem (ie attack the individual rather than the logic, eg ''yeah well your just a stupid vegetarian'')
There is also the classic case that many misunderstand vegetarinism, are looking to wind us up, have had bad experiences, stereotype us etc etc.
No i highly doubt jesus was vegan didn't he live off honey & locusts in the desert one time or was that one of his apostles? he'd certainly have ate fish, he had a great respect for all forms of life however & you have to look at the timeframe jesus lived in. Vegetarianism for a poor astetic lifestyle wouldn't have been too easy to use unlike the greek philosophers who were vegetarian & lived in an advanced rich society.
VEGETARIANS
Leonard Cohen
Isaac Newton (arguable)
Plato/Socrates/Aristotle
Jon Fitch (MMA)
Georges St. Pierre’s(MMA)
Jake Shields, (MMA)
Mac Danzig.(MMA)
Ziggy Marley
jim carrey
confucius
pythagoras
plato
ghandi
Cillian murphy
Da vinci
Bob Marley
gaudi
dali lama
damon albarn (blur)
christian bale
jeff beck
russell brand
george harrison
chris martin (coldplay)
Travis McCoy (Gym Class heroes)
Mos Def (rapper)
Zach de la rocha (RATM)
vegans
ellen degeners
bryan adams
andre 3000 (outkast)
Kiedis
Johnny marr
moby
morrisey
sinead oconnor
prince
weird al yanjovich
thom yorke
Birgisson (singer/guitarist Sigur Ros)
vegetarian
ex roman catholic
experience
People hate vegetarians and vegans because they cannot understand it, their brains cannot handle logic and reason. When some people cannot understand something then they have to lash out in anger or act stupid so they can sort of justify what they are doing. They know what they are doing is wrong but they don't want to change because that would mean admitting they are wrong and their brains and ego's just couldn't handle that.
Jesus was a character in a book written a long long long time ago nobody knows if this character was actually real or not and so far no proof has been given, though I doubt if he actually existed he was vegan because he probably still used animals for his own selfish purposes just like many of those who believe in stories like that. Though according to the stories and such their was a sky beast who said "thou shalt not kill" so if the one known as Jesus followed that according to how he should have than he would have been vegan or at least a strict vegetarian.
vegan because animals are not property
I think there is hatred toward vegetarians because we're not the social norm. Also, anyone would hate anyone that challenges or makes them challenge their meals and lifestyle.
I've heard that Jesus was an ethical vegetarian too. There's a well-researched book that covers it called "The Lost Religion of Jesus". I put it on my wish list. :P
ETA: Oh, sorry, exsft. I guess hate was too strong a word. Maybe "dislike" or "misunderstand" would be better. I have to disagree with you on Americans-are-open-minded. People still don't like the idea of public schools or federal health care. People still hate Obama because he's black.
Also, vegetarianism is more of a lifestyle for most of us. I wouldn't care if I just thought of it as a way to eat.
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Religion-Jesu…
Who hates vegetarians? I feel sorry for most of them, like the ones who need to think famous people (Jesus) were vegetarian. Who cares if Jesus was a vegetarian? Hitler was a vegetarian, too.
Those vegetarians who go about their lives without preaching or lying about the benefits of eating meat don't bother me at all.
I think it is a lack of understanding a lifestyle that they don't understand. That being said I am not a vegan, but have come to a place in my life where I feel live and let live. I do think that some can be over zealous, but you can have that in any lifestyle.
I didn't know there was!
I think that it must depend on where you live. Where I am being vegetarian is common and very few people make stupid comments about it, let alone express hatred.
I cannot imagine why someone would hate someone for not eating meat and fish.
Jesus provided fish with the loaves so it seems unlikely!
Well when you think of a Classic American meal you think a hamburger or hotdog with french fries right? Well its almost a disgrace to no eat meat. But to me I don't hate vegetarians. Its their choice and I respect it.
General insight and some of my opinion.
I think a main problem people see with vegans is purely the food choice. I think many men see not eating meat as a weakness. I'm a guy, and not a vegan at all but I have no problems with vegans. Theres no proof Jesus existed.
I don't believe in god, but it says in the fairytale called the bible that god ate meat (fish)
There is also hatred towards omnivores by some vegetarians/vegans. It goes both ways.
I have nothing but admiration for people who are vegans . because i know i personally could never stick to it . People who hate like that usually hate anyone different to begin with ... jerks
My Bffff loves her vegatarian- ness
Because a lot of them say people who eat meat are killers and have the same hatred towards people who eat meat.Plus vegetarians spread lies about how much meat is bad for you.
I feel your question can be answered within a riddle.
Q. How can you tell a person is a vegetarian?
A: Don't worry, they will tell you.
it might seem unnatural to some, altough i have no issues with it
