Will someone please help me to understand why it matters so much what other people eat?

Question

I'm vegetarian & cannot understand why some Vegans/Vegetarians are so judgemental and critical of Omnivores.
This is an observation, not a critique of any one person.
It's so bad in this forum that it reminds me of Ex-Smokers criticising Smokers for continuing to smoke. All the questions that qualify people's eating habits IE "Would you consider this person a veg/vegan if..."
What's up with that?
It's so high-horsey, it invites the Carnivores to make mischief.
It's divisive and seems crazy to me.
Why should I care what other people eat ?
Or why should I care if I measure up to someone elses' measure of High vegetarianism?
I have never been attacked or critisized for being veg, but I do hear and see a lot of self-righteous comments from Vegs/Vegans. How will this help others to want to join us and prevent animal cruelty and help improve human health?
Good luck

EDIT TO MATT H: My point was that by being 'Holier than thou', no discussion is ever begun. It becomes a whizzing contest to see who is the more elevated kind of Vegetarian/Vegan.
We inform and persuade people more by our attitudes and actions than by Evangelism.

Answer 1

It doesn't matter, but generally the people asking about "would you consider this person veg" do not know the definition of the word. Since this is a Q&A group that doesn't have a FAQ, these questions show up a lot. People probably get irritated about it.

I just think it's useful for people to learn the definition of the term if they don't know it. I don't think it's any different than if I went to a football forum and started calling the players by the wrong position (e.g. calling running back a quarterback or something). Everyone who knows would tell the person they didn't have their information correct, and some people would be sarcastic and irritated that someone didn't know.

Answer 2

It matters quite a bit what others eat. We are talking about the taking of a life unnecessarily. In a sentence, that’s why it matters. I agree, some people can come off too harsh when talking about the subject and this may turn people off to the idea. But to not engage in dialog at all about meat eating is surly not the answer. Your use of the word divisive here makes me wonder if you listen to Erik Marcus’ podcast. Disagreeing with ones dietary choices (or worthless animal welfare campaigns) does not make us divisive, we just disagree.

My question to you is this, how do you expect to prevent animal cruelty as you say, without talking to people about what they are eating?

There is no nice way to kill someone unnecessarily. The actions of people who continue to eat animal products wile claiming to take animal interests seriously contradict their words.
Veganism is the only morally consistent position to take if you take the interests of animals seriously. This campaign to get others to change their eating habits does not have to be fought in a way that is abrasive toward the people we are trying to sway. But to say that our disagreement is divisive is misleading.

I would suggest you check out the link below for more information on this topic.

Answer 3

It shouldn't matter to anyone what another eats. Each person needs to decide for themselves if being vegan is best for them.

Answer 4

You've NEVER been criticized for being vegetarian? Geez, I get criticized everytime I eat with my family, and I get the 3rd degree every time I eat with someone who doesn't know me... and I try not to criticize back, but it's kind of hard when someone's putting you down and trying to make you feel bad for what you choose to eat/not eat... So yeah, I don't think it should matter what people eat either, but I think that vegetarians tend to get more criticism than meat-eaters and that triggers them to defend themselves...

Answer 5

You seem a balanced person. I agree, the freedom to choose means someone may be different than me. Good.

Answer 6

It's sad that people have to always judge others. I know exactly what you mean and I'm sorry to say I don't have an answer for you to clarify why.

Answer 7

WTF?We have way more meat eating trolls than we do veggie trolls,Have you ever heard of foxhunter_guy?You have never had you're vegetarianism questioned?if you haven't then you are not in the norm.