Why wont they just accept the fact that Im vegetarian...?

Question

Getting in the role of my best friend,who just found out about me being vegetarian(recorded phone call)...:

''I really cant belive that youre THAT stupid to think youre actually HELPING by not eating meat??I mean,theyre already DEAD,its not like you can go around being all happy that you didnt kill them...Its dumb,dont you get it?If PETA told you to jump off a bridge,would you do it???What do you care if PIGS get killed.I mean theyre PIGS!!!!!You freakin hippie,no one cares,who are you to play smartass?We were MADE ot eat meat!!What am I supposed to serve to you when you come over?GRASS??
*Hangs up*

Ok...WHAT should I do?

Answer 1

Not care about it and be happy instead?

Its probably a reaction they are after.

If you just ignore it and smile they will eventually get bored and stop.

Answer 2

I see two issues:

First, your friend is worried you weirding out. Because you are doing something different. And your are doing something different. Let her know you are basically the same person, that you are not going to preach to her or try ot convert her.

Second, (and I suspect that this is the big issue) she is worried that b/c you are going veggie the two of you won't be able to do thing together that you have always done. Like you eat at her house, she eat at your house, go out to restaruants, buy popcorn at the movies, etc.

If I recall your are ovo-lacto and not vegan. Tell her that you can still go out to eat. Tell her all the things you normally snack on together that you can still snack on.

Add:

Some answers have suggested you tell her the health benifits or show her PETA vidios. Don't do that. And if you are stop. It is those type things that are wigging out your friend. (or concerned that you might).

Also some have suggested you drop her as a friend. Part of why she is going nuts is she is worried she is losing you as a friend. As indicated by the last line of the call. Let her know you are not starting a grass diet. That in fact you can still go to McDonalds with her and she can still get a big mac, but you will be getting a salad instead.

Answer 3

It's tough for people to accept others who are "different" some times.

Now in repsonse to some of the stuff she said:

1) The animals are dead because they were killed for people to eat. If you don't eat meat, that's fewer animals being killed. A common estimate is a vegetarian saves 93 lives per year.

2) Not all veg*ans pay attention to what PETA says. There are numerous other pro-veg organizations, all of whom get their message across without the idiotic tactics of PETA.

3) Pigs are very intelligent animals--some say smarter than dogs.

4) We actually weren't made to eat meat. Our teeth have flat surfaces, we don't have claws or fangs to tear the flesh from a living animal. Our stomach acid is not nearly as powerful as that of a true carnivore (like, say, a cat). Our digestive tracts are long, while a carnivore's is short.

5) If your friend asks what she should feed you, say, "Food." I mean, really, she doesn't have any fruits or veggies or stuff? She can't make you a PBJ? She's never heard of hummus?

Check out Carol J. Adams' "Living Among Meat Eaters" to deal with idiots like your so-called friend.

And I also recommend getting "Skinny *****" by Rory Friedman and Kim Barnouin to counteract some of the idiocy your friend believes. It has a great section in the back of vegan convenience foods.

Answer 4

Sounds like eating meat is making this person mean? The choices you make in your life have nothing to do with your best friend and you should be supported for making such a good decision. I've recently turned over to the vegetarian lifestyle and I can tell you it's THE BEST diet change I've ever made. I used to be an avid "Atkins Dieter" eating tons of meat only to have major health problems. Now, meat just isn't my cup of tea anymore. There are 100's of choices that don't include meat, where the hell has your best friend been? Don't use hate against hate, it's useless, just stand up for making such a positive choice. Maybe there were too many hormones going the day you received that message.... I'd just let it go.

Direct your friend here to this website and watch Pam Anderson's talk about KFC Chicken, quite interesting. Her video is on the front page - lower right hand side under, "chew on this". Or send her the link to her e-mail address.

http://www.peta.org/

Answer 5

For the sake of argument I'm assuming your friend is female.

Wow, that's pretty harsh. Honestly, If one of my friends would have reacted that badly to me, they wouldn't be my friend anymore. Most of my friends poked fun at me for a while, but that's what guys do. This seems much more malicious.

There are a couple of things you could do.

1. Point out the glaring flaws in her logic. You don't have to be in PETA to be a vegetarian (I'm not. In fact I don't like them at all). Eating meat IS ordering new animals to be slaughtered, they aren't born in convienient nuggets and patties. The whole jump of a bridge thing... she's the one following the majority, that is just hypocritical. "No one cares"?. Well, a lot more than you think. Also, I don't think we were MADE to eat meat. As far as humans being predators, were pretty lame. No claws, no fangs, no speed... the list goes on. Before tools, I'm pretty sure humans were no more than scavengers who would have survived on "leftovers" from other animals and mostly a plant based diet.

2. Stop being her friend. Friends are supposed to help you out, not call you a stupid hippie.

3. Wait it out and see what happens. She may calm down. If not, see number 2.

Hope this helps, you have a pretty rough descision if front of you.

Answer 6

LAUGH!Do it with a smile!!! When they say something stupid, just laugh. Don't do it at them, or even in their general direction. Completely ignore them with your body language but make sure they are aware that you think what they are saying is funny. If they call on the phone and say something about it, LAUGH! =)

I don't know what is wrong with them, but if you act like a happy person that is confident in her choices, they will probably not get their childish kicks out of opening their ignorant mouths. Their lack of respect is FUNNY. How can someone be so dumb and rude? It's HILARIOUS. =)

YOU ARE RIGHT AND THEY ARE WRONG. Not because they eat meat, but because they can't let you be different and make your own choices even though you are making a choice of compassion and wisdom. Keep your chin up and keep your face bright and smiling and they can't touch you.

Answer 7

Vegetarian is a choice you made and unfortunately people make it their problem and want to convert you to change your mind. It doesn't affect her that you choose not to eat meat and if she's a true friend you shouldn't have to explain your reasons. It seems like she is judging you which friends aren't supposed to do.
You'll see after a while people will just accept it but if it's something you just started then be prepared to get asked over and over again why you decided not to eat meat.
If you still want her as a friend then you should try to explain to her why you don't eat meat but really you shouldn't have to.

Answer 8

jeez... thats harsh. im the same though, im veggie and proud. the thing is that the animals arent already dead, if no-one ate meat, the meat industry would crash and no more animals would die. also, the treatment of the animals is a big factor, chickens cant even turn around in their cage, mother pigs are positioned on the ground there whole life and it just gets worse. i think youre friend has freaked out totally, i mean, once i became vego, i was introduced to the most amazing food! Dhaal, lentils, patties, stir fry, tofu.... its gorgeous! i don know how you shuld deal with this but you have done nothing wrong!

Answer 9

Firstly, i would tell your friend to calm down.

Next, if there are a real friend they will support you in whatever choice you make, why does it matter so much to them that they have to insult you ?

Finally i would point out that commercially reared animals are killed for meat because people buy it. By not buying meat you are directly reducing the amount of meat needed on the shelves and less animals will be killed in the future.

If they don't understand those points, i would probably walk away.

i suspect they have other issues in thier life and they just chose to vent at you, thier comments are irrational.

Proove them wrong by eating a healthy vegetarian diet, don't preach to them - just show in a postive quiet way how sucessful a vegetarian choice can be.

best of luck with it.

Answer 10

Lol, my best friends did a similar thing, as they haven't gotten used to it either. There is nothing magical that you can really do, if they don't accept your views, then don't accept theirs. but be open minded about this, try and give her more information about vegetarianism. some people are just plain stubborn, will make you feel stupid for being different or because they don't have the willpower to do it themselves. The perfect solution, is to ignore what she says until she gets used to it, and realizes that by lecturing you it's not gonna make a difference. e-mail me if you like, I'm going through the same thing!

Answer 11

i do no longer care in case you consume fish and jello. i do no longer care what you consume in any respect. once you assert "sigh enable the flaming initiate" that's sparkling which you're in seek of an argument...and it makes me suspect that according to hazard your vegetarian friends are not those to commence the little arguments you have. Who has hundreds of pamphlets? I in user-friendly terms ever have been given one or 2. And veg*ns are not an area, we are purely those with a definite eating habitual.