Why do some people call themselves vegetarian and still eat fish?

Answer 1

Because they are confused. THey maybe think fish isn't an animal (it is) or that they are not consuming the fleh of this dead animal (they are).. Flesh of a dead animal= meat. Vegetarians don't eat meat.

The confusion needs to STOP.. I think there should be an extensive campaign to clarify the definition of vegetarian.

IT has ALWAYS been "Eats no meat." Fish has ALWAYS been considered meat.

That is until VERY recent years when the definition of meat has been confused to mean just RED meat, and people are trying to "jump on the vegetarian bandwagon" and look cool, but still eat dead animals (fish).

There is NOTHING wrong with eating fish. Pepole who exclude all meat EXCEPT fish are doing a good thing for their health.. But they are not vegetarians!

I'm okay with the word "pescetarian" but I am NOT okay with pesce-veggetarian. There is no such thing. the two are mutually exclusive.

A Pescetarian is in a league of their own. They are not a "type" of vegetarian.

As I always say, I have dark brown hair. Calling myself a blonde doesn't physically change my hair color. It doesn't make me a blonde. It doesn't change the definition of blonde.. It just makes me look ignorant of the true definition of "blonde."

But there's further danger.. if I make that mistake around alot of peopole who are just learning English.. I can really confuse them! Then THEY will have the wrong idea about what "blonde" means. This is what has happened with fish-eating "vegetarians." They've got people so confused that they don't know if fish is an animal, and if it's meat is "meat." or whether vegetarians eat fish.

vegetarians do not eat fish. People who eat fish CALL themselves vegetarians. There's a difference
"Some vegetarians still eat fish, just as others eat eggs or milk."

perfect example of the confusion that has occured on this point..

Answer 2

I am a vegetarian and I'm Jewish. I chose to go vegetarian at the age of 4. I am almost 14 now. When I was younger, my parents insisted that I eat fish for the protein. They told me that it was okay because under Kosher law, fish is not considered meat: which is true. I'm not sure though. A fish is an animal, and you are not a vegetarian if you eat animals!

Answer 3

Honestly, the reasoning for this misinformation depends on the individual... I have heard several.

1. There are those who just didn't know and didn't think about it.

2. There are those who are confused because they rely on the semantics of the word "meat." They don't understand that vegetarians don't eat animals, regardless of what you call their flesh.

3. There are those who are misinformed due to non credible websites such as Wikipedi or the Yahoo "about vegetarian" websites where uninformed people tell them fish is ok. They never learned how to decipher between credible and non credible websites.

4. There are those who are desperate to label themselves something... these ones are kinda sad. They know that real vegetarians don't eat fish. They are also mean quite often, I suppose because you called them out on their lie, and they generally feel as though they have a "right" to use incorrect definitions. They usually call people who use the regular definition mean names.

5. And there are those who openly say that they use the incorrect word of vegetarian because it is "easier" for them. Honestly, I don't really belive it. I think it is just as easy to say "the only meat I eat right now is fish," or "I want to go vegetarian, but I still eat fish for now."

I also find this use to be selfish. They say they use the word because it is easier for them, but they also are aware that it makes things more difficult for actual vegetarians. They know that their messing with the word has made several vegetarians end up with animal flesh such as fish or chicken in their foods... but they don't care about the repercussions on others so long as their explaination can be a bit "easier."

So, those are the reasons I have run into from meat eaters who try to call themselves vegetarians.
:)

Answer 4

Adding to what Michael H has said, I don't think the problem is with the word "Vegetarian", but with the word "Meat".
By definition, both scholastic and in legal definitions for laws and regulations, "Meat" does not include fish.
If people use the definition that vegetarians don't eat meat, then this can infer they can eat something that is not meat... and by definition, like it or not, it would make the eating of fish OK.
If however they say that vegetarians do not eat animals then that would be clear that fish is a no-no.
All meat comes from animals, but there are many species of animals that are not, technically, meat... and this includes fish.
Although common vegetarian usage of the word "meat" would seem to include all animals, it would appear unlikely the legal and scholastic world will follow as legislation regarding fish (habitats, responsibilities, handling etc) are substantially different from those regarding land based mammals and fowl.
Everyone can agree on what an animal is. There are, however, different interpretations and definitions of what constitutes meat.

Vegetarians don't eat animals... clear, unambiguous and correct.

Vegetarians don't eat meat.. imprecise, ambiguous and open to interpretation.

Answer 5

Even worse, why do people eat white meat (ie chicken) and still call themselves vegetarian. Just because they dont eat red meat. Nothing annoys me (a true vegetarian) more.

Answer 6

Generally it's because they are uneducated as to what the term actually means. Usually when the person that eats fish finds out that that means they are NOT vegetarian, they quit eating fish. It's just a matter of informing them.

Answer 7

They have yet to open up a dictionary to learn the true definition of a vegetarian. OR they simply wish to avoid meat, and instead of stating they do not eat meat but eat fish they merely say "I am a vegetarian"

Answer 8

no idea.

They are not vegetarians, its been that way since 1847:

http://www.vegsoc.org/fish

People can eat as much fish as they like, but please do not use or corrupt the word vegetarian.

Show me any scholar-moderated dictionary that says veggeis eat fish. Websites don't count, there are plenty of website that say the world is flat and Elvis is alive.

The vegetarian society defined the word in 1847 at the request of the Oxford, Cambridge and Chambers dictionaries, who are we to change it just because we feel like it, or because it is too difficult to say "I'm a meat-eater who limits my meat intake to fish"

I have friends who now feel the need to refer to themselves as "dictionary vegetarians" because of this "I'm a fishy-pescki-veggie" stuff we've seen in recent years.

using pscki-vegetarian, or semi/demi/partly-vegetarian implies a connection to the vegetarian diet. There isn't one.

This is not a comment or judgement of whether people should eat fish or not, its a comment on the use of the word vegetarian.

Answer 9

There are many different veggie groups.
There are the vegans, who won't eat any meat, any animals and also no animal products (milk and derived milk products, honey etc).
And then there are those vegetarians who only eat fish meat. However, fishes are animals, living beings and this is a little far-fetched for those people to call themselves vegetarians. Although becoming a vegetarian does not mean only caring about animals and animal rights, it also means caring for one's health. If this is their reason, ok, cause it seems fish meat is quite healthy...

Answer 10

They consider fish to be lower animals, and therefore it is okay to eat them.