What do people have against vegetarians?

Question

I have decied to become a vegetarian but my mom says it's a stupid idea. We have no right to take animals that are wearker than us an then eat them, I mean how would you like it if you were killed and then chopped up into different sections then sold at Mcdonlds. If you think about it, it is over all wrong.
Meat products also use a lot more fosil fuel, water and soil to make that other foods. Meat is also VERY unhealthy and causes a lot of sickness like diabeates, you have a higher risk of getting cancer from meat too not saying that I don't like people who eat meat I just am mad at why people don't belive in it.

Answer 1

i guess mostly because they feel the need to tell everybody about it, and then get offended when someone dosent agree with them or their views, i have been reported twice on yahoo answers and both of the reports were by vegans who dident like what i have to say

Answer 2

I have nothing against vegetarians but the more you complain about it the more people are going to rant on about everything else but it happens everywhere. Some cultures survive on meat mainly and some of the meat products are even raw and stay uncooked. You can still get cancer as a vegetarian and if you ate things that are natural and maybe just not from a farm where animals are treated badly it would be healthier as is moderation. If you hunted food you might not get as sick because the animals fend for themselves. Without meat a majority of humans would most likely not have been here or found a different source to eat maybe other than plants. We are all going to be eaten some day even though it doesn't make it right, there isn't solid evidence whether or not meat itself or vegetables themselves can cause cancer or any other disease like diabetes. But either way it is a choice and for the most part it doesn't really matter what you are eating just do what you can to survive. It is all just a choice and everyone and everything gets picked on and some people are vegetarians because it can be a healthier choice at some points and they might experience new things about the food. There are negative and positive results of both eating just vegetables and other things or just eating meat and other things .

Answer 3

Nothing per say, but a clue might be found in your statement,
"We have no right to take animals that are wearker than us an then eat them, I mean how would you like it if you were killed and then chopped up into different sections then sold at Mcdonlds. If you think about it, it is over all wrong.".
You are certainly entitled to your own beliefs but you've just assigned a moral judgement that anyone who eats meat or more specifically, supports the meat industry is "wrong".
People don't like to judged morally (though they are quick to make those judgements on others).
When they are so judged & found "wrong" the natural reaction is to reject that morality, or the rational for the morallity against which they've been found wanting.

Answer 4

Here is the deal: most people do not dislike vegetarians perse.

However, what a lot of people do not like is how a lot of vegetarians act all high and mighty as if "their way" is the best way. (Hint it's not).

Also, people are getting very upset about the lack of freedom and choices these days. No one really likes nor appreciates other people telling them what to do!

If a vegetarian wants to live that way and that is all well and good. However, people tend to get mad when you tell them what they can and can't do.

Vegetarianism is also (rightly or not?) associated with liberalism and a lot of people can not stomach (no pun intended lol) liberalism. When a vegetarian gets all "preachy" it leads people to believe that they are just another liberal moon bat. lol

Most people in America have a live and let live attitude. That is to say if you want to eat nut loaf than you can have at it and if I or others want to have a nice steak then we should be free to do so without all of the "harrassment" from other people.

For many people eating meat is associated with the good life. You know for many a nice steak and a glass for red wine is one of the finer pleasures in life.

I will enjoy a steak, a glass of red wine and a cognac and a good cigar after. Just don't bother me about it ok? I promise I will never say a word about you eating nut loaf! lol!

You enjoy your life style and I will enjoy mine and everyone should end up happy ok?

Answer 5

If you rant like that to other people in the real world, then no wonder you're getting negative reactions towards vegetarians. BTW, meat doesn't contribute to "diabeates" near as much as refined sugars do. At least get your facts straight before you rant.

Answer 6

I would have to advise you to do your research.. the big issue i have with vegetarians is the fact that some people are doing it just to fit in or be "cool" if you are going to be a vegetarian that's fine with be, but be realistic about it. don't be one of these idiots that say "I'm a veg, i only eat fish" or I only eat fish and chicken. if your objection is based on killing animals, remember, fish, chicken, lobster, shrimp, etc are animals too. also, no meat sauce on your pasta, no pepperoni pizza, etc. no meat means NO MEAT... don't pick and choose, and don't be all preachy about it. if you don't want meat, that is fine, but don't give me grief at lunch when i am eating a burger and fries...use common sense and I think we would get along just fine....

Answer 7

Here's my two cents, for what it is worth: I have been a vegetarian for about 4 years now. I have my reasons for doing it, and if someone asks, I am more than willing to explain it to them. However, I do not go around forcing my beliefs on everyone I meet. I don't think vegetarianism is for everyone. The way I see it, if I don't get on your case for eating meat, don't get on my case for NOT eating it. Whenever someone tries to argue with me about why vegetarianism is stupid, I just remain calm and don't argue. I've found it gets me a lot farther than getting into arguments that aren't going to sway either side.

Answer 8

1. Xenophobia; fear of something or somebody that is "different." Some people seem to think their "way of life" is somehow "threatened" when someone does things differently or has a different viewpoint.
2. Vegetarians have a reputation of being overly preachy about it. I have found that to be true sometimes, but oddly, some people automatically assume vegetarians are preachy even if they have never met one. It must be something they hear from other people, on television, or whatever. I have always kept quiet about it unless somebody else brings it up. Most people I work with probably don't even know I'm vegetarian. I had a friend who was talking about "vegi-nazis" and when I asked him to name somebody who is a "vegi-nazi" he couldn't even think of one. That doesn't make any sense to me. But please don't get me wrong; if you are so excited about being a vegetarian you can't wait to tell everyone, it's better to keep it to yourself unless someone else brings it up. Otherwise, you are adding fuel to the "preachy vegetarian" viewpoint. Negative images always seem to make a stronger impression than positive ones when you are talking about a viewpoint that is unpopular. Also, if you are going to talk about health benefits of vegetarianism; make sure you get your facts straight, and get them from reliable sources that would appear unbiased to both vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

If somebody had another person who was annoying to them, why don't they just confront that person directly instead of assuming all vegetarians think and act alike? That is how prejudice is formed.

Bad answer huh? Well, Pffffffffffftttttttt to you.

Exfst--Hello; did you check the name of this forum? If anyone comes to a forum called "Vegetarian/Vegan" what do you think they are going to be talking about? Hmmmm. If you don't want to hear pro-vegetarian talk don't read this forum. Do you go to church and complain because the people are talking about Jesus too much? If you don't to hear about Jesus, don't go to church.

Answer 9

Here's what I have against them: Pretentiousness, denying the deliciousness of chicken wings, their use of unsubstantiated statistics to further their viewpoint (e.g. meat causing diabetes...gimme a break). Their attempt to redifine fish as a non-meat. The ones who claim health reasons and smoke. The ones who claim animal reasons and continually sit in leather recliners. The fact that they often feel slighted and outed by people like me...If vegetarians never told me they were vegetarians I wouldn't know and wouldn't care. The way they pretend certain foods are way more delicious than they actually are just because they don't have meat in them although that exact same food with meat would taste a million times better. The enlightened tone they speak with when talking about ethnic food, which they have been forced to try because they have rejected a traditional protein enriched diet...I like falafel too but only because it was a free choice. The ones that tell me they are vegetarians because they only eat chicken and fish and thats rare... that doesn't make sense, thats like saying "I'm not a criminal because I only commit non-violent crimes and thats rare". Finally, I can't stress this enough, the way they deny the chicken wing.

Thats what I have against vegetarians. Do what you gotta do but don't go telling everyone about it...You live yours and I'll live mine.

Answer 10

I got a similar reaction from my parents when I told them I wanted to try vegetarianism. I think the problem is that people are often-times very close-minded and stubborn. If you're "preaching" vegetarianism to your parents, you're asking them to question a very fundamental part of their lifestyle, and it takes a pretty open-minded person to even CONSIDER that.

Of course, I'm not accusing you of being "preachy". You really don't need to be in order to get that kind of a reaction. People love the taste of meat. They've eaten it practically since birth, so they've acquired a strong taste for it. So when you tell someone that you're going to stop eating it, they don't understand. They can't understand the thought process you've gone through in order to conclude that you should stop doing something pleasurable. And of course people fear what they don't understand--so you get a very negative reaction... just like a lot of the replies you're getting. And then if you try to explain yourself to someone, of course they're going to feel "preached" at... which doesn't usually help.

Not that you shouldn't be "preachy" if you believe that strongly about it. Vegetarianism certainly gets into the field of ethics. As far as you're concerned, this might be about valuing life instead of destroying it. Something of that magnitude might be worth putting up a fight for... you could even draw a parallel between eating meat in light of the information age and supporting the nazi's during the world war. If you believe that strongly, don't be afraid to voice your opinion... but expect strong opposition if you do.

It doesn't have to be a battle, though. Just try to explain yourself calmly and intelligently, and let people know it's something you care deeply about. That alone should at least keep your friends and family out of your hair about it.

btw, golden... since you asked, type "eating meat linked to disease" into google and you'll get a few of those reports. Here's the first couple. One on cancer and one on lung disease...

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/10/31/cancer-study.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/68058.php

Answer 11

When someone makes the choice to go vegetarian or vegan, quite often omnivores take it as a rejection of their own beliefs and they get defensive. They assume we're going to preach to them, so they want to pick a fight before we have a chance to. A lot of them believe in the stereotypical idea of vegetarians/vegans even though i'd venture to say very few of them have actually met any and know them/us well enough to get an idea of how they/we really are.
As I've said before, most of them are picking fights where there wouldn't be any if they stfu from the start.

In response to exsft who said: "one does not have to go any farther than YahooAnswers to meet a preachy vegetarian."
Feel free to stay out of the VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN section, genius.