Although i am not one to push my beliefs on anyone, nor do i even tell people to go vegan/vegetarian, and literally the only veganism things i've posted online is telling people i've become vegan, a "cheesecake"' i've made and that plants don't feel pain. YET, I'm constantly being put down and ridiculed for being vegan? I can't comprehend it. I respect peoples decisions to eat meat, so why can't they respect ours? I don't understand how anyone can mock someone over there dietary choices. Who else has this problem? How do you deal with it?
I've found people tend do lash out when they're not entirely happy with their own choices. They feel they need to put people down or justify their choices. People who matter to you, shouldn't mind and people who mind shouldn't matter.
There will always be people who make fun of us vegans, but its how we handle it thats important. Personally, I just ignore them. Most of these people purposely try to rile us up with their comments. I mean, how many times have I heard comments about me eating poor vegetables, who will feel the pain of being eaten alive? Seriously, how stupid can people be? So yeah, I don't try to preach, and if people do make silly comments about my lifestyle, I just tend let them pass me by. Water of a ducks back, as they say. After all, we can't all be Enlightened, can we?
I do have a couple of friends who are like this. You say one or two things about being vegetarian or vegan and they feel you're "shoving your views in their face". I know I do nothing of the sort. They would even come back with things such as "mm I would love a big fat juicy steak right now", or "I would LOVE a suit made of bacon". It's bloody disgusting, they're insecure and guilty about eating meat, that they have to somehow attack anytime someone mentions vegetarianism / veganism.
You're better than them in that respect and don't think anything less.
Just you being Vegan is deemed by most omnivores as a judgement on them without even bringing up the topic yourself. Most have two defence mechanisms when you tell them you're Vegan:
1) They attack and try to belittle you and your choices (as deep down they know that their lifestyle is harmful to other living beings).
2) They try to justify their own choices by saying things like "I only eat meat rarely" or "I only buy free range animal products".
Just try to be the bigger person and don't bite back (I know it is hard when faced with ignorance). Remember, whether we like it or not we are representatives of Veganism and people will be judging how we act (and react) and then using that judgement to make an assessment on the whole Vegan lifestyle.
You don't need to respect the choices of people to eat meat. Eating meat is the discriminating, it's oppression. Respecting a meat eater is like respecting a rapist. The difference it that people are taught to believe that eating meat is right, they are desensitized to it. But once they are aware they have no excuse.
If you're posting it on FB and Tumblr, just block them, unfriend them. They are no friends of yours and just want to spread negitivity.
I say, beat the crap out of them. I'm a dedicated vegetarian and no one bullies me much, they usually just ask questions like, why are you vego and what's it like. But, then there's the show-offs. Where is ya area I'm inLogan, Qld Australia
Well, one thing i have to know is how do you react?
Either ignore them, or if you are quick of wit, make a smart comment back about how stupid their comments are and how you you have heard it a thousand times before and can't they think of anything original.
