Vegetarian Egoism

[Willamena]

I have to confess that since I began eating vegetarian "meats" I have discovered an egoism in regards to meat eaters. Is this a typical thing, or is it "just me"?

 

[zenzero]

Friend Willamena,

EGOISM is always *individual*, possible others too have it but should not be taken as an excuse.
Cheer up forget the meat eaters and focus on those greens.
Slowly the whole world will go green again.
LOve & rgds

 

[rojse]

I have to confess that since I began eating vegetarian "meats" I have discovered an egoism in regards to meat eaters. Is this a typical thing, or is it "just me"?

Dare I ask what a vegetarian "meat" is?

 

[Alceste]

Dare I ask what a vegetarian "meat" is?

Gotta love that "surprisingly". LOL. Marketing. It never fails to amuse.

 

[Willamena]

Dare I ask what a vegetarian "meat" is?

Mostly soy and wheat product.

 

[YmirGF]

I have to confess that since I began eating vegetarian "meats" I have discovered an egoism in regards to meat eaters. Is this a typical thing, or is it "just me"?

That is indeed what I have heard from many vegans over the years but upon closer examination it is usually egotism wearing a happy face.

Mostly soy and wheat product.

Oh yum. *cough*

 

[rojse]

So, in what manner are meat-eaters egotistic, Williamena?

 

[Alceste]

I actually can't work out what you're saying. Are you saying you feel egotistical when it comes to the issue of meat eating, or that you find meat-eaters to be egotists?

From my own experience, I found I had to listen to this a lot:

"I can't believe you don't eat meat. Meat is soooo goooood. I could never be a vegetarian. What do you eat instead of meat? I'm a carnivore. We're made to eat meat. It's natural. Look! I'm eating some meat! Mmmmmm... don't you wish you could eat some of this nice juicy animal meat? You want some? You sure? Mmmm, it's soooo goood. How's your tofu? Bet you could go for some of this ground beef lasagna right now."

Yada yada yada. It was a pretty ridiculous display, since I never liked the taste of meat all that much to begin with, didn't miss it when I wasn't eating it, and was always faintly disgusted by the whole idea of it. Even now, having eased back into a little bit of meat eating, I never buy it or cook it, apart from the odd fish. I just eat meat when somebody makes dinner, and it happens to contain meat. I found that otherwise they go mental trying to make a whole other main course, just for me. Never mind the fact I'm happy with just eating everything BUT the meat.

The other thing I used to always get was strange correlations. Like, because I didn't want to eat meat it meant I was a serious health fanatic and was being hypocritical if I smoked, or whatever. Or not eating meat made it hypocritical to wear leather shoes.

Personally, I think meat-eaters feel conflicted about it so they sometimes have to put on a big show. I mean, I don't eat peppers either and pineapples make my mouth break out in a rash - those have never been a big deal.

 

[Magic Man]

I actually can't work out what you're saying. Are you saying you feel egotistical when it comes to the issue of meat eating, or that you find meat-eaters to be egotists?

I'm confused myself. Patty, do you mean that meat-eaters are egotistical or that vegetarians are?

The other thing I used to always get was strange correlations. Like, because I didn't want to eat meat it meant I was a serious health fanatic and was being hypocritical if I smoked, or whatever. Or not eating meat made it hypocritical to wear leather shoes.

Well, I have to say that I would think one of those would have to be true. What reason is there to be a vegetarian other than to be healthy and to not harm animals? I would think you'd be doing it for at least one if not both of those reasons. So, I would tend to think it's hypocritical in one of those ways, at least.

I know what you're saying about meat-eaters, and there certainly is some arrogance there and all, but I don't think it's any more than in the vegetarian/vegan group. Then again, I could be wrong about that.

 

[Alceste]

Well, I have to say that I would think one of those would have to be true. What reason is there to be a vegetarian other than to be healthy and to not harm animals? I would think you'd be doing it for at least one if not both of those reasons. So, I would tend to think it's hypocritical in one of those ways, at least.

Actually, there are plenty of reasons not to eat meat, or at least to limit your consumption of meat to a minimum. Limiting the suffering of animals is one, environmentalism is another, the responsible management of land resources leading to a decreased likelihood of food shortage and famine is one (a pretty big one for me), but the primary reason is that I don't like it. I like veggie burgers better than hamburgers, veggie lasagna better than meat lasagna, quorn better than chicken... *shrug*. Mmmmmmmmm.... quorn...

But nobody ever asked me why. People simply launched off on the assumption: What other reason could there be other than to be healthy and not harm animals? I mean, people assumed I was depriving myself of something that was desirable, so my reasoning must be noble. But no, just don't like meat.

Smoking wasn't hypocritical because I liked smoking. Wearing leather isn't hypocritical because, let's face it, synthetic shoes are inferior. They don't breathe, they look stupid, they get smelly and they fall to bits. I don't like them.

So you see, I am actually very consistent. :flirt:

 

[Magic Man]

Well, I stand (or sit to be more accurate) corrected. I guess not liking it is another reason for being a vegetarian. That just means there's something wrong with you, though.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

"I can't believe you don't eat meat. Meat is soooo goooood. I could never be a vegetarian. What do you eat instead of meat? I'm a carnivore. We're made to eat meat. It's natural. Look! I'm eating some meat! Mmmmmm... don't you wish you could eat some of this nice juicy animal meat? You want some? You sure? Mmmm, it's soooo goood. How's your tofu? Bet you could go for some of this ground beef lasagna right now."

I can see that, there are lots of jerks out there. But I don't think it is related to eating meat, people are just jerks. I've seen some vegeterians who were jerks, calling meat eaters murderers and worse. I'm a meat eater and I've never acted like the above person and few of my meat eating friends would either. But then, UUs tend to behave better.

 

[Willamena]

So, in what manner are meat-eaters egotistic, Williamena?

The egoism I discover is my own.

It begins with thoughts at the meat counter, like "poor cow" and "ew, I used to eat that?"

 

[rojse]

The egoism I discover is my own.

It begins with thoughts at the meat counter, like "poor cow" and "ew, I used to eat that?"

That's not being egotistical over being a meat eater, rather, it is your use of an emotive argument against being an omnivore.

 

[Alceste]

Well, I stand (or sit to be more accurate) corrected. I guess not liking it is another reason for being a vegetarian. That just means there's something wrong with you, though.

Ha! I've discovered a paleolithic diet is ideal for me. That just means I'm human.

You know, I didn't add this because it sounds strange, but the reason I don't like meat is that it tastes like misery. I can't explain exactly how that works. During the time I was a vegetarian I ate some wild venison and it tasted awesome. So good I sucked the marrow right out of the bones. Eating meat bothered me even as a kid, before I knew anything about the conditions the animals live in. There's either something wrong with me or something unusually right with me. * shrug *. Who can say. I would be happy to eat anything I caught in the wild, skinned and butchered myself, but eating commercial meat is just wrong, wrong, wrong.

 

[Alceste]

The egoism I discover is my own.

It begins with thoughts at the meat counter, like "poor cow" and "ew, I used to eat that?"

I don't think that's egotistical either. It really is gross, and the cow really does suffer. If you were at the checkout going "Ooh, look at me, I'm so superior with my tofu", that would be egotism.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

I got an ego over it. I wish it would go.

It's just we are saving the world and being responsible.

 

[NoahideHiker]

Yeah, I definitely get that "I'm better than you" vibe from most vegans and vegetarians. Vegetarians can be more preachy than a pentecostal. LOL!

I love most of the fake meat products like the black bean burgers and the chicken Quorn. I would like to get to the point in my health reconstruction where I am eating meat only once or twice a week.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I do the same with mushrooms. I feel very superior over people who do eat them..

But ehr, are you bothered by your own ego then?
Because as long as you do not reflect it towards meateaters, I cannot see a problem.
And even if you do, if all those meateaters are like me, they couldn't care less about what you think of them as meateater.

 

[whereismynotecard]

I got an ego over it. I wish it would go.

It's just we are saving the world and being responsible.

Saving the world...


When I was a vegetarian for a sum of months I did notice that I was sort of a jerk about it. I wondered how people could keep eating meat when animals had to die and it was a dead carcass that they were eating. It was really hypocritical of me because in high school people had asked me the same things and I still ate meat. So I talked to a guy at my work and asked him, "think about it. You are eating a dead carcass... why would you want to do that?" And I was so firm in that belief that it was grotesque, and then one day on break I got some chicken strips and I said "**** it. I like chicken, and I'm going to eat it." That guy told me I was insane. I feel glad to be out of that phase though, because I think I was developing a mild case of superiority complex.