"Preachy Vegans"
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I'm a new vegan, too, and find most people just roll their eyes at me. I live in western South Dakota - big ranching area, so beef is king. Most people are big hunters, too, including my husband. They think of vegans in the same vein as "bleeding heart liberals" (of which I am also one!). But I don't care what they think. I'm doing this for my health and because it's right for me. I don't expect anyone else to eat the way I eat. I don't preach, but when asked, I tell them I think it's the right thing for me. As I've gotten older, I seem to have more food intolerances - my body is telling me something! Also, I've struggled with my weight my entire life, so maybe my old eating habits were also telling me something. Being a liberal in "Talk Radio Country", I've adapted to being different anyway. I wear my uniqueness badge with honor!0
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I think for me one of the biggest problems I have is that people feel guilty eating the food they choose around me. Its weird its like if you were to tell people you were a pastor they would act different knowing that well some would and I feel that a lot of times when eating with people. I have actually been out with people and they have ordered and then I order and they ask if they should change their order because it might tempt me or my favorite if I order first how sometimes people will suddenly want a salad. ha ha. It still amazes me after being vegan for 14 months just how my personal decision affects some many people around me. I do get the occasional comment by people that you vegans are real serious about your cause. I always say that I have made this choice for me and it is not for everyone but it does work for me. Thanks for the tread its been interesting what everyone has commented its always good to know we are not alone in this world ha ha.0
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I have met my share of preachy people on both sides of the eating spectrum. Online however I was attacked on a vegetarian/vegan forum when I said that I went vegan (after being a vegetarian for several years) both for health and animal welfare reasons. I was told I could not call myself vegan if my motives were not purely altruistic. Discouraging, and I fell off the vegan wagon that time. I am a month in to eating vegan and it is sticking this time, whether others think I am a "real" vegan or not0
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I am an imperfect Vegan. I fall of the wagon! But, I get back on and the reason is? A documentary called Forks over Knifes. So, when anyone asks my why I prefer the vegan diet I refer them to this movie on Hulu.com.
Of course there are other more personal reasons: a life long weight problem, and more close to my heart the barbaric treatment of animals in the food industry - and even if they were treated humanely it would still be, to my mind, barbaric to eat another sentient being. Many animals have to eat other animals because they cannot survive any other way, but we do not have this excuse. I do not have this excuse. However, I keep these ideas to myself because most people would find them insulting, as these ideas indirectly argue against the idea of mankind being given blessed dominion over the earth by a divinity who favors humans above all other species. I do not think most people are ready for a God who feels equal affection for all he created.0 -
I don't think the comments and snide remarks ever end. I used to be a Weight Watcher leader, and one of the things a lot of members had issues with were dealing with what others were saying to them once they found out they were watching their weight. Family and friends would go out of their way to poke at them about whether they were allowed to eat something, or why not just have a slice of pie, or don't worry about your diet, you're fine.
It seems to be the same with being vegan. People feel threatened that you are making a conscious decision in your eating habits and they feel "less than" for not doing so. So they either react by being "funny" by pushing foods at you, or trying to denigrate your decision. I guess we all have to find our own way of dealing with it, because we are going to run into it with every family function, every new person we meet. My way is to kindly explain that I do it for ethical and health reasons and if they urge me to eat something they know I won't, I laugh and say, "Naw, I'll let you have the high cholesterol." It usually stops after that. For that person, anyway.
Keep your chin up, your shoulders back, and keep doing what is right for you. Nobody else gets to wear your body or carry your heart. So they can, in a nutshell, suck it. ;-)0 -
i totally know how you feel about this. after lots of contemplation and interest in being vegan i switched overnight, from a diet that mainly consisted of meat/eggs/dairy before. i did it for a number of reasons; health, animal well being, sustainability, resources for world hunger, etc. when i made the switch i pledged to myself that i wouldn't be one of "those" vegans who tried to impose their views on everyone, but now that i've been vegan for 6 months and socialize with all non-vegan friends from before i was vegan, i have changed my view on this.
telling others about veganism shouldn't be considered pushy, shaming them, bad, or any other negative thing. if you found out about something that has been tied to cancer growth and many other human-killing diseases, and knew a way for people to prevent themselves from this, to me it would be more shameful not to tell them. if you found out that animals are being brutalized and slaughtered for something that we DO NOT NEED and IS BAD FOR US why wouldn't you tell people.
what i've realized is that many people simply aren't informed about veganism, the benefits, and the reasons for doing it. they don't know the truth, and when told they turn a blind eye and don't listen. now, i'm not saying everyone has to be vegan, but i'm sure that many more people would be open to drastically reducing their meat&dairy consumption if they were more educated, and HAD RESOURCES AND SUPPORT for how to eat on this new diet. there is a large misconception that vegans can't eat anything except salad and fruit and that is simply not true. i'm eating the best meals of my life and not harming animals in the process.
i bring my friends to vegan restaurants to show them that vegan food IS great and there are so many foods out there that many people don't have the opportunity of experiencing. i bake and cook vegan things and always share so people can see that you don't have to feel deprived when you live this lifestyle. i also make a point of ordering normal things and not just salad when dining out with friends - i'll have pasta, stir fry (with tofu of course), pizza (ask them to hold the cheese, try it with olives on top - so delicious!), and all normal things! the best way to lead others is by example, so be the example of a vegan that breaks the stereotypes!
another thing i've encountered is the urge to defend my reasons. at first i felt upset with myself whenever i would get sort of defensive or almost agressive with my argument but then i realized why i and other vegans do this and it gets a bad reputation. vegans aren't the only people who talk about food, in fact, we probably talk about it less than others. food is a HUGE part of our society. if i tell people that i'm having brownies or a burrito or something, they'll say "THATS NOT VEGAN" but then if i say i'm having vegan brownies they get mad that i call everything vegan. it's a battle we can't win. i also realized that the urge to get defensive is because people really do attack us when we tell them our reasons. if someone is pestering and/or bickering with me about my reasons for being vegan, i used to try and defend them but then i realized that unless someone wants to help themselves or see the truth, you can't make them. now, i try to stay vague with my answer to the question "why are you vegan" and if someone keeps asking for specifics, i'll get more into details. the more the pester, the more they're asking for the hard details, so if i come off as preaching, they asked.
the best response to why are you vegan in a situation where you don't want to be preachy is simply "for personal reasons", "for a number of things" or "it's just a decision i made"
you also have to be sensitive to who you're telling and when you're telling them. if your friend is having a bacon cheeseburger while you're eating a salad talking about why being vegan is awesome, you might see why they're pissed. no one wants to be told that the meal they're eating is bad in any way, so if you do want to seriously talk to people about it, try it when you've prepared a fresh batch of vegan brownies and they're chowing down with some vegan ice cream!
also - sometimes people need to hear it from a third party. if your friends are really curious and you don't want to argue with them, tell them to watch forks over knives, earthlings, food matters, fat sick and nearly dead, or any other veggie-promoting documentary. things like that are what made me switch - not someone posting pictures of broccoli on facebook
feel free to add me or message me anytime! good luck 0 -
I know what you mean, I switched 5 months ago and noticed a big change in people around me. I had someone point out to me that this change was more about the other person then me, that alot of people actually feel judge by others when they make a commitment like this-like we are judging them about being omnivores. once I realized that it was most likely that causing comments etc... I was able to relax and answer honestly but not worry about it.0
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i am very lucky to have never had some preachy people in my life when i started being a vegan from meat eaters, but i didnt even know a vegan then. now that i know plenty of vegans and vegetarians, the only time they are both preachy is just kidding around with each other. ive only been told to eat meat it taste good, but then the next comment is usually but i know thats not your ethics or preference though. my 4 year old is vegan and thats what im going to tell him to do is say hes allergic to dairy and such, that way he doesnt have to explain everything. also we only eat natural/organic food so thats another one i have to deal with. good luck, but i agree, say you are allergic. theres dairy, gluten, nuts, etc., i know people that are vegetarian and vegan not by choice, but because they are allergic to so much and eating animals of any kind make them sick.0
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I do talk about my reasons for going vegan but I too swore I would never become one of the sanctimonious people who preach in a holier than thou way. Its all in the delivery. I think people are more likely to listen and consider changing their own eating habits if you talk about things in a non-judgmental way than if you treat them like they are horrible horrible people for still eating animal products. My dad used to always say "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" and I totally get what he means now. people listen to me when I suggest meals to try or share food, and talk about the positive reasons to go vegan in a positive way0
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If people ask me I will explain to them why I made this personal choice. Because I am in the health care field I have learned to put a large emphasis on the fact that it is my personal choice, but if they would like any information further I would be happy to help. I have many omnivore clients who get very excited when they see something in the paper about veganism and bring it in, or a recipe for me to try even!
However, at my other job I do work with a very preachy vegan. She will sit in the break room and make comments to people about their food and why it is bad for them, all of this without them even bringing any of it up to her first. I found it incredibly ironic when she told me just a few weeks ago how every morning she eats two eggs with a little bit of cheese on them "just to get the protein in"!0 -
I've been Vegan a year now. I wouldn't say I've ever encountered "Preachy" Vegans. I've encountered quite "Hardcore" and committed vegans who are completely honest and open about their veganism and their opinions on matters when others might stay quiet.
I've had omnivores say about preachy vegans and usually me and my Fiance so I dont know where they've met these Vegans who've preached at them!
I'd never preach at someone. Just explain my personal choice but stress its MY Personal choice. I'd never say they should go vegan (i might just think it :P )0 -
I have really enjoyued reading this post and all of the different perspectives. Its not so suprising that Vegans just like all people have a range of views and approaches. What works for me is to be the vegan that I wish everyone was. I make a point to enjoy myself when eating out and if someone has an issue with what I am eating I will be direct and ask then some confronting questions about their food but in a humourous way. No I dont drink milk from cows pigs dogs or humans at least not any more. I eat awesome food and I really enjoy it, when I go out for dinner its usually to celebrate an event or catch up with friends so I like that to be my focus. I really enjoy talking to people about veganism and I will tell them how I enjoy it and how good it feels. Sometimes it gets to the point in a conversation that I know I am wasting my time so I will change the subject but I will always take the opportunity to talk to people about being vegan as I remember that was what I did when looking to make the change and I would really love to help animals by sharing veganism in a positive way.
I have been really well supported by those closest to me although none of them are vegan they will all make an effort to make and share food that I too will enjoy eating. I know that when I first became vegan it was difficult to know what to eat and no I wasnt always eating vegan food even though I thought I was so its OK for others who are less aware to make mistakes too.
But then perhaps I am not even vegan at all because I do sometimes eat honey :happy:0 -
i'm getting tired of people automatically being defensive when they hear that i'm vegan, and that humans aren't made to eat meat, dairy, etc. and that's not what this is about for me. i want to cause as little suffering as possible. if they can eat meats and cheeses and be okay with it, then that's on them. i'm not here to convert anybody.0
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i'm getting tired of people automatically being defensive when they hear that i'm vegan, and that humans aren't made to eat meat, dairy, etc. and that's not what this is about for me. i want to cause as little suffering as possible. if they can eat meats and cheeses and be okay with it, then that's on them. i'm not here to convert anybody.
In NY--it's just not a big deal. :laugh: There are a zillion vegan restaurants with waiting lines to get in.
I should know--I went to brunch this past Sunday with a group of friends and it was a 2 hour wait for a hybrid restaurant with vegan options to get in. I had the fakin bacon with avocado sandwich!
On Thanksgiving at a vegan Chinese restaurant packed--completely filled up.
Even Burger King and MacD's (not saying I would trust this) even they have vegan options--veggie burgers.
It is not the stigma it was--a few years ago.0 -
I know what you're experiencing. I get the same thing. I live in "beef country", also a huge hunting area, so people get personally offended when I utter the word "vegan". I tell them the truth - as I've gotten older, I find more foods give me problems. After watching "Forks Over Knives", I realized why. I've cut out eggs, dairy, and meat (mostly), and I feel so much better. I cut out sugar almost 2 years ago, so moving to vegetables, fruits and grains was just a natural progression. Also, at age 54, I believe I can eat or not eat whatever I want, and no one can guilt me into forcing down food I don't like.0
