Vegan Police!!!
Grrrr.
In the New Year I transitioned from vegetarian to vegan and have been excited to share this change with the people around me because it's been a huge lifestyle change, not just a dietary one.
HOWEVER what I wasn't expecting is for alot my non-veg friends and peers to turn into the f*cking vegan police! SO ANNOYING. I don't run around screaming done the halls at work "I'M A VEGAN! I'M A VEGAN! I'M HOLY AND YOU'RE SH!T!!".
The past week that I've returned to work since going vegan I've been faced with SO many stupid comments from friends/peers who all think they're the vegan police.
There is this one friend I work with who looooves to tell me what I CAN'T eat, but it's the way she says it..like we're 5 year olds playing in the sandbox and she doesn't want to invite me to her Fairy-Princess-Birthday Party.
"Oohhh you can't have piiiiiza, you can't have thiiiis, you can't have thaaaat."
I have had people question me on every material of clothing I'm wearing.."what about your sweater?! What about your boots?!"
I don't even bother to respond to these types of comments, for the most part I ignore them.
AND I SWEAR I'm not preachy or anything about my lifestyle, I haven't given them anything to be annoyed with me over to provoke this policing, other than sharing my positive change with them.
The funny thing is these are all omni's making the comments. I would maybe be less frustrated if it were life long vegans hashing this crap out to me, but it's meat and dairy eaters who obviously for whatever self-righteous reason feel the need to be d!cks.
Anybody else have problems with "Vegan Police", especially those of the omni nature?
I gotta say it so much easier now being a veggie person.
When I started out on this adventure back in the late 80's people had no idea what to think of you.
Thought I was one of those weird foreigners from California.
I grew up on the east coast in DC and only knew one family that was lacto ovo veggie.
They kind of inspired me to lead this lifestyle when I was younger.
The kind of folks that invite you over for supper and don't say a word about being vegetarian.
Been doing it so long I do not even waste my time arguing with anyone about it.
I just got questioned from a co-worker (the same coworker I just wrote a thread about) what I do when a mosquito lands on me or when flies are pestering me. I said I swat them away.
"Well, doesn't that hurt them? What you're doing may kill them. How do you feel about that?"
I didn't really know how to answer that. He could tell I was struggling and it amused him.
I finally just said that I try to live my life without harming anything, but I'm not perfect. I do the best that I can.
I'm still annoyed though.
ugh thats so annoying. it's jains that do not hurt any insects at all. i'd say most vegans feel alright about putting boiling water in a fire any hole or swatting at a mosquito. thats just silly to ask. i'm sure he REALLLLY cares about that. hah
I just got questioned from a co-worker (the same coworker I just wrote a thread about) what I do when a mosquito lands on me or when flies are pestering me. I said I swat them away.
"Well, doesn't that hurt them? What you're doing may kill them. How do you feel about that?"
I didn't really know how to answer that. He could tell I was struggling and it amused him.
I finally just said that I try to live my life without harming anything, but I'm not perfect. I do the best that I can.
I'm still annoyed though.
Practice saying that line over and over and then make it your standard reply to ridiculous or provocative questions. It works with most people, especially if you say it confidently and sincerely. I guess it makes you seem less "holy" or something...I don't know. Sometimes you just gotta ignore it though. My friend's brother/roommate used to get off on telling me how much "animal" he was eating ("yum...look at all this animal. wow this cow sure does taste good...blah blah....shit shit..blah blah") but I started ignoring him completely. Like, he would say something stupid and I would just turn around and start a conversation with someone else. I never acted upset or anything. I just ignored him like I do my "misbehaving-for-attention elementary students." It worked. He hardly ever says anything now, and when he does, it's much more less snarky.
Edited to correct
Hi! you need to see those peoples in the future. they don't go to have the same health than you. keep vegan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Speaking of health I think it is funny when you see someone that is like 10 years younger than you
And they look 10 yrs older than you :)
don't fell bad about that. you only think in the future you going to be helthy then don't. :)
STILL VEGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)b
Yes, the vegan police. People who don't follow the same lifestyle have the most abundant opinions.
I'll share my most amusing story. I was in high school and was registered for an anatomy class. After the first day, I wanted to drop it because I realized that we were required to dissect animals. It wasn't easy like dropping a college course is. I actually had to meet with the vice principal. I explained my position to her, I refused to dissect an animal so I couldn't possibly take the class. I told her I didn't eat any animal products and I was passionate about animal rights. She looked at me skeptically and in a snotty voice said, "Well, your shoes look leather." I was so annoyed. "My sandals were bought at Family Dollar and no, they aren't leather." She told me she would call my mother to talk to her, as if that was a threat. I told her she definitely should.
Fast forward to the evening, she calls my mother and my wonderful and supportive mom says, "Oh, you don't want to challenge her beliefs. That's a bad idea. She's been this way for years." Thanks mom!
today in french we had to write sentances about how we no longer... blah blah blah.
I did eat meat, eat dairy.... blah blah.
And we had to list things in our ideal school. i had vegan lunches, and read that one out loud, half the class seemed to have something to say about it being stupid ::)
And on a side note, today people started asking me if i could eat random things, like watermelon?? and how come i could eat them. haha.
I have a friend in Africa who is just now taking a course in counselling AIDS patients who are about to die. The meals were supplied with the course and when the first meal came there was hardly anything he could eat. He brought this to the attention of the people serving the food and made his request for simply fruits and vegetables. The next day they did bring him a large plate with what he wanted and before he knew it he was surrounded by the other students all asking why he was not eating their food. He explained as kindly as he could and they all kept asking more and more questions. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out but it was not as it sometimes is here a negative experience in any way. I have to admit it is sometimes the way we share the reasons for our diets with others that causes athe response we receive in return. Secondly it seems our families are the last ones to respond positively I think it is because they feel we are making a negative statement about how they raised us.
And on a side note, today people started asking me if i could eat random things, like watermelon?? and how come i could eat them. haha.
Because we all know watermelons have a pulse and brain..like totally, DUH. ;)
And on a side note, today people started asking me if i could eat random things, like watermelon?? and how come i could eat them. haha.
You CAN eat anything, but you CHOOSE not to eat certain things for specific reasons. Period!
Yep, the vegan police get me everyday, I've gone from omnivore straight to vegan. I didn't say anything to anyone at first, and they just accepted that I didn't want to eat certain things because they thought I just didn't want to at that time. Now tho' because I feel more confident in being able to choose what I eat, I told my friends and family that I am now vegan. Only I get them waving cream buns under my nose telling me I can't eat them because I'm a vegan, what they don't realise is the smell of dairy really makes me feel ill now, so all they are doing is helping me in my quest to be what I want to be.
So a note to all my sad friends and family ' THANKS GUYS'
People who don't follow the same lifestyle have the most abundant opinions.
Highfive to you!
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