The Perceived Wrath of a Vegan or Vegetarian
I’m often met with raised eyebrows, surprise, and rolled eyes when I mention I don’t eat meat.
My mother even called me an extremist hippie. I get it — I used to feel the exact same way. My journey to the vegan hood was a very gradual progression. It started years ago…I haven’t eaten pork since the movie Babe when the cute little pig so heartbreakingly said, “I want my mom” after being separated from her.
Over time, I was noticing I would buy a gallon of milk and coffee creamer and drink much of it. Then I switched to half gallons of milk and no coffee creamer as wasn’t wasting as much. When I ran out of milk and was too lazy to go to the store, I started drinking black coffee. When I joined Twitter solely to follow Donny Osmond and ended up seeing the truth about the dairy industry, I switched to soy and almond milk. Spend 5 minutes on my Twitter account and you’ll never eat meat or consume dairy ever again.
One of the defining moments was when I had to euthanize my 19-year-old cat and make arrangements for her cremation. And I don’t know where it came from, but the revelation of hypocrisy hit me hard: How is it that I’m so lovingly caring for the body of my precious cat and order a steak for dinner?? I wouldn’t even think about eating my beloved cat; how is any other thinking, loving, living, feeling being any different?
The anger of being raised to think that was okay, well, there are no words. And I have to watch myself around my young nephews. It’s not my place to intervene with the way my brother and his wife raise their kids, so when we went to a neighbor’s house who had a chicken coop of gorgeous colorful chickens and my nephew said, “I love chickens!,” it took everything I had in me to not say, “Really? Then why do you eat them?”
I try not to be a jerk about it. While the vegan movement is getting more attention and gaining ground, it’s still going to be a long time before everyone catches on. In the meantime, I have to be okay with knowing I’m doing my part — by not eating meat — I’m saving 200 animals per year, according to PETA!
Let me first break it down as defined by www.dictionary.com:
Meat: The flesh of animals as used for food.
Vegetarian: A person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, such as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.
Vegan: A vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet — and — a person who does not use any animal products, such as leather or wool.
What do farmers feed animals? Right…grains and grass. Oh, and antibiotics.
Why do animals produce milk? Because they’re mothers.
What is this obsession the human race has about slaughtering innocent animals while spouting verbiage about kindness, love, respect, and acceptance to all living beings?
Those are the facts. I didn’t realize until the other week just how to mean I can unintentionally come across. This is also coming from someone who doesn’t kill insects. There is not one single insect trap in my house, and when I go to my parent’s house, I walk around and smash all the cruel glue traps they use and throw them away.
The word wrath wasn’t chosen accidentally; it is appropriate as a recent string of texts with two of my aunts. I’m going to preface this by telling you that they are highly focused on food; it’s one of the only topics of interest for them and one of the reasons I’ve hated talking about food for years. They don’t know that, though, and they’re wonderful people who are very good to me and have been there for me all my life.
They have had cats most of their lives and one of the volunteers at the local farm and animal shelters; I love them with all my heart, so to be confronted with my attitude must have been quite scathing to them as I list their living and late beloved pets as meals:
Text with Aunt 1:
Text with Aunt 2:
Text to Aunt 1:
Clearly, I got very defensive. They’re not isolated — I have this feeling of hypocrisy for everyone who claims to love and rescue animals and then serves them up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: Veterinarians, rehab facilities and rescue teams, family, and friends with pets, even Betty White who was a warrior for animal rights yet admittedly lived on hot dogs!
It saddens me; most days, the heartbreak consumes me. Next time you reach for that piece of meat, please remember that animals are innocent, feeling, living, loving, and amazing creatures that deserve the same life as cats, dogs, and other animals you hold dear. They all want the same thing.
Just like you.
Thanks for reading! And remember — Smart people read. Smarter people write!
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