@buzzshitbagbobbly
I was using the milk thing as an example, yes at work I’ve had people say to me ‘why do you have it black?’ I probably notice these little things now because it usually follows a discussion afterwards.
When I was a meat eater, I never got questioned or made fun of or the likes. I’m a very quiet girl, love a good discussion but always hated debates.
Now, I can’t even go to a wedding or a meal with family without getting everything under the sun thrown at me.
When I first went vegan I hid it for ages from people because of the abuse I got for it. It just wasn’t worth it. Then I started to change my mindset about it. Why should I hide what my choices are?
The first wedding I went to when I ordered vegan, the waitress came to a table, and went “who’s the vegan?” Looking fed up as if she was suggested I was the fussy one. The whole table went “vegan?!” Like it was shocking to them. I sat there put my hand up and went bright red. I got ‘but bacon though’ comments, comments over how the ‘steak tasted sooo juicy!’ With looks my way to tease. My dad mentions it every time I sees him and every time I sit down for a nice meal he calls it ‘dirty’. Whenever I mention that I’m going out for lunch or anything he rolls his eyes.
My mums the same with me. Calls my food disgusting.
My best friend when I go round will purposely put farming or butcher programmes on whilst the kids are playing. Tags me in posts on Facebook of a chicken recipe, and then goes ‘oops sorry i forgot, looks nice though doesn’t it?’
This is part of my every day life now and my vegan colleagues have shared similar stories. It’s common, but for some reason it’s acceptable?
These are my life choices. I’m constantly shamed by people. I tell people I’m Buddhist and I don’t get the piss taken out of me, so why is it the same for this? To be that extreme that even my friends and family don’t respect me for my choices?
Yet I don’t judge people for eating meat. I don’t comment that their food looks disgusting. I don’t shove veg under people nose and force them to smell it like I have had done off someone with lamb. Because I am a nice person.
These people love me (even though the above would say otherwise!). It’s not me they are targeting. It’s because my choice is different to theirs. That’s why I said it was a defence thing, because it is.
I’m not environmentally preachy either, I’m just doing my best as I’m sure a lot of omnis are too.
I understand you get vegans who think they are ‘enlightened’. Vegans who are full of hate and judgy. They are not typical vegans. They are typical arseholes in general.
But I’ve been on both sides of the omnis vs vegan diet and I can tell you straight up: the hate, the anger and the disgust is more common from omnis.