To find mumsnet so hostile to vegans?

[RebornFlame]

No based solely on but inspired by a couple of threads in the last few days. I’m not quite vegan yet but plan to be fully by the next few months and none of my friends, about quarter of whom at vegan are not sanctimonious or preachy at all.

Also please stop bashing vegan cakes! They’re yummy!!

@RebornFlame

Point out five threads in the last week that has been hostile to vegans.

Coz I haven't seen any!

Tell you what pisses me right off.... People who say they are 90% vegan... NO, you're not. You are NOT a vegan at all.

What pisses me right off how the vegans that I know, expect you to cater to them when they come round, and get soy milk and cook special vegan food for them, but don't have the common courtesy to return the favour when you go to theirs. All we are given is tasteless slop, and coffee with soy milk in. Yuk.

They never even bother to get any nice, decent biscuits in. All we get is the shit they eat.

And spare me the comments about how there is soooooooo much yummy, scrummy VEGAN food around. When we go to the houses of the 3 or 4 vegans we know, we never get ANYthing really nice, and they never make any effort to accommodate our food requirements.

In addition to all of the above, they always have to prattle on about the fact they are a 'vegan.' People even put it on their instagram and twitter bio FGS! Coz everyone just HAS to know they are a VEEEEEGAN!

One woman even put it on a CV I saw the other week, when my workplace were looking for a part time receptionist. Why?! I would never dream of putting 'I eat meat, and love a nice roast chicken' on MY CV.

She didn't get an interview, unsurprisingly.

If people ARE snarky or rude about vegans, it's hardly surprising! Most of the ones I have met and spoken to, are rather irksome, to say the least...

@NeelixFelicis

It isn't hostility towards vegans. It's hostility towards sanctimonious, preachy, pseudo-superior vegans.

Not veganism as a whole.

Actually I agree with this! ^

Some vegans are probably OK, just not the ones who prattle on about it and judge people who AREN'T vegans.

These type (the decent, non-annoying ones,) are probably not even visible/under the radar, as they don't go on and on and ON about their 'veganism!'

You also find the ranty, judgy, moany preachy ones often cheat too, and have a sly bit of cheese, or a custard cream when no-one is looking!

People are hostile to vegans almost anywhere.

They justify it is "oh it's the sanctimonious preachy ones we don't like so we're mean to them all", when in reality there seems to be far more sanctimonious, preachy, defensive and downright petty meat eaters than the other way around.

I am not vegan or vegetarian btw.

They never even bother to get any nice, decent biscuits in. All we get is the shit they eat.

They could at least get party rings in.

point out 5 threads I’m so sorry, I would but I can’t be arsed. This is an Internet forum, not a court.

I agree that you’re vegan or your not. As I pointed out early on I’m not yet vegan.

Maybe you’re going to the wrong houses. My dh is a meat till he dies, chef but still managed to create a varied menu of delicious vegan food every week.

Im not fully vegan but i make a fantastic vegan cake ( slight derailment)

The only stroppy one I’ve seen is one who looked like they were going to lunch the idiot (who may have been a sibling of mine 🙄) who kept saying ‘just you want a bit of bacon? Mmmmm bacon sandwich. You know you want a bit of bacon? It’s gooooooood, bacon...’ whilst wafting a greasy bacon sarnie under their nose. He still does it to me after 35 years of being a veggie.

Some meat eaters can be absolute arses.

I know people that do this to kosher members of my in law family so fuckin funny...

Is it ok for people to say 'I eat a largely plant-based diet where possible'?

Not very catchy though.

And never gets old. Even after 35 years how we all laugh and laugh! DS always just sits with his mouth hanging but the poor kid’s never known anything else...

I'm not a vegan but have reduced my meat and dairy consumption by a long way in recent times, and eat more of a plant-based diet now. I like veganism as a concept - don't they say it's one of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint? But there are an awful lot of sanctimonious vegans out there (as there are within any other community) who do ruin it for everyone else.

For example, a vegan I once knew broke up with his long term partner because they wouldn't switch from cow's milk to almond milk, which, according to said acquaintance, was unforgivable and made the partner a monster. I was then cornered for a good 45 minutes to be lectured about Cowspiracy and the like. I think it's experiences like this that put people off. Of course, not all vegans are like this! Most people prefer the ones who don't feel the need to have to talk about it all the time. Again, as with anything else.

But there are lots of great vegan recipes out there and it's great that more and more restaurants and supermarkets are catering to this diet.

Not yet found a fool-proof vegan cake recipe, but FWIW, Jamie Oliver's vegan chocolate brownies are very good!

I can think of two recent threads that you may be talking about and didn’t see anything really hostile.

Life would be dull if everyone had the same opinion.

As an aside, You can make a vegan cake with Betty Crocker mix and a can of Coke (or cherry coke. Or rum and coke) , and it's really nice. It tastes like proper cake.

@AE18

in reality there seems to be far more sanctimonious, preachy, defensive and downright petty meat eaters than the other way around.

Errr no There really isn't. Vegans are the ONLY one who are preachy and defensive and sanctimonious.

@RebornFlame

I’m so sorry, I would but I can’t be arsed. This is an Internet forum, not a court.

Expected answer.

I knew you wouldn't be able to point out ALL THE threads.... coz there probably haven't been more than 2 this year!

If the the preachy, sanctimonious, irritating vegans who frequent forums like this, didn't behave as they do, they wouldn't get slated. Stop being absolutely vile to people who are not vegans, stop banging on about being a vegan, and let people eat what they want, and people will stop being twats to YOU.

I'm not hostile to vegans (although I find them quite stressful to cater for!).

I'm hostile to hostile vegans. If they can dish it out, I'm sure they can deal with getting a bit of it back.

Re: the Cowspiracy. I switched to organic milk.

Many people making these small changes helps a lot with animal welfare and land use.

So maybe we need a word for people trying to eat a majority plant-based diet with organic milk and dairy products, organic free range eggs, and the occasional mackerel they've caught themselves from a line rod off the end of the pier. I don't think it's 'monster'. It clearly isn't 'vegan'.

The only acceptable criteria on which to judge someone is their actions. Therefore, if someone has had unfortunate run-ins or 'debates' with the sactimonious/preachy type of vegan then they will of course form opinions around that. The vocal few must annoy the silent majority too, surely?
Of course there are vegans who don't advertise the fact that they are vegan and they are as perfectly lovely and reasonable as anybody else in the room but nobody will know they are a reasonable vegan because they haven't told anyone!
People get fed up when others act like they and their choices are better than others. Nobody likes being criticised. Many vocal vegans are really rude about people who try to lessen their impact on the environment (for example that nasty piece of work a PP mentioned earlier who criticised a vegetarian for not making a big enough effort and was a waste of time) but aren't quite vegan and so are denied membership into to perfect humans club. Vegans don't like being lumped together into the same box just as non-vegans don't like to be judged.
Many vegans come up with comments such as, but everyone CAN eat a vegan meal so why shouldn't they? It's because we have a choice and we don't want to.

Nobody is interested in what you choose to eat or not eat, OP. People respect your choices but they don’t care because it’s none of their business.

As long as you extend that same basic courtesy and respect to others whose choices differ from your own, you will have no problems here.

I completely disagree. Are you new to MN? Coz I've been here donkeys years, and frequent a lot and post a lot, and I don't think it's vegan hostile at all.

Two of my friends are vegan and I book vegan restaurants and we have vegan nights even though I also adore meat.

I think you are talking rubbish.

Have I missed the post? Where you linked all the hostile threads?

And what % are those threads compared to non hostile threads?

Loads of mn threads could be seen to be hostile!

I'm more hostile to people who say yummy!! than vegans.

However once they start droning on about the horrifically cruel dairy industry, and their new hobby horse, climate change (it seems they have only discovered climate change this year) I want to go out and eat a big juicy steak. And I've been vegetarian for most of my life.

D

I recently had a set to with a vegan on Facebook I said"a lot of vegans I know (not all)are very hostile and often piss people off in their quest to educate people". the vegan in question then called people who eat meat "selfish ignorant c£&@s"and stated she didn't care who she offends. That will surely get people round to her way of thinking for sure
This is why people don't like vegans they can be very angry.......oh so very 😡

I'm more hostile to people who say yummy!!

I couldn't agree more, and the people who add a random yum on the end of a sentence. 'Jacket potato and beans, yum!'. They deserve to die.

Although I find the ones who dress up as chickens to protest inside Nandos quite funny

It's difficult, as a vegan, not to mention it if you are invited to eat at someone's house. Especially if it's an on the spot offer of lunch. It can be embarrassing to say 'no thanks' and turns into a fuss and bother if you say you're vegan. I'd rather not have the fuss because that's all people will remember about the day. How fussy vegans are. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. I carry breakfast biscuits and bananas with me in case of emergency. I hope folks don't get offended.

I don't think a couple of threads means that mumsnet is hostile to vegans. A couple of threads isn't enough evidence.