Why is there so much hatred towards vegans?

[keysonthehighshelf]

I'm veggie, and slowly cutting down on certain things with the aim of being fully vegan by the end of the year. I'm not perfect, and I in no way dislike those who eat meat. I know some vegans are really aggressive but the vast majority are quietly vegan for their own reasons. I am raising my son vegetarian simply because I have never prepared meat before. I've seen a nutritionist and they've confirmed it's absolutely fine to raise a baby vegetarian and has given me meal plans and advice re supplements (which aren't actually needed). I still have had at least 4 people imply that I'm damaging him, and have had people aggressively tell me that 'vegans are hypocrites for wanting their food to look and taste like meat' - it doesn't really bother me but my sister who is vegan finds it upsetting. AIBU to think it's odd that people have such annoyance towards vegans? Or is it in my head?

they know they don't have the strength to be vegan but secretly wish they did, and they deal with the cognitive dissonance by doing everything they can to ridicule and shame the state that they desire but feel unable to reach
It's this sort of nonsense that makes people roll their eyes at vegans.

Most people genuinely don't care what dietary preferences others have and have enough respect and common sense not to lecture or adopt a position of moral superiority.

my own observations tell me that people who enjoy meat see it as a highly desirable and attractive food, foregoing meat therefore is a big sacrifice I'm not sure I would be able to make that sacrifice if I was attracted to meat.
If I did make that big sacrifice it would be an effort and I would probably have the urge to talk about it and want to be congratulated (?)
As it happens I am very meat avoidant, if I was attracted to it I would wonder if there was something in it that my body needed.

I think also there might be a class and political element to it as well

I think this is true.

Well to do people living in large houses, enjoying exotic holidays then lecturing poorer people about their, substantially smaller, carbon footprints does not tend to go down well.

The preaching and holier than thou attitude.

I am a lifeling vegetarian and don't care about what others do. I am no better than anyone else because I don't eat meat.

I still have had at least 4 people imply that I'm damaging him, and have had people aggressively tell me that 'vegans are hypocrites for wanting their food to look and taste like meat'

Why even worry about what other people think and what their opinion is? Don't over analyse it! I wouldn't have even discussed your choice with these people who clearly turn poking their nose into your business into a fine art.

You've sought medical opinion, so no need to "feed the trolls" who are desperate to criticise you for decisions that have nothing to do with them. They are opining from a position of ignorance.

I don't feel in the least bit guilty for eating the food I was designed to eat.

I wouldn’t say you should feel guilty for eating meat but I think anyone who uses animal products (I include myself if that because I consume dairy) should feel immensely guilty about the way animals are treated for our benefit.

I don’t really care about veggies or vegans
If you don’t want to eat meat meat/products etc don’t but I don’t really need to be told about it. I haven’t told people randomly I eat meat or I feed my kids meat.

I don’t care if people don’t agree about it or have opinions about it, I don’t have opinions about you wanting to be vegan or feeding your kid veggie why does anyone need to know. We make our choices based on our beliefs, if people challenge you stand by them and don’t give everyone the people hate vegan/veggie shite no one else goes on about their eating habits so much!!

Why do they have to be quiet? It's a minority group who need to make noise to be heard and by the growing popularity of veganism or of people making choices to eat less meat in general it's made a difference

It's entirely down to the individual whether they want to take it upon themselves to 'speak up' and become the minority group who bangs the drum. But it shouldn't be a black mark against them for not wanting to spend their time evangelising, spreading the gospel according to Plant-life to all their family, friends, work colleagues or people in the street who are willing to listen to them drone on.

It's like politics, when people become entrenched in a view to the extend that they feel the need to convert the world, it's amazing how quickly their circle of friends diminishes, through being a complete bore.

the quiet thing made me laugh....I can't imagine any of my relatives banging a drum about it! That's just mad.

Some people are just rude, and have to pass comment on things - not just dietary choices, but many things in life.

I don't know many vegans, but the two I do are atrocious. One posts things on Facebook all day every day about why we too should be vegan, and videos of animal abuse which I don't even know how they're allowed on there. If I get tagged in a photo (NEVER post) in a restaurant with a plate in front of me she will pass comment telling me what I've killed, and whose life I'm making a misery with my choices.

The other is my brother in law, who insists on lecturing FIL about how he would NEVER have had his heart attack if he had been vegan. He has bought him a lengthy book about the benefits of veganism and quizzes him about it when he visits, plus cooks him vegan dishes and takes them round. That's perfectly nice, possibly, but FIL and MIL are absolutely independent and cook for themselves daily, and are not choosing to be vegan, so I think it's rude as hell for BIL to be making comments.

I had my birthday meal in a curry house, and he asked whether we could, instead, go to a local vegan restaurant so he would be catered for. I said no, as there was a decent vegan range at the curry house (in fact I have their vegan vegetable curry often as it's really nice) and he declined to come because they cooked meat. I imagine his choices for eating out are rather limited.

So. On the whole, vegans/vegetarians are fine. I was vegetarian myself for 4 years, and tbh people didn't really know - because I didn't feel the need to announce it. If I was out, I ate a veggie dish, no dramas. No comments.

But the ones who are pushy ruin it for everyone else, sadly.

I find the people who preach about not being vegan just as annoying as the ones who do.

Moral of the story. Some people are just preachy cunts.

It's like politics, when people become entrenched in a view to the extend that they feel the need to convert the world, it's amazing how quickly their circle of friends diminishes, through being a complete bore
This is the crux of it.
I don't want to have someone get on their soap box about why their lifestyle choices are so much better than anyone else's, whether that is veganism, religion, politics, parenting choices, breastfeeding, disposable nappies etc.

People can and should make their own ethical choices, and others should have the sense and respect not to be an arse.

I don't hate vegans at all.

I was veggie myself for nearly 7 years, although I really struggled with it as I loved eating meat! I still enjoy a pure veggie meal off menus occasionally though.

What does annoy me sometimes is that me and my best friend used to really enjoy going out for lunch together. He's been veggie for over 30 years. 2 years ago he became vegan and suddenly all our favourite eating places were no go. Even though they had vegan options, he didn't like them. So there's literally one place we can go and he always chooses it (I don't like it).
Even going for a coffee can be hard because although most places have soya milk he wants coconut or almond milk.....

We spend ages trawling around looking fur places acceptable to him.
I still love him to bits but miss our gooey cakes and lattes!

I think it's the preaching and the militant attitude of some vegans like the one on this morning the other day which makes people annoyed

It is weird. When I was veggie no one ever asked me to justify my reasons. I’ve been vegan since the summer, didn’t tell people at work, but the other day a colleague asked me if I was veggie, when I said vegan she started quizzing me in all my reasons and aggressively challenging them. I’ve also had this with parents at the school, friends and family. So weird. A decade of pescatarian or vegetarian and no one cared. Veganism seems to really trigger people!

We had a co-worker who had decided to become a vegan....she spent all shift telling everybody about how we should respect all living creatures and that the meat and dairy industry was evil. As her team leader I felt it was up to me to quietly take her to one side and explain that whilst we all respected her choice, the fact that she was employed by a manufacture of leather goods meant she was coming across as a bit odd and hypocritical. She was sacked after telling me (within earshot of management) to "fuck off and die"!

I am not vegan or vegetarian, but a few of my friends are. I only remember when I invite them for dinner and plan the menu for them, mainly because it doesn't consume their lives or mine.
I only tend to see the preachy ones on SM.

I think good for you if someone is vegetarian or vegan. The problem isn't veganism or vegetarianism but as others have said, sanctimonious twats.
Vegans we don't have an issue with, we probably don't even know are vegan because they don't ram it down our damn throats. It's the ones who shout if from the rooftops, giving me lectures about my eating habits who make the rest look bad.

I was recently in a shop buying gluten free products because I had had an upset tummy for over a month and was going gluten-free to check for a difference (tummy recovered and stayed recovered so gluten wasn't the issue) and I got a lecture off the assistant who had become vegan when he met his vegan girlfriend. He told me it was the hormones in my meat killing us all and asked if I would be happy to end up with a stoma bag if I wanted to keep eating meat. He then helpfully told me about some propaganda Netflix shows I needed to see about the horrors of the meat industry. Well as a British farmer myself, knowing all the stringent healthcare rules we have to follow for our livestock to keep them happy and healthy, and the fact that these propaganda shows use examples of US based intensive farming, I told him to grow the hell up and keep his opinions to himself.

I’ve been veggie for 20 years and only ever mention it if I have to. I hate talking about it because people ask you stupid questions like ‘if you were on a desert island and the only thing to eat was rabbits, what would you do?’

There was an article in our local paper last week about the new cafes and restaurants that have opened up in the last year. Two are vegan. Completely non pushy, no agenda, they are just vegan cafes.
The comments on the Facebook pages were dreadful. People saying stuff like ‘I’m going to sit outside and eat a sausage’ or ‘I’m going to go in and ask for a steak’.
No comments from vegan about the steak house that was featured.

I’m veggie as is DH. We never talk about it unless someone asks. Two of my closest friends are vegan, equally they never mention it.
I’ve yet to meet a veggie or vegan who preaches, I’m met many more meat eaters who take it as some kind of personal affront.

Why do they have to be quiet?

They don't, but the OP said most vegans are 'just quietly getting on with it' in which case they won't encounter any 'hate' because no one will know they are vegan to 'hate' them over it.

You can't have it both ways, either you're quietly doing your own thing, or you're telling people about your dietary choices. If you do the latter some people will find you a bore. This isn't restricted to veganism. I avoid my gluten free colleague (no she doesn't have any medical condition) because she never talks about anything else and it's boring.

I’m a vegetarian, I have never in my life eaten meat, fish or dairy

No milk as a baby then?

No milk as a baby then?

See, this is the kind of nit picking bullshit comments you have to put up with all the time.

I hate being preached at. I have thought about things and if I have any questions I'll ask, thanks.
I loathe street corner evangelists who tell me I'm damned.
I can't abide Corbynistas who tell me that if I don't vote for St Jeremy I clearly hate the poor.
I got thoroughly fed up with the vegan FB friend I had (she unfriended me) preaching endlessly despite knowing absolutely zero about British agriculture.

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

I'm exactly the same...I know a Cornyn fan who is also a vegan on my fb friends....they preach constantly about both. Nothing makes me want to vote Tory and eat steak more!

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman that's exactly it for me too. Although the rude preachy vegan FB friend was unfriended by me.

As an omnivore I eat meat and dairy but I try to buy local only when possible (can't beat a good Scottish steak!) but I eat a LOT of meat free meals. Not for health, or money or guilt or whatever but just because I like veggie dishes too. I've been known to eat vegan meals on occasion too (like everyone else). That said, vegan "bacon" is the work of the devil. My tastebuds were weeping in horror and fear at that shite.
If I'm catering to a vegan or vegetarian I don't care at all. It's just like omitting foods for any other dietary requirement like any good host. Just don't lecture me on what I eat.