Why do so many people criticise vegans?

[trunch]

I'm a meat eater!

However, I don't understand why people criticise vegans so much.

They aren't hurting me and are trying to save animals and the environment.

What's wrong with that?

Surely people should be more critical of me because animals are killed for me to eat?

Because some vegans are sanctimonious and judgemental. Also, it's the having to accommodate for their very specific dietary needs.

I think the vegan trend is dying down, I’m seeing a lot less vegan options now. Maybe 1-2 at max and then a lot more veggie options.

Every vegan I've ever met, or spoken to online, has been ableist. They insist that ANYONE can be vegan. Even after explaining that many disabled people have liquid diets that contain animal products and this is essential to their survival.

They're also massive hypocrites. A true vegan would not be using social media. All tech contains animal products. They seem to think they're so superior, yet pick and choose what they don't want to give up.

Strange

Yes because once a species is extinct that's it. Of course you would feel different if it was human beings, but apparently some species don't matter.

Every vegan you’ve ever met? I’m sorry that you’ve only met arseholes.

I’m vegan, because it’s something that I can do to tackle inequities and cruelty and climate change. I assume we all do what we can - we recycle, we’re kind to people, we tackle problems we encounter when they arise. But none of us can solve all the problems of golablised capitalism or live a life completely free of cruelty and exploitation. I expect other people are better at avoiding Amazon, only buying second hand technologies, etc etc.

my child is not vegan because he does not have a broad enough diet to be healthy if he cut out dairy. We tell him it’s entirely his choice - we don’t have any meat at home but he’s free to eat it at school / friends’ houses etc. we feed him a healthy vegetarian diet using as ethically produced dairy as we can find. I don’t think that makes me a hypocrite. Just a pragmatist

It always makes me chuckle when people say vegans are picky - in fact, we almost never have a choice when we eat out, we are meant to be grateful if there is one vegan thing on the menu. Also, if you’re vegan, you probably have a different palette to meat eaters. That’s why meat eaters think our food doesn’t taste nice, and for some reason they think it’s ok to tell us that - often while we’re eating?!

there must be some vegan arseholes out there but personally I never comment on what other people are eating. Even though I do of course have my own views.

I've heard a million stories about how vegans are preachy and can't go 5 seconds without telling the world they are vegan or telling everybody else how they should be vegan too.

I have however never met a vegan who was preachy, I've known a few and they've all just got on with it without telling anybody unless it comes up in conversation. They never questioned my choice to eat meat or tried to guilt trip me about it.

If people have experienced the first type of vegan then that will be why they dislike them. I haven't had any drama, I don't care if they do or don't eat me and they have been the same so no reason for me to dislike vegans. I think it's great they have such passion for something, I couldn't be a vegan even if you paid me!

Whilst I agree that the mass slaughter of animals for human consumption is incredibly cruel, your argument is weakened by comparing it to dogs.
Of course a dog isn’t “nasty” if it kills a cat, or a cat “nasty” if it kills a bird. It’s a primary prey driven behaviour. It may be completely undesirable to us, and as pet owner we have a responsibility to prevent
it but this instinctive behaviour certainly doesn’t make pets “nasty”.

My ideal world would be one in which industrial meat and dairy farming would be over for ever. Assuming there was a gradual transition to wider veganism alongside smaller, ethical meat and dairy farming practices (eg along the lines of the people featured in this fascinating programme https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s55k) then some animals would still live with humans, but many more would be wild.

in current large scale farming practices, many animals are killed close to birth - eg male chicks, male calves, male lambs - and the females that survive are intensively bred to their own physical detriment.

There was a larger birth rate amongst humans before contraception was available. I don’t mourn the people who were never born as a result of this change but I do celebrate the improved quality of life for those who have been. Similarly, there would be fewer animals but they would live better lives.

i did work with the worst kind of preachy vegan for years.
She sat and complained about everyone else’s food endlessly and telling them what alternatives they could have, how they could add this fruit and vegetable into their diet for certain vitamins. How you could change things and no one would know.

What she ate though was plain boiled rice or a slice of bread with vegan spread. That was her lunch every day and she was sit and lecture my colleague eating a salad followed by fruit (ironically all vegan) about how they needed to change their diet.

Her evening meals were all fake meat, in a jar sauce, with rice. Rarely any veg.

I know a of people who do a mostly vegan diet when they can and eat lots of varied and interesting foods, but they don’t mention what they eat, just get on with it. And if stuck they eat veggie.

I think there are some who just think they are right and that gives them a superiority.

I don’t have a problem with veganism per se. I get annoyed with vegans who tell me that it’s not OK to eat meat. I’ve made my choice, you’ve made your choice. If I’m willing to accept that vegans can make their own minds up then they need to accept that I’ve made my mind up and won’t be changing it. No amount of protests etc will change my mind.

I don't have a problem with vegans. I do have a problem with vegans who let you know they are vegans at every available opportunity and non opportunity. If I am eating a burger and I have provided a suitable vegan alternative, button it. I don't want to hear the gospel according to vegans or snotty remarks.

It's the evangelism and moralising that's the problem. Not the fact someone is vegan.

Is that Old Joke isn’t it…. How do you tell if somebody is vegan? Oh don’t worry, they will definitely tell you….

And I think if you don’t want to eat meat, crack on, but I don’t think vegans should be raising their children 100% vegan as if meat isn’t introduced by a certain age, those children can no liver digest it which means they can never eat meat. I don’t feel that’s a choice anybody souls make in behalf of their children. One day those children will be airs that wasn’t/can mage their own choices. It’s akin to. Circumcising a boy, it can’t really be undone or fixed and has a life long impact that the child has no say in.

but at I say, if you don’t want to eat meat, don’t eat meat. But plastic shoes, polyester clothing and “fabrics” , plant based meat, nut milks, are not great for the environment. Polyester leaches microplastics into the water ways which animals including humans then consume. And cats and dog’s souls NEVER be raised vegan yet vegan food for carnivores exists.

in short don’t force your personality/life choices onto me when I don’t force mine onto you. I buy higher welfare meat from my local farm shop ( including organs), wear leather shoes and natural fabrics wherever possible and I eat butter. There is not much more natural than a cow eating grass and us eating the cows. Much better than lab grown 3d printed “meat” and polyester clothing.

the only moralising and judgement I ver come across is from the meat brigade

And I am not even a veggie never mind a vegan but should I prefer a veggie option then it starts typically with a simple run up "oh I didn't know you were a veggie ..."

Shamefully I need to admit that DH sometimes gets great pleasure from deliberately choosing veggie / vegan options partly to see what will come out of peoples mouths.

I've definitely had the moralising. I organised an event a couple of years ago and went very heavy on veggie/ vegan options I knew would be popular with everyone. If anything the meat options were the add ones! Still had one couple making comments even though I'd gone over and above in a way that no one else organising the same event previously had.

That pissed me off. Apparently they pissed off half of those who attended.

We wouldn't be freeing them thoug.
We just stop breeding more into existence!
The numbers slowly reduce over time. Quite quickly infact as most are killed at a fraction of their lifespan anyway (pigs, 6 months...dairy cows maybe 6 years if they are lucky etc...).

What did you think it was going to be like, 'release the cows!' and suddenly no one can move for cows? xD

This is a hypothetical situation though, and 99.9% unlikely to happen in real life. So answering it is almost a pointless exercise.

That said if the UK (for example) did go 100% vegan, it would happen over a number of years and not overnight. So it would be a staged thing, that could be managed, slowly declined and managed numbers of farm animals (that would likely be eaten by meat eaters as meat eating died out).

To use this hypothetical "theory" as one against veganism is one of the most ridiculous ones I hear (on a regular basis).

One thing I would say (as a lifelong veggie or vegan) is that if all the meat eaters experienced the same amount of abuse for their diet (as a quiet non-preachy type) as I have from meat eaters, over a lifetime, they would understand which "side" has more aggressive, abusive behaviour towards the other. And yes, as I've outlined above many times, I don't dispute a few vegans do push their agenda on others.

So it's better for humans to live in slavery and be killed at ten years old than just, not to exist?

Opt me out of that hellhole thank you very much!

Also, they're obviously not going to 'go extinct'. Many countries have wild versions of these animals. Some people keep goats, pigs and sheep and chickens as pets or companion animals for their horses etc...

It's the hypocrisy that irritates many people. Plenty of vegans are happy to use things containing animal ingredients if it makes their life easier. A true vegan wouldn't use bank notes (tallow), drive a car or take a bus (tyres), or eat food delivered by lorry (tyres again).

Proving my point right here 😂

I won't be watching them but thanks. How about you watch some stuff about the amazing faming community in England? Bet you won't do that either. I buy from our local butcher (so 0 air miles for that food unlike quorn) and get milk from the local dairy farmer. I'm more than happy with my choices and hope that you are with yours.

Perhaps worth pointing out though that, you are more offended by the use of the posters word 'nasty' to describe the behaviour of a dog or cat, than the ritual slaughter of 'other' animals on a maas scale.

It's just an interesting highlight. That we are jump to the defence of 'pets'. But those other lot, we just don't think about them.

I'm not a vegan. And regularly watch farming shows. Just like to think I have a balanced view. But you sound super closed of so I'm suggesting you look into things that clearly seem to scare you a bit.

Actually a true vegan should never leave the house as there is a possibility they might stand on an ant! 🙄
This is such a lame argument!! Someone is doing their best not to hurt animals, and to protect the environment. Yet here you are saying they are hypocritical if they use bank notes or eat food delivered by a lorry 😆
Can you hear yourself??? 😆