Do you ever feel like non vegetarians are mean spirited??

Question

I kind of feel that vegans and vegetarians consider me to be a bad person because I won't take that plunge.

Is there an assumption that you do not care for the environemtn or animals because you eat them??

I have friends who hate hunters as well. I live in Nebraska where the deer population is out of control. I think that as long as you eat the animal, ( and not just hunting for sport) you are fine.

Answer 1

my family isnt vegetarian, i wouldnt call them mean-spirited.

Answer 2

that is just what they think ...an should not in any way mean that you should think or feel the way they do.. that's there choice to have certain dietary choices ..not yours an it does not make you a bad person. people an animals have been eating meat for years millions of years its a part of nature ... some people just don't want to except that an that's there choice

an me an my family all most got attacked by a buck in are own property (backyard) so i agree with the whole deer thing.. sure its never fun to hear about  hunting and slaughtering of animals but that's just how things are.... there are laws that monitor an limit they way both are done .... lions, other wild cats,sharks,owls,WOLVES,other dogs,an the list goes on of animals who viciously kill an eat there prey(other animals) so why should humans be vegetarians ???

Answer 3

I don't think there is any association between the two.

Answer 4

i don't feel that way. It's just a choice that I made to become vegan. Besides most of my friends eat meat.

Answer 5

i would never go so far as to call you "mean spirited" i can understand how for some ppl its so hard to give up their favorite food. but i think that if ppl were to really research animal cruelty and how vegetarians are healthier and how meat production actually harms the enviroment then a whole lot of ppl would be willing to make that sacrifice.  ppl just dont like to do their homework before making a decision, you know?  

my dad hunts with a bow, he used to be a vegetarian and he claims that as long as youre hunting with a bow and not a rifle or any type of gun then its okay; good sportsmanship.  i respect that, but i dont agree with it.  did i answer your question? i really hope so, cause i dont want us veggies to seem like a cult that looks down on anyone who isnt one of "us".  because thats not the way i look at it at all.

Answer 6

I am a vegan.  People lump us together as a whole and give us a bad rap.  I choose to not eat meat because of cruelty to animals but that is just my opinion.  In no way do I expect everyone to jump on my band wagon.  David wasn't fear in calling us a bunch of moon bats.  Whatever those are.  I don't listen to people who but vegans/vegetarians down.  I find that meat eats give us a hard time and not vice versa.  People don't like when someone does something different than they do.  My cousin is my best friend and  he is a hunter.  I just joke with him that when I go to his house that I have to bring my own food.  We laugh about it.  He can't change me and I can't change him.  I will gladly tell people why I am a vegan if they ask but I would never expect them to switch over to it.  I am not a preacher.  I just feel that as a vegan there is plenty for me to eat without having to eat foods that come from animals.  If you watch the video on meat.com you can see where I am coming from.

Answer 7

Some are. Some vegetarians are. Sadly, being mean-spirited knows no boundaries.

Answer 8

No, I don't think all non-vegetarians are mean-spirited or bad people, but many are, especially some of the trolls on this site.  

Animals raised for food, especially hens kept for the eggs they produce, are horribly abused.  The story of the slaughterhouse in California (whose name escapes me) where horrid abuses took place, and allegations against a KFC supplier made headlines, and these are not aberrations but business as usual.  Both the UN and the U.S. Environmental "Protection" Agency have linked production of meat to environmental degradation.  So, yes, it's hard to see how someone can claim to care about animals and the environment -- and still eat meat.

It's also hard to see how people can love one animal and pet another.  It's a terrible disconnect, I think, that people categorize animals this way.

On the other hand, I know just how hard it is to break one's addiction to meat.  I was in my early 30s when I went veg.  And I know that consumption of animals is practically ingrained in almost every society, especially industrialized nations.  Many people are set in their ways and don't want to change.

As for the hunting, I'm not going to buy the "population out of control argument."  After all, unlike humans, if food is scarce, deer breed less and when there is a larger supply, they breed more.  I will concede that animals who die at the hands of a hunter almost certainly had a better life than animals raised for food in this country.  But I still hate hunting.

Answer 9

I believe that such can be said.  The reverse can be said as well.

As to if either suggestion is correct - depends upon the individual - the one making the judgment.  

As someone that has lived in the country and knows about the problems with over population within different animals, the problems that it brings about for the animals - mankind - environment in general - I know what your talking about.  I understand.  Conservation groups have been pressing and attempting to teach about such problems for years.

Answer 10

I'm vegan. I'm also a person that doesn't worry about what other people are eating.

I judge them by how they treat other people, but I don't judge them by what they eat.

I work at the local Humane Society and I can only imagine judging what someone eats if they are part of the "no-kill" movement and call shelter workers that are forced to euthanize animals "murderers".

I have nothing positive to say about anyone that calls shelter workers evil but if they're all about saving EVERY SINGLE HOPELESS doggie or kitty but they don't care where their meat, eggs or milk come from, I could easily dislike them even further.

I do not hate hunters. I'm not a blind fool that can't understand deer overpopulation. If I was a billionaire, I would buy land for people to conserve and allow hunting if it meant that even just one animal would be spared the horrors of intensive farming.

Answer 11

You eat meat. That doesn't make you a bad person.

Answer 12

You arent a bad person

deer herds in the wild don't pollute the environment, they get to range over acres,acres,and more acres of grassy plains,and they are killed quickly. I think because of that you can eat wild caught venison and still care for the environment

Answer 13

While I don't think meat-eaters are mean-spirited, I don't understand how someone can claim to care about the environment or animals and still support the meat industry. Factory farms are the biggest polluters on the planet, and if you wouldn't eat your dog, why eat a chicken?