Do you tell people the truth about why you don't eat meat?

Question

I for the most part have given up trying to explain it to people. It's so much easier to just say I don't like how it tastes, then to try and explain how cruel factory farming is and all the rest. People are just too ignorant and closed-minded. There are certain people who are genuinely interested that I will explain to. But otherwise, I don't waste my time.

So, are you truthful to people when they ask you why you don't eat meat?

Answer 1

I generally just say that meat upsets my stomach, which is true.  

That's why I originally gave up red meat, and then I read up about the whole cruelty issue so that now both are very important to me.

Answer 2

Hi! Yes I´m, because the fact is that when I was child I didn´t like the way meat tasted, in fact there tips of meat that I never eat because I use to play with ducks, chicken, rabbit, etc and my parents were very compreensive with it, and when I ate bovine meat it had to be prepared in a way that I didn´t get that it was meat, otherwise I wouldn´t eat it neither my sister, at the age of 11/12 I quit eating meat till today (I´m 36), so I don´t get asked to many times why I don´t eat meat anyway I tell the truth i never live how it tasted and I never like the fact that I was eating animals that I like, it´s simple! take care!!!

Answer 3

I don't lie, but often I don't go into a complete explanation of it either.  It depends on who's asking and why they want to know.

Answer 4

You just wrote the exact words out of my mouth. I hate explaining to people who are just being ignorant and a bit nosey (yes!). explaining myself to them is a complete waste of time but I agree there are still some who are interested about what vegetarianism is and the reasons behind why people make it their lifestyle. I love sharing with them honest things about why Im vegan. But Ive never really lied about being vegan and never told anybody I hate the taste of meat thats why im vegan although Im hating the taste of meat now/

Answer 5

I say it creeps me out to eat flesh

or

I think it's really creepy that people breed and kill (insert species here) for consumption, it's like breeding humans and eating them when they're babies, when they can't defend themselves, verbally or physically, just like cows/pigs/chickens/fish

Answer 6

yes, then i point at their midsection..   but of course i wait for them to start explaining to me how happy they are in  life....  

(strange behavior.. they go on about how they want to live life short but happy yet... they whine and complain endlessly about how they feel and what they suffer.)  

after they go on about this  short and happy living doing what they want.. they go on about prescriptions they must take..   all these tests.. how fat they are and constipated..  how much they can't tolerate the cold and heat...

boy...  it's endless..  i just laugh and walk away.

hehehe.. happy eh?

least i have a constant buzz for which they'll never understand.. and i'm not even smoking anything.

Answer 7

If they don't ask, I don't bother.  If they ask, I just tell them that I don't want to contribute to animal cruelty and that it's healthier and leave it at that.  If asked, and I think they are genuinely curious, I will go into detail. I usually just try to keep it pretty simple though!

Answer 8

I just say I do it "for the animals", I don't get into details ...

Answer 9

If its a resturant, I sometimes hint I am allergic to it, but normally I will tell people I choose not to eat it.

Answer 10

I eat meat... so.... xD

Answer 11

I used to resort to giving similar answers but I realized that it was leaving the person with the impression that, perhaps, there aren't good reasons to stop eating meat, and that, perhaps, vegetarians really just stop eating meat to be different or special.

So ... I don't do that anymore.

Now I tell them that I can think of many good reasons why I shouldn't eat meat, but no good reason why I should.

If they inquire further, I tell them that my main reason is that people don't need meat to live, so they're hurting and killing animals for no good reason.

And these days, in the factory farms, they really, really hurt them before they kill them.

I also tell them that, if they saw what the animals actually go through throughout their lives, they'd never want to eat meat again too.

If they inquire further ...

I tell them about my visits to the factory farms and I tell them that I also have videos that show most of what goes on in them.

Then I make sure I get a DVD of the movie Earthlings to them.

I also add the PETA videos (like Meet Your Meat) to a sub-menu on the DVD.

If the person was a complete stranger and they showed interest in seeing the videos, I offer to mail them a DVD.

Answer 12

Well, the truth is meat upsets my stomach and digestive system.  My ethics are only part of it.

When people wonder why I went vegan, there I do tell them the truth--that I found out about the dairy-veal connection.  I usually leave it there and don't go into the details of the cruelty inherent in dairy unless they want to know.

Answer 13

I am honest, but only to the extent that they want to have a conversation about it. What I usually say is something like this: "well, I'm veg for animal rights reasons" then if they show interest I follow up with something like this: "factory farming is actually far more horrific and cruel than most people even realize." If they want to get into details with me I'm happy to explain more, but I don't push myself onto people who don't want to talk about it. My theory is that I try to make a small, non-offensive statement that might spark an interest in them without making them feel defensive. If I were to push my opinions onto people and force-feed them the facts right away, I would probably alienate far more people than bring them to the cause, ya know?

I know this is a weird analogy, but it reminds me of evangelicals who try to force their religion on people (fyi: I am Christian, but not "religious"). Instead of drawing people toward Christianity, they are in fact turning people away. The same goes for many arenas of life... for example, if you want a loved one to quit smoking, going on the offensive and making them feel bad about themselves will not be effective. Education, knowledge and understanding work much better!

Answer 14

I'm completely honest with people. But, I just keep it simple and I say for animal ethics reasons.  If they ask me more I tell them more.  If not, I leave it at that and it's over.

Answer 15

I have mostly given up, too.  With my friends, yes, I explain my vegetarianism with them ,and they mostly seem to understand.  With strangers, and acquaintances, it's a completely different story.  It's usually just easier to say I'm on a diet, I have an irrational fear of getting food poisoning from undercooked meat, I used to have a pet chicken, or something along those lines.

It's just easier that way, and people don't give you that "oh, you're one of those brainwashed kooks, aren't you?" look.