My mother is getting pushy about her vegetarianism?

Question

My mother is a huge animal lover. She's a member of PETA and has been a vegetarian (except for fish) since her 20s. Over the years she shows displeasure when I eat meat (usually with my father) and tries to make me eat tofu and veggie 'meat'. She told me she feels superior being a vegetarian and strongly believes that all people, since we have control unlike other animals, should stop eating animals altogether. I tell her that just because we have that control, doesn't mean we should stop. If it weren't for our ancestors those thousands of years ago hunting animals and surviving we wouldn't even be here today. We evolved as omnivores. I wish she could understand that eating animals is just a part of life and that her way isn't the best way for everyone. What should I do about this? Anyone else have this problem?

Answer 1

1.  Your Mom is not a vegetarian if she eats fish.  Vegetarians do not eat animals at all.

2.  This question is not a question about the vegetarian lifestyle at all...sounds more like a relationship issue or a rant disguised as a question.

Answer 2

How can she be for animal rights if she eats fish???  Last I checked fish were animals.  Other than that I am definitely on your mother's side here.

"If it weren't for our ancestors those thousands of years ago hunting animals and surviving we wouldn't even be here today."

If it weren't for slave-owners ivading the United States and killing all the residents I wouldn't be here either.  Doesn't make owning slaves or killing people right.  Your mother is saving animals and the planet with her lifestyle.  There's nothing bad about that.  She's doing good for the world and wants others to do good as well.  I think if she wasn't trying to encourage you she'd be an unfit parent!

Answer 3

Indeed you're very fortunate among millions of starving people and helpless vegetarians worldwide. You have a mother that physically exists, emotionally and intellectually evolved than most of us. I opined that it was the greatest SACRIFICE & SELFLESS service that she ever made.

Apart from your ideology, you should have intuition & conscience. We are human(e) not animals. If not, there should no limit in moral calculations.  Why don't just behead the stup*d animals, or gun-shot over her/his d**n head! What the h**l of "code of ethics" we talking about.

Humans—who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals—have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain. A sharp distinction between humans and ‘animals’ is essential if we are to bend them to our will, make them

work for us, wear them, eat them—without any disquieting tinges of guilt or regret. It is unseemly of us, who often behave so unfeelingly toward other animals, to contend that only humans can suffer. The behavior of other animals renders such pretensions specious. They are just too much like us.

You had prompted a few ideological questionair about "survival". But just ask yourself this...

Why do the animals display such extreme fear and pain towards fulfilling their "meaning in life" to be eaten by humans? The question is not...Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? Why God created them just too much like us?

Answer 4

She may think that you have a problem with the idea of vegetarianism, explain to her that there's nothing wrong with the choice to be a vegetarian, but it is wrong to push your dietary ideals to strongly

Answer 5

Tell her that it would be impolite for you to talk with your mouth full...full of steak!  I am sorry that your Mom is trying to drag you off the wacko cliff with her.  I do support PETA though, anyone naming their group (People Eating Tasty Animals) can't be all that bad!

Answer 6

Well I'm a vegetarian, but everybody else in my family eats meat. Just tell her you respect her choice to be a vegetarian, but you enjoy eating meat, and wish that she would also respect your choice. I'd tell her you'd still be willing to have a vegetarian meal [[insert number here]] times a week with her, but otherwise you'd like to keep meat in your diet.

Answer 7

That's strange. Cause it can be very difficult to put on a lot of weight when you are a vegetarian. Maybe your huge mum has been tucking away at the Christmas turkey during the night.

Answer 8

If your mother eats fish, she is not a vegetarian.

If you have a father to support your decision to eat meat, why are you seeking the aid of faceless advice on the internet?

"....If it weren't for our ancestors those thousands of years ago hunting animals..."

So  you're telling us that you only eat what you hunt? If you buy meat from a store, there is no comparison to what our ancestors did in any way whatsoever.

Eating meat form an animal that was forced to live in it's own urine and f***s or could never see the light of day is wrong.

It's your choice to eat meat from factory farms but that doesn't make it right. Just tell your mother that the suffering of animals does not concern you so she should just give up and let you make your own decisions.

Answer 9

Here is a collection of articles on various subjects involving both PETA and vegetarianism. Perhaps you could show her some of this research and explain to her that it is your choice to eat an omnivorous diet.

http://peta-sucks.com/smf/index.php/topi...

I'm not a vegetarian, but I have no problem with people that are as long as they don't push their views on me.

I do have major problems with PETA though! If your mom is truly an animal lover, she shouldn't support PETA.

http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9ijLulwU... (disclaimer: rough language used in this video)

http://www.nokillnow.com/PETAIngridNewki...

http://www.purebredcatbreedrescue.org/an...

http://www.targetofopportunity.com/anima...

http://www.activistcash.com/organization...

Animal welfare is a much better philosophy than animal rights.

http://www.sover.net/~lsudlow/ARvsAW.htm

http://www.animalwelfarecouncil.com/html...

.

Answer 10

Moms are moms. And that means they can be quite difficult at times...but do try to as patient and kind as you can be. My mother is quite old and I don't really know how much time I have left with her in my life. I regret the time I have wasted in pointless nitpicking over meaningless ideological differences.

Try to be kind...and sneak as much meat when you're away from the house as you like.

Answer 11

well its great to be a vegitarian but i notice how u feel about eating animals u know what i mean? right? but anyway tell her how u feel its the best way! but i think u should listen to ur mom ur mom knows whats the best for u! (sry to say dat but it is true)

I WISH THE BEST LUCK FOR U! :D

Answer 12

Sorry, but your mother's the smart one here.

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"I tell her that just because we have that control, doesn't mean we should stop."

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We don't have to stop, but we certainly should.

Hurting and killing animals for no good reason certainly isn't something you should choose to do.

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"If it weren't for our ancestors those thousands of years ago hunting animals and surviving we wouldn't even be here today."

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What?

Are you saying we owe it to our primitive ancestors to behave the way they did?

If so, I guess you better strip down, head out to the wilderness and get ready for some rape & murder honey.

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"We evolved as omnivores."

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Correct, we evolved.

Now it's time to act like it.

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"I wish she could understand that eating animals is just a part of life and that her way isn't the best way for everyone."

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It's a part of life for creatures that need meat to live and which kill and eat under the control of instinct.

They don't choose to eat meat.

In fact, they don't have a choice.

Also:

Keep in mind that it's not the eating of meat that most vegetarians are concerned with.

It's the pain, torture and murder that the animals currently have to go through in order to bring that meat to your plate.

Answer 13

Sounds like your mom has an ego problem.  Veges are superior?  give me a break.  That's like those scientology weirdos.  Eat whatever you want.  Meat is a healthy part of our diets.  Maybe just to appease her, eat seafood for dinner occasionally instead of something else.  She needs to stop pushing it on you - you don't try to make her eat steak.

I agree with you 100%

Answer 14

You can either engaged in debate or just say nothing. Are your parents divorced? It sounds like they are from your question. If so, she might be trying to compete with your father. If she can force you to withstand from your father's habits, that might give her a sense of winning.

Hahaha, I'm so sorry for the mistake.

Answer 15

Tell her, politely, that you respect her ideology but don't share it. It's as though she wanted you to convert to her religion.

And tell her also that as a young woman you want to do everything you can to avoid anemia during your fertile years, which is best done by eating meat, and osteoporosis when you reach your later years, which requires adequate calcium and vitamin D, best gotten from dairy products.

Answer 16

I think it's cool that your mom is different from most moms! She has a brain, and she is using it, and IMHO that is something to be admired.

The point you bring up about the fact that, if our ancestors did not eat meat, then we would not be alive today... well that is true! But it is also true that methane gas, a by-product of cattle waste, is on the top of the list of things that are contributing to global warming. So while a diet which contained meat may have contributed to the propagation of the human species for the past several thousand years (or whatever)---that is no longer the case and is a bad arguement! These days, diets which are based around the consumption of animals and animal products (especially beef and cheese) are actually contributing bringing about the end of life as we know it.

Consuming meat that comes from factory farms is a FAR CRY from the ways in which our ancestors consumed meat. I am sorry,  you seem like a smart person-- too smart to actually believe the comparison you are making. We are actually NOTHING like our ancestors. Most of us do not even know how to hunt, or prepare meat beyond picking up a slab of steak or chicken from the grocery store. We do not have the reverence and respect for life that our ancestors had. You can criticize my statements all you want, but I am just pointing out the facts.

Some food for thought ;)

Answer 17

Tell your mother that if she believes that we shouldn't eat or kill animals then she may want to stop supporting PETA.

Anyway, I would tell her that she has her choice in life and you have yours.  I'm all for vegetarianism but I would seriously never try to convert someone, especially those who don't want to be converted and in return, they don't try to convert me.  To save you some lectures, don't eat it in front of her and sometimes indulge her.  When you move out, you can do whatever you want.  

Good luck.

Answer 18

i guess this is in a way like super religious people, they always are going to think their better because they think their way is THE WAY,tell her that you need her to respect you by not pushing this on you because its not what you want to do tell her you have your way and she has hers.otherwise idk what to say that is in a nice way id have lots but I dont think you were looking to give her offensive answers

Answer 19

Except for eating fish, your mom sounds totally cool and very evolved!

Perhaps if you want her to understand and fully accept that you really want to keep eating animal corpses, you should kill the animals, skin and chop them up yourself....that way she'll know that you're very serious about being like our ancient ancestors and have no intention to evolve...

And if you want to show her that you're serious about eating animals and that you believe that animals derserve to be mutilated and eaten, you shouldn't discriminate between murdering cats, dogs, horses and pigs, cows, chickens....

She'll know you mean business if you kill your cat or dog and eat it.

But if you want the world to be a way better place with less suffering and bloodshed, you should follow her example!

Answer 20

I do not eat meat, but i let my kids eat meat . If this bothers her try not to eat it in front of her.

Answer 21

Mother knows best.  Take her advice.

Answer 22

If people didn't eat meat animal populations would get out of control, then culling would be enforced due to bacteria from  the animals f***s in our water tables.  If your mom likes it and encourages you to, it 's only because she loves you, and feels it's best.  Think of that and smile when she suggests it.  Don't use what I have said to upset her...what's the point in starting arguments over issues that are not important.  Keep it to yourself and show your mom some love in return.   Give her a big hug from me.

Answer 23

you need to seek God..h**l is an unforgiving place

Answer 24

If you both read your Bible and The China Study then there will be no more problems.