Why do meat eaters feel the need to argue with vegetarians?

Question

I've very recently taken up a vegetarian lifestyle and I have already felt the need not to disclose that information to certain people in my family. I would think at least my family would accept my decision, but when my brother found out he felt the need to pick a fight with me about my choice and he wouldn't let up. He claims he just wanted to have a intelligent debate over the pros and cons and my reasons for making the switch, but I didn't really see that reflected in our conversation.

Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, how have you dealt with it?

Answer 1

Uhhh... all the time and I'm SICK of it.Hey meat eaters it's OUR decision to become a vegetarian NOT yours.Becoming a vegetarian is healthier too.I'm the ONLY vegetarian in my family and every family reunion they feel the need to pick a fight with me when my life is complicated enough.They blame ME for ruining yet another family reunion.On my birthday last year my cousin made me cry because of this HUGE fight we had.I just deal with it let them say what they have to say and get it over with.And if they don't stop then I walk away and stay away from them the rest of the day.

Answer 2

Ya I became a vegetarian about 3 months ago after seeing this documentary about slaughter houses which is sad. but i do agree that people always fight with vegeatrians because they think that all humans should eat meat because humans were all originally meat eaters. When i told my mom i wanted to be a vegetarian she said it was fine but i had to eat right because im 14 and still growing. I think some people have lost respect for my decision on becoming a vegetarian because i lost too  much weight and now im too thin. My best friend has been making rude comments about me too. i hate that people have to judge us just because we're doing the right thing by saving the lives of animals. i think that the whole debating thing is g*y. people just need to get on with their lives and stop thinking of dumb **** to call us out on!

Answer 3

Does it really matter?  If you want to end a debate...just say you could be right.

Answer 4

Yes, I am.

Why don't you download the "video footage" and play to them whenever they feel free?. You are making such a havoc & hassle out of such a huge effort that people have done before you. And convert them into MP4/3GP portable/mobile devices. In future, others may download them from you.

Answer 5

These meat eaters are asking you why your decision to stop eating meat makes more sense than their decision to continue eating meat.

If you provide a good argument you may very well make them understand why your decision makes more sense.

Otherwise, you'll end up reassuring them that they've already made the best decision.

The desire to argue is a good one.

It's what helps people determine whether they are right or wrong ... whether or not they've been misinformed or under-informed.

Just make sure you have good reasons for having stopped eating meat.

Make it a goal to develop a better argument .. a very convincing argument .. a winning argument.

Answer 6

Somewhere as she got older his sister decided to jump on a bandwagon thats silly. Thats your brothers issue. I never shun vegetarians, mainly because the ones I know are not going on and on about their plight.

Answer 7

I don't know. I am a meat eater, and I suppose other meat eaters just can't imagine not eating meat.

I sort of believe that it is in our nature to eat meat. But if you or anyone else doesn't want too, that's perfectly fine. Veggies and fruits are super yummy on their own anyway :D

Answer 8

i guess they have a BONE to pick !!!

Answer 9

Because they havn't read 'The China Study'

Answer 10

When Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons come to my door and bend my ear, I think it only fair to bend their ears back. The same applies to any ideologues, including vegetarians.

But if a vegetarian isn't preachy, I have no problem with him or her. (Sadly, most of them are.)

Answer 11

Yep.  They tell me all the hundreds of reasons why I'm stupid for being a vegan.  Then after that they have the balls to tell me not to push my ideals onto them.

Don't let it get to you.  Slave-owners were mean to people who wanted to free them.

Answer 12

I haven't had this problem myself (I am an omnivore) but a friend of mine went vegan many years ago. I didn't have a problem with it at all and I actually learnt some really wicked vegan recipes from him. Dinner at his place was always top notch.

However, some of our mutual friends (who are otherwise completely reasonable and decent people) were always ragging on him about it and, even worse, often tried to trick him into eating meat. They would also try to show him up as a hypocrite by pointing out that he was wearing a leather belt or shoes or something like that (it's almost impossible to find nice shoes and belts that aren't made from leather).

I don't really understand the motivation behind this type of behaviour but I was discussing it with my wife a few years ago and we came to the conclusion that it has something to do with them thinking that his veganism was somehow a statement about how he was better than them. I don't know why they thought this (he definitely isn't preachy about veganism or vegetarianism at all) but I really feel that we were close to the mark with that assessment.

Hope this helps.

TV

Answer 13

ugh yaaa i know that

just say that you feel your chocie is right and it is your life and your decision it benifits the environment, the animals, and your health and if he wants to still argue, be like

SHUT THE h**l UP

lol jk

Answer 14

One might ask: why do so many vegetarians harrass and argue with meat-eaters? To each his own, I say.

Answer 15

from a meat-eater: I completely respect your decision to not eat meat. I don't appreciate it when I am criticized for eating it. I am always curious to why people make their decision. I thought this was a good place to have questions answered without anyone thinking that I'm trying to offend anyone, but i was issued a violation for asking a question (apparently I offended someone) and it was removed. It sucked because I started getting some answers that made sense to me. I think we are all responsible for our own bodies and what we put into them. I don't eat cake and chocolate and donuts and junk like that-Is there 'something'-arian word for that?

Answer 16

Because some people can not cope with living peacefully. They have to have something to argue about and put people down about, in order to feel better about themselves.

Answer 17

Ugh,, I know what you mean.. My whole family always fights with me because of my opinion (since I'm the only vegan in my family)

They just think they're going to prove us wrong, or they think we're going to say "You know what? You're right!" - and start eating meat again. They can have a debate all they want, I'm always going to be a vegan ;D

Just ignore them. There is absolutely NO reason to eat meat (in some opinions) ;D

Also, don't listen to people who say vegetarians always hate meat eaters and harrass them about becoming a vegetarian and all.. thats a stereotype, and vegetarians/vegans who are like that, are not very nice at all. I would never tell someone they're eating a dead cow while they're eating - why would they want to be grossed out right?

;)

Answer 18

All I can say is that you should get used to it or simply say, "I don't lecture you on your diet, so I would appreciate it if you didn't lecture me on mine."  It gets people to shut up pretty quickly.

My family always picked fights with me when I was young but something that I learned was that you let them have their say and act as if it doesn't bother you....they eventually stop and after making them really delicious vegan meals that had "normal" ingredients (my father's word, not mine), they saw that it wasn't so bad.

Good luck.

Answer 19

Because we don't believe your beliefs.

Answer 20

i have vegetarians saying i am horrible for eating meat.  so i guess i would like to ask you the same question.

Answer 21

i've been a vegetarian for about a year and a half.  I've also encountered the same thing, and was hesitant to tell some of the people in my extended family because i knew they wouldn't accept it. I suspect that some people are insecure about having some one do something they may not be capable of?  Or maybe they are just ignorant and uninformed, sometimes people are scared of what they don't understand.  Occasionaly people at my school give me a hard time about it, but i've found that by being straight forward and open about my reasons, people have actually become curious and want to know more about my decisions. Some people might feel like they can't relate to you because of your differences but you learn to not let things bother you and laugh at yourself, and people will come around.  Most of all, Be proud of yourself :)

Answer 22

All the time I have this issue. From almost everybody I know. You just have to tell them that its YOUR decision what you eat and dont eat, tell them the reason why your vegetarian,(mine is that I don't support killing animals) and just let everything go in one ear and out the other.

Answer 23

choosing not to eat meat is the SAME as not wanting to eat certain foods such as chocolate or drinking coffee.. eating ice cream , etc.. i have this problem EVERY DAY! it seems like h**l raises over when i tell people i don't eat meat. idiots!