Vegetarians get pegged as intolerant jerks all the time -- with their holier-than-thou eating habits and their "I can't eat anything with a face." But look who the real intolerant jerks are. USA Today and Match.com surveyed some single vegetarians to see if they would be willing to date meat eaters. And they asked meat eaters if they would be willing to date vegetarians.
Almost all the vegetarians said they'd be willing to date a meat eater! Only 4 percent said they wouldn't. But carnivores? A whole 30 percent of them said they would reject a vegetarian. Meat eaters, where is the love?!?
Well, well, well. Look who's more open minded: Vegetarians. As someone who likes to poke fun at vegetarians every so often: OUCH. All this time we've been giving veggies crap about being so self-righteous and persnickety. What meat eater hasn't secretly felt judged by vegetarians? We just assume that if a vegetarian makes a choice about her food based on her ethics (or other strong feelings), she's going to disapprove of anyone who makes the opposite choice, right? And that's why meat eaters are so wary of vegetarians: They're afraid of being harshly judged.
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It's a pre-emptive strike. Meat eaters reject vegetarians before vegetarians can reject them.
Well it turns out vegetarians are a bit more flexible than that. They're in the minority, and that tends to make you a little more compassionate towards people who are different from you. They're constantly making accommodations, meeting you at that restaurant that has only one vegetarian dish, making do with just the corn and salad at the barbecue. Sure they complain sometimes -- but you would, too, if you were living in a vegetarian world.
I'm not a vegetarian, but many of my friends are veggies. And they couldn't care less what I eat. Most of them care way more about their relationships with friends and family than how most folks get their protein.
Oh god. I hope vegetarians don't start getting all judgy and self-righteous about being less judgy and self-righteous than carnivores...
Did the survey surprise you? Did you know meat eaters could be more intolerant than vegetarians?
Image via gamene/Flickr
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Comments 47
I know a few vegans and they are very pushy and LOVE to brag how healthy they are. I could care less and I wish they would shut up since one Got really really fat!! Maybe that is Karma for him! I don't care what you are as long as you don't starve yourself I am okay with you! You eat your bean burger and I eat my beef burger!
doesn't surprise me. i've been a vegetarian for over 25 years. i never push my diet choices on anyone, yet i've had many meat eaters try to get me to east some form of meat. i've been given a hard time by family & friends for my diet choices but never say anything negative to meat eaters. i gave my children the option to eat meat if they so wished & when they were toddlers they wanted to try it. they both like it & now i'm the lone vegetarian in my family, though my son is more of a vegetarian than a meat eater. i don't mind. to each their own.
I have known vegans in the past and most are the rude type and you know what you can not judge people into a lump category.
I don't care what or how you eat just don't tell me how to eat and we are fine.
No survey is full proof 100% dead on accurate.
Not all vegans are sweet and never comment about what others eat, just with that same thought not all vegans care what others eat and never do say anything about how they take in protein.
Not everyone could handle living with a person who does not eat like they do.
There is a lot of stereotyping about vegans that is not true and a lot of meat eaters just want to steer clear of hassle.
I know its wrong but it does happen.
A lot of people are judgemental. no one always fits into just 1 category or another and definitely no group of people will all be the same.
It is impossible and impractical to really think all meat eaters hate vegans and all vegans are super nice and never say anything to meat eaters about what they eat. That they never mention their food and how good it is for them and vice verse.
I always felt judged when one of my best friends would sit down and we would eat. She was having a vegetarian (I don't wanna call it a phase but she did go back to eating meat. I'm convinced it was related to her current boyfriend who was also big in to vegetarianism). We would sit down to eat and she would criticize that steak has blah blah blah. It got to the point where I flat out refused to go out to eat or eat at home with her.
I personally don't care to each their own. I choose to eat meat and you choose to be a vegetarian that's fine. I would go out with a vegetarian but if it turned out it turned into something like the above. Where I felt judged for every bite I took that would be the end of it.
I've been a vegetarian my whole life, all 41 years. I use to be teased, in elementary school, for not eating meat and even use to get threats of having meat being put into my food, but I wasn't phased by it. But,now folks accept my lifestyle,although I hate when they ask "What do you eat for food?" as if non-animal sources aren't food. Then there's the "Where do you get your protein?" question.
There was one relationship that I've been in that he was a vegetarian, everyone else, including my children's father are meat-eaters/omnivores. And I have no problems with it. My children's father would always make something for me, but he think's I can't cook meat. I didn't and never judge any of my relationships, including family, friends, acquaintances,coworkers,etc., about what they eat, because it's their choices. I don't push my lifestyle on others and I don't go to preaching about how you shouldn't eat this or eat that. So I don't need someone preaching or putting a guilt trip,on me, about what I'm missing. For the record, I have tried meat and I ain't missing it. Just being honest.
I do not care what others eat I would date a vegetarian as long as they could handle me a meat eater ..
LOL. Judgy?
I seriously doubt that a person's diet makes them "judgy" or "not judgy".
Wow....