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 am vegetarian primarily for health reasons and my husband is not. It has never been an issue with us. I have certainly met some judgmental vegans and vegetarians, but the majority of the ones I have met don't care if other people eat meat. They just choose not to eat meat themselves. I have received flak from some people for being vegetarian, but again, the overwhelming majority do not care that I do not eat meat. I do not volunteer the info, but I've had the occasion where we'll be at a restaurant or party with acquaintances and I will order a "veggie burger" or something similar. Sometimes that will spawn a "conversation" where the other person will start declaring their reasons for eating meat, talking about all the unhealthy people they know who are unhealthy vegetarians, and say things like "I'll eat more than enough meat for the two of us." Alright...knock yourself out. I guess they are just on guard from the people who do judge them and are making a preemptive strike against me. But I just do not care about what they choose to eat.
What anyone chooses to put in their body is a personal choice and they should not be judged for it. Most often people tease but it isn't really meant to be a put down and people are just too sensitive about it. I can see both sides because I know people who are religious meat eaters (have some form of meat with every meal), people like me who eat meat occasionally (10 to 15 times a week) and people who are vegetarians. As long as you aren't pushing your opinions on others and judging them for what they eat there shouldn't be a problem, people just need to stand behind their choices and respectfully say "your opinion on what I eat means nothing to me as it is my body" and leave it at that.
I think it has less to do with non-vegetarians judging vegetarians and more to do with non-vegetarians being afraid they will be judged by vegetarian partners. I know "holier-than-thou" vegetarians and they're not fun to be with. I also know vegetarians who aren't that way. However, it's the "holier-than-thou" vegetarians and vegans that give normal ones a bad name, and therefore exists the stereotype of the judgy vegetarian.
Limiting your diet is an extreme luxury. Visit a refugee camp.