Can Meat Eaters be Easy to Offend?

[Dizchu]

Okay before you accuse me of shoving my views down anyone's throats, this is not an argument about animal rights. As far as this thread goes, I don't care whether you eat animals or not.

We all know the jokes about vegans. "How do you know if someone's vegan? They'll tell you!" We've all seen the stereotype about vegans and vegetarians being smug, we've seen jokes at their expense because "we didn't get to the top of the food chain just to eat grass".

Interestingly though, I've found that meat eaters can be really easy to offend. I've seen many take criticisms of the meat industry very personally, which often results in lashing out. Accusations of aggression on the part of vegans, desperate proclamations of how "tough" they are or how humans have "evolved to eat meat". Because they are the majority group they tend to have a lot of support. Which just makes me wonder, if they have such strength in numbers and they honestly believe what they're doing is morally/ethically okay then why do they have such knee-jerk, emotional reactions?

Again, not judging meat eaters here. I'm just curious about why many of them are quick to get defensive if they're the vast majority.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm getting a "Why does everybody hate Nintendo?" waft from this, where fans complain of an opposition that simply isn't there.

 

[DefunctTheory]

It's almost like the 'smug vegan' and the 'offended carnivore' are both hilariously comical caricatures that don't accurately portray real people and only seem to exist in the rare extremes and the minds of the opposition.

But that can't be right. Tumblr, Reddit and Imgur wouldn't lie to me.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

The big cause is that this is a majority group and that there are some vegans and vegetarians who very vocally want to ban the consumption of meat. There are also vegans and vegetarians who use their stance on not consuming meat as a political platform. Since vegans and vegetarians are seen different, they get exposed to othering behavior. When you mix a group that's a minority, some political jockeying, and a minority of the out-group that's vocal, visible, and disagreeable, you get the majority, or "in-group" seeing the "out-group" as a threat. So people who consume animal products see the people who don't as a threat, that means when contact happens, the meat-eaters are looking for a reason to be offended, feel threatened, and vehemently disagree with the "other" group.

 

[Erttheking]

Wait this is a thing? First time I've ever heard of it.

 

[madwarper]

I've found that meat eaters can be really easy to offend. I've seen many take criticisms of the meat industry very personally, which often results in lashing out.

Let me get this straight...

First of all, you are assuming that the person in question is a "meat eater".
Second, you speak of "criticisms", but you don't go into detail. One might assume that this is just a winded diatribe.
Third, you assume their "lashing out" has to do with the aforementioned dietary customs, rather than them being personally involved in a the meat industry and sick and tired of any "criticism" of an industry as a whole that might not apply to them directly.

Again, not judging meat eaters here.

You say that. Yet, the rest of your post indicates otherwise.

 

[Dizchu]

I'm getting a "Why does everybody hate Nintendo?" waft from this, where fans complain of an opposition that simply isn't there.

Wait this is a thing? First time I've ever heard of it.

Are you telling me you've never seen a response like "mmm bacon is delicious" or "my food eats your food" when vegans say something publicly? I mean I suppose it's not something you see in open conversation often outside the internet, but look at any comments section on articles or videos that criticise the meat industry and you'll see this behaviour.

First of all, you are assuming that the person in question is a "meat eater".
Second, you speak of "criticisms", but you don't go into detail. One might assume that this is just a winded diatribe.

I was unaware that I had to go into detail, I thought the criticisms of the meat industry were well-known. Poor treatment of animals, horrific living conditions, excessive processing etc.

Third, you assume their "lashing out" has to do with the aforementioned dietary customs, rather than them being personally involved in a the meat industry and sick and tired of any "criticism" of an industry as a whole that might not apply to them directly.

So what you're saying is that "Ma and Pa" farmers are getting annoyed at being compared to gigantic factory farms?

You say that. Yet, the rest of your post indicates otherwise.

What makes you say that? For this thread I am only interested in what causes knee-jerk reactions. While I am highly invested in ethics, environmentalism and all that nonsense, I think that's irrelevant here.

 

[Parasondox]

Cause everyone is offended by something. It's just when the smugness and egotistical behaviour of some vegans gets too loud and grows too big, it gets pretty annoying. Calling meat eaters "disgusting", "vile", and every other tasteless words just because they eat meat, is just being a massive prick. There is no call to ban vegetables... I don't think. I haven't been too all corners of the internet.

To sum up, the smugness, ego and arrogance is a major turn off.

 

[madwarper]

I was unaware that I had to go into detail, I thought the criticisms of the meat industry were well-known. Poor treatment of animals, horrific living conditions, excessive processing etc.

Sometimes it is not about what you say, it's how you say it.
Other times, it is exactly about what you say.

And, since you're trying to put your position forward in the most kindest and palliating circumstances, we are left to play the devil's advocate and suggest that your mere "criticisms" are anything but.

So what you're saying is that "Ma and Pa" farmers are getting annoyed at being compared to gigantic factory farms?

Even if they work in a "gigantic factory farm", what is to say that your "criticism" holds even the slightest grain of truth? Have you personally inspected EVERY factory farm?

What makes you say that?

Because that's how you wrote your post.

You're trying to say that you're being harmless and other people are having knee-jerk reactions. I suggest you take a step back, and consider that maybe you are the one flying off the handle and everyone else is just tired of putting up with it.

 

[Naraka]

Most people eat meat, so if 6+ billion people are all one way, then they're not "Easy to offend" by definition, they're normal. Even your pointlessly leading, baiting premise is logically flawed beyond the obvious. Incidentally, posts like the OP are precisely what make people sigh and say "Vegan" then move on. Most of us meat eaters don't care about what you do or don't eat, we just don't care about your views on the issue. At all.

Not even a little.

 

[Dizchu]

Cause everyone is offended by something. It's just when the smugness and egotistical behaviour of some vegans gets too loud and grows too big, it gets pretty annoying. Calling meat eaters "disgusting", "vile", and every other tasteless words just because they eat meat, is just being a massive prick.

Yeah I do find such an attitude extremely troubling. It's like with "social justice warriors", when they demonise straight white males because they think it'll bring attention to the struggles of those that aren't straight, white or male, they're essentially making their side less palatable.

Even if they work in a "gigantic factory farm", what is to say that your "criticism" holds even the slightest grain of truth? Have you personally inspected EVERY factory farm?

I'm not sure how to respond to this. Factory farming by definition relies on very high densities of stock, which makes ethical treatment extremely difficult.

Because that's how you wrote your post.

You're trying to say that you're being harmless and other people are having knee-jerk reactions. I suggest you take a step back, and consider that maybe you are the one flying off the handle and everyone else is just tired of putting up with it.

I don't often discuss this topic, and even here I am deliberately avoiding going into any detail about the ethical arguments because I know how heated those debates can get. I keep up-to-date with organisations, chefs or even just celebrities who are either vegan, vegetarian or campaign for the ethical treatment of animals. Consistently I see that whenever they become even slightly confrontational, there's a backlash.

I find it interesting how you accuse me of judging people, and yet you just made an uneducated assumption about me as an individual.

 

[Dizchu]

I've never seen people who eat meat go after Vegans/Vegetarians for not eating meat; I've always ever seen somebody complaining about people who eat meat, and then I see this sort of thing as a result of that.

It's not necessarily that, I'm pretty sure everyone apart from the most dogmatic "God put animals on earth for humans to eat" types are accepting of the existence of vegans and vegetarians. The problem comes when vegans, vegetarians or even fellow meat eaters criticise the meat industry. It appears to me like it's a sacred cow (excuse the pun).

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

If you don't like Bacon you are a bigot.

Meat meals matter! #Meat4Life2015!

 

[Zontar]

It's not necessarily that, I'm pretty sure everyone apart from the most dogmatic "God put animals on earth for humans to eat" types are accepting of the existence of vegans and vegetarians. The problem comes when vegans, vegetarians or even fellow meat eaters criticise the meat industry. It appears to me like it's a sacred cow (excuse the pun).

I've seen quite a few vegans insult people who eat meat and act as though they are inherently superior for not doing so and pretending that even though most people can't even afford to have their daily intake without there being meat involved, well let's just say the stereotypes of vegans is true often enough that it isn't going away any time soon.

 

[DoPo]

I'm getting a "Why does everybody hate Nintendo?" waft from this, where fans complain of an opposition that simply isn't there.

Wait this is a thing? First time I've ever heard of it.

Are you telling me you've never seen a response like "mmm bacon is delicious" or "my food eats your food" when vegans say something publicly?

Wait, and that is offence? As opposed to a joke?

I mean I suppose it's not something you see in open conversation often outside the internet, but look at any comments section on articles or videos that criticise the meat industry and you'll see this behaviour.

There are countless other things that people say that all fall into groups of similar responses to a topic. For example, a funny video with somebody being (usually lightly) hurt would most likely get a response of "He/she ded?", when somebody asks what the music somewhere is, "Darude -Sandstorm" is almost bound to come up. There are many more. Are each of these also people offended by...erm, whatever?

Shall we then go a step beyond and say "Why are funny videos watchers so easily offended?" or "Why are music experts so easily offended?".

 

[madwarper]

I'm not sure how to respond to this. Factory farming by definition relies on very high densities of stock, which makes ethical treatment extremely difficult.

So you claim. And, I should note, a little light on proof.

I don't often discuss this topic,

So, we should consider ourselves lucky that today is the day you decided to share your wisdom with the rest of us?

I find it interesting how you accuse me of judging people, and yet you just made an uneducated assumption about me as an individual.

Like I already pointed out, you came here making accusations of "meat eaters", in that they are "easy to offend".

If anything, this would have come from an encounter between yourself and others, others which are not here to give their side of events. So, all we have to go on is your heavily biased version of events. So, yes. I'm going to be giving those that cannot defend themselves the benefit of the doubt, because I don't believe your recollection is completely accurate.

 

[madwarper]

Stupid ******* Windows 10. Ummm... This isn't a double post, it's a response. Yes, a response.

I would say factory farming could be categorized as using automation or other methods to reduce the amount of labor required compared to the output of product. That commonly means high-density living today, but as technology improves it need not necessarily increase in that direction.

But that doesn't mean that ethical treatment of livestock is inherently difficult, which the OP indicated.