Can Meat Eaters be Easy to Offend?

[Ishigami]

Never seen those kneejerk reactions... don't know what you are talking about... said that I have not seen any of those militant vegetarians either in rl... maybe leave the internet alone for a while?

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Yup, lots of people are really self conscious about their meat eating habits. Just mentioning that you are a vegetarian can get a lot of bile thrown at you. People don't like thinking that they're doing something wrong, and by being a vegetarian you are basically saying that you think that eating meat is wrong. It's probably the same reason why movies so often portray people who give to charities or help out at homeless shelters as smug, holier than thou pricks. Because we don't want to think that we're doing anything wrong, and it's easier to think they're secretly assholes than to think that maybe we should be better people.

There's something called affected ignorance where you don't really think intelligently about a situation because it's in your best interests to adopt one conclusion. It's strongly believed to be why slave owners were so resistant to accept that slavery was morally wrong, because if they acknowledge that it is then they've been doing something horrible for their entire life, and that's a heavy weight to place on your conscience.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I am dating one so I have a lot of first hand experience for how people can react to them. I'd say the majority of people are more or less fine, but you still get a decent amount of people who take someone's vegetarianism as a personal affront to them.

 

[Naraka]

Never seen those kneejerk reactions... don't know what you are talking about... said that I have not seen any of those militant vegetarians either in rl... maybe leave the internet alone for a while?

I love the modern trend of people screaming, "What's wrong with everyone?!"

Then you dig a little deeper and "Everyone" is online, in school, or on Fox.

 

[NiPah]

Eh, it's a pretty common belief that vegetarians are annoying preachers who will talk your ear off why eating meat is bad, when someone discovers you're a vegetarian (or even worse a vegan) you have a lot of ground to make up. In reality most vegetarians and vegans aren't annoying, but it's already expected that you'll be annoying to talk to so most people will try to shut you up quickly especially when you talk about meat farms and unethical practices, so the quicker you shut them up the quicker you can go back to talking about things that aren't annoying to talk about, the "bacon is great" is just an example of an easy line to piss off and shut up vegetarians who want to talk about how horrid meat is.
I should know, I don't drink and the moment someone learns this they become guarded and instantly think I'm going to talk about how bad alcohol is and why what they're doing is bad for them, thankfully I just don't like the taste so it's relatively easy to put their mind at ease.

 

[Kerethos]

The whole "humans have evolved to eat meat" and such is just silly. We're omnivores! As long as we get all the nutrients we need from our diet then we can pretty much eat whatever we want, meat or no meat. We're not great with raw meat, but raw vegetables are usually fine though. So based on our biology, we should probably eat mostly vegetables.

I try to go vegetarian a few days a week and to eat less meat in general, that's about as far as my commitment to either goes. Anyone with extremist views tend to be an ass though, that kind of comes with that package. Be it religion, politics or diet.

We're omnivores, but that's a broad term and our evolutionary history of the last 1.8 million years or so centered around meat, until relatively recently. We're also the kind of omnivores that try to get a little of everything, not a little of everything, except animal protein. The truth is that our core diet is probably originally small insects, rodents, amphibians, birds, scavenged marrow bones, and the occasional large kill. All of that would have been supplemented with seasonal fruits and nuts, with minimal vegetation involved. Until Beer and Bread came along, grain and agriculture weren't primary driving factors, so while you might have had some wild barley or wheat, it's not the same as a diet of grain.

Agriculture, raising animals for milk and cheese, are all relatively new. Roasting meat is old. You really have no basis to go against, "Evolved to eat meat", and "Evolved to eat cooked meat" at that. The point is that humans are defined by our ability to adapt. We also evolved to fuck our cousins and screw what we now call teenage kids. We evolved to kill people who didn't look or smell quite right. The evolutionary argument has always been half-assed when diet and habits are concerned. That's still no reason for you to try and re-write that evolutionary history.

Well, I wasn't really trying to deny our evolutionary history. I was just keeping it brief by saying we can pretty much (these days) eat whatever we want, as long as it fills our dietary needs.

I mean, personally, I quite like bread and potatoes, even though that's fairly new things in an evolutionary sense. Seasonal nuts and I don't get along well though, I get a severe allergic reaction from just being in a room with nuts. Which kind of sucks, because I like thai-food and those places also have a bunch of dishes where the fumes can kill me

I agree with you though, that we're made to eat what's available (and cooked). That's never really been just "all meat" or "all vegetables", it's usually been some of everything. But, like I said, I eat what I like and I like me some vegetarian now and then... though all this talk of vegetarian food has given me a craving for black pudding, of all things.

 

[FoolKiller]

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.

Simple. I get defensive when someone attacks me.

As far as others' opinions of me matter, I will quote Tywin: A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinion of a sheep.

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

You know what I noticed reading through this entire thread. There wasn't a single goddamn thing said about the positive aspects of being a vegan other than avoiding animal cruelty.

Are you seriously expecting a positive reaction out of people OP when you're chastising them for their choices and nothing else(in case it isn't obvious I'm focusing on the paragraph about meat eaters taking offense). Tell me this would you expect me to leave a positive impression on somebody if I started talking to them about the horrible conditions of Foxconn workers who made their phone? NO, I would leave a negative impression because the likelihood of me actually talking to somebody who owns Foxconn factories is incredibly low, so pretty much all I'm doing is directly insulting their buying habits and telling them that they are horrible people to their faces. However justified I might feel about that, demanding a positive reaction is idiotic.

Now if I mentioned that hey Android phones have things like the S-pen or stuff like that I wouldn't be directly criticizing them for their buying habits to their faces and the chances that I'll actually get a positive reaction out of them are much much higher. Likewise if you started talking ANYTHING, and I mean LITERALLY ANYTHING GODDAMNIT about the positives of being a vegan you'll probably have a better chance of not offending people with your political beliefs. Hell it could be a single recipe that you think tastes better without meat or something like that. If you can't think of any positives about being a vegan that aren't politically motivated(I think there is a good chance of that considering how the people on this thread talking) then you're never going to convince anybody to stop eating meat because chances are whoever it is is already convinced or they are not going to be convinced by animal cruelty alone.

I'm not trying to say you should start eating meat or that other people should stop, I'm trying to point out why people are so touchy when you insult their beliefs to their faces. Likewise if the meat eaters are chastising you for being a vegan without being provoked then they're being assholes themselves.

 

[Naraka]

The whole "humans have evolved to eat meat" and such is just silly. We're omnivores! As long as we get all the nutrients we need from our diet then we can pretty much eat whatever we want, meat or no meat. We're not great with raw meat, but raw vegetables are usually fine though. So based on our biology, we should probably eat mostly vegetables.

I try to go vegetarian a few days a week and to eat less meat in general, that's about as far as my commitment to either goes. Anyone with extremist views tend to be an ass though, that kind of comes with that package. Be it religion, politics or diet.

We're omnivores, but that's a broad term and our evolutionary history of the last 1.8 million years or so centered around meat, until relatively recently. We're also the kind of omnivores that try to get a little of everything, not a little of everything, except animal protein. The truth is that our core diet is probably originally small insects, rodents, amphibians, birds, scavenged marrow bones, and the occasional large kill. All of that would have been supplemented with seasonal fruits and nuts, with minimal vegetation involved. Until Beer and Bread came along, grain and agriculture weren't primary driving factors, so while you might have had some wild barley or wheat, it's not the same as a diet of grain.

Agriculture, raising animals for milk and cheese, are all relatively new. Roasting meat is old. You really have no basis to go against, "Evolved to eat meat", and "Evolved to eat cooked meat" at that. The point is that humans are defined by our ability to adapt. We also evolved to fuck our cousins and screw what we now call teenage kids. We evolved to kill people who didn't look or smell quite right. The evolutionary argument has always been half-assed when diet and habits are concerned. That's still no reason for you to try and re-write that evolutionary history.

Well, I wasn't really trying to deny our evolutionary history. I was just keeping it brief by saying we can pretty much (these days) eat whatever we want, as long as it fills our dietary needs.

I mean, personally, I quite like bread and potatoes, even though that's fairly new things in an evolutionary sense. Seasonal nuts and I don't get along well though, I get a severe allergic reaction from just being in a room with nuts. Which kind of sucks, because I like thai-food and those places also have a bunch of dishes where the fumes can kill me

I agree with you though, that we're made to eat what's available (and cooked). That's never really been just "all meat" or "all vegetables", it's usually been some of everything. But, like I said, I eat what I like and I like me some vegetarian now and then... though all this talk of vegetarian food has given me a craving for black pudding, of all things.

I think it's going to be a better internet and world, when more people just accept, "Like what you like." When we stop fighting over "The best" music, or diet, or anything else and just start looking for the ones we enjoy the most.

May your black pudding be fried slightly crispy on the outside, perfect on the inside.

 

[Mikeybb]

A side question.

Given the relative quantity of meat eaters and the slow shift people seem to have made towards being easily offended these days (or aggressive in their defense of things they think, for some reason, reflect themselves), is it possible that you meet more easily offended carnivores simply because there are more of them?

Also could seeing more of them being easily offended be less about their dietary/ethical standards and more of a reflection of the burgeoning prevalence of being offended in general?

I ask the latter as stripped of specifics your question could be asked of many, many demographics these days.
At least it seems that way to an old, confused curmudgeon like myself.

Frankly, I can't think of any groups out there who seem to be shifting towards taking a more laid back approach to the world but then again that might just be me missing the pockets of silence in the cacophony of internet anger.

 

[Redd the Sock]

It always seems odd that I have to point some of this kind of thing out. People don't like being criticised. People don't like being judged. People don't like being shamed. People don't like being lectured. And people don't like being looked down on. Now, none of this is to say you or anyone specifically does this, but some groups have been stereotyped as preachy assholes and some get pre-emptivly defensive before the factoids start coming out, moreso if it's a stereotype they've dealt with in the past, even from a different preacher. With me it's been my father's unacceptance that I didn't drink, several friends' endless prattle about me finding a girl and getting married (attached to my personal favorite about how if I don't have a girl I must be gay), co-workers' lectures if I accidently toss out a piece of paper, 30 years of my religious family wondering why I don't go to church, and yes, the odd lecture about what I'm eating and how bad it is (though usually for soda). Hell, it's a part of nerd culture these days, from the normals looking down on your interest in childish things, to...various groups thinking you're the lessor for not liking the "right" nerdstuff. Of course there's turnabout as no one likes my lectures about procrastination, efficiency, and workplace standards when I get late paperwork in need of corrections.

Best advice I can give is don't fit the stereotype or take it personally. Don't convert or even go into any details unless asked, and even then, if you feel the need to impart information, try to do so in a way that isn't franes as "you should feel bad for doing what you do and being ignorant of it in the first place."

 

[Jadak]

Err... Doesn't 'meat eaters' equal 'the majority of people'? At least in western countries.

So yes, most people are easy to offend and will get defensive when things they do are criticized.

 

[Ogoid]

Simple. I get defensive when someone attacks me.

This. A million times this.

I sincerely don't care how every other single human being on the face of planet Earth lives their life so long as it doesn't infringe on other human beings' rights. It's all their business, and none of mine, as far as I'm concerned.

But by that same token, I expect to be extended the courtesy of being allowed to live mine as I see fit.

 

[RealRT]

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

Well that's a hollow lie. I hate Nintendo and I'm sure a lot more people do too.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

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.

to build off this, I've seen very few vocal vegan/vegetarians in real life, but when they do, they actively attack "meat eaters", rather than attacking the meat + processing industry, and that's pretty much what causes someone to go from 0 to 60 pretty quickly when you're actively attacking them about what they eat.

I personally have no problem with people attacking the meat/production industry, I'm sure there are plenty of things that could be done for it, but that's hardly what I usually see, even in studies revolving meat vs vegetarian lifestyle/diets.

otherwise I'd say meat eaters are mostly humanist, humans come first, animals come second...really not that hard to comprehend, even if you vehemently disagree with it.

 

[runic knight]

Vast majority of people are meat eaters to some degree. The default state of diets around the world include some form of meat, thus it is not a signifying trait held. A difference to this trait signifies a group, where as the rest would be the remaining portion of the whole.

This is important to note, as it makes the question asked a very silly one. "can everyone who is not a vegan/vegetarian be easy to offend (with regard to eating/not eating meat)?" Sure some are I imagine, though literally some of every group or collective would be considered as such. The way the OP is worded though suggests it is more than just a simple "are there people easy to offend" and instead goes towards "aren't people who eat meat as easy to offend as vegans/vegitarians?" And that is a worthwhile question to ask I suppose, but one with a simple answer.

No, they aren't.

Now I could go into specific behaviors and reasons why vegans as an overall group might have earned the reputation of being easy to offend, and likely that would encourage a lot of needless bickering and political apologist ideologue-ing colorful discussion, but I don't think that is needed at this time.

Instead I merely refer back to the first point I raised. Meat eaters are the norm behavior of the vast majority. In order for them to be easy to offend about people not eating meat, it would require the norm behavior about those not eating meat to be one of being offended. The behavior not being the norm is the sole reason this thread itself exists as a discussion, since otherwise it would be stating the obvious, no? Pretty obvious then that no, it really is a far cry from normal for people who eat meat to be offended by those who don't.

So we established that the norm of those who eat meant is to not care if someone doesn't eat meat. Now ask yourself, how often do people who don't care if someone does eat meat? Considering there are organizations dedicated to stopping people from eating meat or changing people's minds about eating meat, I have to say that it is more common at least (I'll make no claims as to it being the norm of that subgroup of people, I do not have any way to measure that, but it does show an increase over the norm in the behavior of "being offended by someone who doesn't share the same perspective on eating meat"). It is more common for someone who doesn't eat meat to be offended by those who do than those who do eat to be offended by those who do not. I will say that the more common aspect might well be what has fueled the "you know who's a vegan" thing).

So there we have it, to answer the general question raised, no, meat eaters are not as easy to offend about people not eating meat as those who do not are about those who do.

 

[Joccaren]

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.

I don't think you can call that being offended. I call that not giving a shit.

If a Vegan comes up and says "You're all horrible people and need to stop eating meet, it hurts the animals", do we really expect everyone to sit down and go "Oh god, you're right! Lets be Vegans!"?
'cause thats kinda arrogant if you do, TBH, everyone has their own views. And if a Vegan comes out to try and preach that you shouldn't eat animals, of course those that don't care are going to respond that, well, they don't care.

Its also taking the piss out of someone that often comes out with a holier-than-thou attitude because they think they have a moral highground, and looks down on you for eating meat. When that's what you're getting treated to, of course you're going to respond by taking the piss out of the person who's trying to tell you that they're better than you, as again, you don't care.

I hardly call that 'being offended'.

 

[Battenberg]

I'm not sure if 'easy to offend' is the right way to describe it but in my experience I have seen way more shit dished out by meat eaters at veggies/ vegans than vice versa and yet the veggies seem more capable of keeping their shut together. Sure there are some veggies who go all militant trying to convert people (which is daft IMO) and a lot of what meat eaters say is meant as a joke but the frequency of these 'jokes' makes them grating at best.

I don't think I've ever told someone I'm veggie without getting immediately interrogated on why (as if it's anyone else's business) and/ or being the butt of a joke of two. When that happens you pretty much have 2 choices: try to pretend the 500th joke about being protein deficient is funny and shrug it off or engage in a conversation on the topic defending your choice. Now I don't give a crap what other people eat- that's their choice- but choosing the second option always gets the "oh, you're one of THOSE veggies who want to convert the world" reaction so you're basically forced to go with option 2 which only gets more frustrating every time. The best way I can explain is if you've ever worked retail you'll know how incredibly unfunny if is when an item doesn't scan and the customer goes "oh it must be free then hurr hurr hurrrrr". That's how funny most veggie jokes are but they have the added kicker of mocking a lifestyle choice you make that doesn't even affect anyone else.

I only mention all this to contrast the way some meat eaters react to their eating habits being questioned. In the past I used to occassiinally take option 2 and try to have an actual discussion about it however the reactions I've gotten have ranged from shrugging off what I say to personal insults to, on one occasion, death threats. That's the reaction I get explaining benefits of being veggie as opposed to condemning eating meat or just straight up shit slinging. What's more the average meat eater won't have had much cause to look into this stuff (since they're in a huge majority and most likely never made a specific choice to be a meat eater) so actual facts get dismissed as lies for convenience. It's totally possible I've met particularly easily angered individuals however this kind of grumpy, dismissive, or even aggressive response has accounted for most of these conversations (hence why I don't typically bother any more).

So yeah, my experience has been that (most) veggies put up with a constant low level stream of crap/ jokes at their expense fine but suggesting being vegetarian may actually be beneficial is apparently just a step too far for some meat eaters to put up with. The fact so many responses on this thread amount to "lolwut?" kind of suggests people aren't even aware that this is a common occurrence.

 

[Leg End]

I'm incredibly biased due to being a fan of tasty murder, but I haven't really seen any meat eaters being easy to offend, myself included.

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.

You're more or less describing retaliatory snark to vegans who preach to carnivorous persons. All in good fun, of course.

 

[Elfgore]

This all honestly just comes to personal experiences. I've not seen any meat eater be offended by a vegetarian's/vegan's comments, usually just annoyed. Because all but two vegetarians I've met and been aware their vegetarians, are the total preachy kind that act like you just slaughtered, cut into bits, and started eating it in front of them whenever you eat meat.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Most of what I've seen from people who eat meat is confusion and/or jokes.

Most of what I've seen from vegetarians is "This is my choice!"

Neither group seems to be that aggressive and/or defensive. They're just trying to deal with the fact that when they are or someone they know chooses to not eat meat, the vegetarian is making a dietary choice that, to many, is unusual. The same thing could happen for any other unusual dietary choice, even if it is a well-known one.