What do I hate about vegans/vegetarians?
I hate that they get so anemic and malnourished that, after starting a thread on the SDMB, they’re either too scatterbrained or just plain weak to follow up. 
I get irritated, yes. I admit I’m not proud of it, because I’d like to think of myself as open-minded and acceptable of all creeds and philosophies.
I think a large contingent are following the crowd, trying to be cool. The vegetarian/vegan phase seems to be embedded in white, middle- and upper-middle-class, college-educated, bohemian, liberal-leaning youth. The diet goes hand-in-hand with smelly Tevas, well-worn Volvo station wagons with afgans in the backseat, and whiney emo. With a few exceptions, all the vegetarians/vegans I’ve met have been people who are deep-pocketed enough that they can afford to search out the local Whole Foods and buy a pound of organic vegetables for 15 bucks, while talking about what the rest of us are doing to our bodies. They have the luxury of attaching a political statement to their food because they’ve never experienced hunger or the threat of hunger. It’s irritating because they’re predictable. I hate when people perpetuate stereotypes.
If you don’t like the taste of meat, I understand. I don’t like all kinds of meat (ham is too pink for my liking; I can’t stand lamb). I definitely understand the health concerns–especially for dairy products. If you draw a line at eating vertebrates for ethical reasons, or if you choose to eat in the most ecologically friendly way by chowing down on lower trophic groups, I also understand. But not eating any honey because bees made it (the horror!), or refusing to eat chocolate because it may have tiny bone fragments in it, or freaking out because you ate a Skittle with gelatin in it…it seems to me that at that point, you have an eating disorder. You might as well freak out about all the bugs parts that are in your breakfast cereal or all the worms that died when your soy beans were harvested. And you may want to stop washing your face every morning, if you don’t want to kill all the mites and nematodes living commensually on your skin. If you’re going to be an obsessive-compulsive Jainist, at least be consistant.
Picky eaters of all stripes get on my nerves. But vegans in particular annoy me because they are the only ones who try to intellectualize their pickiness.
No, that doesn’t contradict what you’re saying. Read better. The only thing is that we’re saying three months = a few weeks. You’re the one on shaky ground.
But my wife is vegan, and she is fat.
and my farts stink way worse than hers. (I eat meat.)
Sorry, hawksgirl. I will try to “read better,” but I just don’t think I can agree that a “few weeks” means “12 to 24 weeks.” Nor can I agree that “the vast majority of weight” means “about 50% of weight.” Am I really on shaky ground with those conclusions?
Incidentally, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association states that:
Cattle are raised on range or pasture land for most of their lives (usually 12-18 months), then transported to a feedlot for finishing. These cattle usually spend about three to six months in a feedlot, during which time they gain between 2.5 and 4 pounds per day. The cattle are fed a scientifically formulated ration that averages 70 percent to 90 percent grain. On this special diet, cattle will gain about 1 pound for every 6 pounds of feed they consume.
That’s a lot of grain, given that each head of cattle gains between 2.5 and 4 pounds per day. I think it’s pretty clear that while cattle do eat grass, they also eat a lot of grain.
Hmm… I guess I hate vegans/vegetarians because they are really chewy and hard to pick out of my teeth.
Haunted, I think maybe you are not reading your own cites very carefully. Particularly what happens after the cattle are purchased by feeder operations. You left out this part:
From your cite.
You also missed this part:
In other words, grass. So the growing rations (note the adjective used there) use grass in place of grain.
Moreover, if you had read carefully, you would have noticed that silage and forage are also incorporated into even the finishing diets in feeder operations Silage consists of whole plants (usually corn or sorghum), not just the grain. Forage is, well, hay.
In other words, more grass.
Haunted, I think maybe you are not reading your own cites very carefully. Particularly what happens after the cattle are purchased by feeder operations. You left out this part:
Quote:
Many cattle feeders purchase lightweight feeder calves (350 to 550 pounds), graze them during the spring and summer, and then finish them in the feedlot starting in late summer or fall.
I did read that. * It’s the same thing*. “Cattle are raised on range or pasture land for most of their lives (usually 12-18 months), then transported to a feedlot for finishing.”
The only thing about your statement that is different is that the calves are moved twice.
I read that too. Do the words “can be” and “initially” mean anything to you? Are you really saying that cattle don’t eat a lot of grain at a feedlot? Is the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association misinformed?
Oy, with the comments about my reading skills. Anyway, again, this is a repeat of the info I shared, although using different words. Specifically: The cattle are fed a scientifically formulated ration that averages 70 percent to 90 percent grain.
It says right there… 70 to 90 percent grain. I never quoted a source that said it was all grain.
Well then, I’m not sure how you think your cites contradict what I said in the first place. At best, you seem to be quibbling about what percentage of their lives cows spend in a feedlot, and what percentage of their ultimate weight is the result of being fed grain. You are not contradicting that cattle spend most of their lives in pasture or that most of their ultimate weight comes from eating grass.
Incidentially, Haunted, I found it hilarious that the author of one of your cites was horrified that cattle in feedlots stand in their own waste. I’ve got news for you: cattle in pastures regularly stand in their own waste. They also regularly shit all over themselves. Neither event seems to bother them at all.
Spoke, all I can suggest is that you reread the discussion. The facts are there. To repeat myself or repost something I’ve already shared is a waste of my and everyone else’s time.
I think people can draw their own conclusions based on what’s been shared.
I get it. You’re upset about… well, something.
It’ll pass.
I’m having trouble understanding how going vegetarian can have any effect on losing weight. If anything, I would think that people who eat lots of meat would be thinner than vegetarians since vegetarians most likely have a higher ratio of carbohydrates in their diet, although it’s my understanding that it mostly comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned anyway.
The Atkins diet has been thoroughly debunked lol. Weight gain is not a matter of proteins vs carcohydrates. If anything (besides total calories and excercise of course) it’s a matter of healthy food vs unhealthy food. Carbs are not one size fits all. Carbohydrate is not a molecule, it’s a whole class of molecules, and there is no food that can simplified as a carb or a protein. You can pretty much eat vegetables (with certain exceptions) all day long and not get fat, and you would have to really try hard to only eat vegetables and fail to get enough protein. Obviously you can’t do the same with doritos. And yeah sure, if you eat a lot but fail to eat properly you could also get skinny from malnutrition. But that’s kind of besides the point…
I dont hate vegans/vegetarians, but I do tend to not get along with such people very well. It’s not because of their diet, but because of the personality type that can often accompany such a lifestyle, I suppose.
As many have said, I don’t think it’s the vegan or vegetarian thing that so many people despise. It’s that so many vegans/vegetarians seem to be so militant about it.
That being said, I’m sure it’s a vicious cycle as well. I know I get wary when I find out someone is a vegetarian or a vegan because at least 80% of the vegans/vegetarians I’ve known in my life have been the militant, “I must convert you” kind. Which annoys me, because I don’t try to convert them back to eating meat.
As such, I’m sure that perfectly happy, non-militant vegans and vegetarians encounter, as the OP said, an awful lot of wariness and negativity in general, so that eventually many are automatically defensive, as I’m automatically defensive of my meat-eating ways around them due to the unfortunate militants I’ve encountered. And the cycle begins.
“Humans are the only animals that ____________ for abstract socio-political reasons.”
Pretty sure this is true no matter what goes on the line.
Anyway, I don’t hate vegans and veggies but I am slightly annoyed by them. I mean, I’m slightly annoyed by ANYONE that says or believes something stupid. When someone tells me they’re a vegetarian, the next question I ask is “Why?” and the answer will determine if I’m annoyed.
This attitude is exactly why I almost never answer the question when someone asks me why. I don’t have to pass your annoying test. I mean, if I tell you I’m a vegetarian, and don’t offer a reason, nor proselytize at you, just TELL you when/if it’s relevant, do I have to tell you why? Isn’t that question a trap, so you can either judge me or try to demolish my beliefs?
If someone tells you they’re vegetarian and you don’t want to hear some (in your mind) self-righteous spiel, and intend to argue/judge damn near whatever they say, DO NOT ASK why they are vegetarians. It’s going to be uncomfortable for everyone involved if you go into the conversation with the attitude, “Let me see if this person’s deeply held personal beliefs are gonna annoy me…”
I mean, what would be a good enough reason for you, that wouldn’t annoy you? Please let me know so I can whip it on the next person who won’t take “It’s personal” for an answer and insists on a reason. I’m not being snide, I really want to know what would qualify as a non-annoying reason for someone predisposed to be annoyed by and judgemental of others’ eating habits.
So all animals that hunt in packs are carrion-eaters? Like wolves? After all, only one of them can actually land the killing blow.
I guess I’m lucky that the first vegetarian I met was so nonchalant about it. She didn’t eat meat, didn’t make any justifications for it, and wasn’t bothered by people eating meat in front of her. Because we were friends before I was told, I generally use her as a template for most of the vegetarians I meet until I am given hints that they are of a militant mindset. ::shrugs:: I’ve run into relatively few militant vegetarians, but the ones that were militant were batshit about it.