Most of the vegetarians I’ve known are vegetarian for ethical or religious reasons, a few for health reasons, and very few for economic reasons. So it doesn’t seem stupid to assume that most vegetarians are motivated by health or ethical concerns.
Honestly, it strikes me as more of a “none of your business” question than a stupid one.
And to add my own stupidest question:
I joined a cultural and arts club about two years ago and was relatively fresh when we had a meeting in which we discussed oncoming events and scheduling. We had a reading series called “Literature at five”, and the date for the next occurrence was announced. I put in in my calendar and asked the others “At which time?” <Silence> Answer: “Well, at five” :smack: I wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground, but then somehow saved face by saying “Well, I thought it may also be at five AM…” But we all had a good laugh about it.
That “none of your business” aspect certainly is just as annoying. But apart from that, there are also many other good reasons, I’ve encountered people who don’t eat meat because they simply don’t like the taste, others have strong ecological concerns, and often, as in my case, there’s a combination of reasons. I always feel compelled to answer those people asking the stupid question, in the good spirit of this board to fight ignorance, but that could turn out and sound like a sermon, and I’m just not keen on this when standing at the BBQ. I only want to peacefully eat my fried greens without explaining…
I really disagree that it’s a stupid question. While obviously myriad reasons exist as to why vegetarians/vegans eat the way they do, none are as commonly cited as health and/or ethics. I don’t remember the last time I heard someone say they were vegan/vegetarian for any other reason. Vegans seem to cite ethics more often while vegetarians cite health concerns. IME, of course.
Well, maybe it’s just a case of perspective and personal experience, I dunno. Or maybe it’s the place where I live, the people here are a bit backwards and sometimes I still feel treated and viewed like an alien creature after having being “outed” as a vegetarian after having to explain why I don’t eat the hot-dogs. I hate that.
However, “What time is Midnight Mass?” is NOT a stupid question.
It is actually possible - though vanishingly rare - for identical twins to be of different genders.