The KInd Life Community Forum

Use this space to share stories, exchange ideas, ask questions, and contribute to our growing community!

Forum
your family & friends
Do you ever get sick of...?

Do you ever get sick of...?

Started by SmartAssProducts on February 8, 2011

23 Comments

SmartAssProducts said #1 Feb 8, 2011 at 1:07pm

I don't know about the rest of you, but there are certain things that just annoy the hell out of me. For example:

1) At holiday time, I'm INVARIABLY asked "what did you eat?!" People expect a complete rundown of everything on the menu, I guess because they can't fathom, for example, a Thanksgiving dinner that doesn't include a dead animal as its centerpiece. I don't ask *THEM* for a rundown on what they ate! Why is it so compelling to ask me about my holiday menu?

2) "I'll bet you wear leather!" Um, no, I don't. Haven't since 1988. I've even gotten into a show and tell match with people who INSISTED that my shoes were leather--until I took them off and showed them the "all man-made materials" label.

3) "I couldn't LIVE without meat!" or some variation, like "I LOVE chicken too much to stop eating it!" Well, yes, you COULD live without meat, if you only knew--or cared--about the horrific abuse of animals in the meat industry. And if you LOVE chicken...why do you eat them?

4) "I just LOVE animals--eating them, that is!" and its variations, like "PETA -- people eating tasty animals" and "I'm going to have a big, thick steak for dinner!" Is that supposed to annoy me? Amuse me? Anger me? What?!

5) "Humans have canine teeth for a reason! They're there for ripping into the flesh of animals!" Yeah, right. And when's the last time one of these morons took down a wild animal with their bare hands and ate its flesh raw? If you're going to use "caveman logic" to explain the presence of canine teeth, how about going all the way?!

Eh, that's all I can think of right now. What irks you?

februarygirl said #2 Feb 8, 2011 at 2:15pm

#4 is the one that bugs me. I think it is insensitve and rude. Over all, I really try not to let what others say and think get to me. If they feel threatened by my lifestyle I try to kill em with kindness and it usually puts the fire out. I have too many real problems to give my precious energy to ignorance.

Ashley Kristina said #3 Feb 8, 2011 at 2:53pm

Do you ever get..."What about the plants? Don't you hear the carrots scream as you pull them out of the ground? They are alive too" I don't even know how to respond when I hear this and it just drives me crazy. I'm slowly getting used to ignoring all the crazy things people say to me.

SmartAssProducts said #4 Feb 8, 2011 at 3:05pm

Yes, I've gotten the "screaming plants" stupidity--many times! I reply like this: "But plants aren't sentient beings. They don't have a central nervous system. They don't have a brain and they can't feel or experience things like pain, fear, loneliness, sadness at being separated from their mother/child, etc. But ANIMALS can."

If I only ate plant products that ripen [if left to their own devices in nature] and fall by themselves, I could say "The apple/orange/whatever fell off the tree all by itself! It obviously isn't screaming in pain being yanked off the tree!"

Laura Price said #5 Feb 8, 2011 at 3:26pm

In regards to #5 , there is a really intersting article by Dr. Milton Mills called "The Comprative Anatomy of Eating." It discuss the fact that our bodies are actually NOT designed to consume or digest meat. Check it out online. You can download the PDF easily.

Whitney Yurkas said #6 Feb 8, 2011 at 3:41pm

Yes I've gotten all of those, but the ones that I get all the time repeatedly (even by the same person) are: Where do you get your protein? Do you eat enough protein? Isn't that super expensive. To which I reply: You can get protein from a multitude of different sources like: grains, lentils, beans, soy, seitan, etc... Yes I get enough protein, in fact most meat based American diets eat more protein than their body needs and not necessarily healthy or kind proteins at that. No it's not expensive, in fact it's a lot cheaper than an omnivore would pay for their groceries, and yes some of the more speciality stuff can be expensive but the same could be said for high end omni stuff as well.

Amelia Hun said #7 Feb 8, 2011 at 4:15pm

I've heard many of those.. and entering the realm of 'ditching the dairy', I'm sure a select few will enjoy stomping around me with cow's milk and downing cubes of cheese at get togethers.

It honestly does not bother me anymore. Their ignorance is laughable. That they can be SO flipping concerned with what is on my plate.. and not invest even a fraction of that energy into what they put on their own..

And I SO agree with you, Whitney. A vegan diet is less expensive vs. an omnivore.

I believe I wrote this on another thread.. however, I've compared buying a steak for my husband vs. a protein packed meal of beans and leafy greens for myself - MUCH cheaper!......

Dr. Mills article is a fantastic one, by the way.

HippieChick said #8 Mar 27, 2011 at 6:34am

I hate when people look at me all mystified and are like "Why???" Uh, because I did a little research and decided that I don't want to eat innocent, tortured creatures. Just the other day my grandma (half joking) was like "Are you going to hurt my feelings and not eat this meat I cooked?" She doesn't know or care about the torture those poor animals were put through.

Kim T. said #9 Mar 27, 2011 at 7:33am

Sounds like you are enduring alot of criticism and ignorant remarks. But, every time someone makes a remark like that, you can look at it as an opportunity to gently inform them. I find that if I respond indignantly, I get alot more flack. If I give them a kind answer that makes sense on a rational level, then they shut up and think about it. I get alot of comments about dairy and not getting enough calcium. When people tell me I need to drink milk, I say in as non-threatening a way as possible that milk's only purpose is to turn a baby calf into a half ton cow....and I can find plenty of plant based sources of calcium to keep me strong.

I know it is so frustrating. I'm glad this forum is here for us to vent.

Take care....Kim.

straycat said #10 Mar 28, 2011 at 7:46am

Oh yah.....how about the "we evolved eating meat and that's the way it's supposed to be". I've dubbed it the "caveman" theory. Apparently many many people are proudly spouting to anyone who will listen that they are cavemen. I want to say "gee...you don't have to convince me. You're primative and stupid". I find these conversations a complete waste of time and oxygen. I don't tell stupid people about my diet and I refuse to answer any questions. If I'm asked about my diet I respond with "why are you asking?". And if the person can recover from this and ask an intelligent question then I may answer. But rarely can these dummies think fast enough to come back with any intelligent response. Recently my mom told me (she thinks she is soooo healthy and often regales me with her "knowledge") that they had gone out to lunch and she ordered a hamburger and proudly told me that she took the bun off and wrapped the meat in the lettuce. She thinks she's a diet genius!!! I said "you'd be safer just eating the bun and the vegetable trimmings." She screamed in the phone "I don't want all those CARBS in me!"......so there you go. I really don't have the energy to reinvent the wheel every time someone talks about food.

1 2 3 Next

Join the Discussion!

Login or create an account on The Kind Life today and you'll be able to leave comments, share photos and videos with friends, and participate in community events!