[BeckyHew]

Hi everyone,

I just needed a bit of sympathy really - I'm in a really difficult environment where I work, and the people are quite intolerent. I am fed up of hearing all the usual anti-veggie comments.

I'm also sick of my vegetarianism being an issue. When people look at me, they see "the veggie girl" and don't consider that I am actually a real person.

Sometimes when we are talking about veggie issues, they make me feel like whatever I say it will be wrong in their eyes. I don't try to force my views on them, but they don't give me the same respect. It's quite lonely and I feel like I can't talk to many people about it. I feel like no one understands me.

Sorry to go on, but I really could do with some friendly words right now.

 

[SeaSiren]

Try not to let them get to you. You are so much better off being veggie.

 

[DoveInGrey]

I feel exactly the same at times hun!

and damn frustrating it is when u are trying to bite your tongue from saying exactly what you think so as not to sound like ypou are preaching, they attack you, you try to defend yourself, and get accused of preaching when you do...grrr!

All I can say is thank goodness we have the net to come here and vent, and speak to like-minded people! Have a vent in the stupid things omni's say thread and laugh and roll your eyes at the other posts there! You also might want to read Vegan Freak- living in a non-vegan world by Bob and Jenna Torres, (although it's meant for vegans rather as ovo-lactos, much of the same theories apply.)

 

[veggielove]

I find its best to never discuss vegetarianism at work, unless you are in a one-on-one with someone who really wants to learn more. Otherwise you ARE "weird and different." I've found its not the best thing, professionally, but I get by. I'm sure that being vegetarian isn't the only thing any of you can think of to talk about, so steer the conversation to something else.

 

[evilvegan]

Yah, I've found that discussing it often just leads to lots of yelling and back stabbing. Not fun. There are a lot more vegetarians out there than you think, though, and we tend to network.

 

[GanyGreenBean]

Yeah, when people ask.. just say. "Because I just am."

Or if they see you as the veggie girl.. oh well, maybe they have differences too that they see others as.. like "Glasses lady" or "Dude with weird ties". It's ok. Be happy your not "Lady who makes kids into gingerbread"

 

[eggplant]

Yeah, my veganism just doesn't come up at work very often. What kind of work do you do? Why are you always talking about "veggie issues" at work?

 

[Skylark]

For me, it comes up at meal times and when PETA contacts schools and municipalities in my area to protest circuses or science projects or whatever.

In both cases the PETA contact was on my beat, so I didn't share my opinion and just interviewed for the stories. One of the other reporters announced he was taking his kids to the circus precisely because of the protestations. I'm sure it had little to do with me, since I've never breathed a word about circuses or PETA at work other than to acknowledge the existence of both. (And, if I did, he would have taken his kids to the circus to spite me, as well.)

 

[BeckyHew]

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a look at the "Vegan Freak" book.

Don't get me wrong, I NEVER initiate conversations about being veggie with anyone, because I hate confrontations and I don't want to ram it down people's throats - but there are a few people I work with that, once they found out, just won't let it lie.

They use every opportunity to try and "beat" me. Like the other day, we were talking about Star Wars, which I love (how'd you guess?) and I mentioned that I always play as the Empire in the computer games because being the bad guy is more fun. One guy turns around and says "but the Empire kills loads of people - isn't that against your veggie principles?" and I just had to say "dude, it's just a film!!!"

That's just one example of how they are always trying to "prove I'm wrong" and stuff.....

It just gets to me and I wish they'd get off my case!

 

[Dame Fandango]

Just looks to me like standard bullying behaviour - if it wasn't your veg*nism it would be some other trait that would be isolated and picked on.

If it gets so bad that its a problem, is there someone at work you could talk to, either in authority or just as a friend in your corner, as bullying in any form is not acceptable, and especially so in these litigeous times.

If you don't want to go down that route, or feel it might make things worse, your best bet is to laugh at them for being so boring, playing the same old stuck record - & try not to react to their taunts & they'll probably move onto another target (hopefully not one of yours!)

Dame x

 

[Scythe]

Aside from the lovely AR folks, I've never known anyone to give a crap what I ate. I recall mentioning that I was vegan in college, and the responses were like "oh, that's interesting."

But then, from your post I can't tell if you mean they care about what you eat, or the views that go along with it.

 

[BeckyHew]

Just looks to me like standard bullying behaviour - if it wasn't your veg*nism it would be some other trait that would be isolated and picked on.

If it gets so bad that its a problem, is there someone at work you could talk to, either in authority or just as a friend in your corner, as bullying in any form is not acceptable, and especially so in these litigeous times.

Thanks for the advice, I think I will have to say something to my boss soon. I have the right to feel comfortable where I work!

I suppose it is a form of bullying - some people feel the need to pick on those who are different. I was bullied at school and I just wish people would be nicer to each other.

I think they have a problem with my views more than what I eat, but like I said I never asked them to have the same opinion as me. I wish they'd just get off my case.

 

[geofferd]

Mate i know how you feel, people i work with have a similar attitude by the sounds of it. People should not feel its ok to mock or laugh at your beliefs, personally i think its no different at all from someone mocking your religion which in most workplaces would get you sacked. I am very lucky though as just im my end of the office i work with another 4 veggies so I have some backup. Mind you the piss taking still gets aimed at us all look what a work `friend` sent to me and my other fellow vegetarians yesterday, I was far from f*cking happy once i read it !! - apparently this from a website www socialscrutiny org

Eliminating the vegetarian threat.

Knuckling Down

An occasional column by The Voice of the Moral Right, Lady Cynthia Knuckles.

A lot of people ask me what I think about vegetarians. And I say if God had meant us to eat vegetables, He would have clearly made animals out of them. Or if that was difficult, maybe He would have made animals able to reason with us and explain why we should spare their lives. It's all I would ask from my next course - a well-thought-out argument, perhaps illustrated with OHP slides and some bullet-points on a Nobo pad, as to why I shouldn't eat them before I puncture the coat of my Creme Brulee with their laser pointer.

That's the kind of powerful argument which should make anybody feel like hunting down a gazelle and pressing a bolt gun, as the Lord intended, to its temple, squeezing the trigger and watching the light from its deep, clear, doe eyes fall away, like a butterfly caught on the event horizon of a black hole.

But vegetarianism isn't all bad: I myself have made a move towards it, in that I no longer eat animals which in turn eat other animals. But that's not good enough for these idle, feckless dandelion peddlars, hanging around in their oversized hemp jumpers at Save the Badger demonstrations and the like. It's all or nothing for them - and that's the kind of dangerous lunacy that made Hitler such a threat. Hitler was vegetarian, too.

Which is why the Moral Right is calling for the Government to crack down on these woolly do-gooders and rid our society of the anaemic and protein-deficient. They may look harmless at first glance, but they pose a serious threat to our Great British way of life. Where would this country be without its roast beef on Sundays and some kind of cooked limb every other night of the week? Where? Under the Nazi jackboot regime of spinach flan and soya sausages, that's where. The sooner the Government investigates the vegetarian militia, and their links to Al-Qaeda, the better.

 

[ybveggie]

My fiance has the same issue at his work. He goes to lunch with three collegues about once a week, and every time the discussion turns towards his vegetarianism.

One guy consistently teases him by saying, "Are you going to have grass for lunch?" and tells these long, drawn out stories about his favorite meat and how delicious it is.

Another guy says how vegetarians are hypocrits if they A) eat any meat subsitute products (i.e. veggie burgers) or B) eat sweets or other unhealthy foods.

My fiance is really good about teasing them back, but it still affects him. It's just very frustrating having to deal with the same conversation over and over, without anyone taking him seriously when he tries to explain his decision.

I'm actually very fortunate, because there are 5 vegetarians in my department out of 25 people. That's a phenomenal ratio when you think about it! So we always have vegetarian options at corporate events and such.

 

[Skylark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by geofferd

Eliminating the vegetarian threat.

Knuckling Down

An occasional column by The Voice of the Moral Right, Lady Cynthia Knuckles.

A lot of people ask me what I think about vegetarians. And I say if God had meant us to eat vegetables, He would have clearly made animals out of them. Or if that was difficult, maybe He would have made animals able to reason with us and explain why we should spare their lives. It's all I would ask from my next course - a well-thought-out argument, perhaps illustrated with OHP slides and some bullet-points on a Nobo pad, as to why I shouldn't eat them before I puncture the coat of my Creme Brulee with their laser pointer.

That's the kind of powerful argument which should make anybody feel like hunting down a gazelle and pressing a bolt gun, as the Lord intended, to its temple, squeezing the trigger and watching the light from its deep, clear, doe eyes fall away, like a butterfly caught on the event horizon of a black hole.

But vegetarianism isn't all bad: I myself have made a move towards it, in that I no longer eat animals which in turn eat other animals. But that's not good enough for these idle, feckless dandelion peddlars, hanging around in their oversized hemp jumpers at Save the Badger demonstrations and the like. It's all or nothing for them - and that's the kind of dangerous lunacy that made Hitler such a threat. Hitler was vegetarian, too.

Which is why the Moral Right is calling for the Government to crack down on these woolly do-gooders and rid our society of the anaemic and protein-deficient. They may look harmless at first glance, but they pose a serious threat to our Great British way of life. Where would this country be without its roast beef on Sundays and some kind of cooked limb every other night of the week? Where? Under the Nazi jackboot regime of spinach flan and soya sausages, that's where. The sooner the Government investigates the vegetarian militia, and their links to Al-Qaeda, the better.

I'd be ticked at a coworker who sent this to me in anything but jest. I can envision a couple of them forwarding it because it's so laughable, and that's fine.

 

[lisaanne]

Hi Becky,

I certainly can empathize with you. My workplace is not very veg friendly either. My boss is particularly carnivorous and seems to delight in discussing the dead animals he consumes. He told me one time he wanted a big steak, preferably from an animal he had bludgeoned. He is really horrible! I also live in a big hunter state and constantly have to hear about and even see pictures of the kills. One co-worker has her 8 yr old son's picture with a deer he had killed as her screen saver! I try not to discuss my vegetarianism with them at all. It would be as useful as banging my head against a brick wall. They just do not get it!

 

[Goofy]

These people sound so immature.

And to add to someone's point, IF you were a veg*n for religious reasons, none of those people would DARE make a crack at you. Funny how that works.

 

[froggythefrog]

Thing many people neglect to think about is that you're not supposed to discriminate based on religion or creed.

 

[GhostUser]

I used to have an issue at a place i previously worked...my boss used to buy lunch twice a month and when they would go to some burger joint he would make some stupid comment like he would be saving money cause i wasnt eating or there would be more for him.

 

[starseed13]

If people ask me why (and I dont feel like getting into a half hour discussion about all my various reasons)I just say I dont like meat. Seems simple enough and not weird at all. Everyone doesnt like something.