One of the stereotypes I have encountered a lot, mostly online, is that vegetarians and vegans are usually "preachy," "self-righteous," "ostentatious," etc., but my personal experience with vegans and vegetarians has been a far cry from those stereotypes and generalizations. Some people seem to associate the dietary decisions with things like online clips of fringe protesters trying to shut down or damage restaurants, even though the vast majority of vegans and vegetarians simply don't get in people's faces about it.
For one thing, the cuisine of the society I live in extensively includes meat, and animal products are so pervasive that being vegetarian, let alone vegan, is not only highly inconvenient but also socially challenging in many cases (e.g., when one goes to family gatherings, restaurants, etc.). Merely refusing to order or eat meat can result in intrusive questions, assumptions, and disapproval—one of the core ideas behind that being "if God allowed us to eat meat, why are you forbidding it for yourself?"
For another thing, I have rarely encountered any preaching, judgmentalism, or shaming from vegans and vegetarians, even while out with them and ordering meat at the same table. Instead, most of that tends to be hurled in their direction from meat eaters who keep bringing up the topic or taking digs at the vegans' and vegetarians' dietary choices. The most questioning I have gotten from a vegan was when he asked me a passing question about what I thought of the conditions in which poultry is typically kept in industrial farms. On the other hand, most vegans and vegetarians I know have experienced a lot of mocking and preaching from various people, sometimes including family and friends.
Whether you're a meat eater, vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian, what has your experience been like with vegans and vegetarians? As a meat eater, I haven't had any more issues with them than with fellow meat eaters, so the stereotypes have certainly been inapplicable to my experience—the stereotypical roles have largely been reversed in many cases, if anything.
For one thing, the cuisine of the society I live in extensively includes meat, and animal products are so pervasive that being vegetarian, let alone vegan, is not only highly inconvenient but also socially challenging in many cases (e.g., when one goes to family gatherings, restaurants, etc.). Merely refusing to order or eat meat can result in intrusive questions, assumptions, and disapproval—one of the core ideas behind that being "if God allowed us to eat meat, why are you forbidding it for yourself?"
For another thing, I have rarely encountered any preaching, judgmentalism, or shaming from vegans and vegetarians, even while out with them and ordering meat at the same table. Instead, most of that tends to be hurled in their direction from meat eaters who keep bringing up the topic or taking digs at the vegans' and vegetarians' dietary choices. The most questioning I have gotten from a vegan was when he asked me a passing question about what I thought of the conditions in which poultry is typically kept in industrial farms. On the other hand, most vegans and vegetarians I know have experienced a lot of mocking and preaching from various people, sometimes including family and friends.
Whether you're a meat eater, vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian, what has your experience been like with vegans and vegetarians? As a meat eater, I haven't had any more issues with them than with fellow meat eaters, so the stereotypes have certainly been inapplicable to my experience—the stereotypical roles have largely been reversed in many cases, if anything.
