It seems as though the most difficult part about adopting veganism or vegetarianism as your lifestyle is the reaction you get from other people. You'll get a wide range of questions, arguments and snarky comments tossed your way and the media portrayal is not always kind. Just this evening while watching a re-run of How I Met Your Mother, Stella's sister - who was stereotypically whiney and judgemental - bitched about being vegan and how she couldn't think. Ted pointed out, "That's because you need protien." Phil looked at me with an "oh...shit" look on his face because he knew this was something that was going to get my goat.
Yeah, I was angry, and this definitely goes back to my post about speciesism in the media but what can you do? This is going to happen again and again and people probably aren't going to think differently about those who do not wish to consume animal products and flesh any time soon. So, what do I propose? I propose that vegetarians and vegans are given an unwritten but vasty understood bill of rights. A code of conduct for being around a vegan, if you will.
Right #1 - We have the right to not listen to you go on and on about how delicious beef is. If you know we're vegetarian/vegan, and we are out to dinner with you and you choose to order the steak, we aren't going to stop you. We're friends, after all, and friends don't lecture or bore other friends, especially if they are already aware of why you're vegan in the first place. So it's only fitting that this go both ways - that's how friendship works. I have a particular friend that knows how I feel about animal flesh and yet he'll still go on and on about how this one particular restaurant's beef is so thick and delicious, and so so good. His words, not mine. It'd be really nice to not have him constantly waving a piece of bait in front of me all the time, it's almost like dangling a dog treat in front of my face. Now I know how much it pissed off my dog.
Right #2 - We have a right to vegetarian options on the menu. Really, every restaurant needs these, including barbecue joints. A massive meat party is not healthy no matter if you're an omnivore or a vegan. I am well aware that if you want to eat healthy you need to prepare your own food, but we should be able to find something other than a carrot to nibble on when we go out.
Right #3 - We have the right to not be used as an excuse. You and a sibling were asked to attend an obnoxious picnic gathering with some people you'd rather not see. Instead of coming up with the tried and true, "I'm sorry but we already made plans with friends out of town!" your sibling pulls the whole, "Well, my sister is a vegan and won't be able to eat anything there and I'd rather not be there without her, sorry." I really wish people wouldn't do this. It just makes every vegan and vegetarian look like a complete pain in the ass when it comes to making plans. As long as we're given a heads up about what's going to be served, or have already spoken to the host ahead of time we're usually fine. Don't use us as an excuse.
Right #4 - We have a right to not be judged for what we put into our bodies. Yes, you've met some cranky vegans, I'm sorry. It happens. I've met some pretty bitchy omnivores. Cranky people seem to be everywhere! But please don't take it out on the entire group. It's not appropriate to slanderize homosexuals and fat people on television, why is it okay to make fun of a vegan? It hurts those who stick true to their beliefs while trying to spread understanding and happiness to others. If we're not slapping that steak out of your mouth and being polite about your carnivorous appetite, then you should be polite to us too. Don't paint people with such a broad brush, a lesson for life.
Right #5 - We have a right to be included. This kind of ties into rights #2 and #3, but it's important. If you're making plans with a bunch of friends and you're all friends with someone who is vegan, please don't leave them out just because you're going to a steak house. Or better yet, go somewhere you know has some veggie options on the menu. If you truly like your friend and they aren't a whiney asshole, why not take them someplace where they'd be able to order some food?
Just remember that we're people too, even if we don't share your love for hamburgers made of beef. If you're friends with us, we must have other things in common and therefore it would just make sense to be kind to one another. When vegans are incessently picked on, left out or treated badly we end up like any abused and neglected creature - we get bitter, emotional and angry. These are just some basic rights that I think would make the world a more livable place, and might change your view of us.
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