*Twitch*
So, today I'm unusually irritable. Seriously. I'm thinking that the stress of the last few days has been piling up on me, to say the very least. I've been biting my tongue all day to keep from lashing out at everybody. So, I decided that I would make a list of the things that I am most annoyed at currently.
1. Everybody who has been criticising my new found vegetarianism. By NO means do I see myself to be hypocritical, self righteous, abnormal, or any less strong in my beliefs than vegetarians who have been in practice for longer than i have. Here's a list of why I am not any of these things-
a.) I'm not a hypocrite for eating plants because they are alive - this is not the reason I'm abstaining from meat. I choose to no longer eat meat because of the injustice done to the animals raised on farms, the brutality of slaughter, the myriad of benefits it gives to the environment, and the fact that meat is flesh from sentient beings. Does that sound like a hypocrite to you?
b.) By no means am I trying to make anybody see that I'm "better" than they are for doing these things. I'm not. I'm one person, I make absolutely no difference, but if doing these things helps me to assuage my guilt, then I will do whatever it takes. I don't bother anybody who eats meat. I never say a fucking word against your diet, why is my own peaceful diet such an issue?
c.) Let's look at biology. Carnivores and even omnivores (think Raccoons and Opossums) are equiped with the tools necessary to eat meat raw, such as short digestive tracts, claws, and sharp canine teeth. Our closest relatives, Primates, seldom if ever consume meat. Our teeth and bodies are not designed for it - it's why raw meat makes us sick, and why we have molars and incisors better suited to consuming plants. Thus, I am by no means abnormal - people just aren't meant to consume vast quantities of meat.
d.) This one gets me. "But you've only been a vegetarian for a week!" So. Fucking. What. When children first learn to walk, they aren't berated. We've all been new at something. Why is it so unacceptable for me to voice my opinions on animals because I've only just decided to stop consuming them? Yeah. Yet I don't berate those who I know are switching religions to be less strong in their beliefs than any dyed in the wool originally born and raised into said religion. Animals are not ours to eat. They are not ours period. This belief hits really close to home for me.
2. My family has been basically ignoring me, in essence, in favor of my brother, who is far more vocal in his wants and concerns. So I was home for the first time in a week when anybody else was home, and of course I am ignored because poor little Rob needs to be coddled yet again. *Sigh* I just want somebody to treat me not like i'm simply a ghost floating around that nobody can see. Do I even exist anymore?
3. Idiotic people. Enough said.
4. The on campus dietician has also pissed me off. I sent my email requesting more information on the cheeses available on campus, only to get no response back yet. It was a simple question, and now I really can't eat dairy on campus until I get a response. I'm alright with that, only this campus barely offers anything without it. So, wonderful. I guess I'll be eating wendy's fries and salads until somebody decides that my nutritional concerns are important enough to respond to. I'm not trying to be neurotic, but, i really don't want to consume enzymes from calf and pig stomachs in my cheese when vegetarian alternatives are available. I think I have a right to know what I'm eating.
5. Lack of support from people I have given support to. If you think this means you, it probably does.
1. Everybody who has been criticising my new found vegetarianism. By NO means do I see myself to be hypocritical, self righteous, abnormal, or any less strong in my beliefs than vegetarians who have been in practice for longer than i have. Here's a list of why I am not any of these things-
a.) I'm not a hypocrite for eating plants because they are alive - this is not the reason I'm abstaining from meat. I choose to no longer eat meat because of the injustice done to the animals raised on farms, the brutality of slaughter, the myriad of benefits it gives to the environment, and the fact that meat is flesh from sentient beings. Does that sound like a hypocrite to you?
b.) By no means am I trying to make anybody see that I'm "better" than they are for doing these things. I'm not. I'm one person, I make absolutely no difference, but if doing these things helps me to assuage my guilt, then I will do whatever it takes. I don't bother anybody who eats meat. I never say a fucking word against your diet, why is my own peaceful diet such an issue?
c.) Let's look at biology. Carnivores and even omnivores (think Raccoons and Opossums) are equiped with the tools necessary to eat meat raw, such as short digestive tracts, claws, and sharp canine teeth. Our closest relatives, Primates, seldom if ever consume meat. Our teeth and bodies are not designed for it - it's why raw meat makes us sick, and why we have molars and incisors better suited to consuming plants. Thus, I am by no means abnormal - people just aren't meant to consume vast quantities of meat.
d.) This one gets me. "But you've only been a vegetarian for a week!" So. Fucking. What. When children first learn to walk, they aren't berated. We've all been new at something. Why is it so unacceptable for me to voice my opinions on animals because I've only just decided to stop consuming them? Yeah. Yet I don't berate those who I know are switching religions to be less strong in their beliefs than any dyed in the wool originally born and raised into said religion. Animals are not ours to eat. They are not ours period. This belief hits really close to home for me.
2. My family has been basically ignoring me, in essence, in favor of my brother, who is far more vocal in his wants and concerns. So I was home for the first time in a week when anybody else was home, and of course I am ignored because poor little Rob needs to be coddled yet again. *Sigh* I just want somebody to treat me not like i'm simply a ghost floating around that nobody can see. Do I even exist anymore?
3. Idiotic people. Enough said.
4. The on campus dietician has also pissed me off. I sent my email requesting more information on the cheeses available on campus, only to get no response back yet. It was a simple question, and now I really can't eat dairy on campus until I get a response. I'm alright with that, only this campus barely offers anything without it. So, wonderful. I guess I'll be eating wendy's fries and salads until somebody decides that my nutritional concerns are important enough to respond to. I'm not trying to be neurotic, but, i really don't want to consume enzymes from calf and pig stomachs in my cheese when vegetarian alternatives are available. I think I have a right to know what I'm eating.
5. Lack of support from people I have given support to. If you think this means you, it probably does.