Vegetarian / Vegan Shaming

The one thing I didn't expect when I became a vegetarian was all the "jokes"...

 My food poops on your food. 

 Vegetarian - Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt or fish. 

 There's plenty of room for God's creatures, right next to the mashed potatoes. 

Those are just a few "jokes" that have appeared on my Facebook page by friends and family! Not to mention the ones I had to delete because they were so offensive.

Why would someone make fun of your dietary or lifestyle choices, especially when you are doing it to get healthy or save animals from a fate worse than death?! My guess is it is a defensive mechanism from someone who may feel that you are holding up a mirror in judgement of their choices.

To me it's all about searching for the truth and what we decide to do with that truth is up to each of us individually. I'm not judging anyone for their choices. I'm just trying to get healthy, overcome years of food addiction, and not cause harm to any living being if I don't have to. It has nothing to do with anyone else other than sharing information that may help them reach their truth.

I have gotten defensive a time or two and I've let some nasty comments get inside my head momentarily, like a coworker who upon finding out that I was vegetarian looked me up and down and said, "How's that working out for you?" I didn't let it bother me for long. I moved along realizing that he doesn't know my story. Doesn't know that I nearly died from eating meat and it blocking my colon to the point that I had to have 18 inches of my colon removed. Doesn't know or probably even care that I deal with chronic inflammation and joint pain almost every day.

For me, becoming a vegetarian wasn't a joke, it was survival. I'm still working on it while realizing that it may take years for my body to heal from a lifetime of misinformation. I'm very grateful for the Internet and people who are willing to speak up and face ridicule.

There are many ways to handle the "jokes". You can join in on the joke, ignore it, get upset (which I've seen happen with a lot of my vegetarian and vegan friends), or you can do like I do and use it as a platform to educate those who may be curious. Every time someone posts a "joke" on my page, I find some bit of material to share as a response to their post. I have shared a link to the EARTHLINGS documentary, plant-based doctor's quotes, education websites such as Dr. T. Colin Campbell's Nutrition Studies and Dr. Michael Greger's Nutrition Facts to support the plant-based lifestyle. In my mind the information I share may help someone heal their body and get healthy, so it makes it worth taking a few jabs from people who do not understand the plant-based movement.

If your friends tease you because because you are vegetarian or vegan, how you handle it may make a difference to someone else who may be silent but is paying attention.

Kathy G
facebook.com/vegformation