Steak or Salad? (Part 1 of 3 of the Great Debates)

This is part 1 of 3 of my favorite debate topics. There are a couple of things I'd like to say before I start on them.

1. I will not, at any given time, tell you what my opinion is on any of these topics. If you see something that is a little bit off the fence in any given way it is only to prove a point and for no other reason other than that. My opinion is my own, and it will stay that way to reduce the amount of hate mail or "flame comments" I receive.
2. I am not doing this to offend any single person. I do this only to point common sense at people who do not want to listen.
3. I am not trying to be steriotypical, or say that every body acts the ways I talk about. I am merely grouping people into a statistic to save an insane amount of time. Please read this article with a grain of salt and an open mind.
4. I have worked a seriously long time on this article, this is not something I just woke up one day and crapped out for your enjoyment. I've thought long and hard about everything I say.
5. If you reply, do it in calm way. I promise that I will delete every single bit of unnecessary drama that is placed into my comment box. However, if you have something to say, or perhaps to add, then I'd be glad to hear it as long as it's done in a respectful manner.

Now then, it is my opinion that every one of these arguments should be left up to the person to decide. Every single case could be solved with "You are not god. You have no right to tell others how to live, or what to do." However, not everyone listens to that statement, and feels that they know better.

The hardest thing in the world to do is to admit that someone else knows more than you, especially when you have beliefs of your own. To humble yourself to an ideal that is different than one you believe is difficult to do because you're not just saying "I'm wrong." you're saying "Everyone I know who believes this is wrong." which is why these types of debates get so heated.

I am not here to tell any of you that you are wrong. I believe that you have the right to live the way you want to. I am not here to try to make you change your mind, I am here to open your eyes to the fact that the world does not revolve around you. You've got to share this life with everyone else, and not everyone else is going to see things your way.

With that said, let's get started.

Vegans/Vegetarians

Meat Lovers : You don't realize exactially where the plant lovers are comming from. These people are disgusted by what you're doing. You're taking the one thing that they live thier life on and throw ketchup on it.

Moving away from a vegan when you have a hamburger in your hand should be as easy as walking away from a woman with child when you have a cigarette in your mouth. It's common decencey.

Think about it for a second, what are you afraid of? What makes your stomach turn? Spiders? Fish Guts? Cabbage? Blood? How would you feel if someone started waving that in your face and didn't give a crap how you felt? Remember this the next time you chomp down on a hamburger with a vegan friend (or non-friend) next to you.

A little common sense goes a long way in this area. I'm not saying go out of your way to hide the slab of pork between your biscuts, but if someone else comments on it you might want to think of someone other than yourself.

Plant Lovers : You know, not many people mind if you say "Please don't eat that around me, I'm a vegetarian." but what they do mind is those who come up to them and say "You shouldn't eat that! It's murder!"

You are not the mayor of Mooville. You do not have the right to tell anyone what to eat just because you think it's wrong. You can no more discern how a cow feels than someone who decides to eat bacon.

Do not get upset in a society where people like to eat meat. Wake up to real life and realize that the corner resturant does serve a slab of steak as well as salad. Don't get upset when you walk into Mc.Donalds and see someone chowing down on chicken tenders when you knew darn well they sold them.

The Bottom Line : The facts are simple. Some people like meat, some people don't. If you don't like the other persons opinion, that's fine. I'm not telling a Vegan to go out and eat a hamburger, and I'm not telling the carnavores to go out and eat a salad. You live in this world together, remember eachother when you go out to eat. If you can't stand it that much I have the following ideas for each of you.

Idea for the Meat lover who can't stand the Plant lover : Ask! Any vegan will gladly pronounce the fact that they do not eat meat. You don't have to talk to these people, and you do not have to be around them. I'm sure you know plenty of places that most vegans do not go (Like a Steak House, for instance).

Idea for the Plant lover who can't stand Meat lovers : Society is aginst you in this battle, but fret not. There are many places where you can go and live and be with a vegan community. If you do not want to go to these lengths then you might want to invest in a little home farm. Don't go out to fast food resturants that you know serves meat, and be sure to calmly ask people not to eat meat around you if it truely does bother you. Nobody's a mind reader.