I find lately that I am frustrated with people not respecting my personal choices, particularly about what I eat or do not eat (regarding meat). Yesterday afternoon I was at my friend's birthday BBQ. It's unbelievable how disrespectful people are to you when you tell them you don't eat meat. This is not just one incident. It's happened to me on many occasions, and it's getting tiresome.
In my experience, people (generally speaking) act like there is something wrong with you because you make the personal choice not to eat meat. Especially if you are a vegetarian because you don't want to kill other animals for food. If I say I am a vegetarian for health reasons, then people overall seem to be ok with it. But if I say it's because I don't want to hurt other animals, then they act like there is something wrong with me. Like I'm dysfunctional or less intelligent for not eating meat.
It is astounding to me that when you tell some people you are a vegetarian, they immediately begin to pressure you to eat meat. "Oh, come on! Just have some, it's good! You know you want some! Doesn't it smell good?" My question for them is this. If someone came to a gathering and said "I am an alcoholic so I do not drink", or "I do not smoke" would it be acceptable to begin immediately pressuring them to have a beer? Would it be acceptable to start ridiculing them for not smoking?
If someone says "I don't like oranges" or "I am allergic to apples" would it be ok to start pressuring them to eat an orange or an apple? Or again, ridicule them for not liking oranges and being allergic to apples? No. It would be considered very rude. Yet it seems to some people to be perfectly acceptable to pressure a vegetarian to eating meat, or to ridicule them for making the choice not to.
I don't have a problem with people eating meat. That is their choice. Protein is something all humans need. I do have my opinions about how animals are treated by humans, generally speaking. Humans tend to be greedy and gluttonous and cruel, and that bothers me. But I do not presume to force my personal choices or beliefs on other people. I do not march around BBQ's and demand that people stop eating meat and preach about how I feel people should behave. Nor do I make fun of them for what they do or do not put into their own bodies. I respect the right of others to make their own decisions.
It also is interesting to me that the people who enjoy ridiculing vegetarians are the very same people who are appalled and horrified when you describe to them what happens to an animal when it is killed for food, or fur, or whatever other body part will sell for the most money. They are the first people to tell you to keep quiet about it because it is 'upsetting' them. They have no problem making fun of a vegetarian or gulping down several helpings of meat - far more than they need - as long as they don't have to know where it comes from.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Deer
Deer
Yesterday after work it was so beautiful outside that I decided to take a short drive out to Discovery Park near Lucky Peak. I went up Federal Way and took Hwy 21. As I was coming around the curve where Warm Springs turns onto the highway, a deer jumped across the road in front of my car. I was going 60 mph!! I immediately screeched on the brakes and swerved. I slammed on the brakes so hard that the tail end of my car swerved around and I thought the back end might hit her. But it didn't - I would say that I missed her by less than a foot. And while I was still recovering, she jumped back across the other way again! I was still recovering and barely moving, so I didn't hit her, thank god! There was some nasty smoke too from my rubber burning on the road.
Scared the living daylights out of me. And thank god I had enough sense to stop turning the steering wheel. As soon as I was spinning, I began to over correct. I realized that even if I avoided hitting the deer that I could end up flipping the car over and slamming into the side of the hill, or going the other direction could end up in the river (actually there is house right there next to diversion dam between the highway and the river so I could have ended up there if I'd went the other direction). So I immediately let go of the wheel, which I believe prevented the car from rolling over.
It was an extremely close call. I am absolutely certain that if I had hit that deer, it would have killed me. It was a good sized doe, and at 60 mph, she would have rolled right up the hood and slammed into the windshield. I had my seat belt on - I always wear it, so I might have survived had I rolled over towards the river, but I'm not sure I would have made it if I'd slammed into the hill on the other side.
It's amazing to me as well that this all occurred in a matter of about three seconds. It's frightening how quickly one could end up in the arms of death. Very scary. I will be going slower on the highway during spring just to be safe. The speed limit out there is 55 mph, but I am still going to go slower through that stretch by the river for awhile.
Yesterday after work it was so beautiful outside that I decided to take a short drive out to Discovery Park near Lucky Peak. I went up Federal Way and took Hwy 21. As I was coming around the curve where Warm Springs turns onto the highway, a deer jumped across the road in front of my car. I was going 60 mph!! I immediately screeched on the brakes and swerved. I slammed on the brakes so hard that the tail end of my car swerved around and I thought the back end might hit her. But it didn't - I would say that I missed her by less than a foot. And while I was still recovering, she jumped back across the other way again! I was still recovering and barely moving, so I didn't hit her, thank god! There was some nasty smoke too from my rubber burning on the road.
Scared the living daylights out of me. And thank god I had enough sense to stop turning the steering wheel. As soon as I was spinning, I began to over correct. I realized that even if I avoided hitting the deer that I could end up flipping the car over and slamming into the side of the hill, or going the other direction could end up in the river (actually there is house right there next to diversion dam between the highway and the river so I could have ended up there if I'd went the other direction). So I immediately let go of the wheel, which I believe prevented the car from rolling over.
It was an extremely close call. I am absolutely certain that if I had hit that deer, it would have killed me. It was a good sized doe, and at 60 mph, she would have rolled right up the hood and slammed into the windshield. I had my seat belt on - I always wear it, so I might have survived had I rolled over towards the river, but I'm not sure I would have made it if I'd slammed into the hill on the other side.
It's amazing to me as well that this all occurred in a matter of about three seconds. It's frightening how quickly one could end up in the arms of death. Very scary. I will be going slower on the highway during spring just to be safe. The speed limit out there is 55 mph, but I am still going to go slower through that stretch by the river for awhile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
