ARCO's Abolitionists - A Vegan Forum

Does anyone else have this problem?

Yes, especially raw.

When I first turned vegan I tried to develop a gag reflex at the sight of meat...to make sure I didn't relapse! Pretty much works now. Haven't thought about the smell, yet.

I find the cheese more offensive nowadays - dunno for what reason, but yes...the smell of flesh makes me puke...

For dairy I think of buckets of blood...
lovely isn't it

I've had a long time gut-level association with the smell of meat triggering images of non-human animal torture. It's very deep and very real. It doesn't make me want to gag per say, it triggers a sadness response. This keeps me from being one of those vegans who don't want to socially isolate themselves when (especially) meat is served, but to join in socially and share vegan concepts. I not there yet, and probably never will be.

What triggers an equally charged reaction is hearing people say things like, "Can't wait to be eatin' those ribs this weekend", or "Gotta start cookin' more pork chops on the grill", or "love those wings".

I wish I could feel more compassion for these people whose ethics are dictated by their taste buds and stomach. Truthfully, I don't; it is reserved for the victims of their greed, ignorance, and false views.

My mother is unrelenting about eating at a vegetarian/vegan restaurant. She and her husband seem to take it personally that I choose to not torture and murder my dinners, possibly they feel guilty about their own bloody plates but don't want to give up their selfish indulgences. So when I want to meet half way between where they live and me, it is at some flesh-infested feeding trough that will bring me a plate of noodles with olive oil and basil after I request a "vegan meal." The entire time my mom is prattling on about haircuts and who in the family is not talking to each other this week, I am mentally slapping around every patron in the "restaurant" and slinging silent verbal retribution at them for centuries of misery committed by their bbq sauce stained fingers. At the smell and sight of their "dinner" I think of my own guts that so closely resemble what's on their plate that mine almost end up on my plate as well. It feels as though they are cutting directly into my heart as they stab off a corner of meat and raise it, still dripping with blood, to their greedy mouthes. I always leave these situations downtrodden and disappointed in myself for once again not fire-bombing the crowd with statistics and knowledge of a vegan lifestyle while I desperately implore them to look into their hearts and listen to their inner voices for once as I stand on the table and smash plates to really drive home the message. Instead I just placate my desire to have a relationship with my mother by conversing about anything and everything except that which really matters.

Hi peachy_hez!

Thank you for just spilling it out! I can surely relate. How our "relationships" with others are conditioned by what they value is a big topic in my mind, if a meaningful relationship can even exist. Allow me to be candid here. I don't pretend to love someone I cannot respect; I don't think it is really possible by my definition of love. As for family, hey - I think "family" is with whom you create it to be with - bloodline being totally irrelevant. Decades ago I divorced my parents all for the better of my life and mental health.

I least respect people who will begin to watch a DVD such as "Meet Your Meat" or "Earthlings", then tell me they couldn't continue to watch it because it was so utterly repulsive. Yet, they will proceed to chow-down on animal flesh the next day. They escape into the comfort zone of ignorance and irresponsibility, and their ego will just label me as weird or extemist to protect its position. In my view, they have very consciously chosen to participate in the slaughter they find so repulsive. So if their basic ethics are dictated by their tastebuds and stomach, I have to ask what my need is to be in their company.

I don't live my life in the land of make-believe, religiously or otherwise. I am a realist. I so value relationships based on clear communication, respect, open-mindedness, and empathy - that I refuse to compromise my vegan values just to have people around. I'm not lonely or insecure.

End of rant.

Faunus

peachy_hez wrote:I always leave these situations downtrodden and disappointed in myself for once again not fire-bombing the crowd with statistics and knowledge of a vegan lifestyle while I desperately implore them to look into their hearts and listen to their inner voices for once as I stand on the table and smash plates to really drive home the message. Instead I just placate my desire to have a relationship with my mother by conversing about anything and everything except that which really matters.

I can relate to this. I have spoken to my family about veganism but they are impervious to what I have to say. I doubt they will ever stop eating animal products. But I came to the conclusion that my relationship with my family is, or should be, unconditional. That being said, I would never judge anyone who did cease to have contact with his/her family because of the latter's nonveganism.

Hi James!

I should make it clear that my "divorcing" my parents was surely not about their being omivorous. I cut them off when they cut me off at a very young and tender age due to their bizarre cruelty to their children (psycholigally and physically); their sick sadism extended to non-human beings. To be blunt, I grew up in a very fucked-up, dysfunctional "family". In fact, my parents were my main frame of reference to "evil" as a child. At age twelve I chose to never eat the flesh of another being again empathising with the deep suffering they callously imposed on humans and non-humans, and have not touched animal flesh 43+ years later.

I'm not trying to assert moral superiority as vegan over those who are omnivore, so here I have no problem divulging more personal data about my earlier personal life. Suffering can give rise to empathy. It does not alway, but fortunately in my life - it did.

Faunus