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Apparently We're Discussing Vegetarianism in General Now

QuidQuid Definitely not a bananaRegistered User regular
edited November 2009 in Debate and/or Discourse
Thanatos wrote: »
God, I hate the fucking militant "vegetarian" bullshit.

Relative to the population, a scant handful of people know what "pescatarian" means, so it's just a hundred times easier to call it "vegetarian" than having to explain it every goddamn time someone asks. It's like people who get all up-in-arms over the Alannis Morissette use of the word "irony," or insist that "America isn't a democracy, it's a republic." Language evolves, it's not always necessary to use the absolute most technically correct word possible, and it's fucking obnoxious to the rest of us when elitist cockbags start insisting that people "aren't actually X" unless they fit their exacting definition of it. Fuck, in some areas of the country, there are probably more vegetarians who eat fish than don't (more of my vegetarian friends up here do, at least). In short, get the fuck over it.

This is something that annoys both me and my vegetarian wife. I see zero problem in defining vegetarianism as
Vegetarianism is the practice of following a diet based on plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products and eggs.[1] Vegetarians do not eat meat, game, poultry, fish, crustacea, shellfish, or products of animal slaughter such as animal-derived gelatin and rennet.

Or, more simply, someone that doesn't eat meat. However, this was met with hostility by one person in H/A and another person saw zero problem with asking a "vegetarian" which meats they don't eat, because saying the only meat you eat is fish is, apparently, hard.

Does anyone else think that? I cannot, for the life of me, see the justification other than wanting to use a label that doesn't apply to them.

Edit:

Things this thread is not about:

How much you hate asshole vegetarians. Everyone hates assholes.

How great you think meat is. How much meat you just ate. How much meat you're going to eat. How much meat you'll eat just to get back at vegetarians for not eating meat. That is not, in the slightest, what this thread is about.

Quid on
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    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    It's like people who get all up-in-arms over the Alannis Morissette use of the word "irony,"
    Her use of the word raped it. There is already a word for how irony is being used incorrectly. It is called "unexpected." As for vegetarianism, "Fish is the only meat I eat" takes a few seconds to say if you don't want to try introducing pescetarianism into common usage. There is an important difference between not eating meat and not eating any meat except fish that just can't be said to be pedantic.

    Couscous on
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    SixSix Caches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhex Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Because creating a bunch of labels is dumb and unnecessary.

    Six on
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    BergyBergy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Pescetarianism, also called pesco-vegetarianism, is the practice of a diet that includes seafood and excludes mammals and birds.

    Bergy on
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    QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Six wrote: »
    Because creating a bunch of labels is dumb and unnecessary.

    You don't have to.

    You can say "The only meat I eat is beef". Bam.

    Quid on
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    BergyBergy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Hey, Ted Danson is a pescetarian. Good for him.

    Bergy on
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    Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I don't care too much when people misuse words, but misconceptions about what it means to be a vegetarian are especially annoying because they lead to people presenting dishes as vegetarian when they actually contain fish and fish products. Course, a lot of people also don't understand that things like lard and practices like cooking vegetables in animal fat are also non-vegetarian, so the problem is hardly limited to thinking that fish aren't made of meat.

    Anyway, now that I'm a vegan the reaction is less, "So you eat fish, right?" and more, "I don't know what the word vegan means at all."

    Robos A Go Go on
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    FalloutFallout GIRL'S DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    pescetarianism sounds pretty half-assed to me

    what makes fish less worth sparing than other animals

    Fallout on
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    durandal4532durandal4532 Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Vegan is shorthand for "person who is annoying to go to restaurants with".

    Edit: I can only assume some people find fish less gross or something? It makes no sense to me either.

    durandal4532 on
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    kdrudykdrudy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Creating more labels and being really picky about them seems like it just exists to fuel people who need to feel superior for their choice. Eat whatever you want, it's fine to have person preferences, just don't feel like you're extra rad because you choose even more things to not eat.

    kdrudy on
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    QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Fallout wrote: »
    pescetarianism sounds pretty half-assed to me

    what makes fish less worth sparing than other animals

    That's an assumption of why they're pescetarian. Maybe they only like fish. Though usually people do it for health reasons.

    Quid on
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    MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Fallout wrote: »
    pescetarianism sounds pretty half-assed to me

    what makes fish less worth sparing than other animals

    It's not always moral. Some people limit meat consumption to fish because it's ridiculously healthy compared to other meats.

    MKR on
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    BergyBergy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Fallout wrote: »
    pescetarianism sounds pretty half-assed to me

    what makes fish less worth sparing than other animals

    they aren't cute.

    Bergy on
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    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Fallout wrote: »
    pescetarianism sounds pretty half-assed to me

    what makes fish less worth sparing than other animals
    They aren't cute.

    Couscous on
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    ZzuluZzulu Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I love meat.

    A nice juicy, medium rare sirloin steak...

    ...

    Now I have to go buy some meat

    Zzulu on
    t5qfc9.jpg
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    MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Quid wrote: »
    Six wrote: »
    Because creating a bunch of labels is dumb and unnecessary.

    You don't have to.

    You can say "The only meat I eat is beef". Bam.

    The only meat I eat is delicious.

    MKR on
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    QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    kdrudy wrote: »
    Creating more labels and being really picky about them seems like it just exists to fuel people who need to feel superior for their choice. Eat whatever you want, it's fine to have person preferences, just don't feel like you're extra rad because you choose even more things to not eat.

    I don't believe anyone says they feel that way. I do see people saying they wished people who do not fall under a label did not use that label so as to avoid confusion.

    Quid on
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    Nova_CNova_C I have the need The need for speedRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Quid wrote: »
    Fallout wrote: »
    pescetarianism sounds pretty half-assed to me

    what makes fish less worth sparing than other animals

    That's an assumption of why they're pescetarian. Maybe they only like fish. Though usually people do it for health reasons.

    Yeah, most of the vegetarians I've met aren't really doing it to protest animal husbandry, but because they feel healthier removing meat from their diet.

    Nova_C on
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    japanjapan Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Vegan is shorthand for "person who is annoying to go to restaurants with".

    Edit: I can only assume some people find fish less gross or something? It makes no sense to me either.

    Find better restaraunts.

    There is a rock bar in Glasgow that serves exclusively vegan food and it's great.

    I think it's pretty reasonable for vegetarians (of the "no eating of animals" variety) to get irritated by people misusing the term, because it just creates confusion. This is particularly the case where some people are left with the expectation that someone who says they're vegetarian will be happy eating fish.

    japan on
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    InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I see no reason reason why you should expand the word vegetarian to include people who also eat fish in addition to a standard vegetarian diet. Vegetarian isn't a vague word, it's a precise word, and I don't really see a reason to let the definition become diluted.

    I mean, vegetarianism only has one definition in the dictionary and it's very clear that not eating fish is part of that definition. It's not a word like irony which has different definitions depending on if its verbal, dramatic, tragic, or situational irony.

    We have a word for people who don't eat meat, or fish and that word is vegetarian. We have a word for people who eat a vegetarian diet plus fish and that word is pescetarian. I'm not sure what there is even to really debate here.

    Inquisitor on
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    QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Zzulu wrote: »
    I love meat.

    A nice juicy, medium rare sirloin steak...

    ...

    Now I have to go buy some meat

    Mind actually going with what the OP says?

    Quid on
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    Premier kakosPremier kakos Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited October 2009
    What is a diet that excludes fish, but includes mammals and birds? I'm one of those.

    Although, I hate the whole "vegetarians that eat fish" thing. This isn't an issue of the word "vegetarian" evolving to include pescetarians. The commonly used definition is someone who doesn't eat meat, period. The people who think that vegetarianism and pescetarians are not the same thing are the vast majority and I know it always throws me for a loop when someone says "I'm a vegetarian" and then proceeds to order fish.

    Premier kakos on
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    InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Fallout wrote: »
    pescetarianism sounds pretty half-assed to me

    what makes fish less worth sparing than other animals

    Pescetarianism is generally a thing done for health reasons.

    Inquisitor on
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    emnmnmeemnmnme Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    How did that line go when in The Simpsons when Lisa met the hippies?

    "I'm a vegetarian!"
    "Pffft, I'm a ninth level vegan. I won't eat anything that casts a shadow."
    "oooh"

    emnmnme on
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    RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    Richy on
    sig.gif
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    japanjapan Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    japan on
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    kdrudykdrudy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Quid wrote: »
    kdrudy wrote: »
    Creating more labels and being really picky about them seems like it just exists to fuel people who need to feel superior for their choice. Eat whatever you want, it's fine to have person preferences, just don't feel like you're extra rad because you choose even more things to not eat.

    I don't believe anyone says they feel that way. I do see people saying they wished people who do not fall under a label did not use that label so as to avoid confusion.

    I guess I misunderstood what you were saying, my bad. That said, who would expect anyone to understand what a pescatarian is, I've never even heard the word before this thread. You're a vegetarian that eats fish to the vast majority of people, it's not a big deal.

    kdrudy on
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    QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    kdrudy wrote: »
    Quid wrote: »
    kdrudy wrote: »
    Creating more labels and being really picky about them seems like it just exists to fuel people who need to feel superior for their choice. Eat whatever you want, it's fine to have person preferences, just don't feel like you're extra rad because you choose even more things to not eat.

    I don't believe anyone says they feel that way. I do see people saying they wished people who do not fall under a label did not use that label so as to avoid confusion.

    I guess I misunderstood what you were saying, my bad. That said, who would expect anyone to understand what a pescatarian is, I've never even heard the word before this thread. You're a vegetarian that eats fish to the vast majority of people, it's not a big deal.

    Except it's no more vegetarian than someone who's vegetarian except they eat beef. The word vegetarian has a clear line of what can't be eaten. If a person doesn't want to say pescetarian they can say the only meat they eat is fish. And would be perfectly correct.

    Quid on
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    ZzuluZzulu Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Quid wrote: »
    Zzulu wrote: »
    I love meat.

    A nice juicy, medium rare sirloin steak...

    ...

    Now I have to go buy some meat

    Mind actually going with what the OP says?

    I can't, I don't have any experience with people who don't like meat

    Zzulu on
    t5qfc9.jpg
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    KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    japan wrote: »
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    Yeah, my (limited) understanding of it is, "If you can't make it without a dead animal somewhere, it isn't vegetarian." Milk, eggs, cheese (that doesn't use rennet) = fine. Things cooked in animal fat, gelatin = not fine.

    KalTorak on
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    ElJeffeElJeffe Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited October 2009
    Zzulu wrote: »
    Quid wrote: »
    Zzulu wrote: »
    I love meat.

    A nice juicy, medium rare sirloin steak...

    ...

    Now I have to go buy some meat

    Mind actually going with what the OP says?

    I can't, I don't have any experience with people who don't like meat

    So then stay out of the fucking thread.

    ElJeffe on
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    Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    KalTorak wrote: »
    japan wrote: »
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    Yeah, my (limited) understanding of it is, "If you can't make it without a dead animal somewhere, it isn't vegetarian." Milk, eggs, cheese (that doesn't use rennet) = fine. Things cooked in animal fat, gelatin = not fine.

    What if they surgically remove the meat or extract the fat through liposuction?:P

    Robos A Go Go on
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    JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    In one corner, the word, which means not eating anything that involves killing the animal. In the other, people, who don't know what to call someone who just eats fish.

    No matter who wins, everyone loses!

    I guess, deal with it. There is no difference between people saying "I am a vegetarian but I eat fish" or saying "I'm not a vegetarian but I only eat fish." It conveys the same idea.

    Unless you expect the public at large to become significantly more word savvy they are going to keep saying the first one.

    JebusUD on
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    ElJeffeElJeffe Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited October 2009
    I am an anal retentive linguophile, and so I am annoyed by the imprecise use of language. I am also pissed off by misuse of "irony" and am only just starting to cave on the use of "nauseous" to mean "nauseated".

    So yeah, non-vegetarians should not call themselves vegetarians. I imagine some do it out of ignorance, some do it out of laziness, and others do it because they like being able to label themselves with what they see as a cool categorization. They just want to be part of a minority.

    Me, I'm an unrepentant carnivore, but you can make some awesome vegetarian dishes. Black beans and tofu go a long way, though I hate when people make one food pretend to be another. No, that pile of soy-mush is not a fucking burger, okay? Tofurkey is not a valid foodstuff. Tofu is best when grilled or fried, not when turned into a vaguely meat-shaped substance.

    ElJeffe on
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    KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    KalTorak wrote: »
    japan wrote: »
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    Yeah, my (limited) understanding of it is, "If you can't make it without a dead animal somewhere, it isn't vegetarian." Milk, eggs, cheese (that doesn't use rennet) = fine. Things cooked in animal fat, gelatin = not fine.

    What if they surgically remove the meat or extract the fat through liposuction?:P

    I was actually wondering about this during that episode of the Office where Dwight talks about his "9 and 3/4 horses" and how he has a process of getting meat from them without killing them.

    KalTorak on
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    DelzhandDelzhand Hard to miss. Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    KalTorak wrote: »
    japan wrote: »
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    Yeah, my (limited) understanding of it is, "If you can't make it without a dead animal somewhere, it isn't vegetarian." Milk, eggs, cheese (that doesn't use rennet) = fine. Things cooked in animal fat, gelatin = not fine.

    Aren't most egg-farm chickens living in conditions worse than death, though? I assume eggs and such are only okay for the animal-ethics vegetarians if they're free-range corn-fed organics, or whatever the latest trend in consumer-feel-goodery is.

    Delzhand on
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    ElJeffeElJeffe Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited October 2009
    KalTorak wrote: »
    japan wrote: »
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    Yeah, my (limited) understanding of it is, "If you can't make it without a dead animal somewhere, it isn't vegetarian." Milk, eggs, cheese (that doesn't use rennet) = fine. Things cooked in animal fat, gelatin = not fine.

    What if you ritually slaughter a pig every time you make a green salad?

    ElJeffe on
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    QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    JebusUD wrote: »
    I guess, deal with it. There is no difference between people saying "I am a vegetarian but I eat fish" or saying "I'm not a vegetarian but I only eat fish." It conveys the same idea.

    Except they don't. The first conveys that the person doesn't know what the word vegetarian means.

    Quid on
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    BergyBergy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I only eat cloned animals.

    Bergy on
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    RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    KalTorak wrote: »
    japan wrote: »
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    Yeah, my (limited) understanding of it is, "If you can't make it without a dead animal somewhere, it isn't vegetarian." Milk, eggs, cheese (that doesn't use rennet) = fine. Things cooked in animal fat, gelatin = not fine.

    What if they surgically remove the meat or extract the fat through liposuction?:P

    See, that's why Dwight on The Office is a genius for coming up with a horse-burger-maker that doesn't kill the horse. He gets meat, and still has a perfectly healthy 3/4 of a horse.

    Richy on
    sig.gif
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    KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    ElJeffe wrote: »
    KalTorak wrote: »
    japan wrote: »
    Richy wrote: »
    Here's a serious question: where do vegetarians stand on chicken broth? Because I have a lot of recipes that use chicken broth and no other meat product, and I don't know if I should classify them as "vegetarian" or not. There's not pieces of chicken meat in, just broth, but it's made from chicken originally, so... yeah.

    It's not vegetarian.

    Yeah, my (limited) understanding of it is, "If you can't make it without a dead animal somewhere, it isn't vegetarian." Milk, eggs, cheese (that doesn't use rennet) = fine. Things cooked in animal fat, gelatin = not fine.

    What if you ritually slaughter a pig every time you make a green salad?

    Then the Blood God blesses your meal and you gain immortality for the time it takes you to consume the salad.

    KalTorak on
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