Member-only story
Why Do People Hate Vegans So Much?
When actions don’t align with morals, things get awkward.
The first time I heard the word vegan, it came from the mouth of my high school bestie, Laura. It was a novel and ridiculous concept to me, and I couldn’t figure out why anyone would willingly limit their dietary choices, especially when it involved a sacrifice to tastes I considered my staples — and basically impossible to live without.
I was uninformed and thoroughly ignorant at the time, as we all are when presented with a brand new topic. As long-time friends, we already had established trust and valued each other’s points of view on various topics. So although veganism sounded like an awful idea I gave her the respect she deserved and decided to listen without judgment, and immerse myself into learning with an open mind.
I was stubborn and considered my taste buds my top priority. I lived my whole life eating meat and everyone I knew ate animal products. They were healthy, happy, and intelligent enough to make informed choices about the food they chose to eat. Or were they? I ignored the vegans around me, deeming them flighty hippies. I continued to live in bliss eating all the animals that tasted so delicious.
I told myself that I felt just fine, but could no longer ignore the havoc dairy wreaked on my body…
