I have stumbled upon a strange theory. The peculiarity of refusing to eat meat is a distinctively white upper-middle-class phenomenon. Declaring oneself a vegetarian is a status symbol. In the western world, we have so much abundance of food that we have the luxury and privilege to turn down an offer of food. Unless one is Hindu and must refuse to eat meat upon threat of eternal hellfire, there is no realistic reason to eat only foliage.
This is not when I first realized that vegetarians irritate me. But it is when I shaped coherent opinions that dug a little deeper than "vegs suck." This is my first foray into observing their behavior, studying motivations and social cues.
Let me ask you something. Do you think starving people in third world countries are vegetarians? If they are, do you honestly think they made the decision consciously on purpose to be vegetarian? Nope. They are vegetarian because they cannot afford to buy meat.
Do you think poor Appalachian white families are vegetarians? Do you think poor lower-class black people living in government subsidized housing projects are vegetarians? Do you think that anyone born into poverty in this country would ever choose to be vegetarian?
Vegetarianism is a distinctly first-world affectation.
Whether the proponents consciously are aware of this or not, this is a status symbol. It is a way of signaling to others that, "we are living steeped in luxury and in the ability to be choosy."" They have the privilege of being picky, finicky eaters. There is so much food, that they don't have to worry about missing out on vital nutrition or sustenance.
"There is such an abundance and such a variety, that the exact thing I want will be in there somewhere. I don't have to eat something I am not totally crazy about. There is bountiful plenty. So what if there is a bunch of food that might go to waste because people are not eating it? I have a craving for a particular nibble, and if I act fastidious enough, it is bound to show up."
It is a sign that they are so comfortable and cushy, that they have the realistic option to turn _down_ an offer of food. You think a brown-skinned anybody living in abject poverty in slums of a third-world country is a vegetarian? By choice? You think a poor white person living in a trailer park is a vegetarian?
I realized this because I have been taking Environmental Science this fall semester. I think that the topic change from environmentalism to this realization about vegetarians should be obvious. Come on, environment => salads. The transition is natural and self-evident.
I walked into class the first day of the semester -- and saw that it was populated by all these middle-class white kids. I could infer that the majority of the kids were there because they thought it would be an easy class.
My first question was, 'Hey, wait a minute, where are all the rednecks?' My second reaction was, 'Oh good Lord, really?' When I walked into class that first day, I almost had a stroke trying to keep my eyes from rolling. It was pretty obvious they were mostly enrolled in this course because they thought it would be an easy A. Like it would be comprised of a bunch of pot-smoking hippies sitting around wailing “save the rainforest” or something.
The class started with more than thirty kids enrolled. Now it is past the halfway point of the semester, and almost two-thirds of students have dropped the course. So as per usual, I was right.
This is not when I first realized that vegetarians irritate me. But it is when I shaped coherent opinions that dug a little deeper than "vegs suck." This is my first foray into observing their behavior, studying motivations and social cues.
Let me ask you something. Do you think starving people in third world countries are vegetarians? If they are, do you honestly think they made the decision consciously on purpose to be vegetarian? Nope. They are vegetarian because they cannot afford to buy meat.
Do you think poor Appalachian white families are vegetarians? Do you think poor lower-class black people living in government subsidized housing projects are vegetarians? Do you think that anyone born into poverty in this country would ever choose to be vegetarian?
Vegetarianism is a distinctly first-world affectation.
Whether the proponents consciously are aware of this or not, this is a status symbol. It is a way of signaling to others that, "we are living steeped in luxury and in the ability to be choosy."" They have the privilege of being picky, finicky eaters. There is so much food, that they don't have to worry about missing out on vital nutrition or sustenance.
"There is such an abundance and such a variety, that the exact thing I want will be in there somewhere. I don't have to eat something I am not totally crazy about. There is bountiful plenty. So what if there is a bunch of food that might go to waste because people are not eating it? I have a craving for a particular nibble, and if I act fastidious enough, it is bound to show up."
It is a sign that they are so comfortable and cushy, that they have the realistic option to turn _down_ an offer of food. You think a brown-skinned anybody living in abject poverty in slums of a third-world country is a vegetarian? By choice? You think a poor white person living in a trailer park is a vegetarian?
I realized this because I have been taking Environmental Science this fall semester. I think that the topic change from environmentalism to this realization about vegetarians should be obvious. Come on, environment => salads. The transition is natural and self-evident.
I walked into class the first day of the semester -- and saw that it was populated by all these middle-class white kids. I could infer that the majority of the kids were there because they thought it would be an easy class.
My first question was, 'Hey, wait a minute, where are all the rednecks?' My second reaction was, 'Oh good Lord, really?' When I walked into class that first day, I almost had a stroke trying to keep my eyes from rolling. It was pretty obvious they were mostly enrolled in this course because they thought it would be an easy A. Like it would be comprised of a bunch of pot-smoking hippies sitting around wailing “save the rainforest” or something.
The class started with more than thirty kids enrolled. Now it is past the halfway point of the semester, and almost two-thirds of students have dropped the course. So as per usual, I was right.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment