keithl@vice.UUCP (Keith Lofstrom) (01/06/84)
I classify vegetarians into the following non-exclusive categories (there are probably more): 1) Ethical Vegetarians Those who don't eat meat because they want to minimize (not eliminate; that's obviously impossible) killing things. 2) Political Vegetarians Those who don't eat meat because they feel that's politically correct. (Prevent world hunger, etc.) 3) Physiological Vegetarians Meat eating makes them sick. 4) Religious Vegetarians Those who feel God doesn't want them to eat meat. 5) Aesthetic Vegetarians Those who think meat tastes bad. 6) Financial Vegetarians Those who can't afford meat. 7) "Health" vegetarians Those who feel meat eating is unhealthy and shortens your life. 8) Hair shirt vegetarians Meat eating is something else to give up. I'm an ethical and aesthetic, but primarily a physiological vegetarian. A boullion cube in the soup will give me symptoms resembling diarrhea; not painful, but annoying. I find the other arguments "hard to swallow". I can be very annoyed by the political and hair shirt vegetarians, mostly because they are often the ones that spend their time proselytizing and annoying people; this often causes non-vegetarians to assume all vegetarians are finicky jerks. Oh well, it helps fill the veggie restaurants. -- Keith Lofstrom uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,chico,pur-ee,cbosg,ihnss}!teklabs!vice!keithl CSnet: keithl@tek ARPAnet:keithl.tek@rand-relay