Any vegan or vegetarian is practically guaranteed to have encountered questionable jokes or mockery from other people at least once in their life. If these are just random strangers, then simply ignoring them is quite easy. But what if such rude, passive-aggressive folks are actually your relatives?
Today, we'll tell you a story from the user WantToHibernate, who also faced misunderstanding and outright rudeness from her immediate family: her mother and brother. And now she doesn't know how to handle this difficult situation.
More info: Mumsnet
Many vegans face jokes and criticism from other people for just being vegan, but sometimes these rude people are actually their close ones
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The author of the post and her 17-year-old daughter are both vegan, while her husband and son eat meat
Image credits: benzoix / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, the author's mother and youngest brother have gotten used to mocking her diet and believe they can make jokes about it
Image credits: stockking / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Recently, the mom called out the author for "brainwashing" her daughter and called them both "typical preachy vegans"
Image credits: SkelDry / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Then the author got a text from her brother saying they wouldn't sit around her and her daughter at the Christmas gathering
Image credits: WantToHibernate
So the woman even wanted to uninvite the mother and brother for Christmas at all
The original poster (OP) is married and has two children, both almost adults. The woman is vegan, and so is her 17-year-old daughter, while her husband and son both eat meat. The family has developed a completely respectful attitude towards everyone's dietary preferences, but the author's mother has always been incredibly disrespectful of her diet.
Recently, the grandmother began mocking her granddaughter's diet again, claiming that her mother had "brainwashed" her and that they were both just "typical preachy vegans." Neither the OP nor her daughter was trying to preach veganism in any way - they just felt more comfortable being vegan.
What was even more offensive to the author was that her younger brother joined in on his mother's bullying, making sarcastic jokes about his niece. It all ended with the teen storming out, and soon after, the OP received a text from her bro, claiming that he and her mother purely wanted to sit away from the author and her daughter at the Christmas table.
For our heroine, this was the last straw. She declared that she didn't want to see either her mom or bro at her place for Christmas. The daughter agreed with this idea, and the husband said that he fully supported the idea of uninviting the rude fam. And now, the lady has decided to enlist the support of netizens, not willing to completely cut her mother off.
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Some people who follow a traditional diet still perceive vegans as "weirdos" and find it funny to poke fun at them, for example, by offering them a meat dish at the table or making questionable jokes about food. The most offensive thing, as the author of this dedicated article at the Vegan Piano Lady blog notes, is that these people are often your relatives and friends.
Some researchers do believe that most prejudices against vegans are actually directed not at the people themselves, but at what they represent and bring to mind. "The mere presence of a vegan immediately shifts meat-eating from the comfort of an unexamined social norm to the disquieting reality of a choice," this article at BiteSizeVegan claims.
Many researchers note that, ideally, a diet should be balanced to meet all the body's needs. However, a vegan diet still has a number of benefits. For example, it may support better weight management, be heart-healthy, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and even reduce the risk of certain cancers. However, in any case, recommendations should be made by a doctor.
By the way, in an update, the OP said that her younger brother didn't actually write that rude text - it was their mother, who took his phone without asking. Moreover, the bro sincerely apologized to his sister and niece for his behavior, so he will likely come to visit for Christmas. As for the mother - well, perhaps she, too, will someday realize her mistake.
But that certainly won't happen today or even tomorrow. By the way, our dear readers, if you've encountered something similar in your personal experience, too, please feel free to share your own stories in the comments. Or just tell us what you think about this particular tale.
Most commenters sided with the author in her unwillingness to invite rude fam, but it turned out later that her brother offered his apologies for being so disrespectful
