Is it normal to think [most] vegetarians are hypocrites?

No. There is a very obvious difference between eating the corpse of an animal and eating an apple. If you can't see that then you have a problem. Also most plants give off fruit and vegetables which can be picked without killing the actual plant. In fact most plants need to be picked to keep the plant healthy. So you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

i guess it is perfectly normal for you to think that vegetarians are hypocrites. after all, we ARE biased, and we DO criticize things we don't understand and, very often, none of our business - like what somebody else is eating... so relax, you are perfectly normal in this respect at least :)

Bottom line is: dont say your a vegetarian, just say your on a diet to avoid criticism.

next time when i cut my tomato, i'll do it peaceful kill and with respect ok! happy now?

Well, it's a good thing we're at the top of the food chain so we can all just eat whatever we want and get over ourselves.

I was going to post a long and criticizing comment as these types of posts are always a close thing to me, but instead decided to say this and go for a run.

seeds baby plants lol

What strikes me most about vegetarianism is it shows how we are running; hiding from the fact that we are in fact animals. Society is the device giving us power to do this... Fashion, media telling us how to act, ettiquette, socially acceptable behavior, the demonization of anything pleasurable... When really were just apes in business suits, most of our motivations able to be whittled down to instinct.

People can have whatever lifestyle they want. For me, I accept that eating meat is part of nature, I am a hunter to complete the metaphorical circle that connects us all. For others, fill in your own blank. :)

Tis merely interesting to consider how this fits in the greater scheme of things.

The amount of feeling and awareness plants have varies a lot from animals, which is the same with humans. Like dappled said it's just which point on the scale I'm comfortable with, and I don't view eating plants as murder; whereas I do with animals.

I have nothing against meat-eaters and their lifestyle choice, so I'd appreciate it if vegetarians like myself would get the same treatment.

my brother went veg for a few years. the amount of negative feedback he received from friends and family was ridiculous. shit like "you like football, and those balls are made from pigskin, so you're a "hypocrite." not once has he ever criticize anyone else for eating meat. but so many people attacked and criticized him. i still don't really understand why.

No, they are not hypocrites for that reason. There was this girl that I knew that said she was a vegetarian but she still ate chicken. That is hypocritical.

P.S. Did anybody else click on this post just to see what Dappled was going to say? :)

Plants are alive, but they don't have feelings like animals do, so it's different.

It's not black or white. We just choose which things we are comfortable with killing for our nutrition. The same as with meat-eaters who don't choose to eat say, dog, or humans. Vegetarianism is just a point on the scale where we've excluded more things. And not because they're Bambi or Babe. Generally, it's because we believe their right to live as long as nature wanted them to is greater than our right to kill and eat them.

This sounds like something I would write. I totally agree with you!

It's normal that you think most vegetarians are hypocrites because they are. However, your reasoning makes no sense! Baby plants and baby animals aren't the same! Animals are sentient, plants are not -- in other words, they aren't the same thing! What makes most vegetarians hypocrites is that the fertilizer that fertilizes the vegetables and fruits they eat comes from animal byproducts, so they're indirectly eating animals!

I don't mind people doing it though don't get me wrong, I just don't understand.

Humans have forgotten their connection to the earth, that thing that provides us with food. Animals are easier to connect with so yeah, we anthropomorphise life with eyes and that move around. Cuddling with plants tends to make you itchy. Well, some plants. Some can be quite nice. It doesn't make them a better or worse life to take. Just a type of life that is harder to connect to. We are fortunate to have such a choice of food and I'm glad to have that choice.

Animals are sentient. Plants are not.

Also, people are vegetarians for different reasons.

Think of it this way: The parts of the plant we eat typically do not kill the plant. In most cases it actually makes the plant healthier and/or it is the plants purpose to dispose of those edible parts, as in the case of fruit. In the case of animals, that would be like eating snakeskin or nail clippings. It's harmless to the plant as a whole. Also, as to the anthropomorphism comment, personally I feel that is completely inaccurate. I didn't become a vegetarian because I watched a lot of Disney movies as a child. The fact is that animals of all species are thinking and feeling beings. Many of them are capable of strong emotional bonds often that last longer than those of humans as is the case with elephants and tortoises. All animals are capable of real feelings. Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that. Also, I hardly think that seeds are akin to baby plants. If anything a better analogy for seeds would be eggs and honestly the question of whether it is right or wrong to eat eggs would really depend on whether you believe life begins at conception or birth.

if they don't eat meat or vegetables, what do you want them to eat? stones maybe????

vegans got to live too you know! well i guess no you don't know!

I think so too, I once knew someone who said that humans are wretched evil creatures for killing animals.

I don't understand why, I mean lions kill animals too. Yet she says that it's different, how?

The problem here is that vegetarians have to put up with such teasing and downright hurtful stuff. Seriously, people should be able to just do what they want without everybody going nuts.

true, plants are living things, however plants have no feelings like animals and they reproduce faster and in bigger numbers, so there's pretty much an endless amount. they don't go endangered like animals. sorry, i really don't see any hypocrisy there..

According to Buddhism (and their reasons to vegetarianism), plants and stuff are living, but they do not have the same "heart" (feelings, emotions, etc.) as animals do. Which means, they do not feel pain or seek revenge when killed and/or eaten. Therefore, you are not hurting anything as plants don't get hurt. Just a simplified explanation of many deep principles.

Animals have sentience and plants don't. Animals are self aware and plants are not.
Animals consciousness and plants don't.

I'm not a vegetarian but I wouldn't call them hypocrite. I think their point of view makes sense even though I don't share it.

If they didn't eat plants, they'd starve. It's possible (anything is possible) that plants have some form of conciousness, but probably unlikely they feel physical pain.

Vegetarians can have different reasons for being one.
Like you already said they may dislike the taste or are simply disgusted by it for whatever reason.
Meat in comparison to, say, potatoes is very uneconomical.
They may dislike the idea of eating something intelligent (actually I believe chickens and bugs are no more intelligent than plans or bacteria, while crows are as intelligent as humans).
They may dislike the idea of eating something that feels pain and fear (Again I don't believe chicken conceive fear like we do).
They may dislike the idea of stacking chickens in a room and feeding them with horseshit.
They may be too poor to buy quality meat. (I cannot even eat it without getting nausea)

Oh well I'm no vegetarian, thus I can't give you proper reasons.

Tree is tree, chicken is chicken, puma is puma. Eat what you want and don't bug others with it.