I was a fresh seventeen year old discovering that I loved engaging in Facebook arguments. I joined a group about how hunting was wrong and would frequently engage with hunters. Me and my mum would team up and destroy the hunters in the comments. Then one day I look at a reply that said “You are a hypocrite. All you do is pay people to kill the animals for you, I just cut out the middle man.” It was like a slap to the face. I showed my mum. There was a moment of silence before we both agreed that this scum hunter was actually fucking right. No meat, decided then and there. But my mum thankfully took it further that day and deep dived and learned all about the animal agriculture industry. She came to me, presented her findings and well, we went vegan on the spot. We talked to my sister who was eight at the time. She said yes. My mums partner took a little longer to transition as he was very food oriented. My older sister waved a pizza pocket in my face and said “mmmm ham” whilst my best friend laughed. Two years later? They were both vegan. My mums best friend also went vegan the same time. This was about sixteen years ago now.
Your mother sounds wonderful. You two seem to be really close, which is adorable. I appreciate how you two took a disagreement, gave it some thought, and arrived at this decision.
How come? You are so fortunate to have such a unique mommy! What a family!
Whoa, to be able to persuade that many close friends and family members, you must be amazing advocates. Not a single one has responded favorably to me.
A close friend of mine became vegan because of health concerns and continued to follow the vegan diet after learning about the agricultural sector.
Being a sporadic vegetarian at the time, I decided to bite the bullet and go hunting. Not shooting, but yet offering assistance. I came to the conclusion that factory farming is not optimal for hunting. However, it soon became clear that “population control” was really a pretext when hunters began to feed their prey illegally in order to overpopulate it and then kill it down. They didn’t tell me that until they thought I belonged in the group. Hunting is a source of enjoyment for them, independent of the meat they harvest or the ecological balance it may maintain.
Even though I deeply regret going on the hunt, it might have been a crucial event in helping me become vegan. I have a great deal of respect for those who arrived more quickly and sensibly.
I’ve been vegan for ten years; hunters who kill and consume the meat are generally considered to be more morally superior to the general populace. That’s not something I could ever dream of doing, but it’s way superior to factory farming. 99.99% of people would be vegans or at the very least vegetarians tomorrow if there was a law requiring people who consume meat to kill it themselves.
Your mother, yourself, and your bond sound wonderful. Neither of my parents and I have actually ever had the chance to share a common hobby, objective, etc. The most astounding thing of all is that you listened and altered your behavior after being presented with unsettling truths.
She sounds like an amazing lady, and I never thought a mother could respond to your views with such consideration and respect. I wish such a beautiful human had raised me. Well done, OP! Love her and never stop influencing people to eat more plant-based foods!
I went through something quite similar. A few years ago, there was a video circulating that showed a father and an emotional child pleading with a hunter not to shoot deer in their neighborhood. The video quickly gained popularity, and everyone who commented on it assumed the child was an entitled whiner and the father was a horrible father. Even if the hunter adhered to the “eat-what-you-kill” principle, I still thought he was a total asshole and detested his methods. At that moment, I realized I needed to change because my behaviors did not align with my principles.