They say that vegans will always be sure to tell you they’re vegan, but apparently, some vegetarians will too. Dietary preferences are a personal choice, but after one woman pretended to be vegan to befriend a colleague, her plan blew up in her face.
Below, you’ll find the full story that the woman’s boyfriend recently shared on the “Am I the Jerk?” subreddit, detailing how these two women who don’t eat meat managed to have beef with one another.
After meeting a vegan coworker she wanted to befriend, one woman decided to bend the truth about her eating habits
Image credits: seventyfourimages (not the actual photo)
But the charade couldn’t last forever, as her boyfriend eventually became fed-up
Image credits: Prostock-studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: sloomstudio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: nonVEGANtHROWawayyy
Later, the man clarified some details about the situation
Though still not mainstream, veganism has been gaining popularity all over the world in recent years
Veganism may still seem like a fringe diet and lifestyle choice, but it’s becoming increasingly popular all the time. According to Cash Lady, there are approximately 88 million vegans around the globe right now, meaning about 1.1% of the world’s population follows a plant-based diet. The countries where veganism is most popular are the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Sweden, World Population Review reports, but it’s possible to find them all over the planet. All vegans want is to follow a cruelty-free diet and lifestyle that doesn’t cause any unnecessary harm to animals and the world, but people often poke fun at them for being hippie stereotypes and “only eating grass”.
I’ve been vegan for 6 years, and I can tell you from personal experience that most vegans are not actually judgemental or aggressive about their views. We’re just chilling, eating our tofu and cashew cheese, and hoping that the world starts shifting to become more plant-based and cruelty-free. However, there are some vegans out there who are a bit more extreme in their views: people who refuse to eat at a restaurant that serves animal products or who cannot befriend anyone else who is not vegan, for example. Now, it’s perfectly fine for individuals to be so strong in their convictions that they want to surround themselves with like-minded people, but it certainly makes their lives harder.
But being vegan does not require that all of your friends follow the same lifestyle
Not being able to share a meal with your friends and family members unless they’re all eating plant-based can be very isolating, and it can come off as judgmental. Plus, it does not do much to further the vegan movement if everyone assumes vegans are incapable of socializing or speaking to anyone who is not vegan. So most of us have no problem being friends with individuals who lead different lifestyles! It’s similar to having friends who practice a different religion or share different political views. Not everyone can do it, but it makes life much simpler and much more fulfilling when you can keep an open mind to people who aren’t exactly the same as you. Not to mention the fact that there aren’t that many vegans out there, so it would turn making friends into a nearly impossible challenge for some of us if we weren’t allowed any omnivorous pals.
There’s no question that lying is a terrible way to begin a friendship or relationship, so it’s important to always be upfront with others, even if there are parts of ourselves we may not be particularly proud of. Perhaps this woman wants to be fully vegan, but she just hasn’t found the willpower yet. I’m sure her vegan friend would understand that and respect the fact that she already is vegetarian, or she might not be worth having as a friend anyway. Starting a relationship or friendship that’s based on deception can only lead to heartbreak and the shattering of whatever trust you’ve managed to build.
Starting a friendship based on lies is always a recipe for disaster
We all know not to lie or catfish on dating apps, but according to SocialSelf, honesty is paramount in friendships as well. It allows us to truly get closer to our friends, allows us to relax and be ourselves without worrying about keeping up appearances, allows us to support one another in the ways we need it, allows us to build trust with our friends, can solve problems within our friendships and can even promote personal growth. On the other hand, keeping the truth from our friends can be harmful, and it’s simply unnecessary. If someone genuinely wants to be your pal, they will love you for you, not who your favorite band is or what you ate for dinner. And if you lie to them to try to win them over, the truth coming out can quickly dissolve that friendship.
This particular situation on Reddit has had readers split. Some determined that the boyfriend should have kept his mouth shut about the lies, while others thought his girlfriend got what was coming to her for misleading her friend in the first place. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this man was right for calling out his girlfriend, or would you have handled the situation differently? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing drama surrounding vegan food, look no further than right here!
Some readers assured that the man that he had done nothing wrong
While others believed that everyone involved could have been more mature
The post “Am I A Jerk For Calling My GF Out On Not Being A Vegan In Front Of Her Friend?” first appeared on Bored Panda.
