‘But plants have feelings though’

Posted on by The Crumby Vegan Posted in For the AnimalsTagged , , , , ,

Meat-eaters ask vegans and vegetarians all sorts of weird questions. This is normally a self-defense mechanism because the mere presence of a vegan or vegetarian can throw up some weird emotions for people who, at the very least, care for animals but still eat them. 

On a regular basis I’ll get questions like… ‘If there was a dog and a baby about to die, you’d save the dog right?’

Because apparently vegans hate babies.

Another example is the desert island scenario. ‘So say you’re stranded on a desert island, no one else, just you and another animal, would you kill and eat the animal or would you starve to death?’ My general response goes along the lines of ‘Oh you mean those weird imaginary desert islands that don’t grow fruit?’ I find it strange that in all of these scenarios I must kill an animal. 

The absolute weirdest question I get is ‘How do you know that plants don’t have feelings? They are living too so how come you’re happy to kill and eat them?’

In the clear light of day these questions are absolute nonsense and show that actually the person posing the question is probably the one experiencing the moral dilemma. 

Surprisingly, even Wonderful Husband used to defend his meat-eating with the ‘plants have feelings’ excuse too. He would say that if there were no way of eating food without hurting any living thing then he couldn’t understand what the point was to save the animals and kill the plants. I remember feeling shocked that he was trying to justify his meat-eating using my plant-eating, even though I knew it was just his conscience battling his appetite.

The plant excuse became really popular after an article was published back in 2014. Summary: Scientists found that a particular type of plant reacted to a certain type of vibration by releasing more mustard oil than usual. Those vibrations resembled those of a chewing caterpillar. Caterpillars don’t like mustard oil so they left the plant alone. 

Well in that case plants must have feelings.

We live in a world where most people can’t justify eating a dog, yet I’m having to justify eating a plant. But let’s carry on with the justification regardless…

The leading causes of rainforest destruction are livestock and feedcrops.

Yep, they cut down a ton of trees to make space for factory farms, more so than for anything else. But wait, there’s even more.

Worldwide, at least 50% of grain (plants!) is fed to livestock.

Animals in the factory farming industry are fed a whole lot of plants to ensure they bulk up before slaughter. 

To summarise, veganism results in the killing of fewer plants than a meat-eating diet. So if your genuine concern for plants has been the only thing stopping you from becoming vegan then I’ve gone and solved your problem. You’re welcome.

But seriously, if you’re living in a first world country the only excuse you could possibly have to eat meat is that you like the taste. Then once you connect the sole reason for factory farms (one of the most destructive businesses on the planet!) to your craving for meat then you’ll probably question my choice to eat plants a little less.

Remember if you are craving meat, it’s not the animal you’re craving, it’s the texture and the seasoning. So choose chewy, salty, cruelty-free foods to combat that craving. There are so many cruelty-free alternatives out there that meet all of these criteria.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like any help in transitioning to a more cruelty-free diet (for both animals and plants)💚

71 thoughts on “‘But plants have feelings though’”

  1. Reply
    Heidi Coon says:

    Corpse munchers generously spout such tripe along with their omnipresent fallacious whining.
    I agree with ya, that they’re experiencing a moral dilemma.
    I always remind them (usually more so inform) that killing & eating dogs/cats is legal in majority of US states. After they chop a German Shepherd or tabby up like an onion, slap it on a kebab to grill & chow down, I refuse to hold court with them.
    Signed,
    A plant eating/mass murderer.

    Liked by 3 people

  2. Reply
    GrAnnie says:

    Excellent blog as usual Zoe. Did you ever read’Stranger in a. Strange land’ it’s awful that I forget the author,maybe Arther C Clark,not sure.
    I remember a line about the grass accepting to be trodden on. Great book probably totally outdated now but if you get the time…….x xx

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Haha that’s very sweet Melissa, thank you. To be honest when people care about animals but they grow up eating meat they’ll use any excuse to justify eating meat… Because that’s how most people come to realisation. So I just see it as a process 🙂 💚

      Like

  6. Reply
    Chastity says:

    Thanks for sharing your post very funny and informative as well. I personally love meat and at times I think could I be a vegan or vegetarian but simply can’t. But these questions that you get asked are so silly, some people don’t know what to say🤦🏽‍♀️

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Thanks for your comment Tara.

      It really depends on how you feel about animals… I love animals but I wasn’t always vegan, I used to eat meat, but everyone has to start their journey somewhere 💚

      Like

  8. Reply
    realmofvibes says:

    This is an insightful post to people who are and aren’t vegan. My opinion is that all life has feelings; whether it be an animal or a plant. The reality is, we need to eat! I often remind myself it is the circle of life and I take pride in my garden to produce delicious fruits and vegetables every year.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      This is such a beautiful comment – thank you for writing. I had wrote a paragraph of how much I value plants but decided not to include it in the post. I absolutely adore plants and so thankful that they give us everything we need to survive… You’re right though, until we can survive on simply air we have to eat something, so for people to call us out is just weird. People will say things to make themselves feel better though! 💚

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Thanks Jaime… That’s all I’m trying to acomplish with this blog. The more normal veganism becomes, the more people won’t feel so defensive about it.

      Thanks for your mega comment 💚

      Like

  11. Reply
    Value Minded Mama says:

    I tried being vegan for a few months and it was torture. I literally didn’t eat any fruits/vegetables and just ate vegan carbs and vegan junk food. I think I could probably do it now if I wanted to, because I love fruits and veggies so much, but we’re just too much of a meat eating family!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      I know the feeling because I grew up with a meat-eating family too! My husband still eats meat… Sigh 🙂

      Sorry to hear that when you tried to be vegan it didn’t go so well. It took me eight years to go vegan so I can’t imagine doing it overnight. Most importantly it’s all about small steps and achievements. Another post I wrote tells you all about it: https://thecrumbyvegan.com/2017/05/08/kinda-vegan/ but please don’t hesitate if you would like to slowly go towards a more plant-based diet. It sounds like you’re a great candidate considering how much you love fruit and veg 💚

      Like

  15. Reply
    Dylan says:

    I’ve definitely tried to cut back on my meat & dairy consumption! I love that people are able to be fully vegan and vegetarian. It’s so dumb to question people who chose to live a vegan/plant based lifestyle. I defiantly don’t want to kill our plant over a hamburger when I can go for a veggie burger on occasion

    Liked by 3 people

  16. Reply
    Sweet Coralice says:

    I have friends that are both vegan and vegetarian and I have never thought about those questions. I’m more on “what can I make to eat when you visit because I want you to be comfortable and enjoy our time together” questioning path. I respect their choices the same way they respect mine and we don’t shove it in each other’s faces. I’m totally ok having a meal that doesn’t include meat, well chicken or fish mostly, but I have no plans to completely remove it from my diet anytime soon. Idiots on the other hand…

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      That tells me lovely things about you! Sounds like you know a lot about their diets already and that you’re a lovely friend. However, some people are open to veganism and some people aren’t. It’s great that you have your friends around you so that if you ever do what to know anything about slowly transitioning then you’ve got that lovely support already 💚

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Reply
    RM says:

    I am not vegan but I’m sorry that you have to put up with such ridiculous comments from people about your lifestyle choice…. I have cut down my meat intake considerably… I grew up thinking meat must be at every meal . Now though, I cook vegetarian meals for my kiddos and me 5-6 days a week…

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Haha yea I wonder about that too… It must be the first way that in their minds we can be tricked into eating meat and therefore justify their life choices (even though they care about animals but still eat them) haha! 💚

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Reply
    More Than Greens says:

    Ha! Yep, can’t count the number of times I’ve heard all of those.

    The desert island one is my favourite. If there are animals there, what are they eating? They can’t all be carnivores because there’s a food chain so I’ll have whatever the herbivores are having. Unless it’s some magical barren island or one with with nothing edible to humans… Which seems about as likely as me being stranded on a desert island in the first place.

    Sorry, got a bit carried away there… Anyway, great post! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Haha I love this comment! I wrote something similar to this but deleted it because I couldn’t phrase it half as good as you just did 🙂

      I’m glad a lot of us are getting to the point where we realise the questions are nonsense. All of these people questioning whether we would kill an animal or not wouldn’t eat meat if they had to kill the animal themselves lol 💚

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Reply
    Cheryl at The Lifestyle Digs says:

    I was eating grapes a couple of days ago and as I was yanking them off the stem, I did for a moment ask myself if they had feelings too. Ha! I’ve been vegetarian for over 30 years and that’s the first time that thought jumped into my head. And then I ate all the grapes anyway.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Reply
    elizabethcolette says:

    My cousin is a vegan and I know she gets a lot of these comments. We just try to always have vegan options for her when she comes over :).

    Liked by 2 people

  23. Reply
    Chelsea | HerPaperRoute.com says:

    I can appreciate this post! I have a friend who would always announce to other people that I’m a vegetarian when we would go out to eat, and I hated it! I didn’t want anyone to know, partly because I don’t want anyone to think they have to “do something special” to feed me, but mostly because I don’t want to have to answer everyone asking “WHY don’t you eat meat?” and then feeling like I have to defend my reasons 😛

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Oh my gosh I know your pain… I always ask my husband to not bring it up when we meet new people and to my despair he ALWAYS brings it up. I just want to act casual but I guess he wants to make sure I can eat something nice which is quite sweet, although then come the questions… But at least we have ‘but plants have feelings’ covered now haha! 🙂 💚

      Like

  24. Reply
    Tracy Chong says:

    I am not vegan and I never thought of asking such questions. I have few vegetarian friends and we have no problem at all when going out for meals together. Sometimes we also went to the vegetarian restaurant. I think sometimes, people are just too interesting to ever thought of that. Hehehe..

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Dionne thank you for this comment because it’s exactly what I’m all about. The whole idea is to take it in stages and use whatever motivates someone to educate themselves more and more on the topic (for example environment). I’m so happy to hear that you feel healthier! Have you watched the documentary What The Health yet? So interesting and pretty much what you’re saying 💚

      Like

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      That is such a sweet comment!

      Animals mean the world to me (well anyone innocent) and I do what I can to raise awareness for them. I’m super grateful for your comment as I’m not a writer by nature either (you’ve probably noticed a few grammatical mistakes!).

      Thank you 💚

      Like

  30. Reply
    Gabi Kis says:

    I hear a lot of similar silly questions. My best friend asked almost all of them. 😅 I’ve also got the “but bacon though” slogan from someone already. 😀 Btw I’ve never met with a vegan in real life. 🙈

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Ah most of us only have vegan friends online too so I share your pain haha!

      Sounds like you’re setting a great example if your friend is asking you all of these pointless questions, they might be struggling with their own feelings about eating meat. That’s what I found anyway. Keep up the good work!! 💚

      Liked by 1 person

  31. Reply
    Aaron McMurray says:

    This argument is my favourite ‘anti-vegan’ argument. I almost hope they never stop using it. It’s just too fun to play with the carnists when they use it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      I must agree with you. Now I’ve come to realise that it’s an absurd argument and laugh along… I hope that one day we are in a position to worry about if plants have feelings because animals are left alone for a change 💚

      Like

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