Yesterday, I was in the school library trying to catch up with my AP World review (the test is in May, but we're supposed to be three chapters in). I sat down at a computer, and soon after some guys sat down around me and were talking. Not super loudly, just talking. And for some reason two of their keyboards are attached to my computer, because some people either don't know how computers work or just like messing with them (probably the latter). So that was really the only interaction we had.
So I'm just studying, reading about the Roman Empire and stuff. And at some point this really irritating guy who I used to be friends with and is basically generally a jerk to everyone comes over to them and says "comp sci fam". Don't try to decipher this yourself - it just means he knows them through some computer science thing, and he starts talking with them.
So, I basically hate this guy. He's a huge asshole. Like I said, we used to be friends, and he still seems to think we kind of are sometimes. Like the day before during AP World, I went up to someone else I know and he's like "oh there you are, nice to see you ______" in a nice way. But I ignored him because he's a dick (like today during that class someone was reading something and he literally started reading it as she was because... he's an attention whore? I don't know).
Soooo I'm kinda salty that he's there, but I'm just studying. And then they start talking about veganism. Sigh.
"Veganism has been proven to be scientifically horrible for you"
"There was this vegan person and they were visibly ill and sickly blah blah blah"
I don't know how this started, but that guy who I used to be friends with knows I'm vegan (and he's actually a vegetarian), so I did speculate a bit...
Anyway, so I contemplated in my head what to do. I could say nothing because they're not addressing me, but wouldn't that kind of be selling out veganism and not being a real advocate? So, I was just like, "Hey, I'm not trying to start an argument, but ______" and then I think I said something about how veganism has a lot of health benefits or something.
And there was a very brief back and forth b/w me and one of the guys, like:
"But its been scientifically proven to be unhealthy."
I forget exactly how it went but I said flat out that wasn't true, because it isn't, and that if he doesn't want to be vegan that's his thing and ok, but there are a lot of potential health benefits that are very reasonable. And I don't really think he wanted to argue, so he was just like "ok." He also said he had a vegan cousin and would never try to change them, so it wasn't a heated argument like that. I'm glad I stepped in.
But during it, while we were talking, that guy who is a jerk is like, "Oh this is ____ you're talking with, I know her."
Like honestly fuck you.
But I didn't respond to that, because like I said I generally ignore him (except in certain cases), and plus I figured he's just making himself look bad and these guys probably all despise him anyway (it's really hard not to).Anyway, so basically I'm making this topic because, it's super uncomfortable when you hear people trash-talking veganism around you when they don't know you're vegan (especially when you know one of the people there and you are not on good terms). Because if you intervene then you're starting something with people you literally don't know, but if you don't then you're selling out. And if you do choose to intervene, how do you intervene? How confrontational vs polite are you about that?
I think you should intervene, and I usually do. I don't hear people talking about veganism a lot, and off the top of my head I can't really think of more than one time I heard people talking about it, but if they were talking about atheism...
"Atheism is so stupid"
"Yeah jesus rocks"
Well, then I probably wouldn't say anything. Partially because I'm not as passionate about that, and partially because... I don't know, actually. I just feel morally obligated when its about veganism. It's different. I would just think, "oh, they're stupid".
But maybe I should intervene in that situation too.
What do you guys think?
