vegetarianism is a thing 16 yr olds catch

do you reckon as generation we'll make any difference?

there always seems to be a lot hype about youth being the way to a 'new and vibrant future' or whatever.
It seems to have been like that about every generation, and not a lot actually changes.

 

Well, I've been veggie for about 3 weeks now, and I turn 26 this year. One of those life decisions I have recently made - I haven't all of a sudden come over all 'holier-than-thou', or had a startling revelation that eating meat is BAD (we all know it's not good for the animals in question don't we?). I just want to be healthier.

Never been a massive 'fan' of meat anyway, so not missing it to be honest. Feeling much better for not having it too.

In this day and age, people have far more CHOICE. We are able to make way more informed decisions. This is a good thing of course! To label vegetarianism as a fad is not good - we all have to find our own way, and people should respect that, no matter what age we are.

 

"do you reckon as generation we'll make any difference?

there always seems to be a lot hype about youth being the way to a 'new and vibrant future' or whatever.
It seems to have been like that about every generation, and not a lot actually changes."


I was definately thinking about this last night. It seems like a lot of people are turning veg*n recently (at least where I am) and if it's a generation thing then maybe by the time we're in our 30's and 40's it'll be pretty mainstream.

 

This post made me laugh. I don't know anyone that's a vegetarian, besides myself...and I know a lot of people. Maybe it's because I live in the Midwest...I don't know. My sister is 14 and her and her little friends actually MAKE FUN OF ME, about being a vegetarian, not to mention a self proclaimed neo-hippy. If being a vegetarian is a fad, I must be MISSING something. I've been a vegetarian for over 4 years and still have met VERY few people who even UNDERSTAND the concept and who'll just take it at face value. Most HAVE to argue about it and make me feel wrong about the life decision that I've made. Luckily, I've learned to deal with it. The Midwest really isn't very progressive, I'm afraid.

 

Yea, I know what you mean.. I don't know anyone around here who is also a vegetarian. Actually most of my friends and family are not supportive of my being a vegetarian. And I have had many people try to talk me into eating meat. People can be so intolerant..
But yea, it's definately not a trend around here.

 

Maybe a majority of vegetarians didn't eat healthy, like me. So at a certain point they had to eat meat to stay healthy. Maybe I'm just a stupid little fifteen year old. Who knows.

Actually I do know vegetarians and vegans that are older than sixteen. In all seriousness one problem maybe that some people do it because they think it's cool. Oh I don't eat meat because I'm a rebel. And as they aged the realized how ignorant they were being. Or maybe this is just another stupid thought.

Whatever, have a nice day .
Peace

 

x

 

I've been vegan for a few months now and became vegetarian about... 9 or 10 months ago, I think.

 

YOU SIR, ARE A WANKER.

 

Wheee. I didn't really read this thread but I've been a vegetarian for about 11 months.

 

i caught it at 12...haha...but ya i do think that vegetarianism is getting much stronger. maybe people are aiming towards children? i came to the conclusion on my own, i never read anything about it and no one ever talked to me about it before i became vege. i just heard of people who didnt eat meat, and thought about why they would do that. no...they have tables at concerts and whatnot. i used to table at those concerts haha. so they are definately focusing in on like teens/punk teens.

 

I was sixteen when I became a vegetarian. I agree, that it's a time in your life when you are questioning the way things are done, and you aren't so stuck in your ways that you can't change something you disagree with. I stopped as a New Year's resolution nearly two years ago. According to my parents, it's a phase. Like someone else said...that's a hell of a phase to go through, don't you think? Quite possibly, it's more than a phase. Our generation just may be smarter than we're given credit for.

Chely

 

it's been five years since i've eaten meat and i really couldn't tell you why i made the decision. it just felt right, like i needed to do it. it's not like i had a bunch of vegetarian friends (in fact i didn't know of any). i was 13 and i just jumped into it. my parents helped me along, but thought it was that whole phase thing and kept offering me meat. now that it's been so long, they're all about trying new stuff with tofu. they seem to find non-meat products to be so weird and exciting. but now they accept that my choice of foods is not a phase. i think most parents like to believe that it is. they want their kids to eat meat just because it's so much easier to only have to cook one meal, rather than one meal for the whole family and a seperate one for the 15 year old "rebel". so i guess vegetarianism becomes easier and more permanent when you begin providing more for yourself.

 

yeah...i have been veggie for a year an a half and really i dont know any one else my age that is veggie cept a cousin on my mums side(year younger than me) who is turning nad my older sis has been a veggie for like 6 years(never around btw and i am really doubting her origial reasons for it) and an older cousin was vegan for awhile but i think she stopped cause i saw her eating her wedding cake which wasnt vegan and her little brother (still like 4 years older than me) is veggie and went vegan for awhile but had to stop because it was really hard for him cuz they live sorta "out in the country" and cant find enough food in the small town they are near...so it is definitly a trait in my family, but everyone else in the family are pretty avid meatheads....at least in my house they are

i dont care whether or not its just a trend or its really happening...i really care about the fact that there are less people out there eating the stuff, although it would be a lot nicer if it was for moral or health reasons

also i think that this will make a difference becasue think about it....eventually the numbes of growing veg*ans will increase.....

Veg*n ß-------marries------à Veg*n



|

|

---------------------------------\/-----------------------------------------

| | |

Veg Child <marries> veg VChild ßmarries-> Vegan Vchildß--marries--> Gay vegan

| | (no children)

| |

More Veg children ß same thing

Who get married to

more vegs




* the gay was added for diversity

as you can see, hopefully it will just keep growing and spreading (so might aids ) if vegs marry vegs and breed more vegs until they day they die

THEY WILL TAKE OVER !!!!!! yesssssssssss

 

that diagram didnt work out properly

 

Hey drew172, I liked your diagram thingy...hopefully that is really how it will happen. My husband and I were both vegetarian before we met so I know I didn't catch it from him. We both decided to go vegan together. I think we caught it when we walked by some Go Vegan booth at an Earth Day Fair and some lady sneezed on us
Okay all joking aside. I know alot of vegitarians/vegans of all ages but I have noticed an increase recently among the young folk and I'm so proud it brings a tear to my eyes. Even if it is a trend let this be one that sticks! It will make it easier for when I try to bring my future children up vegan because it will hopefully be more of a mainstream thing.

 

A lot of people will say that vegetarianism is a trend, but in all honesty, I don't think it's enjoying much popularity in the Uk at the moment. I wish it would gain some popularity, as the decline has meant that some people in the catering industry have started to sideline vegetarians.

In my experience most kids decide to become vegetarians aged between 8-16. I went veg aged 12. (Nestled in the middle somewhere.) However, i know people who went veg aged as young as 8, and about ten years ago, when vegetarianism in the Uk wa sat its most popular, I was ten years old, and it seemed that all the girls in school were deciding to become vegetarians. It didn't last long for some of them, although I've stuck with it for 8 years.

Of course, people do say it's a phase. A funny thing happened with my mum. She was discussing vegetarianism with one of her colleagues, as her daughter was reaching about the age where she wants to consider vegetarianism, and she mentioned that she had a vegetarian son, who was 20. Her reaction was "Oh, he'll be eating meat again in two months", at which point, my mum pointed out that I've been a vegetarian for a while.

I find that people take me quite seriously in my vegetarianism after they find out I've been veggie for 8 years. They know it's not a phase, and they know that you're serious.

 

Honestly, this whole idea (teenage vegetarians) is new to me. I'm thrilled to hear it! It shows that kids are adventurous & bold enough to make their own decisions. You gotta admire that spirit even if you don't agree with vegetarianism. Like all my veg friends, I didn't wise up til college or later. The first veg I met was 28 years old. The second was 60. To me the idea of becoming veg while living with meaty parents is unbelieveable. Parents can be um... archaic (to put it nicely). Hats off to all young vegs!

 

I'm 35. I've been Vegan for 3 years. I never even considered being veg*n before that. It truly never occurred to be on a meaningful level what I was eating.