Fernandez,
Adelaida
Professor
Sean Pessin
English
114B
30
April 2013
Hybrid Essay
Everything has become a trend now days
such as being a “vegetarian”. Now I quote the word vegetarian because it is one
of those things that people know of but really have no clue as to what it is. For
instance, a vegetarian does not eat meat of any kind nor food that contains
meat of any kind but can in fact eat egg and other dairy products, vegetarians
also do not use items made of or tested on animals. I chose to blog about
vegetarianism because I can relate to it and because vegetarianism is my life.
Vegetarianism is a lifestyle and I strongly believe that people do not
understand what it truly means to be a vegetarian. My purpose throughout this
whole blog was to simply inform and not to persuade and maybe inspire those who
have wanted to always try it out. I do not mind those who eat meat, if you are
healthy then good for you, but I do mind those who are ignorant towards
vegetarianism and make ignorant remarks about vegetarianism as if they had some
degree in nutrition or some degree in life, and this goes towards vegetarians
and non-vegetarians. There are in fact many vegetarians that are not even aware
of what a true vegetarian does or is; a majority of the time everyone just
assumes that vegetarianism is just a diet.
For one, vegetarianism is being acknowledgeable
towards an animals’ life. If you took the time to think about it, would it not
be pretty hypocritical for someone to be against the killing of an animal for
food yet be ok with the killing of an animal for household products? Yes, of
course it would be. It would be seen as hypocritical because this person is
saying they care for an animals’ life when they really do not, they are only showing
care for what their corpse is being used for. In reality a vegetarian should
not eat starburst, yes the candy starburst because it is in fact made of pig fat
which is the exact same thing as eating bacon, but this is not what I am
referring to. I am referring to vegetarians not wearing leather, leather is
made of both cow and alligator skin. Vegetarians should not be using certain
bar soaps or other household item because most are made with animal fat, see
most vegetarians do not know that. There are in fact many brands that are vegan
and it goes so far as applying it towards toothpaste, bar soap, mouthwash, deodorant,
etc. because all of these items are in fact made with animals and/or animal
tested which is applied in the acknowledgment of an animals’ life. Vegetarians
are and should be against the testing of animals because a majority of the time
these animals are harmed and often killed for our benefits when there are in
fact other resources for us to get what we need. Vegetarians are against the
testing of animals not only because it is harmful to them but because they are
just being used, no dog is going to use Colgate Total Whitening, dogs have
their own dog toothpaste that has nothing to do with Colgate what so ever. A
very important characteristic that vegetarians have is that they find different
resources to create what is needed and essential for living and using those
resources to be able to spare an animals’ life.
A strong subtopic I discussed in this
blog was stereotypes! There are obviously stereotypes for everything in life,
but of course I am referring to vegetarianism stereotypes. The biggest
stereotype any vegetarian can ever receive is that we as vegetarians are only
trying to lose weight. I for one see this stereotype as inane. What if I were
to say, “People go to fast food places to get fat”, no, people go there for
many different reasons but to get fat is most definitely not one of those
reasons, it is just a side effect of eating fast food. Same concept applies to vegetarianism,
being thin becomes a side effect because we do not consume fat from animals, we
only consume what the body needs thus we do not gain that extra weight, so in
reality we are not necessarily “losing weight” we just do not gain the unnecessary
weight yet of course no one ever sees that. Another stereotype would be when
someone says vegetarians don’t get enough or any protein what so ever. It is as
if everyone refuses to acknowledge the existence of eggs, tofu, beans, and
peanuts. There are in fact two contradicting stereotypes the first being that
all vegetarians are super healthy and the second is that vegetarianism is not
healthy at all. I have been a vegetarian for thirteen years and I can guarantee
you that I am not always “healthy”, by that I mean, I eat candy, chips and
drink soda just like any regular human being people assume we are rabbits and
just eat carrots, that is not true at all! Now about vegetarianism not being
healthy is and is not true. It is not true because it is in fact the healthiest
meal plan anyone can ever have if done right. For instance, did you know that a
vegetarian is more likely to live seven years longer than non-vegetarians? Now,
It is true because at often times when someone first becomes a vegetarian, they
really do not know how to portion their meals or do not get all the nutrients
that the body needs and can often times result in that person getting sick in
which case, yes vegetarianism is not healthy.
I inserted this poem because it is
someone talking graciously about a vegetarian, and it ties in with what I am
trying to say. It does not try to guilt others or persuade others that
vegetarianism is something that everyone should get into but it simply says
that it is a good thing.
The
Vegetarian by Anonymous
Her breath smells of lemon
grass, rose hips,
and ferns. She eats lilies. She is almost a saint.
Here the absence of
desire
sits on a hard chair,
reads without turning pages.
Abstinence is never
speculative. For her
the salmon never swim
upstream, or game birds
worry the
underbrush. She never says:
I can imagine or
This is what I want or
I hated him.
Not to need is power.
Her appetites are
folded in the corner.
They are teeming and
urgent
as the dreams of the
Masai.
They are smooth, old
scars.
They are forgotten.
Blessed are the
empty. Herbaceous darling,
you shall be the apple
of God’s eye.
The eyes of God are
twin, untroubled pools,
the efflorescence of
stones.
While writing this blog, I found amazing people that have
done things to spread awareness such as Sir James Paul McCartney. I honestly do
not like The Beatles but I have mad respect for that man and what he does with
his wealth and fame such as the charities he helps and what he did with The
Simpsons.
Vegetarianism
to me, is my life. It honestly is. I may not preach about it and I may not try
to convince others to become vegetarians but that does not change the fact that
it is me. I am living proof that stereotypes are just stereotypes, I am living
proof that it is in fact a lifestyle and has nothing to do with a “diet”, and
most importantly I am living proof of health.
Works Cited
"The Vegetarian." Poetry and
Writing. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
Fernandez, Adelaida.
"Vegetarianism." Vegetarianism.
N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
