Coworkers Piss Me Off

[trueboo]

On Monday, there was a huge accident on the interstate interchange in my city. It was a cattle truck transporting 42 animals to the slaughterhouse, which they don't actually call a "slaughterhouse" these days. 12 of the cattle died in the accident and the police executed the remaining animals as they meandered around the interstate (which was blocked off) and into residential areas.

 

So, everyone at my work knows how I feel about animals. I know damn well they were trying to bait me by saying things like, "I'm just glad it wasn't a bad accident or anything." Of course, that implies "no people were injured." Finally, one kid says, "Yeah, at least it was just cows, they don't matter." And I tisked and started to walk away. He said, "I was waiting to hear that tisk." I said, "I know, I saw that bait coming from a mile away." Then I went in the bathroom and cried, but they don't know that. I try not to get too emotional, but I don't see how it's avoidable.

 

The next day the newspaper reported a loss of $45,000 and how the poor man who stood to profit from the cattle had to settle for pennies on the dollar when he sold what was left to be rendered (dismembered) and turned into animal feed, paint, polyester, and cosmetics. And all anyone said to me when I read it out loud was, "Oh, don't tell me [about the cosmetics]!"

[tommybricks]

I feel for ya. Some people are just fuctioning on a cruder level of awareness. Don't hate em, have some compassion for their ignorance.

[Odidnetne]

I know how you feel. Everyone at my job were polar opposites of me, so there were many arguments that I always to win over things like eating meat and animal welfare.

[Veganitaliana]

[Christopher]

Wow, sorry to hear about that (the accident and the reaction of your co-workers).

 

In seven years of being vegan, I've only encountered one mean-spirited person, and with the backing of all my other co-workers, making him look foolish was easy.

 

Guess the best you can hope for is they eventually come around and realize it's not cool being mean to people, and that the whole thing is a sad loss for the animals.

[Odidnetne]

Wow, sorry to hear about that (the accident and the reaction of your co-workers).

 

In seven years of being vegan, I've only encountered one mean-spirited person, and with the backing of all my other co-workers, making him look foolish was easy.

 

Guess the best you can hope for is they eventually come around and realize it's not cool being mean to people, and that the whole thing is a sad loss for the animals.

 

My situation was the exact opposite as yours, that's why I hated my job. Everyone didn't care about anything, and getting anyone to care was near impossible, unless the topic of concern was cell phones, the mall, or American Idol.

[crashnburn]

Thats the problem with mixing any of the following:

 

- Professional (Work)

- Personal (Vegan, PETA)

- Political (Democrat, Republic, Socialist etc..)

 

Dont do it and ask your colleagues to refrain from it as well - They need to be PROFESSIONAL as well.

 

Also, your VEGANism is your MINDSET & THOUGHT. Its a PERSONAL choice.

 

For everytime I've had friends, colleagues etc others eat meat or talk how much they love the taste of chicken or a burger or seafood.. if I ended up getting ticked about it.. I'd have no moment of peace.

 

You do what you can do and leave others to their devices.

 

I dont drink alcohol and a lot of my friends have a great time drinking. They are who they are, they know me & my views and we respect each other & our individual choices.

 

Just like RELIGIONS are personal choice.. these things are also a PERSONAL CHOICE. Let people live with their ignorance.

 

If they are interested in a better lifestyle, they'll come to you.

 

PS: Thats a little bit of Zen for ya.. he he..

[xveganjoshx]

Thats the problem with mixing any of the following:

 

- Professional (Work)

- Personal (Vegan, PETA)

- Political (Democrat, Republic, Socialist etc..)

 

Dont do it and ask your colleagues to refrain from it as well - They need to be PROFESSIONAL as well.

 

Also, your VEGANism is your MINDSET & THOUGHT. Its a PERSONAL choice.

For everytime I've had friends, colleagues etc others eat meat or talk how much they love the taste of chicken or a burger or seafood.. if I ended up getting ticked about it.. I'd have no moment of peace.

 

You do what you can do and leave others to their devices.

 

I dont drink alcohol and a lot of my friends have a great time drinking. They are who they are, they know me & my views and we respect each other & our individual choices.

 

Just like RELIGIONS are personal choice.. these things are also a PERSONAL CHOICE. Let people live with their ignorance.

 

If they are interested in a better lifestyle, they'll come to you.

 

PS: Thats a little bit of Zen for ya.. he he..

 

Being vegan or not is not a personal choice. It is not personal because it affects others. Not being vegan directly causes animal suffering and the destruction of the environment. Religion however is a personal choice. It doesn't matter whether one believes in God or not, it only affects the person at hand (at least on an individual level, ignoring religious wars etc). It makes no sense to call veganism a personal choice or to even relate veganism to religion.

[Christopher]

My situation was the exact opposite as yours, that's why I hated my job. Everyone didn't care about anything, and getting anyone to care was near impossible, unless the topic of concern was cell phones, the mall, or American Idol.

 

I've worked four different places since going vegan and I've been lucky. Most people I've worked with have been interested in the whole vegan thing (not interested in going vegan, but interested in why I went vegan). A couple co-workers have gone vetgetarian, but so far...no vegans

 

The one time somebody started in on me (the old, "Why do I have canine teeth if I'm not supposed to eat meat?!" argument ), some co-workers told the guy to shut up, and when I came back at him and made a fool of him, I had the room on my side and the laughter of my co-workers humiliated the guy to silence.

 

Of course, I still have to hear about cell phones and shopping. I think I'd rather listen to some fool ranting about his mighty canine teeth

[trueboo]

Thats the problem with mixing any of the following:

 

- Professional (Work)

- Personal (Vegan, PETA)

- Political (Democrat, Republic, Socialist etc..)

 

Dont do it and ask your colleagues to refrain from it as well - They need to be PROFESSIONAL as well.

 

Also, your VEGANism is your MINDSET & THOUGHT. Its a PERSONAL choice.

 

For everytime I've had friends, colleagues etc others eat meat or talk how much they love the taste of chicken or a burger or seafood.. if I ended up getting ticked about it.. I'd have no moment of peace.

 

You do what you can do and leave others to their devices.

 

I dont drink alcohol and a lot of my friends have a great time drinking. They are who they are, they know me & my views and we respect each other & our individual choices.

 

Just like RELIGIONS are personal choice.. these things are also a PERSONAL CHOICE. Let people live with their ignorance.

 

If they are interested in a better lifestyle, they'll come to you.

 

PS: Thats a little bit of Zen for ya.. he he..

 

I guess I'm not sure if that was directed at me or not. I never tell anyone what they should or should not do. I see and smell what people eat every day at work and I never say anything. But when they go out of their way to say something that hurts me or is meant to insult me, what am I supposed to think? In this one instance 42 lives were lost and my coworkers took the opportunity to get a dig in on me.

 

But the good news is I now have a new coworker who is smart and a vegetarian! I spent the last 2 days training her and we talked and talked. She may not be vegan, but at least I have someone to whom I can relate. Since no one ever teases me about not eating cheese and eggs, if anyone starts in about meat I have someone in my corner. And I didn't even tell on the people who insulted me before.

[crashnburn]

But when they go out of their way to say something that hurts me or is meant to insult me, what am I supposed to think? In this one instance 42 lives were lost and my coworkers took the opportunity to get a dig in on me.

 

ON ONE HAND: SHRUG IT OFF!!!

 

- 1) People tease those who get affected

- 2) People derive pleasure out of instigating & seeing an effect in you

 

Let it not bother you..

 

ON THE OTHER HAND: IF YOU CANT MENTALLY SHRUG IT OFF!!! ADDRESS IT & RESOLVE IT.

 

Professionalism is essential - If they cross that border line to the point that it affects you a lot. You need to tell them what that PERSONAL / PROFESSIONAL line needs to be. But, say it DIPLOMATICALLY, FIRMLY, POLITELY with straight face.. maybe with a little FIRM smile > But say HOW YOU FEEL.

 

With any small things in life that bother you..

Shrug it off... or Address it.

 

If you cant stand that your partner rolls the toothpaste from the middle.. Shrug it off.. or Address it.

[trueboo]

Thanks for offering the advice, crashnburn.

 

Oh, and thanks everyone for the understanding.

[Christopher]

Oh, and thanks everyone for the understanding.

 

Ya know, work is one place you're forced to spend eight hours a day with some people you might normally never associate with. To get in your face about the death of a bunch of cows in a wreck is just an absolutely mean thing to do on so many levels--I can definitely see venting to people who understand.

 

Hopefully the vegetarian will be cool and hopefully some other people will come around.

[trueboo]

Thanks, Christopher. I think I will go ahead and tell them next time they run their mouths that I've been putting up with it for some time, but I really don't think it's funny. I'll just draw the line instead of walking away.

 

Lots of people wrote into the paper about the cattle (and the paper even printed some of them!) I was surprised to see that there are people around here that thought it was a tragedy and more should've been done to avoid the execution of the 30 who survived. There were no rude and hateful comments printed in response. The fact remained that the cattle were destined to die; and I wrote in about that fact, how we can't expect animals who are seen as walking hamburgers to be treated with dignity and respect when they're holding up traffic, but we can decide for ourselves whether they die for us. They didn't print mine, and I'm a good letter writer.

 

The police said there were too many of them to round up or tranquilize so they had no other choice. That's not true because a couple times a year a steer gets out of the stockyards, a single steer, and they always shoot him.