[geeks] Booze and Religion

[Mike Meredith]

On Saturday 09 March 2002 02:57, you wrote:
> I find it funny that when poked at, at vegetarian will get defensive
> and hostile.  When a steak-eater gets poked at, they say "yeah,
> so...".

There's a huge difference between poking fun at vegetarians and poking 
fun at steak/meat eaters. Vegeterians are a minority, and whilst for 
some it is simply a life-style choice, for others it is a deeply held 
belief that eating meat and fish is wrong.

Sure meat-eaters can be fairly religeous about their eating habits too, 
but the Church of the Juicy Steak is rich and well attended whereas the 
Church of the Lettuce Leaf regularly gets daubed with insulting 
graffiti.

Most v's encounter a huge amount of pressure to conform when they 
become v --- from both society and from friends and family ("just try 
this piece of juicy bacon ... I'm sure you'll like it"). The pressure 
from society to conform is less blatent, but relentless.