Vegans Who Eat Fish

Do you get mad when someone who eats fish/poultry calls themselves vegetarian?

I am a pescetarian. When I talk to people not familiar with the terms I say a vegetarian who eats fish, because using labels like “pescetarian” seems pretentious when talking to someone who doesn’t know what it means, but if I am talking to a vegetarian/vegan I say pescetarian so that they don’t get offended. Seriously though, I have been attacked for saying “I’m a vegetarian but I eat fish”, and been called many names like “poser”. I have rationale for eating fish, such as less developed thought, less developed nervous system, etc.
this is how I see the order
humans
primates
other mammals
birds
———————————–
fish
clam, mussel, etc
bugs/insects

If you say that you’re a vegetarian “except for fish” or that you’re a “semi-vegetarian,” I don’t really have any problem. If you say that you’re a vegetarian (period, no further explanation), and you eat fish, you are lying and making life more difficult to people who actually are vegetarian (defined as a person who doesn’t eat the flesh of animals). There’s nothing pretentious about pescetarianism, and I think it’s better to be honest and take the opportunity to educate someone than it is to lie for your convenience (or worse, ego, though I don’t think you do it).

When you claim to be vegetarian when you aren’t, you’re essentially telling others that vegetarians eat fish and that it’s okay to serve them fish. While some people will double-check, others will just assume that vegetarians eat fish/chicken/gelatin/cheese with rennet/etc because someone who said they were vegetarian did. (Basically, it would be like someone telling everyone they knew that you ate something that you didn’t.)

With other examples, it can actually be dangerous. Let’s say that Gracie is allergic to shellfish. Myra hates shellfish. She thinks they’re gross and doesn’t want to eat them, so she tells everyone that she’s allergic to them. However, if she can’t see them, or the food doesn’t have an overbearing flavor of shellfish, she doesn’t notice and will eat it. Myra is showing people that “those who are allergic to shellfish can eat stuff seasoned with shellfish as long as the entire clam/shrimp/whatever isn’t there.” If you were to give Grace something with oyster sauce or powdered dried shrimp, she’d better be able to get to the hospital quickly. It’s the same general issue here. It’s a matter of respect and honesty. Gracie isn’t better than Myra because she’s allergic to shellfish, and there’s nothing wrong with Myra for not liking their taste or texture. The same with pescetarianism/vegetarianism. You’re not a bad person for being a pescetarian. Vegetarians aren’t “higher” than you ethically or whatever. You’re just different. But it’s wrong to lie.

Final thoughts: while it’s certainly your choice to be a pescetarian, you might need to re-visit some of your rationale. IT sounds like you’re under the impression that fish lack many of the characteristics of “higher animals.” Fish do have nervous systems that include a cerebral cortex. They can feel pain and think. The fact that something isn’t cute and cuddly, or noisy, or something that is highly visible doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have the mental capacities that animals that are do. If your main motivations for not eating land animals is that you want to avoid causing pain and killing animals that have certain characteristics, you definitely should consider crossing fish off your list.

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