What would you think of a vegan work colleague who..

justagirl83 · 01/09/14 - 18:18

I've just found out that my work's Team Building day activity has been booked and we're doing "duck herding". I'd never heard of it before but I've looked it up and it's using sheepdogs to guide ducks around a course.
I'm vegan and this is not something I would feel comfortable doing at all. I'm going to have to tell my boss this on Wednesday and see what she says, and I was just wondering what other people's opinions would be if they heard someone in their workplace had refused to do an event like this for vegan reasons.
If you were participating yourself, would you feel like I was judging you? Or would you understand/respect where I'm coming from? Think I'm being silly?
I shouldn't care what people think, and when it comes down to it I'd rather people think I was an idiot and stick to my beliefs. But I'm a quiet person, I've only worked there for 6 months and am only just starting to feel like I fit in, so I just want to prepare myself for what people's reactions are likely to be so I can figure out how to deal with this in the most tactful way

queenshaks · 01/09/14 - 18:23

How does this activity affect your vegan beliefs?

[Deleted User] · 01/09/14 - 18:24

Are they asking you to eat the ducks at the end?

Sunset Dale · 01/09/14 - 18:39

I assume it's the possible cruelty to to ducks bit which she objects to.

queenshaks · 01/09/14 - 18:45

Sunset Dale wrote: »

I assume it's the possible cruelty to to ducks bit which she objects to.

How is it cruel? They're just being herded not hunted.

[Deleted User] · 01/09/14 - 18:47

Sunset Dale wrote: »

I assume it's the possible cruelty to to ducks bit which she objects to.

Duck Herding? Like Sheep herding? where's the cruelty?

[Deleted User] · 01/09/14 - 18:52

I am not veggie, and indeed eat meat, but we saw this at a show in the summer and had to walk away, the poor ducks were really petrified and before, the dog could get near them after being released from the basket rushed into a corner to try and escape.
It was not nice to watch. So, I suggest you try and bet out of it.

Toby LaRhone · 01/09/14 - 18:53

queenshaks wrote: »

How is it cruel? They're just being herded not hunted.

"The term ethical vegan is often applied to those who not only follow a vegan diet, but extend the vegan philosophy into other areas of their lives, and oppose the use of animals or animal products for any purpose."

Entertainment?

ian_charles · 01/09/14 - 18:57

I'm sure the ducks are having fun......I bet they go quackers.

Little Nell · 01/09/14 - 19:01

I'm not vegan but I'd be very uncomfortable with this. Actually I'm a veggie but if I were in your position I think I'd say that I didn't want to take part - full stop. I wouldn't justify or explain this by saying I was a veggie because it implies that only veggies care about animal exploitation. So if I were asked why, I'd simply say that I don't like seeing animals exploited in this way and that I'd heard from others who'd seen it that the ducks were clearly very frightened. But it's not easy to stick your head above the parapet in this sort of situation.

Sunset Dale · 01/09/14 - 19:04

The Cricketer wrote: »

Duck Herding? Like Sheep herding? where's the cruelty?

Well that's why I said possible.

Espresso · 01/09/14 - 19:23

No one herds wild ducks, it's farmed ducks that are herded and ducks are farmed to eat. So I can see why a vegan would object.

carlos_jackson · 01/09/14 - 19:29

How the hell does this help work performance? I've never heard anything so ridiculous, how much money is the company wasting on this?

Summer Breeze · 01/09/14 - 19:37

I have been to agricultural shows where they do duck herding.
The ducks are well used to it and are well looked after, not just at show time.
If you feel it is not for you say you can not attend, you do not have to go into why you do not to go if you do not want to surely.

Summer Breeze · 01/09/14 - 19:40

myscimitar wrote: »

I am not veggie, and indeed eat meat, but we saw this at a show in the summer and had to walk away, the poor ducks were really petrified and before, the dog could get near them after being released from the basket rushed into a corner to try and escape.
It was not nice to watch. So, I suggest you try and bet out of it.

I see duck herding a lot at agricultural shows, I have never seen a petrified duck ever.
They use ducks that are skilled at the art of being shepherded by a dog.

[Deleted User] · 01/09/14 - 19:44

Summer Breeze wrote: »

I have been to agricultural shows where they do duck herding.
The ducks are well used to it and are well looked after, not just at show time.
If you feel it is not for you say you can not attend, you do not have to go into why you do not to go if you do not want to surely.

They did not look 'well used to it" when we went, they look really scared, they may be well looked after but having a large dog stalk them must be really frightening for, or do you think in the days of fox hunting, the poor animals was having fun!

Frankie_Little · 01/09/14 - 19:50

I've never heard of duck herding. It sounds a bizarre team building exercise. We had to be blindfolded and navigate an obstacle course with shouted instructions from someone else in the team - meant to encourage trust, apparently. I just felt a bit daft.

carlos_jackson · 01/09/14 - 19:56

It would be good for team work if managers stopped turning staff against each other, never mind these silly courses.

gemma-the-husky · 01/09/14 - 20:04

The rspca ought to get involved in this. They seem to get involved in a lot of private prosecutions for a lot less than this

[Deleted User] · 01/09/14 - 20:05

Heard of ducks? of course iv heard of ducks.

Summer Breeze · 01/09/14 - 20:08

myscimitar wrote: »

They did not look 'well used to it" when we went, they look really scared, they may be well looked after but having a large dog stalk them must be really frightening for!

In my experience of attending many agricultural shows and seeing this quite a few times, I have not seen a petrified duck ever.
If you have that must not have been nice for you and others to see.

academia · 01/09/14 - 20:17

justagirl83 wrote: »

I've just found out that my work's Team Building day activity has been booked and we're doing "duck herding". I'd never heard of it before but I've looked it up and it's using sheepdogs to guide ducks around a course.
meone in their workplace had refused to do an event like this for vegan reasons.
If you were participating yourself, would you feel like I was judging you? Or would you understand/respect where I'm coming from? Think I'm being silly?
I shouldn't care what people think, and when it comes down to it I'd rather people think I was an idiot and stick to my beliefs. But I'm a quiet person, I've only worked there for 6 months and am only just starting to feel like I fit in, so I just want to prepare myself for what people's reactions are likely to be so I can figure out how to deal with this in the most tactful way

Are you expected to eat the ducks? If not, you're fussing about nothing.

Safi74 · 01/09/14 - 20:22

I think I'd go along the lines of not liking it because you believe it to be cruel than because you are a vegan. To me that would be easier to understand. However, I do wonder if to would be better to go along and see how you feel once you see it in action.

I'm not sure I'd be happy to do it, but I wouldn't want my colleagues to think I was quackers either!

Raquelos. · 01/09/14 - 20:32

justagirl83 wrote: »

I've just found out that my work's Team Building day activity has been booked and we're doing "duck herding". I'd never heard of it before but I've looked it up and it's using sheepdogs to guide ducks around a course.
I'm vegan and this is not something I would feel comfortable doing at all. I'm going to have to tell my boss this on Wednesday and see what she says, and I was just wondering what other people's opinions would be if they heard someone in their workplace had refused to do an event like this for vegan reasons.
If you were participating yourself, would you feel like I was judging you? Or would you understand/respect where I'm coming from? Think I'm being silly?
I shouldn't care what people think, and when it comes down to it I'd rather people think I was an idiot and stick to my beliefs. But I'm a quiet person, I've only worked there for 6 months and am only just starting to feel like I fit in, so I just want to prepare myself for what people's reactions are likely to be so I can figure out how to deal with this in the most tactful way

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the issue, you are entitled to your opinion and if this makes you uncomfortable then that's that really. In the spirit of this being advice rather than GD I would suggest you just pull a sickie and don't go. It's not ideal, but I don't think you would necessarily get a very sympathetic response (see some of the replies on this thread for example) and I can understand why you might not want to put yourself in a situation where you aren't taken seriously or are viewed as as a crackpot. Just fake a bit of a sore throat for the day beforehand then 'lose your voice' on the day.

Pucky · 01/09/14 - 20:51

Not quite the same but my last company had a team building day paintballing. I refuse to do this (for reasons I'm not going in to) and told my bosses that I wouldn't be taking part. However I went anyway as the "official" photographer and, despite not doing the paintballing, actually had a good time!

Vast_Girth · 01/09/14 - 20:52

I would think you are very very silly. However i probably would have thought that anyway cos of the whole vegan thing so it wouldn't make much difference overall.

Ducks are evil little necrophiliac rapists anyway. They deserve whatever they get.

Hey there!

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