Editing Vegetarianism (section)

===Television===
Vegetarians, and vegetarian themes, have appeared in various TV shows, such as ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[True Blood]]'', ''[[The Simpsons]]'', ''[[King of the Hill]]'', and ''[[South Park]]''.<ref name="publicbooks">{{cite web |url=https://www.publicbooks.org/the-vegan-resistance/ |title=The Vegan Resistance |last=Zieger |first=Susan |date=July 26, 2017 |website=Public Books |access-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323032039/https://www.publicbooks.org/the-vegan-resistance/ |archive-date=March 23, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="avclub" /><ref name="siegel2015" /><ref name=commentary />

Mr. [[Spock]] of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' has been called "television's first vegetarian." He and his fellow [[Vulcans]] do not eat meat due to a "philosophy of non-violence."<ref name="Laughton">{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/you-dont-win-friends-with-saladtvs-best-and-worst-vegetarians-20150918-gjpo0b.html |title='You don't win friends with salad': TV's best (and worst) vegetarians |last=Laughton |first=Ellen |date=September 21, 2015 |work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=September 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906233350/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/you-dont-win-friends-with-saladtvs-best-and-worst-vegetarians-20150918-gjpo0b.html |archive-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref> He is identified as vegetarian following an episode where he was "transported back to pre-civilised times" and ate meat, and in Richard Marranca, in an issue of the ''Vegetarian Journal'', said that for Spock, like [[Kwai Chang Caine]] in [[Kung Fu (1972 TV series)|''Kung Fu'']], "vegetarianism was something authentic and taken for granted; it was the right thing to do based on compassion and logic."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Marranca |first=Richard |title=Vegging Out with Kung Fu and Star Trek |journal=Vegetarian Journal |date=2007 |issue=4 |url=https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_vegging_out.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211014925/https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_vegging_out.php |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |url-status=live |access-date=December 10, 2020}}</ref>

In 1995, ''The Simpsons'' episode "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]" aired. Before recording their lines for the episode, showrunner David Mirkin, who had recently stopped consuming meat, gave Linda and Paul McCartney "a container of his favorite turkey substitute," with both voicing characters in an episode which focused around vegetarianism.<ref name="siegel2015">{{cite web |url=https://slate.com/culture/2015/10/the-simpsons-lisa-the-vegetarian-episode-changed-the-image-of-vegetarians-on-tv.html |title=Celebrating "Lisa the Vegetarian," the Simpsons Episode That Changed the Image of Vegetarians on TV |last=Siegel |first=Alan |date=October 12, 2015 |website=[[Slate (website)|Slate]] |access-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328051904/https://slate.com/culture/2015/10/the-simpsons-lisa-the-vegetarian-episode-changed-the-image-of-vegetarians-on-tv.html |archive-date=March 28, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Critic Alan Siegel said that before the episode vegetarians had been portrayed as "rarely as anything but one-dimensional hippies" but that this episode was different as it was "told from the point of view of the person becoming a vegetarian." He said that the episode was one of the "first times on television that vegetarians saw an honest depiction of themselves" and of people's reaction to their dietary choices. The idea for the episode was originally proposed by [[David X. Cohen]] and the McCartneys agreed on the condition that Lisa remain a vegetarian, with both satisfied with how the episode turned out.<ref name="siegel2015" /> In the episode, Lisa decides to stop eating meat after bonding with a lamb at a petting zoo. Her schoolmates and family members ridicule her for her beliefs, but with the help of Apu as well as [[Paul McCartney|Paul]] and [[Linda McCartney]], she commits to vegetarianism.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page5.shtml |title=Lisa the Vegetarian |access-date=November 30, 2008 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=[[BBC|British Broadcasting Corporation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050309230714/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page5.shtml|archive-date=March 9, 2005}}</ref> The staff promised that she would remain a vegetarian,<ref name="NZ">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sideswipe/news/article.cfm?c_id=702&objectid=10593582 |title=Sideswipe: McCartney keeps Lisa vegetarian |date=August 28, 2009 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=August 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220021534/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sideswipe/news/article.cfm?c_id=702&objectid=10593582 |archive-date=February 20, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2007/tv/news/simpsons-chat-closes-paley-fest-1117961291/ |title='Simpsons' chat closes Paley fest |last=Schneider |first=Michael |date=March 16, 2007 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=December 28, 2008|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324120018/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961291.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=March 24, 2007}}</ref> resulting in one of the few permanent character changes made in the show.<ref name="Groening">Groening, Matt (2005). Commentary for "Lisa the Vegetarian", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a173417/david-mirkin-the-simpsons.html |title=David Mirkin ('The Simpsons') |last=French |first=Dan |date=August 24, 2009 |website=[[Digital Spy]] |access-date=August 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528214815/http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/interviews/a173417/david-mirkin-the-simpsons/|archive-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref> In an August 2020 interview, McCartney said that he and is wife were worried that Lisa "would be a vegetarian for a week, then Homer would persuade her to eat a hot dog," but were assured by the producers that she would remain that way, and he was delighted that they "kept their word."<ref>{{cite interview |last=McCartney |first=Paul |interviewer=Dylan Jones |title=At home with Paul McCartney: His most candid interview yet |type=Online |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/paul-mccartney-interview |work=[[GQ (magazine)|GQ]] |date=August 4, 2020 |access-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210110859/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/paul-mccartney-interview |archive-date=December 10, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 1998, the ''[[King of the Hill]]'' episode "And They Call It Bobby Love" aired on FOX. In the episode, "[[Bobby Hill (King of the Hill)|Bobby]] has a relationship with a vegetarian named Marie. She later dumps him after he eats a steak in front of her."<ref name="avclub">{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/10-episodes-that-made-iking-of-the-hilli-one-of-th-99687 |title=10 episodes that made King Of The Hill one of the most human cartoons ever |last=Koski |first=Genevieve |date=July 3, 2013 |publisher=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=September 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610051623/https://tv.avclub.com/10-episodes-that-made-king-of-the-hill-one-of-the-most-1798239025 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the March 2002 ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Fun with Veal]]", [[Stan Marsh]] becomes a vegetarian after he learns that veal is made of baby cows, which Cartman makes fun of. The episode ends with the boys, including Stan, getting grounded, but not before going out with their parents for burgers, meaning that Stan is no longer a vegetarian. In the DVD commentary, the creators said they wanted to balance their message of not eating baby animals, by at the same time not advocating people abstain from meat consumption altogether.<ref name=commentary>{{cite video | people=Trey Parker, Matt Stone|year=2005|title=South Park: The Complete Sixth Season: "Freak Strike"|medium=DVD|publisher=Comedy Central}}</ref>

[[Aang]], in the animated series ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'' was vegetarian. According to the show's creators, "Buddhism and [[Taoism]] have been huge inspirations behind the idea for ''Avatar''."<ref name="NickMagInterview2" /> As shown in "The King of Omashu"<ref name="The King of Omashu">{{cite episode|title=The King of Omashu|airdate=2005-03-18|season=1|number=5|credits=Director: Anthony Lioi; Writer: John O'Bryan|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon}}</ref> and "The Headband",<ref name="The Headband">{{cite episode|title=The Headband|airdate=2007-09-28|season=3|number=2|credits=Director: Joaquim dos Santos; Writer: John O'Bryan|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon}}</ref> a notable aspect of Aang's character is his vegetarian diet,<ref name="Dean">{{Cite web|url=https://www.diversetechgeek.com/10-vegetarian-cartoon-characters/|title=10 noteworthy vegetarian cartoon characters|last1=Dean|first1=Anthony|website=Diverse Tech Geek|access-date=September 6, 2020|date=November 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906204226/https://www.diversetechgeek.com/10-vegetarian-cartoon-characters/|archive-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref> which is consistent with [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], and [[Taoism]].<ref name="NickMagInterview2">{{cite journal|last=DiMartino|first=Michael Dante|author-link=Michael Dante DiMartino|author2=Konietzko, Bryan|title=Myth Conceptions|journal=Nickelodeon Magazine|page=7|date=2006|issue=Winter 2006}}</ref> In the [[Brahmajala Sutta (Theravada)|Brahmajala Sutra]], a Buddhist code of ethics, vegetarianism is encouraged.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.purifymind.com/BrahmaNetSutra.htm|title=Brahmajala Sutra Translated Text|access-date=2008-02-12|last=Jing|first=Fanwang|publisher=Purify Out Mind|page=4|quote=He must not create the causes ... and shall not intentionally kill any living creature.| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204235921/http://www.purifymind.com/BrahmaNetSutra.htm| archive-date= 4 February 2008 |url-status= live}}</ref>

Other fictional characters who are vegetarians include [[Count Duckula#Count Duckula|Count Duckula]] in ''[[Count Duckula]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.viva.org.uk/what-we-do/celebrity-supporters/count-duckula|title=Count Duckula|website=[[Viva! (organisation)|VIVA!]]|date=September 20, 2013 |access-date=December 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511162230/https://www.viva.org.uk/what-we-do/celebrity-supporters/count-duckula|archive-date=May 11, 2015|url-status=live |author1=Admin }}</ref> [[Beast Boy]] in ''[[Teen Titans (TV series)|Teen Titans]]'' and ''[[Teen Titans Go!]]'', [[List of Supernatural characters#Vampires|Lenore]] in ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-cast-then-and-now |title=The Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast 20 years later... |last=Bayley |first=Leanne |date=March 2017 |work=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] |access-date=September 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715183045/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-cast-then-and-now |archive-date=July 15, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Shaggy Rogers|Norville "Shaggy" Rogers]] in the animated series ''[[What's New, Scooby Doo?]]''.<ref name="screenrant2020" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Thienenkamp|first=Marius|url=https://comicsverse.com/saving-human-lives-vegetarian-superheroes-animal-rights/|title=Saving Human Lives Only? Vegetarian Superheroes and Animal Rights|website=Comicsverse|date=January 26, 2015|access-date=December 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229171850/https://comicsverse.com/saving-human-lives-vegetarian-superheroes-animal-rights/|archive-date=December 29, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Before the latter animated series, Shaggy was known for having an "enormous appetite" earlier in the Scooby-Doo franchise. The decision to make Shaggy a vegetarian occurred after his voice actor, [[Casey Kasem]], convinced the producers to do so, since he was a vegan who supported [[animal rights]] and opposed [[factory farming]], saying he would refuse to voice Shaggy unless the character was vegetarian.<ref name="screenrant2020">{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/scooby-doo-shaggy-vegetarian-casey-kasem-true-story/|title=Why Scooby-Doo Made Shaggy A Vegetarian: True Story Explained|last=Raymond|first=Nicholas|website=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=September 6, 2020|date=May 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604031413/https://screenrant.com/scooby-doo-shaggy-vegetarian-casey-kasem-true-story/|archive-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Laughton" />

An October 2019 ''[[South Park]]'' episode, "[[Let Them Eat Goo]]", featured a vegetarian character.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/2018/02/07/okja-convincing-case-vegetarianism/ |title=Why Okja Is A More Convincing Case For Vegetarianism |last=Do |first=Tiffany |date=February 7, 2018 |website=Food Republic |access-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011174939/https://www.foodrepublic.com/2018/02/07/okja-convincing-case-vegetarianism/ |archive-date=October 11, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/south-park-takes-on-the-impossible-burger-while-cartma-1839119348|title=South Park takes on the Impossible Burger, while Cartman and Randy's antics drive another strong episode|last=Hugar|first=John|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=December 10, 2020|date=October 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103014434/https://tv.avclub.com/south-park-takes-on-the-impossible-burger-while-cartma-1839119348|archive-date=November 3, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, [[Steven Universe (character)|Steven Universe]], the protagonist in the show ''[[Steven Universe]]'' and the limited epilogue series, ''[[Steven Universe Future]]'', is a vegetarian. In the episode "Snow Day" of ''[[Steven Universe Future]]'', Steven tells the Gems he lives with that he has been a vegetarian for a month, drinks protein shakes and mentions that he does "his own skincare routine."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/everyone-is-growing-up-fast-on-steven-universe-future-1840444830|last=Searles|first=Jourdain|title=Everyone is growing up fast on Steven Universe Future|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=December 21, 2019|access-date=September 6, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607081658/https://tv.avclub.com/everyone-is-growing-up-fast-on-steven-universe-future-1840444830|archive-date=June 7, 2020}}</ref>