Slupski: Pushy vegan incurs wrath of parents

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David Warwak is giving vegetarians and vegans a bad name.Warwak, the former District 3 art teacher, posted a request on the Internet to meet his former grade school students at a McDonald’s so that he could hand out his 700-page book.The book, which I have not read, reportedly chronicles his dismissal from District 3. The book has the inappropriate title, “Peep Show for Children Only.†It also includes photos of some of the students.Not surprisingly, the idea of a 45-year-old male former art teacher setting up meetings with children to hand out a 700-page rant that included photos of some of the children he was in contact with upset a few of the parents.Police were contacted, but have said this is not a criminal case.The thing about Warwak is that he does not seem to understand the discomfort that school officials and now parents have with him really has little to do with him

being a vegan. A vegan, for those who do not know, is someone who does not consume animal products, meat, cow’s milk, eggs or otherwise.The reality is that most people nowadays know at least one person who is a vegetarian. I recently had a wedding and I would have to estimate that of the nearly 70 guests, about 20 percent did not eat meat.I estimate 20 percent because I really don’t know how many vegetarians there were. I knew that there were enough that I made the menu accordingly.Most people who are vegetarians or vegans simply have made a choice. Sometimes it’s altruistic – eating meat is morally wrong. Sometimes it’s simply about having a healthier diet. And often it is a combination of the two.But it really is not that unusual anymore. Increasingly, there are vegetarian options on grocery store shelves and my wife occasionally will covertly create a vegetarian meal (That’s not chicken

sausage!).The issue with Warwak has been his pushy attempt to indoctrinate children to his belief system.District 3 officials correctly thought that Warwak should do his job: Teach art. School officials were rightly concerned when Warwak attempted to use his position to push his beliefs onto the children he was teaching.And parents also are rightly concerned by Warwak’s recent behavior. It probably is an understatement to say that Warwak has been disrespectful to the parents involved in this situation. It goes beyond that.Warwak can write whatever he wants on the Internet. He can write books and give them away or sell them and spout his point of view. But, when it comes to someone else’s kids, he really needs to just back off.• Opinion Page Editor Brian Slupski can be reached at bslupski.

 

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