Fish is not a vegetable

[veganatheist78]

When I came across the Vegetarian Society's campaign stressing that vegetarians don't eat fish because fish are not vegetables, the first thing I thought to myself was that neither are dairy products nor eggs.

I understand that the definition of the word vegetarian can include the consumption of those products, but what I cannot understand is why the Vegetarian Society in the UK chooses to certify certain products that contain dairy products and eggs. Why would the Vegetarian Society certify the exploitation of animals? It can surely exist and act as a big tent for various types of vegetarians without essentially becoming implicit in the exploitation of animals for profit.

[matt35mm]

I think that the idea of vegetarianism is so culturally ingrained as just not eating flesh that it didn't occur to whomever wrote that that eggs and dairy aren't vegetables. It seems to still be a very popular idea among vegetarians that eggs and dairy don't require the killing of animals, and therefore is perfectly fine. So for an ovo-lacto vegetarian, "vegetables" is almost like shorthand for "egg and dairy and vegetables," and the argument is that fishes are none of those things. Which is true. But obviously I would agree that it is misguided to not include eggs and dairy as not vegetables.