What makes birds and fish lesser than other animals?

I used to be a waitress nad wanted to know the answer to this for a long time:

So, I've had a vegitarian tell me they can't eat the soup because there's beef/pork in it, but they'd like to order the main dish of chicken/fish. Isn't it still meat? It used to be alive, think, breathe and feel pain just like any other animal, right?

I remember being told it's because birds and fish aren't as smart as a cow--but then found out that ravens are as smart as some chimps. Not only do they use tools to get food, but are also observed making tools. Only humans, ravens, and simians do this, it's part of higher intelligence.

So is eating fish and bird but claiming to be a vegitarian legitimate? Or am I missing something, maybe there are two types of vegitarians?

pSyche--interesting, I knew there had to be some kind of basis.

For psyche there is only one type of vegetarian - a person who doesn't eat meat. Birds are meat, fish is meat.

People trying to be different, and stand out, may call themselves vegetarian, but still eat meat (whether it be chicken or trout). They are not vegetarians, they are posers.

Why do people consider them lesser beings, because religion, the original "science" deemed it so many hundreds of years ago. Look at Thomas Aquinas, who stole his writings from Aristotle, who both believed animals could feel no pain. Real Science has proven differently.

Crows, simians and humans are the only beings that have been scientifically witnessed making tools, my guess is that other animals do it also (maybe not all of them, but I believe some others do).

There are no vegetarians that eat any kind of animal. People who do eat animals and call themselves vegetarians have been misled.

I mean, seriously, think about it. As soon as you define the word "vegetarian" to include those who eat animals, it loses all meaning.

You win i am with you you have made a grand slam.
congratulations.

it's silly right? the answer is that they really aren't vegetarians, since us veggies DONT EAT MEAT. and last time I checked fish and birds are meat. so these people should not claim to be veggie when they are not.

this is an interesting question. i've always wondered why some vegetarians think it's okay to eat fish.

The people you have come across are actually not vegetarians.

Its quite clear from the definition that veggies do not eat meat, fish, poultry nor slaughter by-products.

The Vegetarian Society is THE recognised world leader on vegetarian issues, here si what they ahve to say about these silly people:
http://www.vegsoc.org/fish/

Some people get it, some don't.

there are many different types of vegetarianism. Some people, especially those who are still trying to get used to the vegetarian lifestyle, will still eat chicken and fish for a while.

"People who eat animal flesh (meat, fish, chicken) are not considered to be vegetarians. However, as the health benefits of a vegetarian diet become more widely known, many people reduce or eliminate animal products. For example, they may eat fish and chicken but no red meat, or they may eat meat in small portions only a few times a week. These people can most accurately be described as following a semi-vegetarian diet."

A reason why fish isn't (always) considered as meat goes back to the christian/catholic religion. Besides the story that Jesus presented his disciples fish, the Catharses living in the south of France in the Dark Middle Ages added some philosophical ideas, the main reason being in this context that fish is no real meat because it's white meat.
In the current western civilization it is more or less accepted that the brain is the main thing of the body, but the Catharses thought it was blood, and by eating blood of animals, you would assimilate the vibrations and "essence" of that lower animal. (you are what you eat). They thought that white meat like fish and chicken doesn't contain blood, hence would not take your spirit/soul down/degenerate to the animal level. Also, when eating vegetables and white meat etc. it was supposed to take you up to the highers spheres of enlightenment and the good old days of eden and the likes. The latter is stolen from the greek mythology; more precisely, the times before the gods and goddess: the time of Kronos, where there was peace in the world and plenty of food so that there was no need to kill animals and eat meat: "the heaven on earth".