Patch Blog: On Fur—Faux and for Real

The fur is still flying over the —even 7 months or so later. 

What I don't understand is the strenuous objection to the ban by those who say they have never bought or worn real fur, nor have they ever had anything else to do with fur. To me, it's like throwing a hissy fit over the instrusive security measures at the airport or over the extra charge for carry on bags if you don't fly.

Nor do I understand those who keep yelling that animal torture should be a choice. I beg to disagree. Animal torture should never be a choice. There is no right way to do such a wrong thing. Eighty-one percent of upscale U.S. consumers in a recent poll considered selling fur products to be irresponsible. (Decision Research)

And to those who say we should depend on truth in labeling laws, I say poppycock! Fur and partial fur garments are well known to be misleadingly labeled, especially those from China.

I can't help but feel that people who support animal torture for their fur do so only for very selfish reasons, although they probably have very little conscience as well, like the hookers who support crushing kittens with a 6-inch high heel to satisfy the sexual fetish of their client, and of course for their own profit. 

And like those who support the hunting of caged or fenced in animals for sport, called "canned hunting," where animals are chased in the enclosed area until they are exhausted and shot at close range, a guaranteed kill to serve the high and satisfy the ego of the so called "hunters." 

It is all ugly human behavior, and serves no one but the selfish few who engage in animal torture for pleasure and profit.

For those who try to convolute the discussion by bringing up leather, meat and animal testing in the same context as the fur ban, these are certainly concerns of many, but have nothing to do with this ban on fur sales. Many leather products are by-products of the meat packing industry, so those may be related.

This is a ban on the selling of fur apparel, made from the skins of tortured animals, period. It is a very specific step toward the potential larger picture of the evolution of human kindness and civility. 

I commend those members of the City Council who voted to enact this ban. They are good souls, but they are by no means ahead of their time. The international distaste for torturing animals for their fur is nothing new. 

Fur farming is banned completely in various European countries, the United Kingdom has enacted a multi year phase out plan, and regulations imposed on fur farms in Switzerland are so strict as to make fur farming all but impossible. Israel was on the verge of imposing a national fur ban (with some religious exceptions) until it was knocked down by lobbyists for the Canadian fur industry.  Leaders of Israel's anti fur lobby have vowed to revive the legislation. And there are countless other examples of  growing anti fur movements around the world.

Finally, faux fur is much easier to maintain than tortured animal fur. It holds up better, lasts longer, and is much less expensive. There is no need whatsoever to raise animals for their fur, and as far as I'm concerned, there is no legitimate reason for defending animal cruelty - for fur, sport, entertainment, personal pleasure, profit, or for any other of the proposed reasons. Period. It's time to move on.