I agree wholeheartedly that the animal’s quality of life is what matters most when discussing any of this. When I chose to start eating meat again, I made a commitment to myself to be very, very picky about my sources–i.e. free-range, no hormones, etc. Yes, I could just not eat meat, but I’m here in this world for only a short time and want to experience it as fully as I can–while causing as little harm as possible. And because food is so important to me, I felt as though I were really limiting myself and my knowledge by strictly avoiding all things meat-related.

And yes, I also recognize that a fundamental difference between leather products and fur lies in the fact that animals bred for fur are essentially wasted, not consumed, etc. Pretty ugly and frivolous; there’s no way around it. I don’t think I’d ever purchase something fur for myself, but if offered, yes, I’ll wear it. I’m full of contradictions.

Plus, the thing my mom is scheming about may well be fake! Bottom line, m’dears.

I know I’m on dodgy ground being a meat eater and anti-fur, but the way I see it, it is OK to breed animals for meat but not for clothes, leather and suede being the exceptions as they are by-products.

Just typing this however, I realise how silly my position is. Surely the quality of the animal’s life is more important than its end use? I don’t need to wear fur, but I also don’t need to eat meat.

I eat meat (free range, ideally) because I like the taste. I love the feel of fur, but I just can’t wear it. I’m so hypocritical!

As an aside, I remember hearing about some animal-rights activists who freed hundreds of mink from a fur-farm in the south of England a few years ago. Great? No. The mink, revelling in their freedom, decimated the local wildlife, including some sensitive ecosystems.

Nothing is straight forward.

The bottle-cap belt sounds like a veritable nightmare. Did your mom get why it was so bad?

I have to admit though, I’m having a hard time accepting that a crocheted poncho is worse than fur.

Mark, I highly recommend the album Blazing Arrow. Damn fine. Sunny, upbeat, literate, funky, showy. You will like.

But oh no, I’ve stepped into a controversy! I’m no raving champion of fur, but I’ve never understood why it is demonized in a way that simple ole leather goods (usually) aren’t. It’s all dead, right? And meat for consumption? Dead too. So–hypothetically of course–how is eating a duck, chicken, or X alright when wearing fur is not? [Vegans, please have mercy.] Oh, and for the record, I *am* a champion of free range meat, poultry, and eggs. Yes yes.

Also, fur? Do people still wear that in the States???