Let the fur fly

I never thought PETA and I would agree on anything.

Ideologically, I fall between a libertarian and a conservative. I grew up in northwest Iowa, hunting rabbits and squirrels with my dad, and eating a heavy diet of beef, pork, and chicken. During high school, I was one of those people who would have said, "PETA--oh you mean, People for the Eating of Tasty Animals!?"

However, many recent influences have made me sensitive to issues concerning the fur trade. One of these influences is my dear friend Denise. Denise is a sometimes vegan who passionately cares for animal welfare. She does not oppose meat in general, but just thinks that animals should be treated properly.

A PETA commercial featuring the voices of rockstar Pink as an alligator and English comedian Ricky Gervais as a rabbit also did a lot to change the way I think. In the commercial, a stylish couple walks into a fancy hall with an alligator-skin purse and a rabbit-fur coat. Just then, an alligator missing most of its skin and a rabbit missing its fur accost them, demanding their skin/fur. The part that really got me was when the woman says, "Hey, I paid a lot for this [purse]," and alligator responds, saying, "Well, actually, I paid a lot more."

Now, I know that animals cannot speak and do not have minds or souls like people. Furthermore, I know that God gave man dominion over creation. However, when God put man over creation, it was in the position of a steward instead of a conqueror. I highly doubt that God wanted Adam to kill a bunch of dinosaurs to make dinosaur clutches and shoes for Eve. God Himself did not even use animal fur until after the Fall, and those fur garments are marks of the fall, not the glamorous life of paradise.

While animals do not have the same sentience as people, they can feel pain and suffer. Remember in the book Where the Red Fern Grows when the dog Old Dan dies and then Little Ann dies of grief-induced starvation just a few days later? Tortured animals scream and abandoned dogs whimper. How heartless to cause any creature unnecessary pain.

The fur trade causes unnecessary pain on an epic scale. No one needs fur. Human beings have advanced to a point where we can easily create beautiful synthetic fur. Furthermore, we no longer ride around in buggies or trek through frozen fields, and thus do not need the added protection. Is it is really fashionable to wear parts of a dead thing on your body? That is a little too Hannibal Lector for me.

I am not going to argue against hunting or fishing--in fact, I want to affirm them as part of man's stewardship. However, hunters need to eat what they kill. This is also the only acceptable situation were animal fur should be used. Hunters should be more like the legendary Native Americans who used every part of the buffalo. I do not know if that actually happened, but it is a nice story.

While I do think that PETA is insane, they have some good things to say. Don't let their crazy get in the way of you listening.