2002-11-13 - 3:08 p.m.

On the internal soundtrack: "Don't Forget to Dance", The Kinks

Ikilled007 posted a photo today of a dolled-up woman holding a skinned fox, saying "Here's the rest of your fur coat."

I couldn't resist a few cracks -- like, how many animals were harmed testing the makeup she's wearing, and what about the cow who died so she could have a leather jacket -- because I can't help wondering whether the model actually cares about this issue. Maybe she does. More likely there's a little hypocrisy there. You have to be pretty committed to be 100% animal-cruelty-free.

Me, now, I'm conflicted and hypocritical, so you won't see me doing these ads.

I've never particularly wanted to wear fur. I'd never spend my money on it. It does feel really nice, but the idea of raising and killing animals for coats is a little more than I, a meat-eater, can stand. If you were gonna eat the fox, too, that would be one thing, but I never heard of that. And occasionally I feel a bit guilty about owning a leather jacket. Poindexter is convinced that the rest of the cow went to McDonald's, and was going to die anyway, but maybe it didn't.

And ever since I saw the baby cows locked in cages, I haven't been able to eat veal.

Generally I don't eat much red meat, and I buy most of my shoes at Payless ("Genuine Manmade Materials"!), so it's not a big issue. I don't feel so guilty for eating chicken because I've heard chickens are horrible. Nobody loves chickens.

I do understand why people become vegetarian for animal reasons, though. Technically, given our production capabilities these days, we have no need to be eating animals at all. If we don't NEED to eat animals or use their skin for shoes, why should we?

Poindexter's take, via IM:

Evelynne: How do you justify using animals for food, couches, and shoes given that technically we don't NEED to use them anymore?
Evelynne: I mean, why kill animals when it's not necessary?
Poindexter: Are cows endangered?
Evelynne: I'm talking about the individual cow here.
Poindexter: lol
Evelynne: poor thing gave its life so we could have a nearly-indestructible couch
Poindexter: I'm saying that cows are not endangered and never will be because we want to keep them around.
Poindexter: they taste good.
Poindexter: And leather is cool.
Evelynne: You never feel guilty for killing cows?
Poindexter: No.
Poindexter: Circle of life
Poindexter: Does the tiger feel guilty when he eats a native?
Poindexter: she..
Poindexter: Doesn't have to eat the native, there's likely other food about.
Evelynne: No, but the tiger doesn't have the same level of consciousness that we do. He doesn't sit around thinking about the value of life. He gets hungry, he eats. It's not that simple with humans.
Poindexter: lol
Poindexter: Well, to answer your question, I don't have any cow guilt.
Poindexter: Just be cause the animal is smarter than a plant, the plant is still alive.
Poindexter: Gotta kill something.
Poindexter: And we seem to have found what tastes good.

Well, there's that. Nice that he's so unconflicted.

I'll just continue eating meat and feeling guilty about it, I guess.

I'm getting my other two wisdom teeth out tomorrow. Blah.

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