As reported on CTV's
Vancouver News, a MP is proposing legislation to prevent the importation of dog
and cat fur. Good for him! It is important to keep one's priorities straight. There
are millions of refuges wandering around Europe and the Middle East- desperate
to find a safe place to exist, in developing countries an even larger number of
children do not have access to even the most basic levels of education and in
more countries than I can count, women are denied the right to make choices. Closer
to home - women still have to fight to gain equal access to all opportunities,
in some regions of the country women don't have access to the full complement
of health care needed that will allow them to remain in full control of their
bodies, thousands of Canadian children go to bed hungry every night, our mental
health system is woefully inadequate in the south and even more so in the
north, and our economy in some parts of the country is in serious trouble. But
yes - let us protect the dogs and cats of the world.
Forgive me if I sound harsh but the hypocritical, sanctimonious
and disingenuous attitude around animals
and their rights is more than a little bit irritating. I understand that people
who are cat and dog lovers (or know someone who is) feel that some cute little
things should be treated differently than other animals. North Americans also
think that eating horse meat or cute little Bambi (a fawn for those not up on
old Walt Disney cartoons) is proof that such a person must be something just
the other side of a barbarian. Of course it is okay to eat a calf (veal) or to wear
fur coats made from animals either painfully trapped or raised on what are
called farms but are really just out door factories. As a general rule we have
no problem eating eggs that come from chickens who are raised in either cages
that isolate the hens from each other or in such crowded conditions that they
can barely move. It is perfectly acceptable to eat bacon that comes from pigs
that have been raised in crates that fairly mimic anyone's worse definition of
hell or to munch away on some fish stick
manufactured from whatever species was dragged from the ocean floor,
potentially destroying coral reefs and fish habitat as well as killing and throwing
away fish that are caught up in the drag lines or huge nets and are not wanted.
I fully understand that the thought of some animal that one
can relate to (e.g. a dog or cat) being hurt, confined or abused is offensive.
It should be. We need to have laws in
place in our country that ensure that these animals are protected from people who
seem to take some delight from either inflicting pain or having an overwhelming
need to being in control of something. If
people need to eat meat or to wear fur - that is up to them. It is none
of my business . However if they choose to do so, and knowingly ignore the
suffering their desires cause then I wish they would explain to me how their
moral stance as to the sanctity of animal life is any better than those who
kill dogs and cats for their fur or their meat.
For those who argue that they only eat ethically raised meat
and are therefore free to criticize others, let me just say that their argument
reminds me of some slave owners from the American South (or for that matter British,
Dutch, or Spanish slave owners). Those owners would argue that they were
"good" slave owners because they avoided punishing their slaves too
much. They also would praise themselves for providing adequate accommodation,
clothing and food before sending them
out the fields to work. I am not too sure if there is an ethical continuum. You can't be a little bit ethical around an
issue.
We need to stop judging others before we judge ourselves. If
you want to stop the importation of items that use cat and dog fur - just stop
buying it.
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