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Should people wear fur products?
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Wearing fur is no different than eating meat

Despite the fact that we eat meat and other animals, there is only a backlash against the fur industry, denoting a double standard concerning the treatment of animals in separate contexts.
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The Argument

Factory farms and fur farms both treat their animals notoriously cruelly, yet many protest against the fur farms while remaining silent about the treatment of cows, pigs, and chicken in major meat industries around the world. The factories inflict unbelievable pain and torture on the animals, yet why is there such a stigma solely against fur farms? According to Sentient Media, "Pigs can become so stressed out that they’ll bite each other’s tails and feet and even resort to cannibalism. These behaviors do not occur in nature."[1] To claim that the two industries are similar to one another is to imply that both should be treated equally. Should consumers ridicule those who buy real mink fur coats while eating meat that was cruelly and inhumanely harvested? There should be no distinction between the two, and wearing real fur is no different than eating factory farmed meat.

Counter arguments

Animal fur is solely used for fashion, while factory-raised animal meat provides food, especially for people who cannot afford locally raised meat around the world. While fashion can be seen as a useless mode of animal cruelty that only serves to look good as a coat, while an estimated 75% of agricultural land on the earth is used for meat production,[2] which suggests the sheer number of people relying upon meat to feed them every day. Fur farms can be viewed as a simple accessory, while meat factories can be seen as a worldwide necessity. There is a sizable distinction between the two.

Premises

[P1] Animals in fur farms and animals in meat factories are treated the same, yet many activists focus on fur farms while ignoring the meat industry. [P2] There is no distinction between fur farms and meat factories. [P3] Therefore, wearing a fur coat is no different than eating factory-raised meat.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] The distinction is in their respective purposes. Fur farms are for fashion accessories while meat farms feed a majority of the world population and are a necessity. [Rejecting P3] Wearing a mink coat is different from eating factory-raised meat.

References

  1. https://sentientmedia.org/factory-farms/
  2. https://www.populationconnection.org/population-and-meat-consumption/#:~:text=Taking%20into%20account%20the%20amount,land%20goes%20into%20meat%20production.
This page was last edited on Thursday, 18 Jun 2020 at 18:56 UTC

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