Vanity, Thy Name Is Leather
chief-t...@bluebottle.com
innocent creatures are still slaughtered each year in order to sate
vanity's hunger! This queer vegan has never been able to wrap his head
around the concept of butchering countless animals in the name of
charity, to save countless other (human) animals. Why must such
pointless carnage continue, when there are compassionate alternatives
that will NOT impact fund-raising in any negative way? In fact, the
excellent karma to CEASE this slaughter will most likely INCREASE the
funds gained.
The etymology of word "animal" derives from the Latin "anima," which
means "a living being, a soul". These dear souls deserve BETTER than
their present treatment of mass confinement, terror and murder. NO ONE
in this nation is unaware these days, of the ugly torment (in so many
ways) that is part and parcel of our animal factories...whether to
produce food OR garment. I find it ABHORRENT that brazen vanity is the
only justification for their slaughter.
Why is our LGBT Community even PARTICIPATING in this animal holocaust,
when we can easily switch to synthetics? Granted, there are issues of
pollution and global slave labor when it comes to mass production of
ANY clothing, but at least we'd eliminate the senseless death of
Gaia's beloved fauna. Horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, etc. are all
delightful creatures whose innocence give us joy, friendship, and
protection...if only we care enough to love them back, or even simply
LIKE them.
It is clear to me that this leather fad took off as a clever marketing
ploy BY the leather industry, to grab a chunk of the lucrative gay
market. Sadly, they succeeded, at the cost of much innocent
life...just like the alcohol and tobacco financiers preceding them.
Imagine our Leather Community switching to SYNTHETIC versions. They
could take PRIDE in the scent of "pleather" as a bold olfactory
statement that no animal was killed in their social and charitable
endeavors! While one's duds may not SMELL like leather (though I'm
sure this, too, can be rectified through modern chemistry: maybe Liz
Taylor could take a crack at it), one can still DRESS like leather,
LOOK like leather, and ACT like leather. The parties, the events, the
charitable causes will continue as usual, with the added grace that
zillions of Goddess's creatures were SPARED from the slaughterhouse.
In these right-wing times when eating meat is seen as a sign of
Amerikan patriotism (and those who don't are called commies or worse),
it is especially difficult to speak out against these needless
killings, whether for food, sport, or clothing. I'm sure I'll take a
lot of flack from various bar patrons who read this letter...but I
have grown tired of quietly sitting back, derided and excluded simply
for not wearing leather.
Perhaps I take this all a bit too personally, for my Lakota name IS
"Little Pony". Then again, perhaps I am so named in order to speak out
against this global massacre of the Truly Innocent: our long-suffering
brothers and sisters who've been tending this planet long, long before
we humans ever arrived.
Sincerely,
Zeke Krahlin
--
Lavender-Velvet Revolution
http://www.gay-bible.org
Rich
assuring that her sacrifice is not wasted.
When you consider that the alternatives to leather usually involve
petrochemicals, their ethical superiority becomes quite doubtful.
Rich, Urban Biker
chief-t...@bluebottle.com wrote:
> Our Queer Leather Community may not be dying off, but millions of
> innocent creatures are still slaughtered each year in order to sate
> vanity's hunger! This queer vegan has never been able to wrap his head
> around the concept of butchering countless animals in the name of
> charity, to save countless other (human) animals. Why must such
> pointless carnage continue, when there are compassionate alternatives
> that will NOT impact fund-raising in any negative way? In fact, the
> excellent karma to CEASE this slaughter will most likely INCREASE the
> funds gained.
>
....
Timberwoof
chief-t...@bluebottle.com wrote:
> Why is our LGBT Community even PARTICIPATING in this animal holocaust,
> when we can easily switch to synthetics? Granted, there are issues of
> pollution and global slave labor when it comes to mass production of
> ANY clothing, but at least we'd eliminate the senseless death of
> Gaia's beloved fauna. Horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, etc. are all
> delightful creatures whose innocence give us joy, friendship, and
> protection...if only we care enough to love them back, or even simply
> LIKE them.
Are lions and tigers and bears included in that list? Do you think they
are evil because they are carnivores?
I wear leather in other circumstances than the ones you describe: I put
on protective clothing made from cow-hide when I ride my motorcycle. The
cow, having died much more humanely than it possibly could have at the
teeth and claws of a predator, no longer needs its skin, but I do. I
hope it doesn't bother you that I will go on wearing leather whether you
approve or not.
--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com> http://www.timberwoof.com
"When you post sewage, don't blame others for
emptying chamber pots in your direction." 気hris L.
chief-t...@bluebottle.com
> As a carnivore, I'm inclined to believe that leather is Hathor's way of
> assuring that her sacrifice is not wasted.
A shallow excuse.
> When you consider that the alternatives to leather usually involve
> petrochemicals, their ethical superiority becomes quite doubtful.
Ditto.
> Rich, Urban Biker
Though not very bright.
Oh, I get it, this is tongue in cheek. Nice satire.
chief-t...@bluebottle.com
wrote:
> Are lions and tigers and bears included in that list? Do you think they
> are evil because they are carnivores?
Of course not. Your dimwittedness shines for all to see.
> I wear leather in other circumstances than the ones you describe: I put
> on protective clothing made from cow-hide when I ride my motorcycle.
As if leather were the ONLY form of protective clothing. Dimwit is as
dimwit does.
>The
> cow, having died much more humanely than it possibly could have at the
> teeth and claws of a predator,
Absurd, and you know that. See:
Leather: Animals Abused And Killed for Their Skins
http://www.downbound.com/Leather_s/269.htm
Quote: "Many animals from whom these skins are taken suffer all the
horrors of factory farming, including extreme crowding and
confinement, deprivation, unanesthetized castration, branding, tail-
docking, dehorning, and cruel treatment during transport and
slaughter."
> no longer needs its skin, but I do.
No you don't. It's not a "need", it's a "want" born of vanity.
> I
> hope it doesn't bother you that I will go on wearing leather whether you
> approve or not.
Liar.
> "When you post sewage, don't blame others for
> emptying chamber pots in your direction."
Why not listen to your own advice for a change?
chief-t...@bluebottle.com
> When you consider that the alternatives to leather usually involve
> petrochemicals, their ethical superiority becomes quite doubtful.
Is that so? Quoting http://www.downbound.com/Leather_s/269.htm:
--begin quote:
Tannery Toxins
Although leathermakers like to tout their products as "biodegradable"
and "eco-friendly," the process of tanning stabilizes the collagen or
protein fibers so that they actually stop biodegrading.
Until the late 1800s, animal skin was air- or salt-dried and tanned
with vegetable tannins or oil, but today animal skin is turned into
finished leather with a variety of much more dangerous substances,
including mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and
various oils, dyes, and finishes, some of them cyanide-based.
Most leather produced in the U.S. is chrome-tanned. All wastes
containing chromium are considered hazardous by the Environmental
Protection Agency. In addition to the toxic substances mentioned
above, tannery effluent also contains large amounts of other
pollutants, such as protein, hair, salt, lime sludge, sulfides, and
acids.
Among the disastrous consequences of this noxious waste is the threat
to human health from the highly elevated levels of lead, cyanide, and
formaldehyde in the groundwater near tanneries. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention found that the incidence of leukemia
among residents in an area surrounding one tannery in Kentucky was
five times the national average.(16) Arsenic, a common tannery
chemical, has long been associated with lung cancer in workers who are
exposed to it on a regular basis. Several studies have established
links between sinus and lung cancers and the chromium used in tanning.
(17) Studies of leather-tannery workers in Sweden and Italy found
cancer risks "between 20% and 50% above [those] expected."(18)
Raising animals whose skins eventually become leather creates waste
and pollution. Huge amounts of fossil fuels are consumed in livestock
production. (By contrast, plastic wearables account for only a
fraction of the petroleum used in the U.S.) Trees are cleared to
create pastureland, vast quantities of water are used, and feedlot and
dairy-farm runoff are a major source of water pollution. According to
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, tanneries have largely
shifted operations worldwide from developed to undeveloped nations,
where labor is cheap and environmental regulations are lax.
--end quote
chief-t...@bluebottle.com
wrote:
> I put
> on protective clothing made from cow-hide when I ride my motorcycle.
--begin quote from http://www.downbound.com/Leather_s/269.htm:
"There are many alternatives to leather, including cotton, linen,
rubber, ramie, canvas, and synthetics. Chlorenol (called "Hydrolite"
by Avia and "Durabuck" by Nike), used in athletic and hiking shoes, is
an exciting new material that's perforated for breatheability,
stretches around the foot with the same "give" as leather, gives good
support, and is machine-washable.
Vegan shoes and accessories are inexpensive, and some are even made
from recycled materials.
--end quote
Timberwoof
chief-t...@bluebottle.com wrote:
The resistance of these materials to abrasion from road surfaces is far,
far less than that of leather.
What about my questions about carnivorous animals? Are you going to try
to get them to stop eating the fwuffy wabbits?
Timberwoof
chief-t...@bluebottle.com wrote:
I think it's a bit to early for you to resort to personal attacks.
Unless, of course, you realize that you've already run out of logical
arguments. All of yours so far come down to "You must not do that
because I say so."
--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com> http://www.timberwoof.com
"When you post sewage, don't blame others for
emptying chamber pots in your direction." ‹Chris L.
chief-t...@bluebottle.com
wrote:
> I think it's a bit to early for you to resort to personal attacks.
That was no attack, dearest...it was a simple but accurate
observation.
> Unless, of course, you realize that you've already run out of logical
> arguments. All of yours so far come down to "You must not do that
> because I say so."
Nope. Again, you lie. I gave you sound references regarding the
pollution of toxic waste in the making of leather, as well as the
torment of the poor creatures whose skins are used for that leather.
It is a shame that you try to cover up your ignorance with arrogance.
I will leave you now, as I've made my points--and very well I might
add--but you are not so intelligent as to be worth further
conversation.