This isn't a blog solely dedicated to Johnny Weir, I swear. He is, however, commanding several news headlines currently.Johnny Weir is being asked by Friends of Animals, an international animal advocacy group founded in 1957, to ditch the fur!
Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral slams Weir's love-affair with fur, stating, "Please consider that there's nothing pretty about the fox that suffered and died to trim your outfit. The beautiful fox was likely anally electrocuted, or may have had its head bashed in, only to serve as decoration for someones performance."
I've posted the letter in it's entirety below...I'm not taking a position on this particular issue but feel free to add your two-cents in the comments...
Dear Johnny Weir,
A recent New York Times article discussed your quest for the gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics.
The author mentioned your outfit had a “touch of fox” on the shoulders, and, despite your third place showing at the United States Figure Skating Championships on Sunday, you thought your outfit “looked pretty.”
Please consider that there’s nothing pretty about the fox that suffered and died to trim your outfit. The beautiful fox was likely anally electrocuted, or may have had its head bashed in, only to serve as decoration for someone’s performance.
If you buy fur, no matter what size piece, or which animal it comes from, you’re supporting an industry that has no respect for animals.
You say that you want to bring an “artistic style” to the Olympics, stating that “everyone can do jumps.” But, as past Olympic champions have shown us, style isn’t everything. In addition to skill, you must also have a sense of decorum in order to bring home the gold. And projecting a conscientious view of the planet’s animals is a starting point.
While you may believe that wearing fur is a “personal choice,” kindly know that the animals you wear had no such choice. The fur doesn’t magically slide off these beautiful beings. Their nightmare begins in the cramped cages they spend their lives in, where they are forced to lay in their own feces, and ends with first cut in their anuses. Or maybe some animals you wear were caught in leghold traps, and struggled in vain to gnaw off their legs? Either way, there is nothing glamorous or pretty about the cruelty they endured. And it can’t be morally justified either.
Friends of Animals urges you, for the sake of humanity, your Olympic ambitions and the hopes of all Americans this winter, to stop wearing the skins of animals. Instead, wow the judges with amazing performances. In the end, nobody cares what a figure skater wears. You will only be judged on your performance and the strength of your character.
Priscilla Feral
President of Friends of Animals
UPDATE: Here is a link to an Ice Network story...apparently Johnny is changing the fox fur to faux fur for the Olympics.
12 comments:
Anyone who eats meat and wears leather (as in all skaters) should STFU, IMO. ;)
I think Ms. Feral's letter is frank, honest, and RIGHT. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, there IS such thing as RIGHT and WRONG insofar as morality is concerned, and the killing of animals, be it for food, fur, or otherwise, is definitely WRONG. There is no justification and no distinction can be made between the killing of the fox for this guy's dumb outfit, or the killing of the cow for a steak or burger. It is exploitation, pure and simple.
To anonymous person number one: I think the difference between killing an animal just to wear it's fur and actually eating meat is that eating the meat is at least for survival purposes. And leather comes from the same animals that are killed for food, so there's a lot less wrong with using the whole animal once it has already been killed than killing it just for the fur.
I am very uneasy about this whole fur issue, but I adore Johnny's skating. I really wish that the fur industry could somehow be more humane--it sucks that an fox must be murdered for its fur, when a sheep can be humanely sheared for its wool for sweaters and such. I can't say that Johnny is now a horrible person for the fur and whatnot, but I really wish that he would take a step back and think about whether fashion is really worth torture and murder.
I am with anonymous person #2 on this, evilapprentice. There is NO difference at all. A person can EASILY survive without eating meat. Plenty of people are Vegan and they still live perfectly normal healthy lives. The "eating meat is at least for survival purposes" is a poor argument. It is an argument made by anti-fur meat eaters who are trying to rationalize away the fact that they essentially are supporting an industry that traps and kills animals so that people (you) can have the LUXURY of consuming foods they find tasty. Eating meat is a CHOICE, not a necessity, as is fur.
If you or I eat meat then we have no room to judge. That's the reality.
Anon #1
Anonymous one: Interesting. Your idea of number two is my number one. The first comment that appears on my scree is the original one that is immaturely telling meat eaters to "STFU, IMO."
So, I guess my original reply was to number two? I suppose it would be a lot easier if people at least had enough of the balls to stand behind their comments to at least list some sort of easily traceable screen name.
Anyway, I am going to have to continue to disagree with that sentiment, regardless of which anonymous person wants to post to state it or the fact that there are apparently now TWO nameless, faceless internet types in agreement on said issue.
Whether you consider the choice to eat meat a "luxury" or not, it is still VASTLY different than some bad idea of "fashion." There are also various farms that don't trap and torture animals and much, MUCH more humane killing methods used in certain parts of the meat industry, whereas there is no such thing as a humane method in the fur industry. Believe what you want, I'll continue to disagree.
OMG... get a life people! That tiny bit of fun on his costume is hardly enough to get worked up about. I was in Spokane and seen some coaches with big, huge fur jackets that have 200 times the fur that Johnny has on his costume & is anyone from their group emailing them and harrassing those people. No... why??? Please leave Johnny alone and let him concentrate on doing his best at representing the USA & having the skate of his life!
People have nothing to do but make comment on whether johnny wears fur or not. Maybe they should be using their energy on helping the Haitian or world peace. Wearing fur is a personal choice. If people want to wear it, that's their business. No other person should tell another person what they should or should not do. Period. If people just mind their own business, this world would be a lot better off. And no, I don't have fox fur coat hanging in my closet. I'm just tired of these Vegans preaching what people should and should not do. Get a life!
Yes, of all the worries in the world, Johnny Weir's clothing choices should be at teh top of everyone's list. PLEASE!
I may not like everything he says or does, but seriously.
Then again I'm one of those "animal haters" who hunts, fishes (and yes eats what I catch, it's not for sport), and supports dog mushing.
and if that isn't enough I say let Johnny wear his fur.
I am just pointing out the hypocrisy in your views, evilapprentice. If you want to continue living in your delusion where killing an animal to satisfy one type of luxury does not equate to killing and animal to satisfy another type, go right on.
Either you care of you don't, but the cherry picking is ridiculous to me.
I think it's a tad crazy to freak out over one 6 inch piece of fur on someone's shoulder when the whole world wears animals in some way or another. Where do alpaca sweaters come from? Fur lined gloves? Suede and leather coats, belts, briefcases, furniture, etc.
Maybe someone in the Audubon Society should protest the feathers that Evan Lysacek wears on his (hideous) SP costume?
Maybe they should ban the whole sport because they wear leather boots and we all know where leather comes from, right?
Maybe they should protest ALL sports because animal hide of one sort or another is used to make their shoes and boots too.
You see it's all a little nuts...
While these animal groups may have done some good (and when I say some I mean very little), we need to remember that God's word said that we shall eat of the fat of the land. This does not condone the abuse of animals by any means. And by no means should we let animal cruelty slide. But they are here for our well being. Not for fashion use. Now if the animal is slaughtered in a proper manner, and used appropriately, then I see no harm in using the fur. However, a majority of these “foxes skinned alive” arguments is hardly fact. Yes there was a time that the PETA had gotten a video of this horrible act, but they have used the same clip over and over… It happened 25 years ago. Let’s move on.
And, while the animal rights groups get recognition and time on the media, where are the anti-abortion/pro-life groups. We are quieted. But the fact is the people of this country have become more infatuated with the idea of protecting the animals, protecting the environment and all these things, when millions of babies die each year by abortion, with no say in the matter. To further my argument, I want to point out a certain law dedicated to the protection of our national bird: the bald eagle.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Act, originally passed in 1940 and later amended in 1962, prohibits the taking, possession, sale, offer to purchase, things of that nature, in regards to the egg of a bald eagle. Violators of this law face a maximum fine of $10,000.00 and time in prison. If convicted of a felony, the penalty could result in a $250,000.00 fine with two years imprisonment. They created this law to protect the fetus, or what will become, of a bald eagle. Yet they allow the murder of unborn babies because it is just a fetus, incapable of surviving on it's own. Yet the bald eagle is much more important. (sarcasm)
This past year there were 46 million abortions worldwide. Roughly 20 million were done illegally. This is the real issue. In Houston, a Planned Parenthood facility will be opening. The third floor will be dedicated to late-term abortion, killing the baby as it is being born. This is sick. This should not be happening. And there are those who say that someone was raped or of incest. Studies have shown that less than 1% of all recorded abortions were due to these two reasons. And the answer to those situations, I do not have. But what about the other 99%+ abortions that were due to an "undue burden" for the girl. I'm sorry. But this is why God designed sex for marriage. If you're too young for children, then you're too young for sexual activity. Now I know that sexual activity outside of marriage will never end but as a believer in Christ I must stand up and say that it is not right.
Women are allowed to get away with murder because having a child is an inconvenience to them. No other reason. Why is it that when a woman has an abortion, it’s ok. But when someone kills a women who is just 2 weeks pregnant, that person is convicted of a double murder because there was a fetus. It’s conflicting and I stand to my argument. We can commit murder in the act of abortion and walk free, but heaven forbid we touch an eagle egg or wear fur around our necks
We should be focusing our attention on human rights rather than animal rights. But like I said earlier; when anyone starts to talk about the inhumane act of abortion, we're considered close-minded or non-understanding of a women's well being.
Thanks for taking the time to read. I thoroughly enjoy reading everyone's opinion.
God Bless.
~Danny
Animal rights groups are enemies of animal rights. Why? Because their inane, pointless activities cement an idiotic image in public's mind that makes their "activism" impossible to take seriously.
This crap is exhibit A. Wow - you called out a figure skater for fur. What heroism. Guess what, dipshits? All skaters wear leather boots, that require a lengthy "breaking in" process to leave the "shoe" area strong enough to support strenuous jumps, but soft and supple as a glove.
Anyone interested in making skating "cruelty free" should devote their time to finding a way to manufacture boots that meet such exacting standards without animal content ... and then, effectively promoting and marketing them to coaches, teams and skaters.
That might actually have an impact someday. But no, much easier and faster to scold an athlete for a fur trim. What a bunch of idiots.
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