Fur ban positive first step
Residents of West Hollywood are well known for their support of forward-thinking legislation, so it should come as no surprise that on Sept. 21, the city council approved a ban on the sale of fur clothing on. It’s a big win for animal rights activists and the first ordinance of its kind in the United States.
West Hollywood has a longstanding reputation of being animal-friendly. The city has already banned the declawing of cats and also has prohibited pet stores from doing business with puppy mills.
The city is making a step in the right direction by passing this historic legislation, and other cities should follow in its footsteps. The ban makes a statement that the fur trade is barbaric, cruel and unfashionable.
The city of West Hollywood has long been known as a beacon of fashion — a trend-setting city. By taking such a definitive stance on fur — an item long considered glamorous — the city is declaring that fur is no longer fashionable, not to mention inhumane.
With our proximity to West Hollywood, USC students should make an effort to support these local boutiques and small businesses that have banned fur. Opponents of the ban have voiced concern about its potential economic effects, but students can play a role in diminishing those concerns by actively supporting the ban.
According to the Coalition to Abolish Fur Trade, every year 10 million animals are trapped in the wild for their fur, caught by leg hold traps, body grip traps and wire snares. These traps have remained largely unchanged for more than one hundred years.
And a review of fur farming in North America by animal rights group Born Free USA revealed the United States is the fifth-largest mink-producing country in the world. Approximately 3 million farm-raised mink are killed annually for their pelts.
Saving animals is as simple as choosing stylish cruelty-free clothing, which is available at every price range and at all kinds of retail outlets, from discount shoe stores to high-end boutiques.
Kelly Speca is a junior majoring in narrative studies.
Being opposed to wearing fur is quite possibly the most retarded ethical stance in the world.
The vast majority of people who criticize fur have no problem wearing leather, despite the fact that both products consist of cutting the skin from an animal, curing it, and wearing it as clothing. There is no ethical difference between wearing cow skin and wearing mink skin, so shut your ignorant, sanctimonious mouth. Thanks.
shut up heather
Actually Kelly, I hate to rain on the show that so many Americans seem to enjoy, but the rest of the world does NOT see West Hollywood as a ” beacon of fashion” (that’s a new one on me) Try Paris or London for that title.
On the contrary, the rest of the world outside America’s myopic and hugely inflated self image is that West Hollywood and in fact LA in generall is full of crackpots and is a bit of a joke.
Dictates such as this fur ban based purely on hysterical emotional rhetoric from single issue groups, using unsunstantiated and highly controversial evidence just goes to reinforce this world view of a city of narcissistic idiots who have lost the plot.
When are Americans going to get it that the rast of the world is beginning to laugh at you.