My boots

Hi all,

I hope you are enjoying Summer. I cannot believe it is still snowing here. Yes, I know i live in the Arctic but this is late for snow even here. At last I am due some sun soon as I am leading a yoga holiday mid June to Greece, I'm excited but my first time away from the children so it will be hard too.

Last Saturday I had a rare opportunity to go out socializing which was very pleasant, beside a lot of drunk people falling around the place, I got to see a great band and met some Swedish people working on a contract up here. However during this night my vegan argument fell down a little! I had on a pair of suede knee high boots. I have had these boots for a number of years and when I turned vegan I toyed with ideas of what to do with them. After some thought (perhaps not enough) I decided to keep wearing them for now until I found a vegan pair I liked and could afford with the thought that I could not save the cow now and throwing them away did not gain anything for the animals. So, here I was, talking about veganism in a bar at 2am and the conversation moved to my boots. I explained my choice as I have above but it did not sound convincing, even to me. I felt like a fraud.

The outcome was that I came home, took the boots off and threw them in the rubbish pile. I now realize that it is hypocritical to talk of my compassion for animals whilst wearing their skin. I realise I may not have money to but vegan boots on the internet right now but at least I can make my choices whereas the cow being killed for its flesh and skin does not have any choices.


Just found this definition of Suede on Wikipedia as I wondered if it was just cow skin - here is the answer...
Suede leather is made from the under side of the skin, primarily lamb, although goat, pig, calf and deer are commonly used. Splits from thick hides of cow and deer are also sueded but due to the fiber nature have a shaggy nap. Because suede does not include the tough exterior skin layer, suede is less durable but softer than standard ("full-grain") leather. Its softness, thinness, and pliability make it suitable for clothing and delicate uses; suede was originally used for women's gloves. Suede leather is also popular in upholstery, shoes, bags, and other accessories, and as a lining for other leather products. Due to its textured nature and open pores, suede may become dirty and absorb liquids quickly.

This is a norwegian 'pølser'. It is a hot dog and comes in a variety of types made from various concoctions of animals and body parts. It is quite revolting. They are for sale in every petrol/gas station and newsagents. Sometimes they have bacon wrapped around them too. The smell disgusting and make me feel sick when I smell them. There is no escape from them. They are everywhere! I long for a place where I can feel at peace but outside my own home it is impossible. Everywhere I look is evidence of murdered animals. I go to friends and sit on leather sofas and watch people eat cream cakes, I see animal wagons drive past me on the roads, I see sheep huddling around hay bales in the minus temperatures and when I have to stop for petrol/gas, I get the smell of rotting flesh forced upon me.

When will the world sit up and take notice? I don't want to be angry but I can't help feel that way sometimes. It took me this long to realize my way of living was wrong and I changed it. What gets my back up are the people who know what is happening to these defenceless animals but still eat them and use them for their selfish purposes.

Why does my father in law eat Fois Gras when he knows what happens to those poor birds, why does he take pleasure in talking about it and ending the conversation with 'well, they taste so great!' Why does my Dad say that 'tofu' tastes like socks yet will eat veal, baby calf, cruelly separated from it's mother who is denied motherhood and killed before it has chance to know what life is (not infront of me though, that's the honourable thing).

Why does it hurt so much? Because I look at an animal and I believe it has a basic right to live. I believe it has feelings. I believe it has intellegence. I believe as human beings we have got it so wrong.

Peacefully yours,

Jill.