It's Frigid on the Prairies!

NICE    NOTE-WORTHY    NEW    NECESSARY     NO THANKS

It has been cold on the Canadian prairies. Brutally cold! Men and women I know who have not worn fur for a variety of reasons have succumbed and have resurrected their fur coats. No matter what one has to say, fur and shearling make up the warmest outerwear humans have adopted and adapted. 

There is a fur lobby and I acknowledge and respect their sentiments but for the ones who are extreme, it seems that their motivations disregard two important factors - the extreme cold of the North and the economies of the Indigenous Nations of the North. When I hear of animal rights activists bringing forth animal suffering I think of the hunters and trappers I know, the men and women who have a great respect for the wild animals and are humane in their methods. Nature deals with over population but humans have interfered and now imbalances can be blamed on human decision makers in a commercial market. 

I also question the "warm weather all year long" resident who admonishes those who wear fur in frigid temperatures. Has he or she experienced minus 40 with a wind chill factor? I question the actors and actresses who call "exploitation" when referring to the fur industry? Movies? Exploitation? In fact, from a critical standpoint, what "business" has not been accused of exploitation?

I had a fur coat and have chosen not to wear it anymore but I do have a shearling jacket which is an animal product. It's the luxurious nature, the expense and criticism of the procurement methods that have made wearing fur unpopular.

NICE: Fur and Shearling is the best when it comes to minus 40 weather and don't forget the wind chill!

NO THANKS: To wearing fur in warm climates for "show" only.

NOTE-WORTHY: To those who are cognizant of the Indigenous people of Canada and other northern countries who trap wild animals with respect and a respect for the environment.

NEW: Actually not so much new but the idea of re-furbishing, re-designing and re-making old fur coats rather than buying new ones.

NECESSARY: Awareness of varying viewpoints with respect and tolerance for those who choose or choose not to wear fur.