"Weasling out of things is important to learn. It's what seperates us from the animals... except the weasel."
- Homer Simpson
Let's get one thing clear on this. I don't really care about animals to much, at least compared to many of those who would soon rather kill themselves than have to eat another animal, those who lay awake late at night thinking of those cute abandoned pets in the wake of hurricanes, those who cry for those poor lab rats used to test AIDS vaccines, or those who shudder at the idea of wearing animals to cover their nakedness.
This is not to say I would ever buy a fur, or that I'm not against senseless animal testing for things like cosmetics or that I don't feel some sense of pity for an animal who spends their entire life in a cage the size of at match box only to end up clogging the artery of some American who ingested their body in the form of a McNugget.
The only meat I do try and avoid is beef. Is this cause I feel a certain connection with cows and can't bare to eat them? Hell no, it's because most cows are filled with more steroids and chemicals than Mark McGwire at Mardi Gras. Plus my batting average is already high enough, I don't need performance enhancing cow to gain an edge. It also pisses me off how much land is needed to raise cattle that may otherwise have been used to grow a lot more food than will be produced by the cows grazing all day long. Which leads me to the point of this rant.
What I DO CARE about, is people, and in my world they take a little bit of a higher priority over animals. Doesn't it bother anyone else that Americans spend over 30 billion dollars a year on their pets yet always seem strapped for cash when it comes to a rational tax system that might actually take care of the less fortunate among us. (Well, even more disturbing to me is that I was reading in SPIN this morning that cell ringtones have created a very lucrative industry...pathetic.) I believe once you take care of people you're probably going to be closer to getting people to take better care of animals, the environment, etc. I especially care about people compared to those who wear white hoods and burn crosses in their neighbors lawns, who shun family members and friends because of their sexuality, ond probably a little bit more than the Phillip Morris corporation. But I'm not writing this to express how much better I am than those at the bottom of the ethical barrel.
I'm writing this to shamelssly promote a business that I haven't even been to (since it hasn't opened yet). I'm excited to spread the good word of place close to all of us (at least in the twin cities) that is making their effort to make our world a better place and it a pretty cut and dry way. Just about everyone knows about sweatshop labor today...it's no longer a "liberal hoax" or something that at least most people haven't heard of. And while most people are opposed to sweatshop labor they feel powerless to find products they desire that aren't made in this inhumane way. (I will not get into the "THEN STOP BUYING SO MUCH SHIT" argument here, though it is one we should all remember consider right after we max out our credit cards*). The first product that comes to mind to me when I hear the word "sweatshop" is shoes. Shoes have some of the largest mark up compared to what it costs to make them in sweatshops in China, Indonesia, and (probably whatever nation it states on the tongue of the shoe you're wearing right now). Try to go to a footlocker and find a shoe that's made in the US, and if you find one....BUY IT! But you won't, and I never have.
The Fast and the Furless, a new store opening in St. Paul wants to fix this problem. They want to put sweatshop-free shoes on your feet. They plan on carrying a number of different shoe lines that will likely cater to just about every style preference. What does this have to do with the lengthy animal rant I dragged you through above? As an added bonus, to all those animal lovers out there, everything in the store is 100% vegan...not made with a single animal product. It's like achieving world peace and getting a free puppy at the same time. And while I might not be as much of a puppy activist as my sister Abby was in high school, puppies are pretty damn cute, in fact, so are cows, and I suppose I don't need to wear them on my feet if I can avoid it, and hell, now I can. Go to their website and get a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more....I dare you! And then burn your Nike's in the webber grill while you cook up some steak cabobs. http://fastandfurless.com/
Thanks for listening,
Ted
*(Ted does not own a credit card)
