#I don't think it's automatically wrong and evil for humans to benefit from animals

[provendermalkin]

I see that vegans in the tags and replies feel attacked and have automatically assumed this is a bad-faith argument in favor of like, fucking factory farming, and not the fact that we're LITERALLY throwing animal hides and furs in landfills! Why don't we use them so people have warm, durable clothes! It's a waste! It's unethical!

Or, you know, sheep. What's wrong with keeping wool sheep? They live somewhere protected from predators and hunger and dangerous elements and in exchange we give them a haircut once a year- a haircut they NEED to be healthy.

Wool is durable, stays warm even when wet, and doesn't shed microplastics into the environment. Shearing doesn't hurt the sheep any more than cutting your dog's nails does. Yes, some of them don't like it. Yes, it may (or may not!) be briefly stressful for them. I don't think it's virtuous or ethical to then intentionally discard or destroy natural fibers that could benefit people who need it.

The alternative to keeping wool sheep or other wool animals and giving them a yearly shearing (which again, they NEED) is driving them to extinction.

And make no mistake! Lots of "animal rights activists" (like PETA) not only want that, they are actively working towards it.

"Better dead than bred."

No more dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, pigs, llamas, alpacas, chickens, or any other domesticated animals. They want them dead and gone, because they consider it merciful to drive these creatures to extinction. They're fine with animals dying or being killed, as long as it doesn't benefit anyone. PETA and other groups like them routinely cause mass death of animals, either by releasing tame animals to suffer and die on their own in the wild, or by directly taking charge of animals and then personally killing them and destroying their bodies so they can't be used for anything.

It's not that they "love" animals, it's that they hate humans.

Being vegan is fine. Viewing all humans as irredeemably evil parasites and wanting all domesticated animals to die out to "save" them is not.

vegans would rather wear plastic head to toe than benefit from symbiotic relationships we've had with animals for thousands of years