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That’s because fat shaming is derived from misogyny

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I understand why people dislike leather and animal products. But leather is such a good resource? Like… My mom bought a sturdy leather coat in 1989. I’m in my 20’s and I now wear that coat. That’s a 30 year old coat? 30 years, two generations, one coat. Versus, like… A plastic one, that rips and gets thrown out, or releases bits into the ecosystem every time it’s washed, takes a billion years to decompose, lasts maybe a decade if you’re super duper careful, and uses oil products in it’s construction. Like, yeah leather is expensive and comes from a living animal, and I’m not saying that you should go out and buy fifty fur and leather products for the he’ll of it, but like… Maybe the compromise is worth it? One animal product, valued and respected and worn down for generations, versus like… Six plastic products that will never ever go away?

idk, I could be wrong.

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No, that's what a lot of Animal Rights people want. It's not a bug, it's a feature.

I’ve seen a lot of adopt-don’t-shop extremists lately (you know the ones- the kind who harass people for mentioning that they have a purebred animal), as well as a lot of discussion about the concept (it does tend to come up this time of year). And there’s something about the idea that’s been sort of nagging at me…

The thing is, if we follow the hard-line adopt-don’t-shop view to it’s logical conclusion, here’s what happens-

Everyone who wants a pet cat or dog adopts from a shelter.

Because no one is buying from them, breeders stop selling animals, and most likely stop breeding them. Even the reputable, registered, best-of-the-best breeders, because the expenses of breeding add up when no one buys any puppies/kittens.

Pets from the shelter are all fixed. This is already a thing at about 90% of shelters.

Eventually, we’ve rounded up all the feral and stray dogs and cats, because the premise of this scenario is that every animal gets a home, right? (That’s what they always say, that you shouldn’t buy from a breeder when so many animals already need homes….) So, they go through the shelter system. Where they get fixed, and adopted out.

After a while- however long it takes to catch all the strays and put them into homes, plus however long it takes for breeders to stop breeding- there are no longer any cats or dogs that haven’t been fixed, because every animal that anyone obtains has been adopted from a shelter system that fixes every animal they adopt out.

Within about five years after that, there are no more animals to adopt unless someone surrenders one or dies, leaving their pets behind.

Within a maximum of 30 years, accounting for exceedingly long-lived cats, there are no cats or dogs left at all.

Now, I am aware that I am positing a very extreme and highly unlikely version of events. It is deeply unlikely that these people can convince the entire planet to stop buying from breeders, and even less likely that every stray in the world could be caught and go through their local shelters with that sort of efficiency. But pushing for a purebred-free world doesn’t make things better for animals, it just makes it more likely that the only animals left are unhealthy ferals.

I believe firmly in adopting animals from a shelter if it’s even remotely possible that a shelter animal will work for your needs. I do NOT believe it does anyone any good to harass people for choosing to purchase an animal that suits their needs.

Just… be kind to each other, and to your animals, and to ALL animals.

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CW ED

SORRY FOR THE VERY PERSONAL COMIC!!

This is my half of “Unhealthy”, an essay comic double header with the lovely and talented Sarah Winifred Searle. She and I both wrote about our personal experiences as overweight ladies with eating disorders, and her story is breathtaking! You can buy a physical copy of the book here: https://topatoco.com/collections/abby-howard/products/ah-unhealthy

Or buy a digital PDF here: https://abbyhoward.itch.io/unhealthy

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Love local coffee shops. your “refugees are welcome here” sign goes really well with the one that says “bathrooms are for paying customers only”

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Aziraphale can manifest a halo, which he mostly uses as a reading light

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Also...

Canada CAN handle heat waves for the most part -- because a lot of the country is used to huge temperature changes throughout the year. I live where it can be 30C in summer and -30C in winter.

Europe and the UK generally have less fluctuation than we do. And that means they'll have more trouble with outlier temperatures.

Europe is currently being burned alive and people still think climate change is a joke. It’s warmer in North Europe than in the middle eastern deserts.

Nearly all northern countries broke their decades old heat records this week.

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they’re doing their own thing and it’s awesome

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The days of the Simpsons being so genuine are long, long dead.