Fur Protesters

There is a fur store in downtown Portland that endures protesters in front of the store every Saturday. It reminds me of the protests outside of abortion clinics. I can't help but wonder what the purpose of these protests are.

I very much doubt that even if the protesters weren't there that anyone walking down the street on a Saturday in downtown Portland decides on impulse to buy some fur. Fur isn't cheap, and I would expect that most of the buyers have already given some thought to when and where they'll do their shopping. They'll either come despite the protesters, come some day other than Saturday, or go to a different furrier.

It's been said that the protesters know their rights, and know the law, and do not cross the line to illegal activities. Often their spokespersons seem to pontificate a moral superiority, but I noticed something on the last video of these protests: The people buying and selling the furs never wear masks, but a number of the protesters are wearing masks! If they're not breaking the law, and they're on the moral high-road, why do they have to hide their faces? Something isn't adding up here.

What I see are some people who've decided that fur is bad. They're probably not in the minority, although I'm not sure of that. One thing I'm sure is that the message that fur is bad is nothing new. It's been out there for quite some time. Screening, yelling, carrying big signs and intimidation aren't doing a thing to convert anyone.

What I see are people who are incapable of presenting their position as persuasive education have resorted to thuggary. They might not be getting arrested, and the message that they're trying to present may be morally right. But they are not moral people. They are thugs. Thugs that feel they need to hide their faces. Thugs that are incapable of doing anything that would actually help their cause.

I suppose it's good that they've found the fur store to rally around. Without that kind of focus and guidance on how to avoid arrest they'd probably be out vandalizing things with no direction at all like all the other common thugs.

And they pretty much confirmed that they are not very bright this last week. The city was trying to get the group leaders and the store owners together for some mediation. The opening proposal that the fur protesters put forward is way out there. It would be like going into a car dealer, and offering $10 for the car with a sticker price of $30,000, and expecting that a deal can be made around $15,000. The fact is, if you did that to a car dealer, you'd be laughed at, and then asked to leave. And that's pretty much what happened to the fur protesters. The store owner saw that they were not capable of realistic negotiation, and left their offer on the table.

Seeing how dumb these protesters can be, and how they feel they must cover their faces as they deliver their message actually makes people question whether the concept that fur is bad is really right. I've accepted that fur is bad at face value for a couple of decades, but now that I see what kind of people are leading this movement, I must review my position, as I'm sure many others are doing as well. The result is no one new will be convinced that fur is bad, and some people who accepted the premise at face value may no longer support the concept. And the fur dealer gets free advertising with every news story.

The more I look at those protests, the more I realize how they're being staged by people who can't think more than one-step ahead of themselves, and are being carried out by a bunch of dumb thugs. The fur is bad movement deserves better than these masked thugs.

That's how I see things.