What Does One Do With Fur They Don’t Want?

I’ve (unwillingly) received some fur coats and hats—like real fur, from a poor, defenseless animal. I don’t want these disgusting items, but I feel like I shouldn’t just throw them away. Then again, I also don’t want someone to exploit the animal’s life for profit. What does one do with fur they don’t want? —MT Therapist

This is a slippery moment for questions touching on humanity’s self-proclaimed right to kill, eat, wear and generally take a dump on our fellow creatures. Our justification for this has always been our intelligence, but now that AIs are proving just as capable as we are of having conversations, making shit up, and writing lousy book reports, we may need a different framework. What it would be I don’t know, but it seems like it’ll involve one of three things: (1) making everyone go hardcore vegan, (2) declaring that it’s OK to eat people also, or (3) letting ChatGPT vote.

For now, people of goodwill can disagree about fur’s morality. Some who condemn the trade in new furs, for example, may consider pre-owned, or “ethical,” fur acceptable. The rabbit, mink or chinchilla is already dead, the theory goes, so we might as well wear it rather than throw it in the garbage. If you agree, MT, you could simply hawk the items on eBay, perhaps donating the proceeds to an animal-themed charity.

Then there are those who draw the line at actually wearing fur, but consider it OK to repurpose existing fur garments into art objects, animal bedding, or educational exhibits. Sounds like a lot of work to me, but if it inspires you, go for it.

Finally, there’s PETA, which claims any use of fur perpetuates the industry. They say you should give your furs to the homeless—”the only humans with any excuse to wear fur”—or donate them to PETA and they’ll do it. I’m not a huge fan of PETA, but they’re not known for half-assing their support for animal rights, so if you’re looking for the maximalist position, this is probably it.

Or, you could do the obvious thing and donate the items to Goodwill. It’s a charity, so you don’t have to worry about some flinty-eyed death merchant cynically profiting from Thumper’s sacrifice, and while the people buying your furs wouldn’t necessarily be homeless, this being Portland they could BECOME homeless at any moment. Close enough.

Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.