This is a good example of what I term as Stage Two in my five-stage analysis of animal protection as a social movement. Stage one is public education (protests and publicity educate people about fur). Stage two is public policy (companies like Ralph Lauren adopt pro-animal position). Stage three and four are legislation and litigation respectively. Stage five is public acceptance.
In the fight against fur, we’re clearly still in stage one and two and inactive in stages three and four. Yes, there have been various attempts in these latter stages but the movement’s focus is primarily on changing public opinion. In other words, we continue to frame fur as a cruelty-free lifestyle choice issue and not as a public policy or legislative issue. The best example of stage three and fur is Britain’s 2003 law that banned fur farming as a moral issue.
To make fur farming illegal in the U.S. the animal protection movement must expand its vision from a preoccupation with framing fur as a cruelty-free, lifestyle choice issue to also one of public policy, namely legislation. Until this has been accomplished, the case against fur will be sidelined as a personal choice issue when legislation is what’s really needed.
