Happy to see (via HSUS) that Overstock.com just became the first major online retailer to drop fur from its offerings. In an interview with HSUS, Patrick Byrne, the CEO of Overstock.com, talked about how they made the decision:
I already understood that animals are not just objects. Someone could sit in a business meeting and take out a knife and a block of wood, and start whittling: it would seem odd, but would not be morally objectionable. If, however, someone took out a knife and a live rabbit, and started whittling, that would be both strange and morally objectionable. Hence, animals are not objects.
I knew that much already. But HSUS sent Kristin Leppert to see me, and as she was discussing the fur industry I began to understand that it really does treat animals simply as objects. Decorative objects, but objects nonetheless. So I realized we should stop having any part of it.
