My bf had the leather seats ripped out of his car?

Question

He is a vegetarian and bought a lovely new Saab 95 Aero performance car. He had the seats changed because they were leather. Now there are two things here for me (I am not a veggie) 1. the cow had been killed anyway and he just had her hide thrown away 2. buying a performance car adds to his carbon footprint and is detrimental to the environment so in a way he has double standards. What do you think?

It is a new car but was in the show-room not specially ordered, and he buys vegetarian shoes etc.I will talk to him. This is the point of the question to get different perspectives, and I am on the cusp of being vegetarian especially after discovering what goes on with milk(another question) so dont give me a hard time or you will frighten me away!

Thanks Skully you made me laugh. Yes he is a bit of a **** but in a nice way, and very intelligent,and kind and caring and he makes me laugh too.He says that it can be difficult to avoid using animal products at times especially in his job as he is at the mercy of his enviroment but he does what he can. I guess this is fair, but I still think the car should be changed to one that has a smaller carbon footprint

Answer 1

You write and reason like a very bright and articulate woman. So I am quite at a loss as to why you would associate with an idiot ... albeit a well-heeled idiot ... but still an idiot. Dump him and get someone that can match your gifts of critical thinking.

Your relationship is doomed.

Answer 2

So what if he added more of his carbon footprint to the environment? Being vegetarian doesn't automatically make you an environmentalist at all. Although I must say, everyone should care about the environment, veggie or not.

As for him ripping out the seats well maybe he just didn't want to ride on dead skin anymore. It's not something that should even bother you. I probably would have done the same thing because the guilt would have eaten me up inside if I continued to use a dead animal as my seat covering. And yes, it was already there and won't make much of a difference if he removes it or not because it's not like it was a new car and custom ordered it to not have leather, but he should just do whatever makes him feel better since it really isn't hurt anything. He really shouldn't have paid for the leather to begin with though, but I suppose that wasn't avoidable since it was a used car.

Answer 3

Being a vegetarian myself, I think he shouldn't have bought a car with leather seats in the first place. If he paid for such a car, he paid for the leather in it and therefore gave the people who sell leather exactly what they want and the reason why they keep doing what they do. That is money, obviously. Ripping them out might just be a way of showing people where he stands, and I understand that, but the harm is done anyway and doesn't do anything to help animals. The way to help animals is to boycott the products of animal origin. That means not paying for them, and the more people do it the more the industries that profit from animal exploitation are given reasons to rethink their position.

Also, you're right, if he bought a performance car he didn't buy a ver environment-friendly product and that makes it seem like he has double standards, but on the other hand, simply for being a vegetarian, he's not supporting an industry that causes even more damage to the environment than the automobile industries. That is, of course, factory farming, the biggest responsible for environmental degradation. That doesn't excuse his purchase though.

For all of you that think vegetarians don't make a difference and that our cause is futile, I advise you to get your facts straight and get to know exactly where and why we stand. Vegetarism is not only the ethical choice, it's the best choice to get us all a better world to live in.

Answer 4

I personally would get a more energy efficient car if I had the money he appears to have. He is being a bit of a hypocrite but I think everyone's guilty of that, unless they live a self sufficient life cut off from the rest of the world.

I do understand why he did this though. Being a vegetarian and then sitting on a dead cow is too much of a contradiction by some people's standards. You may see it as a 'waste' to get rid of the leather but for some people, including myself, leather is not a thing to be wasted or used at all... it's not a thing to be used by humans... it represents the death of a living being. In effect it is part of a dead animal carcass and so the thought of wearing it or sitting on it is quite disgusting.... similar to wearing or upholstering with human skin.

I'm not knocking people for using leather... that's there choice. I just don't want to use it myself. I think you should accept your partners decision... at least it shows that you have a caring boyfriend who doesn't just think of himself. Praise him for it, don't judge him.

Answer 5

Talk with him about it. Yes, the cow has already died and maybe your bf just could not bear the thought of sitting on a dead animal's hide. Perhaps he would the entire idea repugnant. I have vegan friends who can not bear the idea of sitting on leather seats at all. About his new vehicles carbon footprint, I would look it up on-line and then find a way to offset it. For instance, check out begreennow.com or google some of the other groups that can help with this. Maybe your bf feels that he is currently offsetting his carbon footprint by not eating meat? Just a thought. Either way, if you feel the need I would talk to him about it and ask him about his own reactions to the above.

Answer 6

does seem a little double standard... I suppose if he thinks a big part of being veggie/vegan is raising awearness with others, it would seem hypocritical of him to be driving around in a leather seat... i have a leather jacket i bought ages ago, i use it as my "roughing it jacket" now, when i'm on a hike or something, need a coat but dont want to ruin my nice ones i'll wear this... wouldn't wear it out with friends or casualy for the reason of seeming hypocritical, even though i bought the coat while i was a meat eater... Your bf's case is slightly different but could be a similar psychology behind it...

Answer 7

Talk to him about possibly selling the seat-hides for a trans-fuel part (I am sorry I don't know the proper term; I don't drive) so that perhaps he may use E85, thereby lessening the carbon footprint. I fully understand this dilemma! Weird feeling, is it not? There's always a good solution, even if you can't directly see it. If not my suggestion, then maybe another will come (from someone who's car-savvy! ;)

Answer 8

If the car is new the seats should have been able to be resold to someone that wants them. Especially front seats, them come out easily. Many people steal car seats to resell them, so they shouldn't be thrown away.

Vegetarian doesn't have to do with environmentalism. Some people are are vegetarian for themselves only, while others are to various degrees more concerned about the environment.

Answer 9

So he felt sorry for the cow(s) who laid down their lives so much he honours their sacrifice by allowing their hides to be burned or chucked in a landfill tip. He then proves how much he loves the earth by tear @rsing round in his gas guzzling sports car. Sounds like he doesnt have much time for animals or the planet!
Incidently someone mentioned an electric car.
Where does the electricity to fuel an electric car come from? Thats right the power station.
What do power stations burn? Fossil fuels.
What do fossil fuels emit when burned? CO2.
Doesnt seem quite so eco-friendly now does it?

Answer 10

It's not a double standard, it's two different standards and each one should be dealt with seperatly.

Infact double standard is just some word used by activist to justify their cause.

I say don't worry about it, like I said not a double standard, two different standards.

Answer 11

Why double standards? Whats the link between being a vegitarian and being enviromentally friendly?