“Furrier to the Stars” Dennis Basso Presented with Stocking Full of Coal at Holiday-Themed Fur Protest
New York City- International animal advocacy organization Friends of Animals and supporters will gather for an informative and spirited holiday anti-fur rally in front of “furrier to the stars” Dennis Basso’s pricey boutique on Madison Avenue.
The animal advocates will grace the shopping scene of Madison Avenue decked out in Santa hats, ringing jingle bells, and holding festive banners and signs that proclaim a message of compassion and joy for all animals this holiday season, and beyond. Literature that reveals the unjust reality behind the glossy façade of the fur industry will be distributed to passersby and shoppers.
Dennis Basso will be offered a holiday stocking full of coal.
“We’d love to offer Sugar Plum Fairies instead,” said Edita Birnkrant of Friends of Animals. “But that will wait until Dennis Basso joins the modern era, to become the premiere purveyor of fabulous faux-fur garments to the stars.
“This holiday season, Dennis Basso is making money by marketing the skin someone else was in.
40 or more mink skins are needed to make a single coat. Coyotes, wolves, raccoons, and other animals are trapped, snared, shot clubbed, gassed and electrocuted, all to produce frivolous garments and trim for which alternatives already exist. That custom might have been accepted in the days of St. Nicholas, but it’s not a part of an enlightened society. The sight of fur in the streets is anything but merry.”
Wednesday, December 19th, 12noon — 1:30pm
Dennis Basso Fur Boutique
765 Madison Avenue, between 65th & 66th St.
Upper East Side, Manhattan
Contact: Edita Birnkrant 212.247.8120; Cell 917.940.2725 edita@friendsofanimals.org
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7 Comments
On December 18, 2007, Mark wrote:
Kinda weak.
A “stocking full of coal” signifies “naughtiness” - not “malicious and horribly evil.”
Just sayin’
On December 18, 2007, Lee Hall of Friends of Animals wrote:
Mark, thanks for your concern; hope you can make the rally. The fur trade is appalling to us as clearly it is to yourself. Yet in our view, most people who buy and sell animals and animal parts for food or garments aren’t malicious. They are meeting a market demand, one that has been around for a long time. Our work is not to despise them, but to inspire them. Not a single one of us came to make a commitment to opt out of fur, leather, milkshakes and so forth because we were seen as malicious and horribly evil. We were all involved in the exploitation of animals, and we were all educated and thereby inspired to live peacefully. Surely Dennis Basso has the potential to join us. Let’s do everything in our power to see that potential, and to encourage it.
On December 19, 2007, Edna Wolfert wrote:
Thanks to anyone who is involved in trying to eliminate the fur industry. I cringe whenever I see someone wearing clothing either trimmed or made of fur. Wonder if they would still wear clothing made of fur if they knew how much these animals suffer when skinned, or, would they just not care? Thank you for your interest and work you do in trying to eliminate this horror.
Edna Wolfert
On December 20, 2007, dustin wrote:
Dear Edna,
I often wonder the same thing: will people care, even if they know the intimate details? The truth of the matter is that we, as advocates, will experience many kinds of people, with varying capacities to experience the suffering of other beings. I am sure we can all relate to that in our every day lives—the fact that most of us willingly participate in corrupt industries, even ones we think are hideous (the oil industry comes to mind; so, too, does the issue of sweatshop labor). Sometimes, we just need to keeping sowing seeds, and hope they sprout some day.
In college, I had a roommate who was a vegan, back in the early 1990’s, and I remember being so defensive about my then-vegetarianism—-thinking I “could never” make a commitment to veganism. In hindsight, I owe a great deal of credit to this person for not judging me, being patient with my inability to confront my own inconsistency. I used to tell myself all kinds of ridiculous things in an effort to avoid change. Sometimes that’s exactly how real transformation takes place: just being there with your confusion, allowing yourself to struggle with big issues. Many people do change—-fur wearers and animal exploiters included. We need to do our very best in engaging others, and rather than assume that some people will never “get it”; instead, we might assume that some people just need more time, more opportunities for creative and positive activism, than others. Our dilligence and kindness might be our most powerful tool. Sometimes, it’s a stocking full of coal (wink, wink).
Thank you, Edna, for all the work YOU do, too!
Dustin Rhodes
Friends of Animals
On December 23, 2007, dave wrote:
i really dont see why people wear fur,if they see the things those animals go through so they can look foolish in fur i bet they would think twice about buying it.i recently saw a person wearing a fur coat, i thought she was homeless and gave her a dollar. she said what’s this for, i said you know being homeless i thought it might help out to buy some clothes, she flipped out.i thought she was wearing the fur because she got it from the thrift store, that didnt help,she called me every name in the book.i guess it didn’t help that me and my friend were laughing about the mistake i made. o ya, she kept my dollar. note- if you see somebody in fur, ask them if they’re homeless first before you give them money.
On December 28, 2007, Donna wrote:
IS IS THE SAME DENNIS BASSO WHO SELLS CLOTHING ON QVC ?
On December 30, 2007, Edita wrote:
Yes Donna, this is the same Dennis Basso who sells clothing on QVC. He often sells reasonably priced faux-fur garments, on QVC, so we know he’s capable of designing coats without using animal skins. Unfortunately, Basso is well known for his use of real fur, and that is what he continues to make the majority of his profits from.
Edita
NYC Campaign Coordinator