Should customers be allowed to wear leather, fur, or Canada Goose jackets into vegetarian and vegan restaurants? One YouTuber says no and has been visiting local Toronto restaurants and confronting customers who are wearing, specifically, Canada Goose jackets.
On Jan 3rd he visited Fresh and filmed himself confronting two women wearing Canada Goose jackets. He filmed the interaction and posted it on his YouTube Channel Veganut.
The video was also posted on Reddit by nat_ligh1 and caused quite the uproar. In several of the comments people do not agree with Veganut. In the description of the video Veganut writes “I politely reach out to two people wearing Canada Goose jackets…” however, people disagree saying just because he remains calm and does not raise his voice does not mean he is being polite.
In the video the restaurant employee asks Veganut to leave, not the two girls wearing the jackets. Personally, I could not see a restaurant, especially in Toronto, banning people wearing leather and Canada Goose jackets, because they are so popular.
I think it would be social etiquette and polite to not wear an animal byproduct, if you have the option. For the most part, the reason for these vegan restaurants is to help save animals and provide a restaurant where vegans and vegetarians are able to eat. On the other hand, the girls may have never heard of the restaurant before and decided to eat there as a healthier option. They may not have realized it was a vegetarian restaurant and did not have the ability to change their coats before entering. And on the human rights side, people are allowed to wear whatever they please, wherever they please.
Not everyone eating at a vegetarian restaurant will be vegetarian and may not have the same values as vegetarians or vegans which may result in different coat choices. Everyone has their own opinion, and yes, I understand that wearing a Canada Goose jacket into a vegan restaurant may frustrate certain individuals, and is a little hypocritical, however, where does Veganut draw the line? Was Veganut also confronting people carrying large leather bags? Or people in leather shoes or wearing a wool scarf? Was he talking to people in the streets about their coats?
If people were not longer allowed to wear fur, or leather, or Canada Goose jackets into these types or restaurants people who are wearing leather shoes, carrying leather purses and wallets, wearing leather belts, wearing fur boots should also not be allowed. And if those people are not allowed in what about people who drove to the restaurant in a car with leather seats, or are wearing a brand which tests on animals? Not to mention all the business these restaurants would lose.
I completely understand that vegans and vegetarians would feel uncomfortable if someone in leather or a fur jacket went to a vegetarian restaurant, and I think they have a right to feel that way. However, refusing business to people wearing these clothing items would create a very blurred line between what people can and cannot wear and would create an even bigger uproar between businesses and consumers.