Why do "ethical" vegetarians wear leather shoes and jackets? 5

First of all minkeydude, you still deserve criticism because you hunt just for the thrill of it, it doesn't have any practical benefit whatsoever. A general point that you all seem to have missed is that there are many vegetarians who are simply trying to cut down on their consumption of animal products, and do not believe in the RIDICULOUS all or nothing principle you guys assume must be in place. You have to realize that vegetarianism can simply be the easiest way to keep a disciplined check on the consuming activity that is still by far the most responsible for animal slaughter, eating. The effects of one pair of shoes in two years, is minimal, compared with cutting out meat from your diet. Many vegetarians are simply trying to reduce their contribution to the numbers of animals that are slaughtered each year. Thinking from an ecological perspective a vegetarian diet uses up at the most 10% of the land a meat eating diet uses up, and for all you McDonalds customers out there, that isn't just brownfield land, we are talking the most biodiverse rich land on the planet, the Amazon which is deforested to create cattle ranches. But then again many of you are american, so it is your 'constitutional right' to consume as much as you want, regardless of the consequences for the rest of the planet. Thankyou, Jim Stephenson