PETA

By now, I'm sure that many of you will have seen the PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) blog article concerning their letter to Games Workshop to cease depicting furs on their characters. From Horus Lupercal, to the Space Wolves, and Age of Sigmar plus everything else, I will freely admit that furs are everywhere in Warhammer. Just as PETA accuses the game of depicting. Cases in point in the image.

The thing is, this game is a work of fiction. The fur is made from plastic. Or resin. Or lead on the odd occasion.

I seriously contend that PETA has done itself a vast disservice with this letter to Games Workshop.

Let's illustrate this by looking at the comments on the PETA blog itself. Just for interest and illumination. This is a pseudo-random subset that contains no swearing. And yeah, I know I shouldn't always read the comments but...

You do realise that warhammer 40k is a fictional universe that has no bearing on real life. Just like video game violence has time and time again been proven to not cause real life violence.

 Warhammer 40,000 is set in a post apocalyptic universe where different forces overcome a complete lack of manufacturing capability through various means, to say that seeing 10ft high men wearing 2 tonnes of armour normalises anything is beyond unrealistic; it’s delusional

I agree we in real life shouldn’t wear fur. But I don’t imulate 40k, I play 40k. I don’t run around swinging a chainsword.

As a rpg and old warhammer fan who has also been vegan over 20 years this is one of the most ludicrous campaigns I’ve ever read.

There are no wolves on Fenris, they’re a subspecies on humans that look and act exactly like wolves. So where does the PETA stand on that subject?

In a world where the good side uses genetically modified superwarriors, kills off whole worlds when there is a risk that the taint of chaos or xenos or witches might spread, where anything not human or not subject to the emperor is exterminated where pain, slavery, the sacrifice of psychers, non volunteer cyborgisation, lifelong bondage etc is the norm…..but wearing the fur of monsterous creatures slain in single combat as a token of respect is not ok?

Them wearing these pelts are no more an endorsement of fur than they are an endorsement of patriarchal totalitarian fascist states committing genocide…