I think people deride and hate hunting exactly because it’s primal. If we have been engaged in an 8,000 year project to become civilized, then hunting flies in the face of “progress“. Ranchers and similar types in the American West don’t hate the return of the buffalo because they hate the animals. They hate it because it represents a st…
I think people deride and hate hunting exactly because it’s primal. If we have been engaged in an 8,000 year project to become civilized, then hunting flies in the face of “progress“. Ranchers and similar types in the American West don’t hate the return of the buffalo because they hate the animals. They hate it because it represents a step backwards in their minds, a refutation of all their ancestors worked and fought for. Society at large feels that way about hunting, which represents an even larger step backwards in their eyes.
Great point, Jason. Connecting a dislike for hunting to progress is fascinating. It makes sense and is logical considering the bias against hunters in much of the US, but it seems especially so in many European countries where hunting has a different meaning (e.g., a pastime for the upper class).
I think people deride and hate hunting exactly because it’s primal. If we have been engaged in an 8,000 year project to become civilized, then hunting flies in the face of “progress“. Ranchers and similar types in the American West don’t hate the return of the buffalo because they hate the animals. They hate it because it represents a step backwards in their minds, a refutation of all their ancestors worked and fought for. Society at large feels that way about hunting, which represents an even larger step backwards in their eyes.
Great point, Jason. Connecting a dislike for hunting to progress is fascinating. It makes sense and is logical considering the bias against hunters in much of the US, but it seems especially so in many European countries where hunting has a different meaning (e.g., a pastime for the upper class).