Big Game Hunter, Walter Palmer, D.D.S.

[PseudoSABR]

I think complaining about the hypocrisy of whatever subset of complainers is way down on the list of things worthy of complaining about.

[TheLeviathan]

I think complaining about the hypocrisy of whatever subset of complainers is way down on the list of things worthy of complaining about.

You're right, makes way more sense to destroy this guy and accomplish nothing.

 

And this is no subset, this appears to be the majority of those complaining.

[Craig Arko]

You're right, makes way more sense to destroy this guy and accomplish nothing.

And this is no subset, this appears to be the majority of those complaining.

Destroy? Nah, just extradite him to Zimbabwe to stand trial for poaching.

 

By the way even a totality, let alone a majority, is still a subset. That's math for ya.

[TheLeviathan]

Destroy? Nah, just extradite him to Zimbabwe to stand trial for poaching.

By the way even a totality, let alone a majority, is still a subset. That's math for ya.

I don't believe that was the meaning of subset in Pseudo's remark. Hence the nature of my response.

 

And I agree he should be extradited to face charges if they are pursued. But there isa deliberate effort online and in real life to destroy this guy.

[twinsnorth49]

 

His crime was that the lion had a name. If the money of guys like this aren't available to help that economy guess what the locals will do for food.

Oh, so he's a hero to the starving masses? Yeah, that's right, money from trophy hunting idiots is way more lucrative than the tourism industry that relies on the Lions, you know.......being alive.

 

African people don't rely on Lions as a food source.

 

 

 

 

[TheLeviathan]

Curtesy of Brock, but quite relevant. The guy is likely not guilty of any crime:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/cecil-lion-what-could-happen-walter-james-palmer-hunters-n400461?cid=sm_fb

[DaveW]

Can we please get back to the main question in this whole "issue"?

 

How many inches did illegally killing a Lion add to the dentists penis?

[DaveW]

 

And I agree he should be extradited to face charges if they are pursued. But there isa deliberate effort online and in real life to destroy this guy.

Meh, I think all the internet stuff is a tad bit over the top, but that is how the world works these days, give it like a week and nobody will remember his name. The world/internet will move onto something more important to get upset about (most times like this, justifying).

 

Anyone remember those racist Oklahoma SAE kids?

Yeah?

 

Anyone remember their names?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

But there isa deliberate effort online and in real life to destroy this guy.

Of course there is. My response to that is "welcome to the 21st century, big game hunter colonial man." I've stopped shaking my fist at the sky every time the internet blows up on a guy like this.

 

This guy's sense of entitlement is nauseating. He's got quite a rap sheet besides just killing a beloved lion in a national park. He lied to a state agency about a bear he illegally poached. He sexually harassed a receptionist. Probably much much more we'll never hear about. Maybe he doesn't deserve the vitriol he is getting, but whatever.

 

The blonde women in his brochures do have nice teeth, though.

[PseudoSABR]

 

I don't believe that was the meaning of subset in Pseudo's remark. 

I wasn't even talking about this issue, necessarily.  Maybe this conversation is just all too meta for me.  But when we start criticizing the critics for being too critical, well that point of view is worthy of some criticism itself, and now we're down the rabbit hole of hey-there's-a-distinction-here.

 

I think all issues like this tend to jump the shark when there's actual public outcry.  Whether it's a professional punter sanctimoniously defending homosexual rights or literally people climbing flag poles to remove civil war decorum--in order to get to the majority of any people there probably already needs to be a band wagon.  (Most the time, I think "about damn time" but really it's no fun to be mad at people for being late to the party.)

 

Trophy hunting has always been ugly.  But I don't feel bad for this guy.  What he did was arrogant, unethical and likely illegal, and is not lessened by our tolerance of legal trophy hunting that as happenstance might serve an ecological purpose.  Liberty in many ways is the capacity to be ugly, to do things that others might disapprove of--but our society is built upon the premise that there must be limits and their are only a few inalienable rights.  Yes, go hunt even if for sport, so long as it serves an ecological purpose, and you get a license and you take this waste-your-time class and whatever.  This guy though.  And guys like him.  They take the value of liberty--indeed, what few rights we have--and murder them with their bravado.   I don't want the guy to be vilified  (death threats, shaming etc.), but I think it's perfectly legitimate for his business to suffer for putting himself out there through such a brazen endeavor, and if prosecution is possible so much the better.

 

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Curtesy of Brock, but quite relevant. The guy is likely not guilty of any crime:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/cecil-lion-what-could-happen-walter-james-palmer-hunters-n400461?cid=sm_fb

I was just going to pop in here and post that link.

 

The guy is a *******. I deplore his actions...

 

But we're talking about an act that may have been carried out in good faith by the participant. Yeah, he's a dick for participating in that act in the first place but being a dick isn't illegal; just ask Dave.

 

And as a result, idiots around the world are doing everything they can to tear down the guys' life, business, and family.

 

And these supposed Warriors of Justice are enjoying every minute of it.

 

That bothers the hell out of me, to put it lightly.

[TheLeviathan]

1) Its unclear whether or not there are ecological benefits to these hunts. There are plenty of people who make that case, including the nations sanctioning it.

 

2) Just because internet rage orgies last for short times doesnt mean they dont inflict major damage. Its essentially anonymous domestic terrorism.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Well, it's hard to claim there's much of an ecological benefit to the hunts... I've seen claims from reputable sources that the lion population has been in freefall for the past 30 or so years.

 

That's a problem.

 

The thing is, this is Africa. They need money. We either allow them to run their country how they see fit or we subsidize them into subservience... and that is a bad strategy all around. We can't play tough guy with a country who is so poor they have nothing to lose. That doesn't accomplish anything productive.

 

The problem here isn't the hunter or even the guides. It's the larger societal issue facing Africa and it's one that has existed for centuries; they're dirt-poor and we need to find a sustainable way for them to not rely on practices such as "come shoot our lions for money".

 

But the hunter is still a douche.

[Craig Arko]

Speaking of larger issues, there is of course this one; the Holocene Mass Extinction event:

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140820-extinction-crows-penguins-dinosaurs-asteroid-sydney-booktalk/

 

Might as well put on our party hats and have a few drinks, since we're right in the middle of it.

[TheLeviathan]

Well, it's hard to claim there's much of an ecological benefit to the hunts... I've seen claims from reputable sources that the lion population has been in freefall for the past 30 or so years.

It may be true about lion populations (maybe, even if it is, I find our preaching to Africa about preserving natural predators more than a bit hollow), but trophy hunting is about a wide range of animals. That money, according to some, is directly related to financing conservation efforts. Given the state of Most African economies, that may be a valid retort.

[DaveW]

 

 That money, according to some, is directly related to financing conservation efforts.

Yeah, because when I think of truthful and non corrupt governments, poor African countries come to my top of mind.

[ashbury]

Can we please get back to the main question in this whole "issue"?

 

How many inches did illegally killing a Lion add to the dentists penis?

One.

 

Which brings his grand total to ... zero.

 

/ Yes, it was an "innie".

 

// His frat house nickname in college was Buttons.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

I agree that a lot of the reactions to this border on the comical but I absolutely loathe game hunting for sport. It's just such a douchey thing to do.

 

Killing something just for the sake of killing is abominable and I question the thought process of anyone who participates in such a practice.

 

This.  Not a hunter, but I have no problems doing it for food or hunting predators.  But killing just for sport?  Don't get it. 

[TheLeviathan]

Yeah, because when I think of truthful and non corrupt governments, poor African countries come to my top of mind.

They don't have to be honest, this is a hundred million dollar industry - where the hell else are many of these countries getting money for conservation?

[Mike Sixel]

Hear he tried to impress a woman with a picture of his kill.........ya, it was about penis size.

[formerly33]

I wasn't going to post this since I was worried that it might be bad taste to draw attention back to something that's fizzled down somewhat, but I was thinking ... am I a hypocrite to believe that we need to preserve redwoods when I don't bat an eyelash at cutting down those pesky boxelders that run rampant in our yard? Would I be a hypocrite to protest if suddenly the latest trend was to steal Rembrandt paintings and hurl them into a trash heap (for killing Cecil was indeed theft), when I am constantly throwing away my own paintings?

 

Indeed, would I be a hypocrite to call someone a hypocrite? For we all are in one way or another.

[twinsnorth49]

Hunting isn't a sport, it's an act of cowardice. Shooting something with a high powered weapon from a safe distance takes a minimal amount of skill and no real courage. Particularly when that animal is a non predatory giraffe.

 

These people should be dropped onto the Savannah and forced to defend themselves using nothing but their wits, then we'll see who's tough.

 

In the words of Ricky Gervais

 

"Sport is fair. If hunting was a sport the animal would have a gun too. If it doesn't you can't call yourself a sportsman, just a ****".

[TheLeviathan]

Indeed, would I be a hypocrite to call someone a hypocrite? For we all are in one way or another.

We all are to varying degrees, the problem is when we're blind to it.

 

Most people genuinely think they are holding some kind of moral distinction between hunting deer vs hunting lions. Whether it be under some absurd notion of sport or ecology or Majesticness" - take your pick, they're all silly. One should strive for consistency and coherence of belief, even in the face of rampant hypocrisy.

[TheLeviathan]

Hunting isn't a sport, it's an act of cowardice. Shooting something with a high powered weapon from a safe distance takes a minimal amount of skill and no real courage.*".

Yup. People go to some funny lengths to justify hunting and it's pretty much boils down to getting your jollies unaliving things. To each their own, but don't dress it up as something it's not.

[DaveW]

I don't think Hunting is a sport, but I think its a hobby and I have no issue with it. I have never hunted (I want to) but have several friends and relatives who have hunted (mainly deer)

 

I think big game hunting is just ridiculous from the top on down, but at least when it comes to deer/elk hunting there is a legit and real benefit that comes from deer hunting in a lot of areas, it controls the population which means: 1. Less deer starve. 2. Less deer get hit by cars/potentially kill humans. Also, venison is freaking delicious and one deer can feed someone for a very, very long time. Top of the food chain, baby!

 

I compare deer hunting with fishing, I have no issues with it since you are actually eating the animal/enjoying it. IMO shooting a deer or catching a salmon is no different from going and eating a burger at a restaurant.  I have no real issue with trapping as well, since it gets rid of a lot of varmints around areas and creates fur.

 

Nobody should be shooting elephants or lions though, that's just stupid and retarded. Luring a tame lion with a dead carcass is not a "challenge" or "hunting" anyways, it's just stupid. At least deer hunting takes time, patience and a steady shot. And frankly, I don't care if that is hypocritical, most things in life aren't black and white anyways. I am all for conservation and the ethical treatment of animals etc but at the end of the day a lot of times I will still buy non organic meat and even eat Foie Gras, because its ****ing delicious.

[Mike Sixel]

Jimmy John's owner is a big game hunter, even killed a black rhino.

 

Who here will stop going there? ( I don't go there, so this one is easy for me)

[TheLeviathan]

Dave, you should read more on what these practices actually look like and how comparable they are to deer hunting.

[FattCrapps]

 

Jimmy John's owner is a big game hunter, even killed a black rhino.

 

Who here will stop going there? ( I don't go there, so this one is easy for me)

I don't think you could pay me to go there, and that's before I heard about this piece of ****.