Meateater on sleeping lion controversy

[DenverCountryBoy]

Hmmmm.

A couple of thoughts to toss in here.

1) Date seems confused - The hunt was 2011 as far as I can tell. Seems like the hunter commented to news outlets in 2015 and for some reason this made it back into the spot light up to the piers Morgan level in the last day or so.

2) while I agree with the above sentiment to some extent, I don’t think non-hunters or antis (I differentiate between the two groups) have a clear sense of the economic impact. If the antis do, they don’t seem to care and can exert enough political pressure to cause change in spite of any economic benefit. Pedals the bear getting shot leading to the shut down of the NJ bear season leading to the state now paying for more bear culls is a great examp,e of this in action.

3) as far as shooting the sleeping lion goes, I am ethically indifferent but practically I care in so far as it is used against hunting by the antis. Anything that galvanizes and energizes the other side of the argument doesn’t help hunters or hunting, regardless of whether it was legal or not. Complain about the antis all you want but if the nonhunters get swung to their side by the optics of videos like the sleeping lion, then we have damaged our own cause far more than we would have by a measure of self imposed restraint and we will lose. Bit by bit by bit, we will lose.

So reframe the hunt in a context that has emotional appeal to nonhunters. Create a meme of the grip'n'grin "This hunt raised X dollars to fight the poaching of lions."

 

[rtaylor]

I guess I will be in the group that thinks we should support legal hunting practices. If the goal is to sway the 85 percenters by not showing legal hunting then the outdoor channel and sportsman's channel are next to go. I think there are some similarities with this scenario and the bump stock debacle. So many were quick to let it go because it wasn't their weapon. Well eventually someone will suggest not posting deer hunting videos to try and win over the 85%. I think the better solution is to invite them to go hunting with you to see what it is all about.

 

[JWP58]

Maybe Ben O’Brian IS the sleeping lion...

That is far more degrading to lions than shooting them while they're asleep.

 

[Desk Jockey]

So reframe the hunt in a context that has emotional appeal to nonhunters. Create a meme of the grip'n'grin "This hunt raised X dollars to fight the poaching of lions."

Maybe it is thinking about these type of perceptions before sharing the video.

We can all sit here and grumble about the facts and realities but it will be the perceptions that will do the most harm. Very few anti hunters are going to have a clear understanding of the economics or positive impacts. Probably even fewer non hunters will as well. They will see a video or a pic they don’t like and it will fly around the inter web and get picked up by the mainstream news and then the damage will be done.

To be clear, I think we agree on what is legal and what should be suitable to share However, I think we diverge on what we should actually share. If hunters SHO some restraint and self regulate on this, we have a better chance of maintaining support from nonhunters. Again, think we agree on the way things should be, but I am suggesting we need to focus on the way that they actually are and do what is best for our long term, collective interest.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I really don't get why Steve Rinella or, anyone else should feel like they have a place or audience to condemn a legal hunt. I like MeatEater. I'm sure Steve and myself would get along just fine. But, I'm lost on the idea that people feel like they need to have an opinion on EVERYTHING.

Life is full of compromises and situations that could be ridiculed by outsiders. Knowing that, I'm confused why people feel like when it involves someone else, that gets thrown out the window.