Interesting Opinion Post - Sport Hunters characterized as Psychopathic

[kalibex]

This is not a recent post, but a nice synopsis of the concept, given the public outcry over recent protected animal poaching.

Yes, hunters are psychopaths. Therefore, by extrapolation, we can conclude that sport hunting is serial killing. There’s no way of getting around it. Not unless you consider non-human animals to be mere objects, possessions or “things,” but then you would be viewing them the way a psychopath views his victims.

_https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/yes-hunters-are-psychopaths-and-sport-hunting-is-serial-killing/_

(edited for spelling)

 

[Mr. Premise]

I guess it depends on what is meant by sport hunting. Is it the same as trophy hunting? In other words not eating the animal? Or do they mean something like deer hunting? If the latter, I'd say they're off base. Humans are large predators, so that would obviously involve some of the same behaviors as psychopaths, but the thing about psychopaths is that they are intra-species predators, which is a big difference.

If no one hunts deer, then the deer overpopulate, causing problems for the deer since they outgrow their niche and have trouble finding enough food to make it through the winter. Since there aren't many wolves and other large predators left, humans need to perform that function.

Trophy hunting, on the other hand, usually is targeted at large predators or endangered animals, so you have to wonder about the motivations there.

 

[luc]

I find this article (and the whole site) rather problematic, to say the least. I mean, he constructs a rather outraging argument equaling serial rape with hunting:

Consider the words of Aaron Thomas, the accused East Coast serial rapist who says he doesn’t know why he couldn’t stop attacking women for nearly two decades.
[...]
Struggling to understand himself, Thomas admitted, “I don’t think I’m crazy, but something is wrong with me.” Yes, something is definitely wrong—it’s called psychopathy. Though not considered a defensible form of insanity that blurs the line between right and wrong, psychopathy is a disorder characterized by an inability to empathize with others, often accompanied by a compulsion to exploit, harm or kill in order to gain a sense of self-worth. Sound a lot like trophy hunting? It’s the same deal. Thomas said he carried out his attacks without regard for his victims. The same can surely be said about sport hunters in regards to their victims.

Gosh, it's not the same deal! I wonder why some people continue to put animals on the same level as humans, going so far as to compare hunters to serial rapists... have they no love for humanity? Love as in knowing, acknowledging that humans are on another level, with a different potential and a different place in the cosmos than animals? To love is to know, and this goes for humans and animals and plants and everything else. To love animals also means acknowledging their traits and their place in nature, osit.

Also, from what I can tell, the whole site tries to demonize hunting, while seemingly making a difference between "sports hunting" (whatever that is) and, what? Normal hunting? I'm not saying that there aren't many idiotic and cruel hunters, travelling to Africa and shooting endangered species for example, there are those types. And some of those might even be psychopaths. But most hunters I know have a deep knowledge and love (these two tend to go together) for animals and nature and are very decent people, doing something that people have done forever - hunting. Not to mention that meat from hunted game (done right) is the most sustainable and environment-friendly form of food. Have you had a chance to read "The Vegetarian Myth" by Lierre Keith? It was a total eye-opener for me and many others.

I think those "anti-hunters" really are a confused lot who get so many things wrong, although I respect the impulse to reject cruelty. It's just not that simple.

Plus, Putin is a hunter ;)

 

[Renaissance]

The website seems down at the moment so I couldn't check out the article. I would agree that sport/trophy hunting is disturbing. In some cases it could be a criteria for psychopathy, but it could also be seen in ponerized groups as well. That said, I think it's way off base to say that hunters are psychopathic. It sounds like the author is taking the stance that 'meat is murder', which is removed from reality. Animals have a role to play in our world and it seems these types of arguments are missing this role. Most hunters I've known do use the animals for food. And food from hunting is more humane than going to the grocery store. Not everyone can hunt either though, so I think it is a matter of doing what you can, where you can.

 

[zak]

This is not a recent post, but a nice synopsis of the concept, given the public outcry over recent protected animal poaching.

Yes, hunters are psychopaths. Therefore, by extrapolation, we can conclude that sport hunting is serial killing. There’s no way of getting around it. Not unless you consider non-human animals to be mere objects, possessions or “things,” but then you would be viewing them the way a psychopath views his victims.

_https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/yes-hunters-are-psychopaths-and-sport-hunting-is-serial-killing/_

(edited for spelling)

Also, i think it's a short way to say that hunters are psychopaths, even if we can say that psychopaths are "hunters".
There' re some "old" hunters that say me, after a while, they cannot kill any game
and if they think about it, it hurt them.

And there are some ready to hang their trophies on fences, and to be proud of this, and yes for them it's a sport.

I like to consider the hunt as the hunting scene of the elk in the movie the last of mohicans,
you know "we are sorry to kill you, Brother
We do honor to your courage and speed, your strength...

At some level the hunt is similar to martial arts, instead to kill/fight the others, we "kill" the beast inside of us.