Hunting Mishaps and Odd Omnivorous Objections

by Stephanie Ernst · 2008-12-03 12:36:00 UTC
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Feel-good story of the day: "Wounded Deer Attacks Hunter Who Shot Him"

There's no happy ending--the animal still died--but at least the person who killed him didn't walk away without consequence. Don't get me wrong--I don't celebrate hunting accidents in which people die. I don't want any humans to die anymore than I want any nonhumans to die. But I'm not too terribly upset when a hunter sustains minor injuries inflicted by the animal he or she is joyously killing.

That said, it bothers me immensely when politically progressive omnivores criticize hunting and make remarks along the lines of "he got what he deserved" when things like this happen, as if the animals whose flesh and secretions they eat don't needlessly suffer just as much as the ones who are hunted--as if they hold moral superiority because they pay to have animals killed for them rather than shoot the animals themselves. Standing up for the right of wild animals to live out natural lives while accepting and perpetuating the inherent suffering and injustices involved in animal agriculture doesn't make a lot of sense. It's just another form of cognitive dissonance for a lot of people. Dogs are members of the family. Deer, elk, and other wildlife are majestic creatures. Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and fish are food. Right.

Please see this related post: Your Dog Versus Your Dinner

Stephanie Ernst wrote the original Animal Rights blog at Change.org until December 2009. She can now be found at Animal Rights & AntiOppression.
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