They're All Dead Dave

Outrage is a commodity served best while on fire and the media loves the flames. Cecil’s tragic death was no exception to this rule. For readers who don’t know, Cecil—a thirteen year old west African Lion—was a major attraction at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and part of an Oxford University study. On July 1, 2015, a dentist from Minnesota (Walter Palmer) and his hunting guide (Theo Bronkhorst) killed Cecil. With the exception of people who actually live in Zimbabwe, everyone got on the moral outrage train. Apparently Cecil, with his wily and charming personality, acquired a sizable fandom.

Before we dive any deeper, a few statements about hunting. There is nothing wrong with hunting, assuming the parties involved use the entire body. Most hunters are not monsters who take inordinate amounts of joy from killing wildlife. However, hunting big game (lions, elephants, leopards, white rhinoceros, etc) isn’t impressive considering most people can fire a gun. Killing an animal with a firearm doesn’t take a herculean feat of strength or willpower. A dead deer is better than a dead African predator. I don’t have any sympathy when big game hunters are criticized. However, here are some sobering reminders to consider while we build Cecil a funeral pyre fueled by hurt feelings.


1. Hunting lions is not Illegal in Zimbabwe
2. African Lions are not on the endangered species list.
3. Oxford University’s study didn’t give Cecil special protection.
4. Palmer acted under Bronkhorst’ guidance and has publicly apologized for killing Cecil.
5. Zimbabwe is ruled by one of Africa’s crueler dictators. Mugabe has participated in the ethnic cleansing of opposing tribes, is an adamant racist and ruled his country with an iron first.
6. Cecil lived better than a majority of Zimbabweans.
7. The hunting ban around Hwange National Park was lifted nine days after Cecil’s death.
8. If evidence shows that Theo and Walter intentionally lured Cecil out of Hwange Park, then appropriate legal actions will be taken.

Social Media has resurrected the unfortunate art of public shaming. Confused? Take a gander through River Bluff Dental’s Yelp page. PETA claimed Palmer should be hanged for his “crimes,” which is ironic since they euthanize thousands of animals every year. Visceral, hateful hounding of these men illustrates an inversion of priorities. We shrug our shoulders at the misfortune of our fellow humans, but weep and lament over the death of one lion. That is pathetic, only first world people could be this separated from reality.

My words are unnecessarily harsh, but I won’t apologize for them. Palmer’s vindictive harassers are not motivated by justice or morality. Their outrage and subsequent actions are irrational. I understand if the people near Cecil—park staff, researchers or others who spent time with the lion—were angered by his killing. Despite Cecil’s international popularity, I wager most people in the States weren’t aware of his existence until after his death. This faux awareness which suddenly “enlightened” everyone is paper-thin and disgraceful. The Zimbabwean people take a proper stance on this issue: ambivalence. Lions are a menace to villages all over their county. Either villagers die to lion attacks or their cattle get eaten. Imagine fighting a lion with just a spear or a bow. Labeling lions as “majestic” depends entirely on perspective and geographic proximity. Instead of getting fired up over a celebrity lion, let’s consider the more sobering reality of African struggles and methods by which the west could ease their suffering.

Folks have a right to be angry in an abstract sense, but this hunting foul has been blown out of proportion. Thankfully the media circus has died down. Harassers please stop hounding Palmer and let the man live with his guilt. His suffering won’t bring Cecil back to life. The beast is dead; lets collectively get over it and carry on with our lives.  

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Time to Retire the Flag of Treason

The Charleston shooting is another tragedy that has caused our nation pain, grief and strife. My heart goes out families of the nine victims and to Dylan’s family because being the parents of a white supremacist murderer is probably distressing. Besides increasing racial tensions, this shooting has ignited a strange witch hunt, similar to McCarthy’s paranoia of communism. Should the Confederate Flag be removed from society?

Heritage and, unfortunately, Hate :(

The Civil Rights movement set this country in the right direction, but without much reinforcement. Sixty years after that glorious victory for racial equality, our culture is back-pedaling away from the future those brave African Americans and their supporters envisioned during the 1960s. Racial tensions thicken as the political divide deepens. Instead of simply mourning the tragic death of nine people, pundits on all sides seek to extort the Charleston shooting for political gain.

Many folks voiced legitimate concerns about what factored into Dylan’s acceptance of white supremacy The answer is complicated and lacking one definite cause, yet people see an easy scapegoat in the Confederate flag. The Klu Klux Klan and similar groups have rallied around this southern symbol, lamenting a perceived paradise lost. That phenomenon is not coincidental and reveals a harsh truth.

Common knowledge says our civil war was about slavery; however, this isn’t entirely true. This war can be distilled into two basic forces: federal authority versus state authority. The Union sought to quell a rebellion and the Confederacy believed their government had betrayed them. Lincoln’s inauguration in 1860 CE was the catalyst for southern paranoia. The President’s abolitionist leanings about slavery spelled doom for their lifestyles. This reaction isn’t surprising since “King Cotton’s” existence was predicated solely on the efficiency and low costs of slave labor. Southern gentry would be penniless if slavery was ever abolished. Despite no inklings of legal action from Lincoln’s administration or congress, seven states—four joined later—plunged this country into the bloodiest war (600,000 causalities) Americans ever fought in for no reason.

Many would like to leave the South’s motivation at states’ rights, but that’s a half truth. They sought to preserve the institution of slavery, their “right” to own other human beings. The Confederate States of America was born from people who believed in systematic oppression. Their flag symbolizes treason, dishonor, hatred, and racism. American white supremacists are relics of the Confederacy, an ideology which western culture has rejected.

That said, I believe people have the right to be proud of their heritage and homelands. Despite my ancestors being complete assholes, I’m still proud of my ethnic heritage (English, Scottish, Irish, German and Cherokee) and my cultural heritage (the United States). However, our culture must bear its sins, not celebrate them. Our nation should never forget the brutality of American slavery and the systematic destruction Native American cultures. The Confederate flag should never be flown on any government buildings—state or federal—and that image shouldn’t be on any state flags, looking at you Mississippi. I was pleased to hear that South Carolina has attempted to pass a law that removes the flag from their state buildings. Hopefully, their actions will inspire other states to do the same.

I’m more lenient on personal uses of this flag and condemn excessive removal of confederate images. Civil War reenactments, media about the Civil War and sales of the flag should still be allowed. Some people have a rapid desire to remove confederate iconography entirely and that’s wrong. It’s part of our country’s history and the first amendment allows people to fly this flag; however, I discourage people from celebrating southern heritage with confederate images. It sends the wrong message. While no one is enslaved anymore, African American communities have long memories.


One cannot separate the racist ideologies which unified Confederate forces from the flag they fought under. There are many other ways to celebrate southern heritage and history. Let’s put the Confederate Flag where it belongs, in a museum.

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