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From: rlr@pyuxn.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Emotionally Disturbed Hunters & non-Hunters - (nf)
Message-ID: <384@pyuxn.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Dec-83 13:22:47 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxn.384
Posted: Wed Dec 14 13:22:47 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Dec-83 02:37:19 EST
References: <4460@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Piscataway
Lines: 25

This whole business about who's emotionally disturbed is really quite funny.
If someone's definition of emotionally disturbed includes over 50% of the
population of this country, I'd say their figures were probably skewed
downward.  But if being power hungry and manipulative, and getting a
"kick" from violence (as a spectator or a participant) are practiced by
over 50% of the population, it becomes normal, rather than disturbed.

Religious teaching to the contrary notwithstanding, we are still animals
and we have chemicals in our bodies that promote such behavior.  As 
"thinking" sentient beings, we are supposed to be able to transcend
such tendencies.  We haven't been very successful.  For some people,
shooting animals, watching football games, beating up their wives,
etc. are all means of releasing the tensions of everyday life resulting
from suppressing such tendencies.  I hope that nobody believes that
this is a rational argument.  A rational society would provide rational
means of releasing such tensions.  In Japan, they have rooms where employees
can take out their aggression on dummies (labelled "boss", "spouse",
"teller of light bulb jokes").  Does this work?  Who knows?
I guess the point is, if you do enjoy hunting, just realize why you enjoy
it (at least partially).  And if you despise it, realize that that
tendency is a part of all of us.

Just making noise.
-- 
					Rich Rosen    pyuxn!rlr