4 ms·

People aren't "terrible". Your statement is rather culturally normative and subjective. It's simply that evolution & nature are both amoral. We've evolved in

People aren't "terrible". Your statement is rather culturally normative and subjective. It's simply that evolution & nature are both amoral. We've evolved into Apex Predators [1]. Other great ape species and mammals also kill other animals, as well as band together into groups to fight each other (e.g. ape troops, lion prides). Even some organized insects do so (ants, asian giant hornet). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predator

graderjs 6y ago
I looked up culturally normative. I think it's something to do with "cultural norms", so to say something is "culturally normative" indicates that it's one of a culture's "norms". If I don't get that right, feel free to correct me, I'm interested to learn about this terminology. Definitely my view is subjective. It's my personal feeling about it. I'm not pretending to tell other people how they should feel about it. Nor would I expect them to tell me. I agree we are Apex Predators and that's a good thing. I just think we can use our brutality responsibly and considerately. Hunt for food in a way that respects and maintains ecological balance, to me, is different to hunt for trinkets and sport. If the elephants are attacking villagers indiscriminately and stomping children, and the 3 tribes eliminated were genetically predisposed to that behavior, I'd be there with you all carrying my pitchfork (or musket, or whatever), ready to "keeell those darned demonic elaphunts!" But if it was just gratuitous violence for trinkets against a large, caring, intelligent and sentient species, I think that's horrible, and that the people who did it, and that side of our nature (gratuitous cruelty) makes us terrible, and I feel it's terribly sad for us and the elephants. I'm not attacking you personally, nor saying eating meat (or killing animals for some reasons) is terrible. But if you feel people aren't terrible in some ways, I get that perspective, I just think and feel differently about it!
- AntiImperialis2 6y ago
  He just means that you have certain cultural norms which make you think the way you do. There is nothing else to it. Previously, westerners thought animals were just automatons, without a "soul" or feelings, so it was OK to kill them. There were public shows where exotic animals would be collected and killed in front of the masses only a couple of hundred years ago. In fact, Edison killed an elephant publicly to show how dangerous AC was. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocuting_an_Elephant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocuting_an_Elephant At some point, people saw enough of that and decided to tie everything to "we're guilty", another one of Christian memes, which now encompasses all of environmental destruction, anthropogenic climate change and everything else that is an example of "original sin". "They're majestic creatures" is a retarded meme, spread by TV shows. I grew up around wild elephants. They destroy crops, destroy houses and even attack people, specially males in their mating season when they are particularly aggressive. Westerners fund "environmental conservation" everywhere else except where they live. As long as it's the poor helpless people suffering the consequences, it's OK. The environmental conservationists who visit these poor countries are accompanied by armed rangers, but if villagers shoot the animals, they're "poachers".

graderjs 6y ago

I looked up culturally normative. I think it's something to do with "cultural norms", so to say something is "culturally normative" indicates that it's one of a culture's "norms". If I don't get that right, feel free to correct me, I'm interested to learn about this terminology. Definitely my view is subjective. It's my personal feeling about it. I'm not pretending to tell other people how they should feel about it. Nor would I expect them to tell me. I agree we are Apex Predators and that's a good thing. I just think we can use our brutality responsibly and considerately. Hunt for food in a way that respects and maintains ecological balance, to me, is different to hunt for trinkets and sport. If the elephants are attacking villagers indiscriminately and stomping children, and the 3 tribes eliminated were genetically predisposed to that behavior, I'd be there with you all carrying my pitchfork (or musket, or whatever), ready to "keeell those darned demonic elaphunts!" But if it was just gratuitous violence for trinkets against a large, caring, intelligent and sentient species, I think that's horrible, and that the people who did it, and that side of our nature (gratuitous cruelty) makes us terrible, and I feel it's terribly sad for us and the elephants. I'm not attacking you personally, nor saying eating meat (or killing animals for some reasons) is terrible. But if you feel people aren't terrible in some ways, I get that perspective, I just think and feel differently about it!

AntiImperialis2 6y ago
He just means that you have certain cultural norms which make you think the way you do. There is nothing else to it. Previously, westerners thought animals were just automatons, without a "soul" or feelings, so it was OK to kill them. There were public shows where exotic animals would be collected and killed in front of the masses only a couple of hundred years ago. In fact, Edison killed an elephant publicly to show how dangerous AC was. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocuting_an_Elephant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocuting_an_Elephant At some point, people saw enough of that and decided to tie everything to "we're guilty", another one of Christian memes, which now encompasses all of environmental destruction, anthropogenic climate change and everything else that is an example of "original sin". "They're majestic creatures" is a retarded meme, spread by TV shows. I grew up around wild elephants. They destroy crops, destroy houses and even attack people, specially males in their mating season when they are particularly aggressive. Westerners fund "environmental conservation" everywhere else except where they live. As long as it's the poor helpless people suffering the consequences, it's OK. The environmental conservationists who visit these poor countries are accompanied by armed rangers, but if villagers shoot the animals, they're "poachers".