Lions, Abortion and Police

/ Carmen Suarez

cecil 001

“…intentionally wanting to be a killer as opposed to having to kill?  Those are two different things.”

I’ve said very little about the killing of Cecil the Lion.  What has struck a nerve is some of the fringe discussions that people are having around the whole “Trophy” hunting thing – whether it be Marco Rubio tweeting in “dead children” and the idea of abortions being something we should be more concerned about, or various people on Twitter talking about how Cecil the Lion “…better not be more important than Dubose…” – meaning, the killing of Mr. Dubose by a University of Cincinnati Police officer.  Well, it all just got me thinking…

Why do we seem more upset about the killing of a Lion as a collective than maybe some other horrible event?

Personally, it makes complete sense.

When we think of abortion, no matter what side you lean on, there is still the belief that no one thinks women intentionally go and get pregnant in order to abort a fetus, or a human being (definition of fetus or human being depends on your perspective on the subject of course).

In the same respects, the killing of Black men by police officers still does not seem to be an intentional act even by these corrupt and clearly misguided (and probably racist) cops.   More specifically, I don’t believe these officers wake up in the morning and say, “Oh, I’m so glad I’m a cop today – now, I can go find a Black guy and shoot him.”  Well, that’s my hope anyways.

The point is simple:  The reason why Cecil the Lion hurt a different part of my heart wasn’t because it was more important than any other issue out there today – NO.  It hurt because the intention all along for this dentist, this American man, was to KILL an animal. He woke up that morning and literally paid for the thrill to KILL.  It wasn’t for food, it wasn’t for clothing, it wasn’t to defend himself – it was for no other reason than saying he could and mounting a Lion’s head on his wall.

It just feels wrong.

I have no problem with actual hunters, though I admit, it’s not my thing per se. But the urge to KILL?  The NEED to KILL for no apparent reason, with no justification? That’s why this is different.  Most legit hunters hunt and eat their kill.  But to hunt like this?  It just doesn’t sit right with me.

It is wrong.

So, look no one’s saying Cecil’s death is more important than our brothers being killed by police officers. And no it’s not more important than my stance on abortion. Truthfully, I’m not sure why we need to rank such things, because all in all, it just sucks equally.  But, intentionally wanting to be a killer as opposed to having to kill? Those are two different things.  And that, in my opinion, is what has touched a nerve in all of us.

17 thoughts on “Lions, Abortion and Police”

  1. I am in on it with you when it comes to the need to kill. Doesn’t make much sense if we believe in compassion and love. And I believe human beings can handle more thoughts at the same time without having to compare them.

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  3. The deaths of Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose and Cecil the lion got me all upset and to be honest, I had also some question marks about the differ in reactions and the amount of it. Thank you for sharing your on-the-spot insight. I hadn’t thought from that perspective.

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    • Thank you Patrick. Believe me, I was stunned by my own reaction as well, so I get it! But yes, they all can be bad and heartwrenching all at the same time. So glad you stopped on by! (I owe an email!). 😉

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  4. I grew up thinking cops were our friends and that we can trust them. And I still think that a great many of them have great intentions and are doing their job because they want to serve. But……the good ones stick up for the bad ones – that’s a sad truth – and so the good ones effectively have become tainted. So I don’t trust any of them. Not one.

    I think I’d be happy if the outrage we have with murderous cops was at least equal to the outrage against the killing of the lion. That’s not going to happen though, so no one around here is holding their breath.

    Or on a more positive note: why aren’t we as concerned about the marginalized in our society as we are about the innocent lion who was lured to his cruel and lengthy death? Instead, we complain and bicker about people needing to “just snap out of it” (whatever “it” is – mental health issues, poverty, suffering from abusive relationships) instead of exhibiting real concern.

    We are upside down in this society. I frankly don’t see it changing.

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    • First, Wolfie, let me say I didn’t get a notification that you had commented — not sure why, so I apologize for my late response. I understand completely about the police issue, I do. In all fairness, I should admit upfront that I know way too many cops personally as friends and so I guess, in a lot of ways, I do still have some faith and try not to brush all of them in the same light. Surely, there is a problem. And not ONE cop I personally know would say differently.

      Secondly, my blog post is kinda about exactly that — we don’t need to rank which is worse and why. In my opinion, just as I can love many, I can hate many as well. And I have enough hate for a lot of these issues. I don’t think anyone of any worth thinks the killing of a Lion is worse than anything else, but it is cruel in a different sense and it just struck in a different place. That is all.

      And not to play psychologist here (cuz I’m so not!), but we, I, am concerned about the marginalized — but that’s a very general and subjective term. The Lion is specific. Sandra Bland is specific. And I don’t know who — except maybe some hard core folks who are not worthy of my time — would ever say hey, just snap out of it.

      I think in the end Wolfie, we try. We do the best we can. What I’m saying is — lets not rank our problems as to which is MORE bad than the other. Let’s just admit they all suck and fix them. And I still have faith in all of us. I do. Humanity is pretty brilliant at the end of the day — don’t give up just yet. We can change..we’ve done it before. We do it fighting against the grain for sure… but eventually we get where we need to be…

      Have faith in the good guys. I’m one of them, and so are you. And that’s a good place to start.

      xxxoo.

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