Blog post # 2 “Is Hunting Ethical”?

I’ve always wondered about the answer to this question, but I’ve never been able to come up with one. After reading this essay I’ve found that there is no real answer. It’s subjective. But for argument’s sake I’m going to give one answer to this.

The definition of ethical is “pertaining to or dealing with morals” (dictionary.com), that being said I do not think killing any living thing is moral. Therefore, hunting is not ethical. That does not mean it should never be practiced, however. I do not advocate hunting nor do I reject it. It is both grotesque and useful.

There are several valid arguments for hunting. One being that we aren’t letting an ancient practice die out. If there were to be some sort of apocalypse in the near future and you needed to hunt to survive we would know how to. Then there’s the argument that the primitiveness of it is its appeal. In the essay it states that this is “the most uncivilized and primitive activity in which a modern person can legally engage”. “It allows an individual to participate directly in the life and death on which all natural systems depend”. There are going to be those people who just want to kill something and as atrocious as it sounds, I’d much rather that be an animal than a human. You have to ask yourself what level of importance do you place upon animals, are they equal to humans? For me that’s a no, so killing them is not as bad as killing a person. If it allows someone to get out there aggressions so be it. I do not condone it though.

There are also several arguments against hunting. In this society we don’t need to hunt to get food. We can simply go to the market and pick up what we need. Then there is the matter of the irreverence with which people hunt. It doesn’t matter if you are effectively monitoring the game population. You are only looking at the species as a whole not each creature’s individual life. The Native Americans, when they were forced to make a kill, took a moment after every kill to recognize the animals sacrifice and to honor and respect it. Perhaps if it were more like this I’d be happier. Instead most hunters see them as trophies or a conquest. Just something to shoot. That brings me to hunting for sport, which is utterly unacceptable in my eyes. Sure I see the appeal but I do not like it. You are essentially taking pleasure in the death of another living breathing thing. They have lives, too. You could be killing a mother’s baby or a baby’s mother. You could be sentencing “to slow death the orphaned offspring of their legally killed lactating mothers”.

I cannot say that I agree with the author because she does not choose a side. As she points out, morality is in the eye of the beholder. So there cannot be a definitive answer. But I can say I do not like the idea of killing another innocent creature so I view it as immoral, which by definition makes it unethical.

“The Case for Upsizing” Response

                Have you ever heard of ExtenZe? You know, one of those pills sold on those obnoxious infomercials with overly chipper and overly attractive people. The miracle pill that increases the size of a man’s penis. Well, despite the fact that ExtenZe doesn’t work, people still buy it in boat loads because it is the male’s collective dream to be “bigger”.

                According to The Case for Upsizing, a trade magazine called Response ranked ExtenZe the 7^th most-popular campaign in 2008. The Case for Uprising also states that “reports from the manufacturer claim that more than 460,000 customers have bought in the area of 250 million pills.” I would say that’s a boatload.

                It’s pretty evident that men obsess over size. What man wouldn’t with a spokes model like Bridgetta Tomarchio telling you that size matters. With her in the commercials endorsing this product every man will think they have a shot with a woman like her if they buy this product and increase their “length”. But the fact is, she’s paid to give you hope. Sure women don’t want something you need a microscope to see, but the average woman would probably be satisfied with an average size penis. And as they say, it’s how you work it. If your thinking, but I don’t want an average woman, I want Bridgetta, then sure, alter yourself to gain her approval. But as the word average implies, there are more average women, and by no means does average mean ugly, out there than supermodels and playboy bunnies. Another reason could certainly be competition amongst men themselves to be “bigger”. Who wants to feel like they don’t measure up? But it’s an epidemic. According to The Case for Upsizing “ten thousand men underwent penis operations in the United States for cosmetic purposes using an elongating method created by Dr. Dao-Chou Long”. Maybe obsession was an understatement.

                So the fact that ExtenZe doesn’t actually work has no effect. The hope that they will reach their goal will keep them coming back for more. One of the subjects in the study that the author of The Case for Upsizing conducted said “The first couple of days, it does send a rush of blood down to the netherworld. So it sorta feels like something is happening. My guess is that they count on people feeling that and then quickly ordering a lifetime supply. Then, on the third day or so, there is no more sensation down there. By that time, though, people will probably have pumped another $150 into the company and will be too embarrassed to ask for their money back.” I would have to agree. This pill is no more than a glorified magic trick, an illusion. The upsideis ,though, it does have an effect. In the story it states, “The only published medical trial for ExtenZe came out last June in Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association. Co-authored by Daniel S. Stein, MD, ExtenZe’s unpaid spokesperson, the pilot study monitored twenty males for an eight-week trial, and performed ultrasounds of blood flow and neurosensory analysis. The study didn’t report that anyone’s penis actually grew like the ads claim; rather, the researchers found an increase in erection strength.” So it’s no more than a Viagra with a reputation for more than just an erection, but that’s all you’ll get.

                All of this suggests that people still buy this “miracle pill” even though it doesn’t work because the male dream is to have a big penis. And with models selling you promises they can’t keep, fake accounts of success, and the ever present obsession with “size” that will always be the case.

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