re: #46 Maxwell Not So Smart

IMO normal people who want to go to Africa these days on safari go to shoot photos of animals.

I was lucky enough to get to do one a few years back. One of the most amazing trips I’ve been on. I got to “pet” a wild elephant. I was looking at the photo of that moment earlier today. It amazes me how gentle it was. Came close to getting trampled by a heard of male water buffaloes. Was stared down by a male lion from 6 feet away etc etc etc so many memories that still blow my mind. (BTW some of the nicest people I’ve ever met and spent time with live in Botswana. Very normal there for people you’ve just met to have deep meaningful conversation with you given you’re that type of person.)

The level of asshole you have to be to get on a plane and fly to Africa from NYC to shoot an elephant is off the scale of normal human behavior.

There’s no sport or subsistence value in Westerners flying to Africa and killing elephants, at all. Nobody does it alone or in pairs, it takes a massive hunting party with serious logistics and infrastructure to do it safely, without wasting the vast majority of the meat. They’re also sentient creatures, they have some degree of language like communication and are one of the few animals known to use tools. Only the most insecure assholes on the planet consider that kind of packaged, portered excursion to be legitimate hunting.