Although I care deeply about the murder of Cecil the lion and hope that Dr. Walter Palmer gets the hell prosecuted out of him, I am also appalled by the self-indulgent soapbox many members of my Facebook family and others have decided to stand on when it comes to this issue. What became clearer to me, as we, Americans, continued to eat our pork belly sandwiches and veil parmesan, was that the hunt of this very important and beloved lion was not the only disturbing display of white privilege in the headlines. Rather, although outrage is appropriate, the nature of the outrage was also driven by white privilege.
It seemed that many raged on while only caring about this “majestic” creature in and of himself, and perhaps his cubs as well. There seemed to be little understanding or concern of the widespread ripple effect on entire ecosystems, the loss of functionality of ecosystems, the many other animal and plant species that stand to be harmed, and the livelihoods of entire people groups that crimes such as this threaten - particularly people in poor and developing nations. There seems to be a greater and more unified outcry against the American dentist that killed a beloved lion that no American had ever heard of before the crime took place, than the unified outrage against the many American lives, mostly people of color, as well as mentally ill, LGBT, and other marginalized groups, lost to American police violence or negligence in July alone. Ultimately, all it really takes to stand on a moral high ground, while caring nothing for the suffering of the highly intelligent pig that endured inhumane farming practices before becoming dinner – is signing a petition about Cecil the lion, and then posting it on Facebook. This has been yet another disgusting display of the fact that all lives are not equal. The value of life, whether it be of a human or an animal is still determined by the dominant classes. Furthermore, the collective livelihoods of people of color, people who are poor, and people who are members of other marginalized groups, are still worth less in this country and this world than the life of one majestic animal.
In speaking of ecosystems, animals are very good at regulating their own populations, if it were not for human involvement. Lions are vicious killers who kill other species for food and each other for dominance. The fact that rival lions will kill the cubs of a dominant male when the dominant male dies, does not make them cruel. Rather, this is the instinct given to them through millions of years of evolution to ensure the survival of their own blood lines. Even males of non-predatory animal species, such as zebra, display similar behavior towards the foals of rival males once a dominant male dies. Unfortunately, due to human activity that has greatly decreased animal populations through unnatural means, the death of one dominant male, such as Cecil, can have a far reaching ripple effect on the further destruction of the species. Even mother lionesses are at risk due to their instinct to fight for the lives of their cubs. The relationship between hunters and prey is very delicate, and as ecosystems are taken even further out of balance, the long-term effect on other animal and plant species is hard to predict. Furthermore, the indigenous people groups who rely on the land for their livelihoods pay a very high price. Some may even turn to illegal poaching as a result of increased economic need. As animal and plant species grow endangered or extinct as a result of legal or illegal big game hunting and poaching, tourism and the economy of the respective nations also stand to suffer. Despite any claim that legal big game hunting helps the economy of any nation, experts in these same countries have asserted the fact that keeping these animals alive generates far more revenue and is what’s best for the animals, the environment, and for the people alike. And although as an animal lover and proud cat mama, the thought of Cecil suffering for forty hours with an arrow in his head is something I can’t bear, the severity of the nature of the crime that Dr. Palmer committed is far greater than the death of Cecil alone.
What’s also unbearable to me, is the calloused attitude towards the life of a Black woman that is required to assert the idea that Sandra Bland, who was brutalized by police, died because she was “arrogant.” And although I have been eager to see Dr. Palmer prosecuted, it grieves me that a Black women changing lanes could pay a far harsher consequence than that which will be faced by a privileged white man who sadistically took a life and robbed the people of Zimbabwe of an animal that was an important source of morale and employment. What disgusted me further was that local law enforcement, though not requested by Palmer to do so, and before they lost track of him, decided to check up on him routinely due to the number of death threats he received as a result of needlessly taking a life. In the meanwhile, though not a single one a killer, Sandra Bland, Kindra Chapman, Joyce Curnell, Ralkina Jones, Raynette Turner,Rexdale Henry, and Jesse Jacobs all died while in police custody in July alone. What a dehumanizing slap in the face it is to members of marginalized groups, that as the blue wall of silence and an outpouring of funds to make bail, prevailed on behalf of Officer Ray Tensing, who killed Samuel Debose in cold blood, Dr. Palmer was to receive the protection of local police. All lives matter indeed (sarcasm).
“But-but-but-we are animal lovers! Just because people are also dying doesn’t mean we shouldn’t defend the lives of animals!” is the response of many to this kind of criticism. This is true and I agree. But standing on a moral high ground while raging on against cruelty towards our preferred animals, while erasing its human casualties (mainly people of color and people who are poor) from the narrative, is indeed self-indulgent. I, many a time, had to tolerate listening to my Starbucks drinking, so-called animal loving friends speak of how horrible much of East Asia is for allowing dog on its menus. “It’s so cruel,” they lament. “Ugh! I just can’t imagine what I would do if something like that happened to my little Rusty,” all the while feeling themselves to be morally superior to countries like China. In the meanwhile, these same animal lovers are by no means willing to give up their holiday hams, which come from pigs, who are highly relational, affectionate, sensitive, and even more intelligent than dogs. So whose house is dirty now? The animals we defend are the animals we don’t enjoy eating, animals that we receive an emotional benefit from, animals we attribute human qualities to, animals who are charismatic, and animals that we find attractive. All the while, the majority of suffering and endangered species, including animals that are at far greater risk of extinction than the African lion, go mainly overlooked by even supposed empathetic animal lovers. This is because even animal lovers don’t sincerely care about most animal species. Even the animals who are preferred are placed in an irrational, culturally driven, and emotionally charged hierarchy of value. This doesn’t so much signify true empathy or concern for life as it does signify a projected self-absorbed and self-indulgent love for self. It’s also deeply prejudiced.
Ultimately, although the murder of Cecil the lion is by all means deserving of public outrage, engaging in this outrage in the way that America has, is truly hypocritical and self-indulgent. The privileged position of being able feel like a good person while mourning the life of one lion, while simultaneously ignoring the plight of the countless human casualties of the type environmental destruction the death of Cecil represents, is not universally shared. In fact, I am even careful to speak on the human causalities that have been erased from the American Cecil the lion narrative, without constantly reiterating the fact that I care about Cecil. This is due to the backlash I, myself, don't want to receive. Though I mourn for the tragic loss of Cecil, I mourn much more knowing that I live in a culture in which the lives of people of color, the poor, LGBT people, and people of other marginalized groups, collectively still haven’t been given the same currency as privileged white folks’ cats and dogs, nor the value of the life of one famous lion.
8:13 PM PT: I would like to point out that I have a deep love and concern for all animal species, despite their general popularity, as well as all people. I also have deep concern for the environment. I believe much of this diary may have been misunderstood. The purpose wasn't to insinuate that the murder of Cecil the lion didn't deserve the media attention or the public outrage it received - because it did and does. My point is that when loss of the lives of marginalized people groups and the loss of other animal species don't receive the same, we have some issues to deal with.