Ignorance Breeds Hatred: The Kendall Jones Controversy

I need to take a moment to discuss something that is vitally important for all animal lovers and activists to remember, but too often forget: there are two sides to every story. 

Americans seem keen to forget this fact, or pointedly reject the idea altogether.  Whether you agree with the other side or not, it is still incredibly important to at least read about different viewpoints before getting on your soapbox.

How else can we ever achieve any goals when everyone is constantly raging and demonizing everyone else? Fox News teaches everyone that in order to be heard, you just need to yell louder than the other person. Ugh.

We need to all take a deep breath, and a tip from hostage negotiators. Hostage Negotiation Techniques That Will Get You What You Want.

Now, just in case you decide to not click on that article above (and I really hope you do), here are 5 of the key steps:

1. Active Listening: Listen to their side and make them aware you’re listening.
2. Empathy: You get an understanding of where they’re coming from and how they feel.
3. Rapport: Empathy is what you feel. Rapport is when they feel it back. They start to trust you.
4. Influence: Now that they trust you, you have earned the right to work on problem solving with them and recommend a course of action.
5. Behavioral Change: They act. (And maybe come out with their hands up.)

The first step is Active Listening. This is the most commonly skipped step, therefore negating steps 2 and 3 through its omission. Nobody listens or takes the time to understand nowadays, but everyone wants to be heard. It's like everyone's just screaming at the top of their lungs while holding their hands firmly over their ears and eyes.

If you really want to enact change or get what you want, then try asking legitimate questions (without attacking the other side), listen or read their response. Do not respond when you are emotional, try to engage in a calm non-judgmental conversation if possible. Collect the information as they see it, not how you interpret it.

Ignorance is defined as 'a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education'.  We pride ourselves on believing that we, as westerners, believe we know better than the rest of the world. We believe that we are not ignorant and that we are well-educated. But is it really true?

Stephen Spielberg "Controversy"

Let's start with Exhibit A:  "A Whole Bunch Of People On Facebook Thought Steven Spielberg Killed A Real Dinosaur"

Clearly that's an extreme example of the screeching ignorance that the internet breeds. People are extra stupid when they have an emotional response to something and the immediate mouthpiece to preach their disgust and disdain, as irrational or blatantly incorrect as it may be.

Now let's move on to a more real example not based in satire, but from the recent news, a topic about which many of us (justifiably) feel very strongly:

Kendall Jones & Trophy Hunting

Exhibit B: "Kill Kendall Jones" Facebook Page Killed by Facebook

Now to clarify, I am in no way supporting Kendall Jones or trophy hunting.  However I have to wonder what sort of sick, ignorant people would create a page dedicated solely to the notion of killing another human being?

People call Kendall a monster and she's received many death threats. Does anyone else see the irony here? People hate her for killing, so they want her killed. Isn't that the American way today, though?  "She did something I disagree with, so she must be killed."  

Ignorance breeds hatred.

Doesn't that sound familiar?  Mass Murderers: 'Some People Deserve to be Killed'

Whether it's a mass murderer shooting down innocent victims in cold blood (an action which is justified in their mind) or people publicly calling for the death of Kendall Jones, it's clear this thought process is not limited to psychotics and psychopaths, but rather a cultural phenomenon exacerbated (in this particular case) by the internet and social media.  "She did something I disagree with, so she must be killed."  

Does anybody else see this line of self-righteous justified and extraordinarily ignorant thinking as a cultural mental health disease? It's really sad and disturbing. Vigilante justice has become the American way.

I will try not to focus on the negative here, and for me to demonize those less educated would be to only perpetuate the stereotypical thinking I am trying to address.

Thinking beyond Kendall specifically right now let's think about captive hunting and learn the other side of the coin for half a second. Specifically, where captive hunts came from and why they exist today. It's a complex situation involving sociological, cultural, and economic issues in Africa, but it all boils down to money. 

According to Wikipedia: A canned hunt is a trophy hunt in which an animal is kept in a confined area, such as in a fenced-in area, increasing the likelihood of the hunter obtaining a kill. According to one dictionary, a canned hunt is a "hunt for animals that have been raised on game ranches until they are mature enough to be killed for trophy collections."

These animals are tame. Kept in an enclosure. Then shot by rich people for fun.

The fees paid by hunters for a canned hunt range from the thousands up to 6 figures.  The trophy hunting industry from Africa alone brings in $91.2 billion annually, based on a study by the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa.

Kendall defended herself online as one might expect a 19 year old girl who's grown up surrounded with lots of money, never been told "no", and the inevitable self-righteous ignorant thinking that such an upbringing spawns. "This is a conservation effort!" she exclaims next to photos of her face, plastered with a textbook cheerleader grin, sitting alongside various dead and bloodied endangered animals.

Why Killing a Lion is the Most Cowardly Thing You Can Do

Congratulations, Kendall. You have fallen for the brainwashing that so many rich, white Americans hold as their central belief system. That everything you do should be revered and praised by everyone, and that you can do no wrong.

Read more about Captive Hunting here.

While we do not have to agree with her viewpoint or her actions, we do have to recognize that Kendall is a product of her environment and upbringing, just as any of us are.

Yes, of course she could have made different life choices as some people do, rejecting family traditions and spurring her social circle to go a different direction. She could have done a lot of things, but she didn't.

Not everyone has the strength of character, maturity, and bravery it takes to choose their own path or do the right thing.  It's unfortunate, but we know it's true.

Kendall is even 'gunning' for her own reality TV show (pardon the pun). I can hold out hope that she might use her new-found fame to spread true awareness about conservation efforts, endangered species, and the sociological situation in Africa that has led to the popularity of trophy hunting.  But I won't hold my breath.

One final point about Kendall Jones.  Does anyone else find it interesting that trophy hunting has gone on for years, but the public only now really cares because a pretty blonde teenage cheerleader has become its champion?

What about all the other photographic evidence that has existed of old fat white guys sitting next to a dead elephant or giraffe?  Strangely, those did not get the massive onslaught of media attention that Kendall has received. But Kendall's pretty little face is the only one all over the news.

I'm just going to leave that out there.

So next time you hear of an extreme viewpoint that opposes your own, try the 5 Steps above to learn a little bit about the other side of the coin.  Your blood pressure will thank you.

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