Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Socialist’s Journal: The Value of Lives (Cecil the Lion)

Walt Palmer (left) with his latest trophy.
Walt Palmer (left) with his latest trophy, Cecil the Lion.

*The outrage over the death of Cecil the Lion at the hands of an American hunter has drawn the ire of some people in the United States. But I want to dig a little deeper on this subject.

I suspect the reason that people are upset with Walter Palmer killing a lion is that some people don’t respect the fact that hunters are using sophisticated weapons to target animals that don’t have the benefit of technology and are working with less brain power. This situation can be viewed as a power imbalance with the strong taking advantage of the weak. And of course when seen from that perspective most people would say the weak should be protected and assisted.

Where it gets a bit more interesting is when we extend this idea to humans. When an incident of domestic violence occurs in which a man is physically assaulting a woman, it is easily seen as the strong taking advantage of the weak. And when seen from that perspective most people proclaim that women should be protected and assisted. Please note that I am not equating women with lions as if they lesser beings; what I am saying is that women can find themselves in situations in which they are the weaker party.

Even more interesting is when we extend this idea to race relations in the United States. When an incident of violence occurs in which white officers harm black citizens, it can also be seen as the strong taking advantage of the weak. And when seen from that perspective many people assert that African Americans should be protected and assisted. Again this is not to say that black people are lesser beings, but rather to say that African-Americans can find themselves in situations in which they are the weaker party.

At this point conservatives might say “but there is always someone stronger. So everyone can find themselves as the weaker party in a confrontation if they look long enough.” And I agree. That is the basis for my support of socialism as a political ideology. It seeks to minimize the power imbalance and thereby minimize the amount and degree to which people take advantage of others. Socialism as a political ideology also makes no distinction between men and women or different ethnicities, or any of the many other categories humans have seen fit to create in an effort to divide ourselves and horde resources.

But since we do use these divisions in the United States we should acknowledge and attempt to contend with the power imbalances that result. The significant difference in how black people (in relation to white people) are victimized by police violence should be seen as the result of a power imbalance that has existed in the United States since the colonial period and the value American society has placed on black and white lives. While I know white people who are perfectly sincere when they say they view everyone the same, it is disingenuous to ignore the fact that not everyone shares that view and that law enforcement is trained to approach certain situations differently.

The same acknowledgement of a power imbalance is necessary when examining the dynamic between men and women in domestic relationships. The same power imbalance exists between labor and capital in economic transactions between companies and workers.

Yes the lives of lions matter. Yes, black lives matter. Yes, women’s lives matter. Yes, working class white men’s lives matter. So do upper class white male hunters’ lives, it’s just that their lives are imminently valued by American society and not in any danger.

trevor brookins
Trevor Brookins

Trevor Brookins is a free lance writer in Rockland County, New York. He is currently working on a book about American culture during the Cold War.  His writing has appeared in The Journal News. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @historictrev.

 

 

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