Michael Crichton (yes, I know he's a badguy now) in Jurassic Park came up with a term that I have fallen in love with: "Thintelligence".
In that novel, he used the term to describe scientists who were incredibly brilliant within a narrow scope of endeavor, say biotechnology, but who lacked the perspective to comprehend the larger ramifications of their work. For a real world example, you might consider Einstein's remorse after helping create the atomic bomb.
I suggest coining a new term: "Thinpassion". This would describe those who become passionate or concerned about an issue, enough to make judgements and have opinions, but who lack a deeper understanding of that issue and why it exists. For example, hunting. Some people, still, apparently consider hunting to be just a blood sport, where some mean, nasty hunters get together to ambush and assassinate innocent, unsuspecting wild things in the forest.
This diary was written as a specific response to a comment in another diary, so I know there are such people out there, even here on Daily Kos.
So, hunting.
We killed all the wolves and bear that were natural predators on deer. We did this because we wanted to raise cattle without losing any to predation.
- Deer without natural predators will eat every green and growing thing in a forest, including rings of tree bark, while reproducing without limits.
- At a certain point, there will be too many deer for the available food supply, at which point, they starve.
- Starving animals, especially animals which are crowded due to overpopulation, are highly susceptible to disease.
- Disease outbreaks in a crowded, immunity-weakened population spready like wildfire, causing massive death tolls.
- Meanwhile, the plants are dying, the trees are dying, and masses of starving, diseased deer are spreading out onto our highways causing traffic accidents. (You think the current rate of venison verte mordant is bad?)
- End result, the deer population drops to a small handful of its former numbers, eeking out a minimal existence in a devestated ecosystem.
- However, plants and trees are pretty hardy, and they'll spring back in a couple of years, providing sustenance for the deer, which will also, probably, spring back.
- As the deer population explodes once more... please return to step 1 and repeat.
Keep in mind that, while I am using deer as an example, this applies to most, possibly all other prey animals we routinely hunt. By and large, they lack natural predators, and its our fault.
That hunting is pleasurable to many is a good thing, but more importantly, it's a responsibility which we as humans have had to take upon ourselves to maintain the healthy balance of our forests. This is why it is regulated, and why those regulations don't generally come under fire from even the most moronic of right-winger stereotypical gun nuts.
Thank you for stopping by.