Darwin award - is it a liberal problem?

[GreatNews2night]

So, this little girl almost died because her parents decided to give her what is called an "ethical" experience of swimming with dolphins. It turns out that the animals dragged her underwater and bit her, causing serious injury. Fortunately she survived.

Dolphins drag British girl, 10, underwater during '''ethical''' swimming experience in Mexico

I feel for the little girl; I imagine how terrified she was, and I hope she makes a full recovery from her physical injuries. The psychological ones may prove tougher to heal.

I blame the parents. They deserve the Darwin Award for exposing their offspring to large wild animals. OK, dolphins are supposed to be cute and smart, and favorites of lefties... but they are still unpredictable wild animals.

Is this a liberal thing? Because I've talked with some conservative guys, including a poster here from Alaska, and they seem to have a healthy respect for wild animals. It's probably more likely that a leftist tree-hugger will get hurt by a wild animal than a conservative, if all proportions are kept (applying statistical corrections to equalize exposure - leftists are probably more likely to go on hikes in nature but conservatives are probably more likely to go hunting - both activities would increase exposure to wild life - of course, the leftist people would likely not have guns to defend themselves if attacked by a wild animal).

 

[AProudLefty]

So, this little girl almost died because her parents decided to give her what is called an "ethical" experience of swimming with dolphins. It turns out that the animals dragged her underwater and bit her, causing serious injury. Fortunately she survived.

Dolphins drag British girl, 10, underwater during '''ethical''' swimming experience in Mexico

I feel for the little girl; I imagine how terrified she was, and I hope she makes a full recovery from her physical injuries. The psychological ones may prove tougher to heal.

I blame the parents. They deserve the Darwin Award for exposing their offspring to large wild animals. OK, dolphins are supposed to be cute and smart, and favorites of lefties... but they are still unpredictable wild animals.

Is this a liberal thing? Because I've talked with some conservative guys, including a poster here from Alaska, and they seem to have a healthy respect for wild animals. It's probably more likely that a leftist tree-hugger will get hurt by a wild animal than a conservative, if all proportions are kept (applying statistical corrections to equalize exposure - leftists are probably more likely to go on hikes in nature but conservatives are probably more likely to go hunting - both activities would increase exposure to wild life - of course, the leftist people would likely not have guns to defend themselves if attacked by a wild animal.

Yep. It's a liberal problem.

 

[Bum]

So, this little girl almost died because her parents decided to give her what is called an "ethical" experience of swimming with dolphins. It turns out that the animals dragged her underwater and bit her, causing serious injury. Fortunately she survived.

Dolphins drag British girl, 10, underwater during '''ethical''' swimming experience in Mexico

I feel for the little girl; I imagine how terrified she was, and I hope she makes a full recovery from her physical injuries. The psychological ones may prove tougher to heal.

I blame the parents. They deserve the Darwin Award for exposing their offspring to large wild animals. OK, dolphins are supposed to be cute and smart, and favorites of lefties... but they are still unpredictable wild animals.

Is this a liberal thing? Because I've talked with some conservative guys, including a poster here from Alaska, and they seem to have a healthy respect for wild animals. It's probably more likely that a leftist tree-hugger will get hurt by a wild animal than a conservative, if all proportions are kept (applying statistical corrections to equalize exposure - leftists are probably more likely to go on hikes in nature but conservatives are probably more likely to go hunting - both activities would increase exposure to wild life - of course, the leftist people would likely not have guns to defend themselves if attacked by a wild animal.

The Darwin Awards are truly equal opportunity.

 

[blarg]

So, this little girl almost died because her parents decided to give her what is called an "ethical" experience of swimming with dolphins. It turns out that the animals dragged her underwater and bit her, causing serious injury. Fortunately she survived.

Dolphins drag British girl, 10, underwater during '''ethical''' swimming experience in Mexico

I feel for the little girl; I imagine how terrified she was, and I hope she makes a full recovery from her physical injuries. The psychological ones may prove tougher to heal.

I blame the parents. They deserve the Darwin Award for exposing their offspring to large wild animals. OK, dolphins are supposed to be cute and smart, and favorites of lefties... but they are still unpredictable wild animals.

Is this a liberal thing? Because I've talked with some conservative guys, including a poster here from Alaska, and they seem to have a healthy respect for wild animals. It's probably more likely that a leftist tree-hugger will get hurt by a wild animal than a conservative, if all proportions are kept (applying statistical corrections to equalize exposure - leftists are probably more likely to go on hikes in nature but conservatives are probably more likely to go hunting - both activities would increase exposure to wild life - of course, the leftist people would likely not have guns to defend themselves if attacked by a wild animal.

think you just want to imagine being liberal makes you that way

 

[GreatNews2night]

think you just want to imagine being liberal makes you that way

Who do you think would be more likely to take their 10-year-old girl to go swimming with dolphins - liberals or conservatives?

 

[AProudLefty]

Who do you think would be more likely to take their 10-year-old girl to go swimming with dolphins - liberals or conservatives?

Who do you think would be more likely to take their 10-year-old girl to worship GWB - liberals or conservative?

 

[GreatNews2night]

Who do you think would be more likely to take their 10-year-old girl to worship GWB - liberals or conservative?

Duh...

But I do have a point. Certain lifestyles match better certain ideologies.

Please match the statements to the people likely to have issued them:

A) "Wheee! Whales! Lookie lookie the beautiful whales!"

B) "F.... the whales!"

1) Liberals

2) Conservatives

I'd think that chances are that A1 and B2 would be more likely matches.

 

[blarg]

Who do you think would be more likely to take their 10-year-old girl to go swimming with dolphins - liberals or conservatives?

thing is i dont think its that likely for either of them to do that think it's more lieky you have an axe to grind against people both real and more often imagined

 

[AProudLefty]

Duh...

But I do have a point. Certain lifestyles match better certain ideologies.

Please match the statements to the people likely to have issued them:

A) "Wheee! Whales! Lookie lookie the beautiful whales!"

B) "F.... the whales!"

1) Liberals

2) Conservatives

I'd think that chances are that A1 and B2 would be more likely matches.

So you're saying a crazy family equals a liberal problem?

 

[Torus34]

It doesn't take a lot of searching to turn up stories of parents who, through their actions, put their children at risk. In the US each year you can find stories of parents who, to 'protect' their family, have guns in the house. Children get hold of them and the result can be tragic.

[Ed.: The above does not ascribe child deaths from gunshot as either a 'liberal' or a 'conservative' issue. We have reached the point of polarization in the US where someone with a long-overdue library book is also identified by political leaning. It's become something like we find in those languages in which nouns must have gender.]

 

[bongsaway]

Duh...

But I do have a point. Certain lifestyles match better certain ideologies.

Please match the statements to the people likely to have issued them:

A) "Wheee! Whales! Lookie lookie the beautiful whales!"

B) "F.... the whales!"

1) Liberals

2) Conservatives

I'd think that chances are that A1 and B2 would be more likely matches.

And b2 is exactly how the republicans govern, **** their base they're so stupid they don't realize they're voting to keep themselves poor and supporting the top ten percent.

Your point is well taken conservatives in reality don't give a **** about much except themselves.

 

[Calirepub]

Personally, I blame the Hollywood Liberal Propaganda show Flipper, from the 60s, which portrayed dolphins in a more than positive light. I don't know why liberals want us to think of dolphins as safe, friendly creatures, but the evidence is clear. They even remade the show as a movie more recently. I hate Hollywood for this reason. Dolphins are serious business.

 

[Sweden]

Duh...

But I do have a point. Certain lifestyles match better certain ideologies.

Please match the statements to the people likely to have issued them:

A) "Wheee! Whales! Lookie lookie the beautiful whales!"

B) "F.... the whales!"

1) Liberals

2) Conservatives

I'd think that chances are that A1 and B2 would be more likely matches.

Wrong. I am strongly pro whale conservation and conservative libertarian. Your post merely displays your own entrenched prejudice.

 

[JackA]

Who do you think would be more likely to take their 10-year-old girl to go swimming with dolphins - liberals or conservatives?

Neither. Idiocy is apolitical. Only people corrupted by politics themselves think otherwise.

 

[Glitch]

So, this little girl almost died because her parents decided to give her what is called an "ethical" experience of swimming with dolphins. It turns out that the animals dragged her underwater and bit her, causing serious injury. Fortunately she survived.

Dolphins drag British girl, 10, underwater during '''ethical''' swimming experience in Mexico

I feel for the little girl; I imagine how terrified she was, and I hope she makes a full recovery from her physical injuries. The psychological ones may prove tougher to heal.

I blame the parents. They deserve the Darwin Award for exposing their offspring to large wild animals. OK, dolphins are supposed to be cute and smart, and favorites of lefties... but they are still unpredictable wild animals.

Is this a liberal thing? Because I've talked with some conservative guys, including a poster here from Alaska, and they seem to have a healthy respect for wild animals. It's probably more likely that a leftist tree-hugger will get hurt by a wild animal than a conservative, if all proportions are kept (applying statistical corrections to equalize exposure - leftists are probably more likely to go on hikes in nature but conservatives are probably more likely to go hunting - both activities would increase exposure to wild life - of course, the leftist people would likely not have guns to defend themselves if attacked by a wild animal).

It definitely tends to be leftists who are out of their element whenever they get into the wild. Cities tend to produce leftists, while a rural up-bringing tends to produce conservatives. Two Darwin Award recipients in Alaska include Timothy Tredwell and Christopher McCandless. Two leftist city critters that had no experience in the wild, and died as a result of their abject stupidity.

If city critters couldn't get their cellophane-wrapped meat from grocery stores they would literally starve to death, they are that far removed from reality. It is part of the mental illness that results in leftists in the first place. Had they a tentative grasp on reality they wouldn't be leftists. I had one leftist recently ask me why don't I buy my meat from a grocery store instead of killing animals by hunting. Leftists have no clue.

As long as they stay in their element - the cities - leftists excel. Once you take away their support and put them into an environment completely alien to them - the wild - they start dropping like flies. They have no idea how to act because it was never a skillset they needed to learn. The closest they ever came to a wild animal was at a zoo with the animal in a cage. So how could they have respect for something they know nothing about? It is like that other Darwin Award city critter who walked right up to the face of a landlocked glacier near Seward just to watch it calve a few thousand tons of ice on his stupid head. That kind of ignorance gets leftists killed all the time in Alaska.

 

[Cardinal]

There are certain niches of stupidity that exist outside of political identification. Along with the central example in this thread, antivaxxers belong to a group of stupid people who straddle all political orientations.

 

[Port & Starboard]

I have seen some pretty stupid people out on the water and I don't think either party is overly represented.

I had a conservative buddy last year take a "selfie" with him and a small "Bull Shark" out on the Chesapeake Bay that he had just caught on his kayak.....and the stupid ass lost the tip of his finger due to his own stupid vanity.

A liberal buddy of mine didn't tether himself off to his kayak while fishing the islands off the eastern shore (Va) a couple years ago. We hit some 3-4 breakers about a 1/4 mile off the beach and off the boat he went. His kayak ended up about 3 miles away and ended being recovered by a crab fisherman who was kind enough to come up the shoreline to see if anyone was around.

I could go on and on with some of the dangerous **** I have seen out there.

I brought a 5' Bull Shark up on my kayak a couple times, and now I look back wondering WTF was I thinking back then?

 

[Glitch]

I have seen some pretty stupid people out on the water and I don't think either party is overly represented.

I had a conservative buddy last year take a "selfie" with him and a small "Bull Shark" out on the Chesapeake Bay that he had just caught on his kayak.....and the stupid ass lost the tip of his finger due to his own stupid vanity.

A liberal buddy of mine didn't tether himself off to his kayak while fishing the islands off the eastern shore (Va) a couple years ago. We hit some 3-4 breakers about a 1/4 mile off the beach and off the boat he went. His kayak ended up about 3 miles away and ended being recovered by a crab fisherman who was kind enough to come up the shoreline to see if anyone was around.

I could go on and on with some of the dangerous **** I have seen out there.

I brought a 5' Bull Shark up on my kayak a couple times, and now I look back wondering WTF was I thinking back then?

It isn't catching a bull shark that makes someone stupid, it is what they do with it afterwards that makes that determination. Take the photos while it is still in the water and unless you intend to eat it, release it.

In Alaska our halibut can get rather large. Since they are 85% muscle when they reach a certain size (~75 pounds) they are killed before they are brought onboard the boat. Back in the 1990s they found a local fisherman in Kachemak Bay near Homer dead in his dingy with a broken back. Also in his boat was a 200 pound halibut. It would appear that he did not kill the halibut before bringing it aboard. I've also heard reports of halibut breaking arms and legs while flopping around on the boat. So we dispatch them with a .410 shotgun or a handgun, then bring them onboard the boat. It is safer for everyone.

 

[Port & Starboard]

It isn't catching a bull shark that makes someone stupid, it is what they do with it afterwards that makes that determination. Take the photos while it is still in the water and unless you intend to eat it, release it.

In Alaska our halibut can get rather large. Since they are 85% muscle when they reach a certain size (~75 pounds) they are killed before they are brought onboard the boat. Back in the 1990s they found a local fisherman in Kachemak Bay near Homer dead in his dingy with a broken back. Also in his boat was a 200 pound halibut. It would appear that he did not kill the halibut before bringing it aboard. I've also heard reports of halibut breaking arms and legs while flopping around on the boat. So we dispatch them with a .410 shotgun or a handgun, then bring them onboard the boat. It is safer for everyone.

My brother spent a year in Alaska during the pipeline days and caught some Halibut around that size.

 

[Glitch]

My brother spent a year in Alaska during the pipeline days and caught some Halibut around that size.

The biggest caught in Alaska was 454 pounds. Not quite the world-record, but close. My personal best was 187 pounds, but 200 pounders are common in Kachemak Bay.

 

[Port & Starboard]

The biggest caught in Alaska was 454 pounds. Not quite the world-record, but close. My personal best was 187 pounds, but 200 pounders are common in Kachemak Bay.

The one thing that I do miss about New England is the Flounder.

The Summer Flounder that I catch here on the bay are really small. I'll get 1 keeper out of 50...... maybe. My best this year was around 23"

 

[Glitch]

The one thing that I do miss about New England is the Flounder.

The Summer Flounder that I catch here on the bay are really small. I'll get 1 keeper out of 50...... maybe. My best this year was around 23"

But their eyes are on the wrong side! :lol:

I paid hundreds of dollars for four different halibut charters and only caught two halibut. Two charters from Seward and two from Homer. While I really like the taste of the fish, I just can't afford it. I stick to whatever I can catch in the rivers or just off the coast these days.

 

[Port & Starboard]

But their eyes are on the wrong side! :lol:

I paid hundreds of dollars for four different halibut charters and only caught two halibut. Two charters from Seward and two from Homer. While I really like the taste of the fish, I just can't afford it. I stick to whatever I can catch in the rivers or just off the coast these days.

I am very fortunate to live here at the beach. We can target anything from Pompano, Stripers, Reds, Trout, to Cobia.

 

[GreatNews2night]

There were some very aggressive posters, bashing me for daring to post the OP and the continuation. But I just wanted to spark an interesting discussion, and interesting it is, indeed. By the way, I think the poster who exchanged messages with me about respect for wildlife is the very one who is participating here, Glitch, and he makes some good points.

I really enjoyed that discussion with Glitch... although I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that later we engaged in some sort of shouting matches because I was defending some liberal position and he was of the opposite opinion. I don't remember the details... I interact with a bunch of people here and I'm not good with names, both here and in my non-cyber (real?) life. [The reason I put an interrogation mark after real is that I think both a cyber presence and a non-cyber presence, these days, are different aspects of reality, but they are both reality, as social media - of which I'm not that fond, actually - gained in importance in many people's lives - certainly our online persona must be a bit different than our non-cyber persona but they are both different aspects of our real personality]

Now, the people aggressively bashing me have assumed that I'm conservative. Well, I'm not. I'm a centrist, with both liberal and conservative views, depending on the topic. I figure that my views balance out, making of me dead center (pun not intended).

What prompted my early discussion with Glitch was exactly a trip to Alaska where I was rather impressed with the beautiful nature and the need to preserve - AND RESPECT it. Including, I saw some beautiful whales, eagles, and a porcupine. I did not see bears, which is good because I'm terrified of bears, and as a city dweller, I wouldn't really know how to deal with them (except that before the trip I did read extensively on how to avoid problems if a fortuitous encounter with a bear happens during a hike).

Me, I'm a city dweller. I often say, more jokingly than not (but with a grain of truth) that "the outdoors are vastly overrated." I often say that I consider that the human species has thrived in strength and numbers precisely because we learned how to modify the environment. We built habitats for our species that protect us from predators (wolves, bears, mountain lions, etc.), snakes, spiders, disease-transmitting mosquitoes, sun rays and their effect on skin cancer, excessive ozone and its effect on asthma, rocks to trip in and break bones, mountains to fall from and die or break bones, and so on and so forth. Well, it doesn't make it any less true than with our great numbers and appetite for energy, we're ruining the environment, so there are pros and cons to everything.

Traveling to Alaska was atypical of me. I usually prefer for my tourism, urban 5-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, urban museums and performance art centers, nice wine bars and micro-breweries, etc. But I did love, love, love Alaska, and it did change my views a little.

So, this thread is kind of playful for me, bouncing my own ideas around... still a bit prejudiced against nature, but a bit more favorable to life in the wild after my fabulous experience in Alaska.

Yes, cognitively I know that stupidity is an equal opportunity thing... but it's still kind of fun and provocative to look into it the way I did here. So, to the people outraged at what I said, sorry, but you know, relax. My intention is lighter than you might have assumed.

 

[Glitch]

There were some very aggressive posters, bashing me for daring to post the OP and the continuation. But I just wanted to spark an interesting discussion, and interesting it is, indeed. By the way, I think the poster who exchanged messages with me about respect for wildlife is the very one who is participating here, Glitch, and he makes some good points.

...

What prompted my early discussion with Glitch was exactly a trip to Alaska where I was rather impressed with the beautiful nature and the need to preserve - AND RESPECT it. Including, I saw some beautiful whales, eagles, and a porcupine. I did not see bears, which is good because I'm terrified of bears, and as a city dweller, I wouldn't really know how to deal with them (except that before the trip I did read extensively on how to avoid problems if a fortuitous encounter with a bear happens during a hike).

Me, I'm a city dweller. I often say, more jokingly than not (but with a grain of truth) that "the outdoors are vastly overrated." I often say that I consider that the human species has thrived in strength and numbers precisely because we learned how to modify the environment. We built habitats for our species that protect us from predators (wolves, bears, mountain lions, etc.), snakes, spiders, disease-transmitting mosquitoes, sun rays and their effect on skin cancer, excessive ozone and its effect on asthma, rocks to trip in and break bones, mountains to fall from and die or break bones, and so on and so forth. Well, it doesn't make it any less true than with our great numbers and appetite for energy, we're ruining the environment, so there are pros and cons to everything.

Traveling to Alaska was atypical of me. I usually prefer for my tourism, urban 5-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, urban museums and performance art centers, nice wine bars and micro-breweries, etc. But I did love, love, love Alaska, and it did change my views a little.

So, this thread is kind of playful for me, bouncing my own ideas around... still a bit prejudiced against nature, but a bit more favorable to life in the wild after my fabulous experience in Alaska.

Yes, cognitively I know that stupidity is an equal opportunity thing... but it's still kind of fun and provocative to look into it the way I did here. So, to the people outraged at what I said, sorry, but you know, relax. My intention is lighter than you might have assumed.

There also needs to be an understanding that things change. Nothing ever stays the same. Even after 11,700 years Alaska continues to thaw out from the last period of glaciation. As permafrost melts land becomes more arable. Between 2012 and 2017 Alaska's crops have increased by 31%, and more than doubled since 1990. Unlike other areas of the planet, sea levels are dropping fast around Alaska. Since Alaska was purchased in 1867 the town of Skagway has increased by more than 2 meters in elevation, as sea levels drop by over 17mm per year. We also had 2.5 million acres burn this year alone. Alaska is always changing.

Something else to consider, once you remove all the predators and natural obstacles by creating artificial environments you eventually create a generation incapable of dealing with predators and natural obstacles. There is nothing wrong with living in a city, providing you stay rooted in reality. You can't forget how to deal with the rest of the world around you. If you have never camped in bear country, learn how to do it safely. You don't do what Timothy Tredwell did, pitching his tent in the middle of a game trail. Learning how to not just survive but to thrive in the wild is no different than any other skill. It just requires obtaining, retaining, and using the knowledge.

I was raised canning food from our garden and preparing fish and game. They are skills both my parents taught me from a very young age. Even after 30 years of being an avid hunter and fisherman in the lower-48 when I moved to Alaska I had to relearn many of my skills. Not only is the environment completely different, so are the critters. I had to completely relearn how to fish, having only fished in lakes or oceans before. Fishing in rivers was something new to me.

This is another classic case of losing touch with reality: When I lived in an apartment complex in Santa Monica I bought a live duck from China Town and took the duck into the back of the complex to wring it's neck over the dipsty-dumpster. About an hour later, the duck is now in the oven and the police show up at my door. Apparently someone in the apartment complex had witnessed me killing and cleaning the duck and called the police. What surprised me the most was that the police actually showed up. I offered the police a duck wing after it was cooked, but they declined.