Cecil: Get over it
Listen to this articlePhoto above: Cecil the lion from a video shot last year, which is now on YouTube.
Cecil the lion is dead. Big deal. Boohoo! Cry me a river. Go tell Simba. Just get over it. It’s not the end of the world.
Six months ago, all of about 12 humans knew who Cecil was. Now, thanks to a dentist named Walter Palmer, the entire world knows who Cecil was. It seems humans, Americans especially, are okay with us killing each other. However, kill a protected lion and you face the wrath of social media losers who have nothing better to do than vent their vitriol at the cruelest dentist since Sir Lawrence Olivier.
Don’t get me wrong, I am no fan of any rich guy who pays more than fifty grand to “hunt” a lion. Palmer is not a hunter, just a glorified killer who can afford to pay a large sum of money while armed guides make sure a lion does not get the better of him. I do not feel sorry his world has come crashing down on him. The fact he has had to close his business and go into hiding is his own fault. Maybe he should have taken up golf as a hobby. I only hope he still has those armed guides on payroll protecting him from the army of cyber bullies who have it in for him.
What I am dumbfounded by is how our society can react with such unified anger over the death of Cecil while not being able to be bothered by the news of an eight year old girl being raped, murdered, and left in a trash bin by her 15 year old killer. Where are your tears over this, Jimmy Kimmel?
It seems we have grown bored with yet another white cop having killed a black male and would rather riot over Cecil than another social injustice.
There is no sign of any social outcry over the countless murders and genocidal practices of Boko Haram, the continued growth of ISIS, or the unending string of murders of innocent people in Mexico by out of control drug cartels. And where is the outcry over yet another mass shooting on the heels of another wave of inner city murders this summer?
If Cecil’s death helps this nation remove their heads from their asses and begin demanding real justice for real murders, both at home and abroad, then Cecil’s life will have mattered. However, if Cecil the lion ends up being nothing more than a temporary reprieve from the media’s endless coverage of a nonsensical presidential candidate, then Cecil will merely be just another social media craze right up there with a water skiing squirrel or some fat drunk dancing to a Culture Club song while downing his favorite beverage through a beer bong.
Cecil is dead. Get over it. He is not coming back so try and put your displaced anger to better use for something that actually makes a difference. That is, if you can find a real cause to get worked up about.
Jim is a life long resident of California and retired school teacher with 30 years in public education. Jim earned his BA in History from CSU Chico in 1981 and his MA in Education from Azusa Pacific University in 1994. He is also the author of Teaching The Teacher: Lessons Learned From Teaching. Jim considers himself an equal opportunity pain in the ass to any political party, group, or individual who looks to profit off of hypocrisy. When he is not pointing out the conflicting words and actions of our leaders, the NFL commissioner, or humans in general, he can be found riding his bike for hours on end while pondering his next article. Jim recently moved to Camarillo, CA after being convinced to join the witness protection program.