SADISM

Animal rights activists often imply that hunters are sadists,
which of course is completely untrue. Sadism by definition is an
act of torture where the prolonged suffering of a person or
animal gives the torturer pleasure, and the more suffering the
better.

Because hunters emphasize the importance of the quick and
humane kill and as a rule do not enjoy the suffering of an
animal, hunters are by definition not sadistic.

Erich Fromm, in the book "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness",
states:

"The idea that hunting produces pleasure in torture is an
unsubstantiated and most implausible statement. Hunters as a rule
do not enjoy the suffering of the animal, and in fact a sadist
who enjoys torture would make a poor hunter..." [p.131]

"There is also no evidence for the assumption that primitive
hunters were motivated by sadistic or destructive impulses. On
the contrary, there is some evidence to show that they had an
affectionate feeling for the killed animals and possibly a
feeling of guilt for the kill. Among Paleolithic hunters, the
bear was often addressed as "grandfather" or was looked upon as
the mythical ancestor of man..."

"Among the motivations of the primitive professional and the
modern passionate hunter, at least two kinds must be
distinguished. The first have their roots in the depth of human
experience. In the act of hunting, a man becomes, however
briefly, part of nature again. He returns to the natural state,
becomes one with the animal, and is freed from the burden of the
existential split: to be part of nature and to transcend it by
virtue of his consciousness. In stalking the animal he and the
animal become equals, even though man eventually shows his
superiority by the use of his weapons. In primitive man this
experience is quite conscious. Through disguising himself as an
animal, and considering an animal as his ancestor, he makes this
identification explicit. For modern man, with his cerebral
orientation, this experience of oneness with nature is difficult
to verbalize and to be aware of, but it is still alive in many
human beings."

"Of at least equal importance for the passionate hunter is an
entirely different motivation, that of enjoyment in his skill. It
is amazing how many modern authors neglect this element of skill
in hunting, and focus their attention on the act of
killing. After all, hunting requires a combination of many skills
and wide knowledge beyond that of handling a weapon."[p.133]

"The interpretation of the pleasure in hunting as pleasure in
killing, rather than in skill, is indicative of the person of our
time for whom the only thing that counts is the result of an
effort, in this case killing, rather than the process itself."
[p.134]

"[Humans] have been genetically programmed through hunting
behavior: cooperation and sharing. Cooperation between members of
the same band was a practical necessity for most hunting
societies; so was the sharing of food. Since meat is perishable
in most climates except that of the Arctic, it could not be
preserved. Luck in hunting was not equally divided among all
hunters; hence the practical outcome was that those who had luck
today would share their food with those who would be lucky
tomorrow. Assuming hunting behavior led to genetic changes, the
conclusion would be that modern man has an innate impulse for
cooperation and sharing, rather than for killing and
cruelty."[p.135]

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Erich Fromm. 1973. The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, New York. ISBN 0-03-007596-3