I don’t go duck shooting these days, or know anyone who does. However, I did go when I was young every year with my uncles. I did not see any overt cruelty (although there may have been), or any endangered species shot (although there may have been). My memories of those times are only good, spending times and listening to the stories told by my uncles. I recognize now that it was part of my introduction to manhood. I have always puzzled over the focus on duck shooting. Surely, if you want to see real cruelty just go have a close look at horse racing. Or even fishing! Poor old fish being dragged out of the water with a hook in its mouth, left to die suffocating. Yet no-one complains. I lament the world as it has become where (unless you live somewhere like Ukraine) everyone seems intent on sweating the small stuff and where our culture seems to actively discourage men from being male and women from being female.
