Saw this on a FB page today

[rookhawk]

I see a lot of interpretations of what is in that room that seems strange to me.

1.) Dead Osama. Good. I remember years ago a guy had a room like this and had Osama urinal cakes in the restroom. Whatever.

2.) Halloween mask of Obama in the mouth of a hippo. It's goofy. It's political speech. It isn't suggestive of Obama being a trophy to be hunted with racist intent, its a contemptuous and offensive display of a former president. I'm sure there are trump effigy dolls being used as pinatas all over America as well. Is this a hate crime? No. Is this racist? No evidence. Is this illegal, a threat on the life of the commander in chief? No, the Secret Service would never investigate this as a remotely credible threat.

So in conclusion, bad taste or no taste at all is the right of every American. These guys are exercising their tastelessness, nothing more.

 

[Red Leg]

I see a lot of interpretations of what is in that room that seems strange to me.

1.) Dead Osama. Good. I remember years ago a guy had a room like this and had Osama urinal cakes in the restroom. Whatever.

2.) Halloween mask of Obama in the mouth of a hippo. It's goofy. It's political speech. It isn't suggestive of Obama being a trophy to be hunted with racist intent, its a contemptuous and offensive display of a former president. I'm sure there are trump effigy dolls being used as pinatas all over America as well. Is this a hate crime? No. Is this racist? No evidence. Is this illegal, a threat on the life of the commander in chief? No, the Secret Service would never investigate this as a remotely credible threat.

So in conclusion, bad taste or no taste at all is the right of every American. These guys are exercising their tastelessness, nothing more.

Except you and I do not get to determine how that head is perceived by anyone else.

 

[rookhawk]

Except you and I do not get to determine how that head is viewed by anyone else.

But we do get to interpret burning effigies of Trump/Bush, and similar pinatas quite clearly. Those are clearly a desire to cause harm to both of those presidents when they were the commander in chief. The Secret Service didn't investigate those deeming them non-credible threats.

So all that remains is people interpreting the room as they wish, probably being pissed off. Those most offended by the Obama mask are also probably equally offended by the owners military service, safaris, hunting of any sort, rural Texans, truck owners, and cowboys. I don't think a rural Texan cares about offending anyone that is offended by anything in that room.

 

[Red Leg]

But we do get to interpret burning effigies of Trump/Bush, and similar pinatas quite clearly. Those are clearly a desire to cause harm to both of those presidents when they were the commander in chief. The Secret Service didn't investigate those deeming them non-credible threats.

So all that remains is people interpreting the room as they wish, probably being pissed off. Those most offended by the Obama mask are also probably equally offended by the owners military service, safaris, hunting of any sort, rural Texans, truck owners, and cowboys. I don't think a rural Texan cares about offending anyone that is offended by anything in that room.

I do not even understand your first paragraph.

This isn't a political issue. It is about the stupidity of having a black head in a room full of African trophy heads and then posting it on America's bulletin board. If you think a black head on a hippo tusk is funny in your trophy room then fine. Find a pike and mount it. But for the benefit of the rest of us, I would suggest not posting it on Facebook.

I also think I have a pretty good understanding of what rural Texans think. Some of us are somewhat more sophisticated than you might imagine. I do not personally know the gents who run that school, but they are businessmen - a number are veterans. I suspect they haven't thought through the potential of posting that photo.

 

[rookhawk]

I do not even understand your first paragraph.

This isn't a political issue. It is about the stupidity of having a black head in a room full of African trophy heads and then posting it on America's bulletin board. If you think a black head on a hippo tusk is funny in your trophy room then fine. Find a pike and mount it. But for the benefit of the rest of us, I would suggest not posting it on Facebook.

I also think I have a pretty good understanding of what rural Texans think. Some of us are somewhat more sophisticated than you might imagine. I do not know the gents who run that school, but they are businessmen - a number are veterans. I suspect they haven't thought through the potential of posting that photo.

You saw a black head. I saw a rubber mask of a former president. You saw it as representative of a trophy, I saw it as a goofball thing to put a former president's head in a hippos mouth.

I find it very tacky regardless of president, but I didn't read into it any of the things you did.

 

[Red Leg]

You saw a black head. I saw a rubber mask of a former president. You saw it as representative of a trophy, I saw it as a goofball thing to put a former president's head in a hippos mouth.

I find it very tacky regardless of president, but I didn't read into it any of the things you did.

It doesn't matter what you or I read into it. With most of those guys being veterans, I am certain they didn't mean anything bigoted. But they also do not get to determine another's perception of what they are seeing.

 

[Doubleplay]

But we do get to interpret burning effigies of Trump/Bush, and similar pinatas quite clearly. Those are clearly a desire to cause harm to both of those presidents when they were the commander in chief. The Secret Service didn't investigate those deeming them non-credible threats.

So all that remains is people interpreting the room as they wish, probably being pissed off. Those most offended by the Obama mask are also probably equally offended by the owners military service, safaris, hunting of any sort, rural Texans, truck owners, and cowboys. I don't think a rural Texan cares about offending anyone that is offended by anything in that room.

I'm not interpreting the room as I wish I'm interpreting the room objectively.
I'm a hunter and a veteran and have a son who has been serving as a Marine and I'm offended by the black head (Obama or not) hanging in a trophy room!
Having said that I would be offended the same way if a white head (Trump or whoever) would be hanging in a black person's trophy room.
Imagine if I'm offended what the general public will think and the last time I looked that FB page had over 110K followers and basically open to public.
This is not about if the Texans care or not this is about what kind of image we want to reflect as hunters.
I'm all for circling the wagons when it comes to hunting and second amendment but don't want to be associated with people like them.

 

[Roller]

All this thread communicates to me is further support as to why I will not post any images anywhere in regards to my hunting hobby. This forum has been a tremendous source of information for me that I am truly grateful for.

As a result, I have been on some epic hunts (a couple that would have likely been magazine article material in the old print days).

The fact that the OP is posting an image from a another site in order to condemn it publicly on this site (where you need a magnifying glass to determine the potential and clearly debatable "offense" ), is a new apex of irony.

Thanks for the warning. Free Political Speech and Expression are at greater risk than ever.

And thank-you for allowing me to comment. Hopefully some will find this constructive.

 

[IvW]

My first thought was it is bad taste.....
I am African a white African....many of us depend on the Black African(even though we pay them) to help us be successfull....your tracker is black without him you would not be able to hunt anything.....
Hippo kills the most people in Africa every year.....99.9% of those killed are the poorest of the poor forced to face this deathtrap every day....and then add crocs into the mix....
Then it is mentioned it is obama....I dont know how that conclusion is reached....

I dont know what the story is about this mount or who or what it is supposed to mean but if it has anything to do with hippo killing africans it is very bad taste.....

Keep adding terrorists if you like....

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Nice trophy room.

Hope everyone has a great day...

HH

 

[62flint]

My first thought was it is bad taste.....
I am African a white African....many of us depend on the Black African(even though we pay them) to help us be successfull....your tracker is black without him you would not be able to hunt anything.....
Hippo kills the most people in Africa every year.....99.9% of those killed are the poorest of the poor forced to face this deathtrap every day....and then add crocs into the mix....
Then it is mentioned it is obama....I dont know how that conclusion is reached....

I dont know what the story is about this mount or who or what it is supposed to mean but if it has anything to do with hippo killing africans it is very bad taste.....

Keep adding terrorists if you like....

I doubt they put that much thought in putting the mask in the hippos mouth.
They had the mask and that was a convenient spot. Just like the hat on the bears head.
Seriously
People really work hard to be offend these days.

 

[Red Leg]

I doubt they put that much thought in putting the mask in the hippos mouth.
They had the mask and that was a convenient spot. Just like the hat on the bears head.
Seriously
People really work hard to be offend these days.

I absolutely agree. And far too few put any thought into not being offensive these days.

 

[TTundra]

CRF vs Pushfeed
Fences vs Open
CBL vs Wild
Close vs long distance shooting/hunting
Rifle vs Bow
And now Trophy room etiquette...

What's else should we debate to death here?

 

[CJW]

45/70 for DG?
Soft or solid for buff?
Camoflauge clothes or not?
Wood or synthetic stocks?
Conventional or synthetic motor oil?
Snow tires or all terrains?
Baked or deep fried potato chips?
Ketchup or mustard?
Shemp or Curly?

 

[Wyatt Smith]

45/70 for DG?
Soft or solid for buff?
Camoflauge clothes or not?
Wood or synthetic stocks?
Conventional or synthetic motor oil?
Snow tires or all terrains?
Baked or deep fried potato chips?
Ketchup or mustard?
Shemp or Curly?

Shemp sucks!!

 

[K-man]

What's else should we debate to death here?

I like Eggs!!!

I don't care who you are or how careful you are, someone can find the tiniest speck about you or your picture to complain about. Look at what happens when a Kardashian or Brittney Spears post a picture. There are people examining every pixel to see if its been doctored or if it's even legitimate. I don't need to change my life or patterns to make sure someone I've never met isn't offended. I would much prefer {and have} changed someone's mind about hunting through a careful, thoughtful dialogue or just simply letting them see through me how hunting is the best conservation answer out there.

 

[CJW]

Shemp sucks!!

We have 1 Shemp sucks.

Any opposing opinions?

 

[Roller]

I'm offended! Shemp was mentally handicapped!

Prepare yourself for the requisite pedantic, condescending reeducation message from our more enlightened Northern neighbors!

 

[TTundra]

I don't need to change my life or patterns to make sure someone I've never met isn't offended.

Ba-da-bing.

Dana White has done a good job at stating similar lately.

Wait...now someone will come along to say how offensive he is...

 

[Hogpatrol]

CRF vs Pushfeed
Fences vs Open
CBL vs Wild
Close vs long distance shooting/hunting
Rifle vs Bow
And now Trophy room etiquette...

What's else should we debate to death here?

I put the photo under a microscope and saw a box of Berger hunting bullets in that back room. WTF??? Have they no shame?