Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among Oregonians

Management practices of nonhuman animals in nature (“wildlife”) are globally controversial. In some places, individuals believe it should be up to individual landowners to “manage” wildlife. In others, wildlife is seen as belonging to everyone and should be respected, or least hunted ethically. Wild...

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Main Author: Debra Merskin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-04-01
Series:Journalism and Media
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/3/2/22
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author Debra Merskin
author_facet Debra Merskin
author_sort Debra Merskin
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description Management practices of nonhuman animals in nature (“wildlife”) are globally controversial. In some places, individuals believe it should be up to individual landowners to “manage” wildlife. In others, wildlife is seen as belonging to everyone and should be respected, or least hunted ethically. Wildlife killing contests are legal in most U.S. states. Coyote killing contests take place in many of them and several states have enacted legislation to ban them. In Oregon, efforts have failed three times. This paper is a critical discourse analysis of testimonies in the 2021 Oregon hearings. Opposition to the bill is analyzed according to five psychological rationalizations to unpack the pro-contest arguments as an example of rural resistance. The findings suggest unpacking these as more productive for activist groups when creating strategies to counter pro-killing beliefs.
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spelling doaj.art-b8a8462634084314a0892d71a863e3552023-11-23T17:26:19ZengMDPI AGJournalism and Media2673-51722022-04-013229230810.3390/journalmedia3020022Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among OregoniansDebra Merskin0School of Journalism & Communication, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USAManagement practices of nonhuman animals in nature (“wildlife”) are globally controversial. In some places, individuals believe it should be up to individual landowners to “manage” wildlife. In others, wildlife is seen as belonging to everyone and should be respected, or least hunted ethically. Wildlife killing contests are legal in most U.S. states. Coyote killing contests take place in many of them and several states have enacted legislation to ban them. In Oregon, efforts have failed three times. This paper is a critical discourse analysis of testimonies in the 2021 Oregon hearings. Opposition to the bill is analyzed according to five psychological rationalizations to unpack the pro-contest arguments as an example of rural resistance. The findings suggest unpacking these as more productive for activist groups when creating strategies to counter pro-killing beliefs.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/3/2/22coyotesdiscourseneutralization techniqueskilling contestswildlife management
spellingShingle Debra Merskin
Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among Oregonians
Journalism and Media
coyotes
discourse
neutralization techniques
killing contests
wildlife management
title Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among Oregonians
title_full Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among Oregonians
title_fullStr Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among Oregonians
title_full_unstemmed Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among Oregonians
title_short Coyote Killing Contests: Persistence of Differences among Oregonians
title_sort coyote killing contests persistence of differences among oregonians
topic coyotes
discourse
neutralization techniques
killing contests
wildlife management
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/3/2/22
work_keys_str_mv AT debramerskin coyotekillingcontestspersistenceofdifferencesamongoregonians