Making and Taking the Red Pill: Deconstructing the Key Manosphere Narrative Tool and Using It to Decode Popular Culture

Abstract

This work examines the ethics of trophy hunting from the perspective of critical animal studies. It focuses on the difference between theoretical knowledge about trophy hunting and the information provided by Safari Club International (SCI), one of the largest organizations advocating for the right to hunt. The analysis also investigates the language used by the organization to promote and defend its activities. Texts from SCI’s website published between February 21, 2024, and April 29, 2024 are analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis. The goal of this work is to draw attention to the unnecessary exploitation of animals for human interests, speciesism, and the treatment of animals as objects that people can use as they wish. SCI's approach is primarily anthropocentric. While conservation is touched upon in its statements, the organization prioritizes the needs and interests of people above the ethics of trophy hunting and animal rights. The study concludes that SCI uses 13 discourses like Hunting As a Family Activity, Animals As Objects, Victim Mentality, etc.