Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 15

I'm not sure of the whole point of MYOG bow. I think every kid out there has made one. Ultralight hunting or a spot on Naked and afraid hunting baby chipmonks. There are folks that make MYOG bows that can kill an animal without adding to the cruelity. In a true survivalist situation, yes. We're just out here playing. Nothing serious. Maybe that's all he's doing. I can't take him serious.

""You have just stated The Law of the Jungle. People who follow that law very quickly learn the balance between their rights and those of others the hard way.""

Sounds like a free for all. The one with strongest wood to make the strongest bow wins. It has nothing really to do with right and wrong. They have as much right to the radio as we have a right to stop them which is none for either of us. Again the biggest stick wins. Kid may have a gun in which case by this logic, he has more rights.
In our society, we don't decide individually what is right. It is not up to me individually to enforce my comfort by denying it to others. That is a matter of law. In a common area where it is legal to do so, I am SOL. I pass through quickly. No troubles.

Freedom is a wonderful thing, but it comes with a responsibility to exercise it with due regard for the freedom of others.""

Which goes for us as well as those who annoy us. Neither party has the authority to impose their will on the other.
"Cultural norm" means very little. We have a legal right to do what is not against the law. It may be rude.
There is nothing new about disrespectful campers. I personally do not play or advocate or even remotely agree with violating the silence. I don't like brightly colored backpacks. I want to pretend that I'm all alone, but I'm not. I have to make an atempt to include others along with what I may not consider normal. I'm not the wilderness police. None of us are. All we can do is follow our own rules. Follow the advice of Woodsie Owl. I think he's extinct. Drowned on the lower Kern.

""Cultural norm" means very little. We have a legal right to do what is not against the law. It may be rude."

To the extent that cultural norm means very little, we are no more than a collection of disconnected individuals, not members of a strong, flourishing society sharing common goals. We will act accordingly, and the ensuing chaos will guarantee that each rude action will soon be the subject of a law specifically controlling it, for the first obligation of any government is to maintain order and security. Taken to its logical end point, every action will be controlled by the government. Indeed, that is the way this country is evolving, precisely because so many people seem to feel as you do, that everything which is not specifically illegal is OK. You may be satisfied with that sad state of affairs, but I am not. Most of my life I lived in a country where common sense and consideration for others governed people's public behavior, and a lot of things that weren't against the law were nonetheless not done because of that common sense/consideration. It was a much pleasanter to be out among people back then, knowing that you shared a common basic sense of how to behave and treat each other. I could go on, but I think I have made my point as well as I can. Not much sense in continuing this one.

"I reserve my right to voice my displeasure of your actions"
You have every right to voice your opinion.
I have 4 dogs. One barks, they all start barking. I start yelling. Now there's 5 dogs barking. Now instead, if I snap my fingers and point, give them directions, they stop. I don't advocate the barking. I've only chosen not to add to it.
We do have a right to be rude. When others are rude, we tend to follow suit. It is better to break that mode of thought. Change it. Barking back does little good and only adds to the noise. It's annoying for the neighbors. Set an example, walk on by.
I mentioned the law of the commons as well as the lower Kern. The top of the lower Kern has free camping. Loud music plays all night and the area is completely trashed out, white paper, diapers…The only thing that gets picked up are the aluminum cans. Law enforcement is minimal. Better to avoid it, then it is to go in and play Rambo. Change will only come through regulation, and control. While we once had ranger programs and education, those are a thing of the past. Our best options are not on the table. Regulation remains. You loose your freedom. People have a right to be jerks. We have to accept that to some degree for the sake of harmony and for the sake of our own personal freedoms.

"I'm not sure of the whole point of MYOG bow. I think every kid out there has made one. Ultralight hunting or a spot on Naked and afraid hunting baby chipmonks. There are folks that make MYOG bows that can kill an animal without adding to the cruelity. In a true survivalist situation, yes. We're just out here playing. Nothing serious. Maybe that's all he's doing. I can't take him serious."

Remember, we have a whole generation of 30-something adults who never went to Boy Scouts. That's basically why bushcraft is so popular.