--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People in the West like to shoot things…" description: "\"“People in the West like to shoot things. When they first got to the West they shot buffalo. Once there were 70 million buffalo on the plains and then ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/bill-bryson-340_american-history_people-in-the-west-like-to-shoot-things_1180566.jpg" --- # People in the West like to shoot things. When they first… ![“People in the West like to shoot things. When they first got to the West they shot buffalo. Once there were 70 million buffalo on the plains and then the people of the West started blasting away at them. Buffalo are just cows with big heads. If you've ever looked a cow in the face and seen the…” quote by Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/bill-bryson-340_american-history_people-in-the-west-like-to-shoot-things_1180566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/bill-bryson-340_american-history_people-in-the-west-like-to-shoot-things_1180566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/bill-bryson-340_american-history_people-in-the-west-like-to-shoot-things_1180566.jpg) > ““People in the West like to shoot things. When they first got to the West they shot buffalo. Once there were 70 million buffalo on the plains and then the people of the West started blasting away at them. Buffalo are just cows with big heads. If you've ever looked a cow in the face and seen the unutterable depths of trust and stupidity that lie within, you will be able to guess how difficult it must have been for people in the West to track down buffalo and shoot them to pieces. By 1895, there were only 800 buffalo left, mostly in zoos and touring Wild West shows. With no buffalo left to kill, Westerners started shooting Indians. Between 1850 and 1890 they reduced the number of Indians in America from two million to 90,000. Nowadays, thank goodness, both have made a recovery. Today there are 30,000 buffalo and 300,000 Indiands, and of course you are not allowed to shoot either, so all the Westerners have left to shoot at are road signs and each other, both of which they do rather a lot. There you have a capsule history of the West.”” [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The West’s history of overhunting buffalo led to ecological collapse, later replaced by violence against Indigenous peoples, illustrating cycles of exploitation. **In simple terms:** Overexploitation leads to new targets of violence. Key Takeaway Recognize and break cycles of exploitation. Themes environment colonialism violence Mood critical thoughtful Type historical ethical When to use this quote - wildlife conservation - indigenous rights - policy reform Key Concepts history ecology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can societies prevent repeating exploitation? - What reparations are needed? 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When they first got to the West they shot buffalo. Once there were 70 million buffalo on the plains and then the people of the West started blasting away at them. Buffalo are just cows with big heads. If you've ever looked a cow in the face and seen the unutterable depths of trust and stupidity that lie within, you will be able to guess how difficult it must have been for people in the West to track down buffalo and shoot them to pieces. By 1895, there were only 800 buffalo left, mostly in zoos and touring Wild West shows. With no buffalo left to kill, Westerners started shooting Indians. Between 1850 and 1890 they reduced the number of Indians in America from two million to 90,000. Nowadays, thank goodness, both have made a recovery. Today there are 30,000 buffalo and 300,000 Indiands, and of course you are not allowed to shoot either, so all the Westerners have left to shoot at are road signs and each other, both of which they do rather a lot. 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