Having graduated from college in the spring of 98' with a BA in Sociology, I took it upon myself to begin research on a sociological disorder that has plagued the U.S. for the last two decades. As far as I know, no other studies have touched on this particular syndrome, so most likely, this is the first place you will have heard about it.

Being the first to study the disorder did have its advantages. For one thing, I got to name it. After careful thought and consideration, I assigned it the common name, "Bambi Syndrome", and the scientific name of "Swolenogin Bambitis Ignoramus". I felt it important to give it a name that all would recognize. In the past, people showing symptoms of this disorder have been called such names as tree huggers, momma's boys, and left wing cry babies. So now we have a name and a group of people that fit under it.

So what is Swolenogin Bambitis Ignoramus? What causes it? Can it be cured? These are the questions I chose to focus on in my study, and I hope you'll find the answers helpful in dealing with friends and family who show symptoms of the disorder.

Swolenogin Bambitis Ignoramus, or more commonly called the Bambi Syndrome can be defined as follows: A disorder in which rational thought is thrown out the window in exchange for a Walt Disney fairy tale-like sense of reality. In other words, those afflicted with this disorder can not deal with life on life's terms, so they make up a fictional sense of reality, sometimes borrowing ideas and morals from Hollywood children's movies.

Symptoms of this disorder include the following: 1) Repeatedly telling hunters that they have killed Bambi. 2) Encouraging innocent children to share in their delusional sense of reality. 3) Anger and emotional back stabbing when confronted with the truth.

So now that we know a little more about what the Bambi Syndrome is, let's take a look at some of its causes. It would be easy to lay the blame on Walt Disney for making the movie "Bambi", but that would be like an alcoholic blaming alcohol for their troubles. The leading cause of the Bambi Syndrome is misinformation. From what I've been able to determine, the disorder is usually manifested during early childhood development, and is reinforced throughout childhood into adolescence, and beyond. In other words, it is passed down from an infected parent to child, then from that child to the next, and on and on. Like alcoholism, the Bambi Syndrome is a vicious cycle.

Another cause is the inability to cope with how cruel life can be. Things happen in nature every minute of every day that would give almost anyone gooseflesh. However, those susceptible to such disorders as the Bambi Syndrome refuse to believe that such things exist, even when confronted with it face to face. To accept the reality of Mother Nature would force them to accept the role they play in the circle of life. So in order to shirk their responsibilities as a human being, the Bambi Syndrome is born as a classic coping mechanism.

I'm happy to report that there is a cure. The Bambi Syndrome or BS for short begins in the home, thus the cure must also begin there. The key to breaking through the BS is to present the facts and truth to the infected individual. This can often be easier said than done since the BS often runs deep within the family line, and anger and emotional back stabbing is a symptom of the disorder. Most sufferers of this disorder have trouble replacing the BS with fact, but with vigilance and patience, a properly trained hunter or conservationists can wade into the mind of the sufferer and literally pull them back out of the BS.

Swolenogin Bambitis Ignoramus in its most basic from is a coping mechanism, therefore when its removed from the mind, the individual is often left feeling vulnerable and in dire need of comfort. Luckily, the truth of how Mother Nature works and each individuals role in it will comfort the sufferer's mind, and leave them feeling more secure with who they are and how they fit into the circle of life.

In order to help fellow hunters in treating friends and family infected with BS; I have created a fact sheet to be presented at the time of intervention. After initial treatment of the disorder, recovering BS sufferers can use the fact sheet as a form of daily affirmation to prevent reoccurrence of BS. This fact sheet is also very effective as a preventative tool to keep BS out of the minds of your children, so I would wholeheartedly recommend giving a copy of it to your child. I hope my efforts in this study will go a long way towards eradicating the growing problem of BS in our society.

Fact Sheet

1) Bambi is not, and never was a living creature. Bambi was a cartoon. This also applies to Scooby Doo, Yogi the Bear, and Foghorn Leghorn.

2) Hunters do not use machine guns, rockets launchers, or grenade launchers to hunt deer. It's illegal to hunt deer this way!.

3) Money raised by hunters buying hunting permits and tags is largely responsible for conservation projects such as wetlands, wildlife refuges, and research into conservation tactics.

4) Hunters play a key role in managing wildlife in your state. Deer herds need to be thinned out each year to prevent over population.

5) Without hunters keeping the deer population in check, the overall health of the herd would deteriorate rapidly. Disease, starvation, and death by predators would be common place within the herd.

6) It's a lot less painful and humane to shoot and kill a deer than for that deer to die slowly of disease, starve to death, or being eaten alive by a predator. Which would you prefer?

7) Not all grown-ups tell the truth. Not all grown-ups know the truth. It is your responsibility to find out the facts.

8) There is a food chain and you're at the top of it. God put you there, so don't feel guilty about it; it's who you are.

9) There is a difference between killing and murder. Killing is essential for life to continue. Murder is the taking of life for no good purpose.

10) Hunters are not beer swigging, machine gun totting, bloodthirsty rednecks. Hunters are conservationists that play an essential role in managing and conserving wildlife for generations to come.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Early intervention is the key to stopping BS. Although it is curable, I did run into a few hard cases in which the BS had gone to far. If your friend or family member does not respond to treatment, please, don't be too hard on yourself. Although further study is needed, I believe that in certain individuals the BS can develop into a more serious disorder, and eventually lead to total brain shutdown, or total BS for short. It is furthermore important to note that the BS is not always passed down the family line. In many cases, infection or indoctrination occurs within a school system, or comes from a neighbor, or a so-called "Role Model" from television or the movies. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, BS happens.