Topic: News, politics and Activism
Admittedly, when it comes to my personal views, whether it be regarding politics, religion, or even my very strong opinions about nature and the enviroment I am usually reluctant to discuss it as these are topics that inspire thousands of different opinions because people generally are individual and come from different social backgrounds, different areas of our country even the world, and there are just so many factors that determine what views each one of us has on the enviroment around us.
That being said I found myself having mixed emotions about the video you see above in this blog [Video was deleted for terms of service violation by YouTube].
Okay, a little history is probably needed here. I am a former member of Greenpeace. From back when Greenpeace used a bit harder handed tactics to get their message across. The man, Paul Watson, that you see on the popular television series "Whale Wars" on Animal Planet who is in charge of Sea Shepard (The ship the 'Steve Irwin' as dipicted in the above video is a fleet vessel for the Sea Shepard) was one of the leaders of Greenpeace when I was still a member.
My views on animal cruelty and most especially the whaling industries in Japan and Norway have not changed. However, as I have grown older (hopefully at least a little wiser) my views on what is necessary to improve the situation has changed.
When I was younger, admittedly, I had more of an "anything it takes" mentality. If that meant throwing bottles of butyric acid at a whaling ship, spray painting "whale killer" on a processing ship, or even ramming them so be it. So long as it was saving the life of a whale, I believed that the ends justified the means.
But, as the years passed, even after the moratorium on whaling in 1986, whales were still dying just under the guise of research instead of food and I was tired of the violence that seemed to solve nothing so I left. Greenpeace too seemed to grow weary of it and Paul Watson was asked to leave which as many of you know birthed the Sea Shepard.
Since then, the two groups Greenpeace and the Sea Shepard politely agree to disagree when it comes to protesting against whaling. I still admire Paul Watson, just not the resources he uses to send the message that animal cruelty and whaling are an injustice to creatures who cannot speak for themselves.
I don't believe in violence as a means of protest. If you have to use violence you have failed before you have even begun. The line between Activism and Terrorism is dangerously marginal and the latter is just one act of violence away.
Here are the hard truths:
Blue Whales (the largest whale of the species) once numbered in the tens of thousands, because of earlier centuries of whaling, now there are so few that there have actually been cases of hybrids of Blues and Fin Whales because there isn't enough of the species to breed. It is still very possible that the beautiful 'Big Blue' could vanish into extinction.
It takes at least 30 minutes (and that is if all goes as planned) for a whale to die once it has been shot with a harpoon tipped with an explosive which detonates inside the whales body. During that time it tries to dive down (in vain) to fight against the harpoon that is lodged deep in its body and tethered to the ship. Unable to dive, it then thrashes against the bow of the ship bleeding profusely from its wounds in great pain while crew members use rifles to shoot at it. Some whales have taken hours to die. In fact, crews on processing ships often cut into the animal while it is still alive. It is cruel, it is agonizing and most of all it is senseless.
Every year, Japan kills 1000 whales in the Antarctic Ocean in the name of research, mostly the Minke Whale. Which although not a threatened species, biologists still do not have enough information on how often the Minke breeds in competing against the drop in numbers of whaling. Japan uses a loophole in the IWC (International Whaling Commission) laws that state that whales killed for the sake of research must be processed and distributed so that nothing goes to waste. This gives them the leeway to kill whales, process them, and package the meat for Japanese markets.
Further they are now actively campaigning for the lift of the moratorium on commercial whaling and even gone as far as trying to buy the votes of underprivileged countries with promises of financial aid.
In my opinion, whaling is barbaric and needs to be outlawed permanently. The words 'cultural differences' and 'ancestral traditions' are just an excuse to continue killing whales. How would the world react if our country one day just said, "I think we should be able to own slaves because it is part of our ancestral heritage!"? Just because it is part of some archaic tradition of culture doesn't mean it should continue.
(Steps off her soapbox)
For the one or two people who read this who would like more information on you can become more active in putting an end to the practice of whaling in the name of research here are some links to get you started:
Whalewatch
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
Greenpeace
Save The Whales