Sea Shepherds.

“The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty.” (Abraham Lincoln)

So, hi. Been a while. Sorry about that. O.o

Anyways, Animal Planet's Whale Wars is on tonight (LOL, okay, funny story: WW is most definitely NOT on tonight...when I began writing this in the wee hours of the morning, I thought it was Friday. Got home, asked my sister if she was excited for WW tonight and she just looked at me and was like "Holly, you idiot. It's Monday." Case and point: I'm NOT a morning person people.). Hooray! Third season started two (?) weeks ago and I'm pretty pumped. I decided to discuss my views on Japanese whaling because, well frankly, I get reamed as being an uninformed hippster (aka, absolute idiot) by most of my peers. Now, now, kiddies. I know you might find this shocking, but, I'm not a vegan/vegetarian, I don't wear hemp clothing or gladiator sandals, and I sure as hell don't wear those retarded Native American/hippie styled forehead bands (not that Native Americans are retarded...hippies, well, that's debatable). I don't smoke hooka or play the guitar on shady street corners and I'm totally not the "struggling artist" type of person. I do enjoy sushi, boba tea (both sooo tasty!!!) and Indian food (so cheap!!) to the nth degree, I wear crazy silver rings and I am ridiculously supportive of the LGBT community. That, and I support marine conservation. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I definitely don't fit the indie stereotype and I also am definitely not one of those rich misguided kids who pretends to fit the stereotype. So...you can all back off. 

That being said, I suppose the next issue to address is what are my exact views on commercial whaling. I'm not going to lie, I only really have knowledge on Japan's whaling activities, but I do know that Norway, Iceland, and the Inuits in Alaska still whale as well. Much like keeping the level of deer at healthy levels in Michigan, I understand the positivity of the role of population maintenance. However, I have a problem with the Japanese violating the international agreement. I know the minke whales aren't really endangered but I just have a problem with their mindset. I mean, we should really be focusing on creating a self-supportive industry. An example that I think is pretty cool is what they are trying to do with the poachers in Africa. Apparently, they are trying to create endangered animal farms. So now, instead of poaching elephants and such, the poachers are raising a farm of elephants which is comparably valuable monetarily and, I think most people would agree, is invaluable in other areas. By promoting these values and positivity, I think the focus shifts from exploitation to appreciation. At any rate, I feel like I, along with many other anti-whaling supporters, are in a rough position because it is in the cultural tradition of the Japanese people (and let's not forget the Inuits...). When I discussed this with my dad he basically said, "So what? Society changes and tradition changes along with it. Why keep something like this alive?" Which, admittedly is totally true, but I'm still hesitant to tell the Japanese off for their cultural heritage, especially considering the fact that I am so fond of many of it's other traditions. Moreover, I think that it's a totally different story when you compare and American or other outsider saying this of the Japanese culture versus the Japanese saying it themselves. If this is going to change, the Japanese have to be the ones who do it and they need to do it with dignity and pride, not because we beat them into submission.

That being said, I can't say that I agree at all with whaling in the whale sanction. To me, it's equivalent of killing bison in Yellow Stone. Basically, you just don't do it. So, I do support the efforts of the Sea Shepherds. What I don't support (or I suppose I should say who) is Captain Paul Watson. This guy is a total ham and an incompetent leader. I've seen him go throw a shit fit in his room so many times in the last two seasons it's just really starting to piss me the hell off. I mean, you've got this wonderful and passionate group of people doing their best to fulfill this mission and they are lead by a brash, cry-baby. And don't even get me started on the situation with Captain Peter Bethune. I understand the Sea Shepherds are in a really unfavorable position from helping him in any political (or really even media) sense and I understand that Watson can't exactly charge into Japan and demand for his man back, but seriously, be creative and DO something. This is you guy, your man, someone who served incredibly passionately under you and Watson isn't even  breaking a sweat. Is he really that dispensable??? Christ.

I'm not really going to discuss this topic much further, I just thought I'd outline briefly my views and concerns and then direct you to this great article published on NPR's website this morning entitled, Debate Over Whale Hunt Focuses on Japan. I think you all should go check it out because it provides a really fascinating and insightful commentary on both sides of the story. That, and it's only a page long!!