Should Whaling’s Gain Cause Japan Pain?
Boy I’m getting into an aggravated and militant mood. Yesterday it was Telstra and their unwillingness to assist a customer and today it’s the Japanese and those infernal whalers. I’m all about the grrr at the moment. So what’s got me riled this time?
Well as it turns out, at least according to the Sea Shepherd captain when interviewed on The Project and in this The Age article, the Japanese government is handing over $28.5 million dollars to support the Japanese whaling fleet. This money had been slated to be spent on the recovery efforts post Japan’s March natural disasters.
Some Japanese non-government organisations have condemned the move but the extra security the whalers need, due to conflicts with Sea Shepherd, has overridden their cries. I’m almost certain the majority of the Japanese people would also be upset by this move on their behalf.
So what can be done?
What could you do?
Perhaps, as the government of Japan has excess cash, we could boycott products made by Japanese manufacturers. In this way the Japanese government would not be able to claim taxes on the profits these brands will be making. Surely if enough people boycott products exiting Japan then we could make up the $28.5 million. Perhaps you could donate the equivalent GST to the mob over at Sea Shepherd. Don’t buy that $400 camera – buy a Samsung and donate $40 to Sea Shepherd.
Done.
Japan must realise there are consequences for supporting the destruction of harmless mammals.
Tell us what you think. Got any other ideas?
The whaling argument is a fascinating one. Should Japan be allowed to eat whale at all? Are whales intelligent? (http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=are-whales-smarter-than-we-are) Are we a big bunch of hypocrites for eating just about everything that moves, *except* whales, dolphins and monkeys, whilst also having scant regard for the very place whales call their home – the ocean? http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/08/japan-international-whaling-commission
No doubt, the diversion of tsunami relief funds to support the whale hunt is scandalous from our perspective. One wonders what’s behind it though. Why are they so hell-bent on maintaining the hunt? I suspect the answer lies in basic food security. They have China looming on their doorstep, and no doubt looking to take control of much of Japan’s traditional fishing grounds. In the face of dwindling fish stocks globally (especially tuna http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/can-shoppers-save-the-tuna-20100407-rrf3.html), a historically highly focussed diet (fish and rice!) and incredibly limited space, what is Japan to do? Increase food imports, fight China for fishing waters? There’s nowhere to invade anymore, so my guess is they look to whaling to provide some relief. Sure, we may revolt against that, but at what cost to Japan? Are we going to fish less so they can fish more? Are we going to reduce the cost of beef and rice imports to Japan? Unless we alter our fishing habits drastically, fish are going to become more scarce for everyone, especially countries like Japan http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1880128,00.html, and concentrated sources of protein will become a real problem.
The entire thing is a complicated argument, with no easy answer. One thing I don’t and will never advocate however, is inhumane killing. Methods of whale slaughter can largely be categorised as inhumane, by anyone’s standards. http://www.whales.org.au/policies/methods.html. We demand better treatment for our cattle, and I would certainly advocate more political pressure on Japan to improve its slaughtering methods, if it is to continue hunting whales. Whether or not is should continue hunting whales, is an argument that is so murky as to be essentially unanswerable at this point. Unless of course, you’re a vegetarian. http://vegetariantalk.com/news/why-protest-eating-whales-people-eat-cows-all-time