[Citation Needed] wrote:
I keep seeing ads for WHALE WARS whenever I try to watch videos on Youtube. Apparently it's this show on Animal Planet about these massive assfaces who harass, attack, and vandalize Japanese whaling ships.
So these people are being gigantic assholes and getting the spotlight on a major television channel. This just pisses me right the fuck off.
My mom loves watching Whale Wars. It's annoying, the guy leading the entire crew is incredibly egotistical and self-righteous - if Green Peace kicks you out of their organization,
when you helped co-found it, then you've obviously got some problems.
There was one episode, I think it was the season finale of the first season, where they were throwing homemade tear gas bottles (I forget the exact name, but they were basically high-end stink bombs) at a whaling ship WHEN SUDDENLY, LEADER DUDE STAGGERS BACK AND LO, THERE IS A BULLET IN HIS SHIRT THAT JUST SO HAPPENED TO HAVE BEEN BLOCKED BY HIS BADGE. It was the most retarded thing ever, especially when he showed the "bullet shell" - it was clearly shrapnel from the non-lethal gas canisters the Japanese were retaliating with. Pretty sure it didn't even hit his badge - his clothing was probably enough to stop serious harm.
Basically it's a case of "good intentions, horrible execution." They're just sea pirates harassing people that are trying to earn a living. Legislative efforts would be more effective.
Japan isn't technically allowed to whale. They entered an international treaty that states that any nation that signed on is not allowed to whale outside of scientific purposes. Japan claims that all of the whales they kill are for "research," but it's obvious to everyone that the nation is simply carrying on the sport of whale fishing that has been a part of Japanese culture. If I recall correctly, the rate of whaling for "research" in Japan is like, several times higher than in all other nations. The treaty that they entered is not very strict because obviously it would lead to a lot of tension between nations if there was some higher power union of nations enforcing the rules of the treaty. It's a hard issue to solve because no one wants to enter a conflict with Japan over enforcing any such international laws, but at the same time the country is having a really selfish impact on global fishing populations. One of the few solutions is to have watch boats like the vigilante group you guys are talking about. They can follow suspected whaling ships to report any instances of illegal activity. Obviously it sounds like the group is going about it the wrong way by getting directly involved, but there's really no other solution outside of these kinds of watch groups. Beggers can't be choosers, I guess. Japan is a really terrible nation for the ocean in general. Tuna, sharks, and whales are all continuing to move toward extinction mostly because Japan just refuses to follow endangered species treaties or regulate its fishing practices.
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