- Joined
- Nov 20, 2002
- Messages
- 1,073
As I type this, my husband is watching a new Animal Planet program called Whale Wars, which documents the anti-whaling efforts of a group called Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. This new show got plenty of pre-screening hype on TV, and already I've seen people invoking SSCS as heroes who defend marine life (e.g., in comments about YouTube videos of Japanese capturing/killing Messies).
I have so far been taking this hype with a grain of sea salt. I'd previously heard rumors to the effect that SSCS was actually a cadre of eco-terrorist fanatics whose "defense of marine life" entailed regularly endangering human life. If memory serves me (which, at my age, it sometimes doesn't ), I seem to recall Steve-O' mentioning that the threats he received during the AMNH Archi exhibit came from that group.... but again, I could just be mixing up my facts.
According to Wikipedia, Sea Shepherd justifies their violent actions by stating that legal action and peaceful campaigns by groups such as Greenpeace (from whom SSCS split off, and who now disavow any connection with the more extreme group) aren't enough to enforce international regulation of whaling. Sea Shepherd claims that they are simply enforcing these international laws, which governments have failed to do. Opponents of SSCS assert that saving whales should not involve sabotaging or sinking ships full of whalers.
One of my personal concerns regarding SSCS -- and again, I could be completely wrong about this -- is the racism they seem to engender. It's probably not their intention, but from what I can see some of their supporters on YouTube make some pretty ugly (and frequently unrepeatable) comments about the Japanese.
To be fair, that may be more a reflection of the supporters' own prejudices rather than any racism on the part of Sea Shepherd. But it bothers me because -- while I am emphatically against commercial whaling (as opposed to the very limited traditional practice of certain Inuit communities) -- I certainly do not condemn the entire population of Japan for the practices of profiteering whaling companies, any more than I would condemn the entire population of China for the oppression of Tibet by the Chinese government.
IMHO the fact that, on their show, Sea Shepherd members appear to refer to the whalers as "the Japanese" or "the enemy", rather than as "the whalers", seems to hint that there may be an element of racism in SSCS' extreme actions.
I'd like to hear your various takes on Sea Shepherd. As you've probably figured out, my feelings towards them at this point are very mixed. While I applaud their objective of protecting marine life, I am suspicious of their possible hidden agenda, and distressed by their apparent contempt for the lives of our own species.
Any information or opinions you'd like to share? My mind is open....
Curious,
Tani
I have so far been taking this hype with a grain of sea salt. I'd previously heard rumors to the effect that SSCS was actually a cadre of eco-terrorist fanatics whose "defense of marine life" entailed regularly endangering human life. If memory serves me (which, at my age, it sometimes doesn't ), I seem to recall Steve-O' mentioning that the threats he received during the AMNH Archi exhibit came from that group.... but again, I could just be mixing up my facts.
According to Wikipedia, Sea Shepherd justifies their violent actions by stating that legal action and peaceful campaigns by groups such as Greenpeace (from whom SSCS split off, and who now disavow any connection with the more extreme group) aren't enough to enforce international regulation of whaling. Sea Shepherd claims that they are simply enforcing these international laws, which governments have failed to do. Opponents of SSCS assert that saving whales should not involve sabotaging or sinking ships full of whalers.
One of my personal concerns regarding SSCS -- and again, I could be completely wrong about this -- is the racism they seem to engender. It's probably not their intention, but from what I can see some of their supporters on YouTube make some pretty ugly (and frequently unrepeatable) comments about the Japanese.
To be fair, that may be more a reflection of the supporters' own prejudices rather than any racism on the part of Sea Shepherd. But it bothers me because -- while I am emphatically against commercial whaling (as opposed to the very limited traditional practice of certain Inuit communities) -- I certainly do not condemn the entire population of Japan for the practices of profiteering whaling companies, any more than I would condemn the entire population of China for the oppression of Tibet by the Chinese government.
IMHO the fact that, on their show, Sea Shepherd members appear to refer to the whalers as "the Japanese" or "the enemy", rather than as "the whalers", seems to hint that there may be an element of racism in SSCS' extreme actions.
I'd like to hear your various takes on Sea Shepherd. As you've probably figured out, my feelings towards them at this point are very mixed. While I applaud their objective of protecting marine life, I am suspicious of their possible hidden agenda, and distressed by their apparent contempt for the lives of our own species.
Any information or opinions you'd like to share? My mind is open....
Curious,
Tani