Whale Wars - WTF?

[Anonymous]

The Japanese are breaking the law. Efforts are made to stop poachers from killing American animals, African animals, etc., but there is nothing being done about the whaling done by the Japanese.

I question the tactics of the Whale Wars folks, but wonder why no one else is using legal channels to stop the whaling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is in the Coast Guard and this show makes him insane, he gets so mad. Those Whale Wars guys put so many lives in danger when they pull their stunts. I'm not pro-animal killing or anything but agree that putting lots of lives at risk, including those of the CG as they try to control these guys, isn't the answer.

This makes my husband crazy too. He can't wrap his head around it. Why aren't these guys working to change laws instead of endangering the lives of working people engaged in a legal activity? I've tried to explain direct action and how these people are moved my their conscience. Still, it baffles and irritates him. He sees that they use the meat for food, that the butchering is done on the boat, quickly and efficiently and just generally finds these attempts to disrupt the fishing activities inappropriate and misguided...and very, very Western.

[Anonymous]

It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when the network exec was so distraught that Elaine didn't share his feelings that he quit his job and joined the whale wars....

[Anonymous]

It's more than just fanatic behavior, the WWs crew are blatently breaking maritime law! Sailing under the radar, spraying other ships, sneaking and boarding onto the Japanese ships... etc.
What I don't get is how they are not arrested for their flagrant law-breaking behavior.

...I protest all this as I sit and watch every episode, because I am totally roped in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Japanese are breaking the law. Efforts are made to stop poachers from killing American animals, African animals, etc., but there is nothing being done about the whaling done by the Japanese.

I question the tactics of the Whale Wars folks, but wonder why no one else is using legal channels to stop the whaling.

I totally question their tactics as well and I don't understand why efforts can't be taken through legal, diplomatic methods to stop the whaling. The whale warriors are enviro-vigilantes and I completely disagree with their “the ends justify the means” mentality.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious to know why media attention is only on Japanese whalers. Iceland and Norway also continue to hunt whales!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious to know why media attention is only on Japanese whalers. Iceland and Norway also continue to hunt whales!

Yep. And, frankly, it is outrageous.

While I don't nec condone the tactics of these guys, no one else is doing much else that is having any kind of effect.

[Anonymous]

The way I see it, if I fell off one of those boats, would the whale throw me back on the boat or eat me? I thknk it would eat me. So until the whales throw people back onto boats that fall in, I say happy eating.

[Anonymous]

These folks broke away many years ago from Greenpeace because they thought them too tame. I am opposed to whaling, but these folks are dangerous kooks and I have no respect for their crazy tactics. I wish Discovery would take the show off the air and stop promoting them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These folks broke away many years ago from Greenpeace because they thought them too tame. I am opposed to whaling, but these folks are dangerous kooks and I have no respect for their crazy tactics. I wish Discovery would take the show off the air and stop promoting them.

You are a day late, that protest was yesterday ;-/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way I see it, if I fell off one of those boats, would the whale throw me back on the boat or eat me? I thknk it would eat me. So until the whales throw people back onto boats that fall in, I say happy eating.

Please be trolling. If you are serious, you're an idiot. I can only hope it's low IQ, and not willful ignorance that makes you say such eye-poppingly moronic things.

As for everyone advocating "working to change laws", it's just not that simple. The countries conducting the whaling have no interest in stopping it, because it's popular with their citizens. The U.S. has no interest in leveraging its influence on the issue, because there are more pressing, popular, poll-boosting issues to work on. In order to get Japan and the nordic countries to stop the whaling, you'd have to threaten them with something, like restricted trade. And in this economic climate, how would that benefit American voters? It's un-spinnable. And therefore impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never seen the show, but I agree with PP that the mass slaughter of whales in the wild is different from most other kinds of meat-manufacturing. Whales and dolphins are incredibly intelligent and have complex societies. It takes them many, many years to reach sexual maturity, and they only have one offspring at a time, meaning that the tipping point is much closer than it is for say, pigs, who can reproduce at 1 year of age and have 14 babies a year. By the time whale-meat-eaters realize the impact on the population (if they care), it will be too late.
I have to wonder about the intelligence and humanity of a people that collectively sees no problem with hunting and killing these animals.
(Tangentially, I love the zoo-- but cannot set foot inside the great ape house. That's another unconscionable abuse in my mind. They're just too smart and aware to be kept in captivity.)

I completely agree with this, right down to the ape house at the zoo.

I also agree with this poster:

Vis-a-vis protecting animals or humans; the two are not mutually exclusive. You can have compassion for both. Many of us contribute to both organizations like "Save the Children" and "Whale Wars".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way I see it, if I fell off one of those boats, would the whale throw me back on the boat or eat me? I thknk it would eat me. So until the whales throw people back onto boats that fall in, I say happy eating.

Most whales eat tiny fish, not mammals. The biblical story of Jonah is total BS. You can't rely on the bible for scientific information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH is in the Coast Guard and this show makes him insane, he gets so mad. Those Whale Wars guys put so many lives in danger when they pull their stunts. I'm not pro-animal killing or anything but agree that putting lots of lives at risk, including those of the CG as they try to control these guys, isn't the answer.

This makes my husband crazy too. He can't wrap his head around it. Why aren't these guys working to change laws instead of endangering the lives of working people engaged in a legal activity? I've tried to explain direct action and how these people are moved my their conscience. Still, it baffles and irritates him. He sees that they use the meat for food, that the butchering is done on the boat, quickly and efficiently and just generally finds these attempts to disrupt the fishing activities inappropriate and misguided...and very, very Western.

The whalers are not engaging in legal activity. They are allowed to whale for research ONLY. They write "RESEARCH" on the side of their boat and then whale for commercial purposes. It is sold for consumption, not research.

[Anonymous]

I think only killer whales might try to take a bite out of you but I don't think they would try to eat you!

Also, are the fishermen from those countries breaking the laws? I thought their countries didn't sign the international pacts.