Let me make it clear from the outset. In an old-fashioned and myopic way, I have NO time for the Japanese as a nation or as a people. They could slip into the ocean and I would care not one jot. Yes, Like many, I lost members of my family in WW2 and of those who returned, their lives were ruined by the trauma of cruelty and starvation at the hands of their captors. Unreasonable and some may say hysterical. I cannot disagree, but I am what I am. And so to the point.
Whaling is not a nice business, nor is the slaughter of any animal. As I recall, my last blog concerned the inhumane slaughter of cattle in Indonesia.
We here in Australia enjoy the bounties of the land and our oceans in accordance with out national traditions and diet. We slaughter cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens in the millions. In India, the cow is sacred but I don't hear them demanding that we cease the slaughter and cosumption of beef. Likewise, other countries don't eat pigmeat as it is considered unclean, but I don't hear then telling us to cease the slaughter and consumption of pigs.
Millions of other species are eaten all around the world. Dogs, cruelly beaten to death in Korea, cooked and eaten. Some asian dishes require fish to be plunged into boiling oil while still alive. Other creatures of the sea are cooked alive. Lobster, Crayfish, Crabs and even our own humble yabby.
But Japan aren't the only ones whaling. Norway and Iceland are enthusiastic whalers and openly admit they do so for food, unlike Japan who hide behind the skirts of scientific research. We all know that's bullshit anyway.
A terrific article can be read thanks to National Geographic here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080627-japan-whaling.html
The closing paragraph quotes Claire Bass, of the WSPA, who conceded that cultural differences do colour the debate.
No comments:
Post a Comment