Force Feeding
It turns out that the wastefulness of the Japanese "scientific whaling" operation knows no bounds to an extent so severe that it would have been hard to predict. Not only is the commercially-driven killing being dishonestly carried out under the guise of scientific study, but -- as an article in The Times highlighted a few days ago -- the actual commercial demand for whale meat in Japan is steadily decreasing. The result is an exponentially hard-to-fathom amount of meat sitting in storage with nowhere to go. Now the whalers are not only illegally killing the creatures, but they are taking even more than they need. One could almost get the impression that the Japanese are now performing these atrocities purely out of spite for those who would seek to stop them.
The Japanese government itself has gone so far as to mount a large-scale campaign to encourage people to eat more whale meat, in light of the fact that the industry is burdened with an excess of supply. The meat is also being increasingly intensively marketed as pet food for the same reason. So much for an alleged delicacy -- it has been reduced to the level of being fed to dogs. As if the human consumption of whale was not revolting and irreverent enough, this must be the pinnacle of wastefulness and sacrilege. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse.
More meat still is being dispatched to schools for use in the creation of whale burgers and whale spaghetti bolognese, both of which are being included on school menus. This action could be taken as recognitive of the fact that young Japanese people are becoming evermore disinterested in eating whale meat; as some sort of move to reclaim that section of the population as a market for it. As things stand now, it is proven to generally be the elder, more traditionally-minded people who savour the cuisine and maintain the perception that it has cultural significance to Japan. This is contrary to arguments that have been put forward in recent months, suggesting that Japan has a right, bestowed on them by their cultural traditions, to illegally take a share of whales from the sea, as if the majority of the population have an interest in actually eating the product.
If lack of demand is not enough to stop the slaughter, then that begs the question, what is? The actions of Greenpeace must surely be in vain if the very unprofitability of the operation itself fails to phase the whalers. A comment provider on the Greenpeace Ocean Defenders' blog suggested that Japanese government officials may have interests tied up in the whaling industry. This would mean that they are essentially manipulating the fate of the industry for their own individual benefit, not dissimilar to the relationship that exists between US oil interests and the Bush administration. Unfortunately, the idea that the comment raises is not so farfetched given that we have seen the utter deviancy Japan is capable of in relation to the whaling issue.
The Japanese government itself has gone so far as to mount a large-scale campaign to encourage people to eat more whale meat, in light of the fact that the industry is burdened with an excess of supply. The meat is also being increasingly intensively marketed as pet food for the same reason. So much for an alleged delicacy -- it has been reduced to the level of being fed to dogs. As if the human consumption of whale was not revolting and irreverent enough, this must be the pinnacle of wastefulness and sacrilege. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse.More meat still is being dispatched to schools for use in the creation of whale burgers and whale spaghetti bolognese, both of which are being included on school menus. This action could be taken as recognitive of the fact that young Japanese people are becoming evermore disinterested in eating whale meat; as some sort of move to reclaim that section of the population as a market for it. As things stand now, it is proven to generally be the elder, more traditionally-minded people who savour the cuisine and maintain the perception that it has cultural significance to Japan. This is contrary to arguments that have been put forward in recent months, suggesting that Japan has a right, bestowed on them by their cultural traditions, to illegally take a share of whales from the sea, as if the majority of the population have an interest in actually eating the product.
If lack of demand is not enough to stop the slaughter, then that begs the question, what is? The actions of Greenpeace must surely be in vain if the very unprofitability of the operation itself fails to phase the whalers. A comment provider on the Greenpeace Ocean Defenders' blog suggested that Japanese government officials may have interests tied up in the whaling industry. This would mean that they are essentially manipulating the fate of the industry for their own individual benefit, not dissimilar to the relationship that exists between US oil interests and the Bush administration. Unfortunately, the idea that the comment raises is not so farfetched given that we have seen the utter deviancy Japan is capable of in relation to the whaling issue.
posted by Gary at 3:12 pm
4 Comments:
I don't know if how endangered the whales are but the Japanese do have a good point or two. I mean, for a long time the Japs relied on seafood, a distinguished part of their culture. As far as their culture is concerned, whales are designed to be consumed, in the same way we consume pigs. Both pigs and whales are intelligent, although the rarity of these creatures is opposite (well I'm guessing). Pigs are consumed in our country with little or no debate, heck, we promote pork in the same way the Japs appear to be promoting whale.
I don't agree with what their doing, and the conditions on which they are hunting but I can see their cultural point of view. The pig example is limited but offers insight into how they feel.
But we actually bread pigs in farms, I don't see farmer kawasako breading whale on his green patch.
Even if we take your point, that it's part of their culure to eat whale, even though it's an endangered species that they did not grow themselves, it seems now that they're catching too many (to show who's boss?) and for only that reason they're trying to get everyone to eat whale....
-well judging from what gary has just written....
ACT MP Stephen Franks put forward an argument similar to this last month, as frogblog highlighted at the time. Personally I don't think it's valid even on the basis that pigs and sheep are domestically bred alone. There's no debate about the consumption of pork because the animals more-or-less existed to be eaten by us. I am not aware of the manner in which pigs are slaughtered in New Zealand but I would pick that what Japan does to the whales is a damn sight more grisly. Of course, the ultimate issue with whaling is that the animals are far from satisfactorily plentiful, and the whalers have been doing such things as killing whale calves to draw those whales' mothers closer to the ship, further limiting any potential for sustainibility.
As the second comment provider said, it would appear to me now that the Japanese are continuing whaling merely because they do not want to stand down from their long-militantly-held position. The lack of demand for whale meat does not correlate well with their arguments that they should be allowed to continue the killing. It is also an indication of the steadily decreasing cultural significance of the cuisine to the majority of Japanese people. Generally, only the most conservative and traditional of Japanese still see that value.
yea I get that.
I havew an opinion, radio live
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