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People often defend these kind of acts with the rationale that it is a culture heritage. If so, shouldn't they be sailing the ocean with traditional wooden sail
by temeritatis 8y ago
People often defend these kind of acts with the rationale that it is a culture heritage. If so, shouldn't they be sailing the ocean with traditional wooden sailboats and relying only on wind and currents to take them where they should go?
- rblion 8y agoThis would make too much sense
- omnius19 8y agoI generally see that rational applied to whaling only when discussing indigenous populations such as the Inuit in Alaska. They are whaling in small boats and canoes using traditional techniques. Japan’s excuse for whaling is “scientific study.” I don’t think they are claiming to whale for cultural reasons, nor are they whaling for subsistence, which is allowed under international law. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_whaling https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_whaling
- cavanasm 8y agoNo, they're explicitly dropping the scientific study excuse, and using culture now. They're also only going to be whaling in their economic exclusion zone now, rather than going potentially thousands of miles.
- roel_v 8y agoNo,they used to claim science, but the revent announcement is explicitly about it not being for research any more, and the ban on selling whale meat is also lifted.
- siffland 8y agowill probably get down voted for this but cannibalism was part of some cultures.....just saying, things change.
- hjek 8y agoThe "tradition" argument is interesting: We'll keep on doing this, because we've been doing it for a while, so let's not consider whether it's appropriate. That cliché argument is used not only by the Japanese to defend whale hunting but to any kind of violence towards all non-human animals. Things change. Things need to change.
- coldtea 8y ago>The "tradition" argument is interesting: We'll keep on doing this, because we've been doing it for a while, so let's not consider whether it's appropriate. No, it's more like: "We do this for a long time, and we consider this part of who we are, and we like it, and want to keep doing it. We're not idiots to just do it because we did it in the past, and in fact, we have opted to drop tons of things that we did in the past that we don't like anymore, we're not stuck like that".
- TomMarius 8y agoSo why even argue that? Why not just say "I like whale meat"? I hate this "it's a tradition" bullshit. Just say it, stop hiding behind traditions.
- GolDDranks 8y agoBecause it _is_ a tradition. They don't actually eat a whole lot of whale meat like they used to do. There's more supply for whale meat than there is demand. The reason the whaling industry still exists is because it receives government support for being a "protected tradition".
- GolDDranks 8y ago
- coldtea 8y agoNo, because they are free to mix and match from their cultural heritage, and keep some parts while developing others (and adding new stuff to it). When we're talking about "cultural heritage", we mean respecting their choices regarding their cultural heritage (including abandoning parts of it). Not that they should absolutely stick to older practices on every aspect of life.
- mr_overalls 8y agoA few hundred years ago, men in many countries were allowed to beat their wives and children with few restrictions. Need I also mention that slavery and child labor were legal? Historical legacy is absolutely no rationale for continuing to cause needless suffering in intelligent beings.
- y4mi 8y agoWell , by that logic any and all meat has to be banned. That is unachievable at the moment. It's saddening, that people willingly participate in extinction of a species however... that is what whaling has become after all.
- lb1lf 8y agoExtinction is a bit too strong of a word here - the combined minke whale population (AFAIK, minkes in the northern and southern hemisphere are considered separate species) is numbered in the hundreds of thousands; Japan kills a few hundred a year, last year Norway caught 342. Full disclosure - Norwegian, living in an area where whaling has been performed for hundreds of years, currently have about 12-15 pounds of whale meat in the freezer.
- AareyBaba 8y agoWhat is the texture and taste like (since whales are mammals) ? Does it have fat marbling like beef/pork ?
- titanix2 8y agoYour argument doesn’t make more sense that saying we should farm crops like centuries before. The cultural part is about eating whale meat, not how to got it.
- curious_fella2 8y agoCertainly the act of whaling itself is also very cultural?
- sandworm101 8y agoAnd my culture has a history of bear baiting and torturing scotsmen. We also made a great game of burning various people who disagreeded with our religion. Cultures have to grow up and recognize a greater good.
- jonathanyc 8y agoYou’re equating torturing human beings with killing a limited and arguably sustainable number of almost certainly non-sentient animals. What does that say about your opinion on Scotsmen?
- habeebtc 8y agoAnd anyways, my understanding is that whaling was not a traditional practice. At least not in the amounts it is done today. It stemmed from food shortages post-WWII.