Why save dolphins?
I love dolphins as much as the next guy, but I really don’t see why they deserve the special attention that the feel-good self-proclaimed activists like to give them.
Red Alert 2 nostalgia
I am sure you have all heard of Hayden Panettiere’s (Claire Bennett in Heroes) recent involvement in an attempt to disrupt a dolphin hunt in Taiji, Wakayama. After failing to save the cute cuddly tuna-killers, Hayden and her friends drove their way to Osaka International Airport and fled the country before the ink on their arrest warrants dries.
Apparently, “risking” their lives (because we all know that Japanese fishing trawlers are heavily armed) is deemed a worthy sacrifice, but getting arrested for their expressed beliefs is a big no-no. What dedicated convictions! Mahatma Ghandi would’ve been so proud.
Before we go on any further, please be warned that some of the images that accompany this article may be graphic in nature.
Quoting a MSNBC report where Hayden responds to an arrest warrant issued for her in Japan.
“Obviously this issue has generated defensive behavior on the part of both the Japanese Authorities and Fishermen,” she said in the statement. “I have grown up hearing - and adhering to - this phrase: ‘condemnation without investigation dooms one to everlasting ignorance.’
“We must unite as a world to solve our increasing international environmental crises,” her statement continued. “We can no longer hide (behind) out-dated, senseless cultural traditions and lazy, bad habits that are resulting in the annihilation of our planet’s resources and the extinction of our species.
Overlooking the fact that the phrase which she claims to adhere to is completely irrelevant to the situation at hand (i.e. her breaking of Japanese laws), her statement is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with our media today.
“Dolphin killing? We are doomed I tell you!”
Annihilation of our planet’s resources? Environmental crisis? Extinction of our species? Wow, I guess that must mean The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was right after all! I never knew dolphins were that important!
This kind of celebrity activism actively discredits authentic efforts to combat real and significant issues that plague our environment today. Genuine environmentalists are forced into the same group as nut cases like Ms. Panettiere’s good friends and Greenpeace.
These people claim to be “raising awareness” for a good cause, but all they are doing is to encourage regular people to associate environmental protection with crazy hippies. Such a negative association is a serious detriment to the efforts of scientists and entrepreneurs who are actually making a difference in improving our world with real concrete efforts instead of incessant whining.
I doubt that reading about Rainbow Warrior’s latest escapades actually causes people to change their consumption habits in the slightest bit or reconsider their next SUV purchase. All it does is to give lunatics like Greenpeace bragging rights among the tree-hugging extremists.
Would you do what this guy tells you to?
If someone was serious about saving the environment, he would do best to stay as far away from these people as possible, or risk losing all credibility in the eyes of sane, reasonable people. Al Gore is a good example of a sane person who has done things infinitely more practical and beneficial than picketing a chemical factory.
Before this post gets too tangential, let’s return to dolphins. I see two general flows of argument behind those who think Ms. Panettiere’s actions actually deserve our applause.
The first is that dolphins are supposedly an endangered species (as they have been portrayed by the media for the past millennium or so) and therefore deserve protection from being eaten.
But the truth is that, as noted by James of Japan Probe, none of the variants of dolphins being hunted in Taiji are actually endangered. Moreover, there is already a quota for drive hunting set in place by the central government and hunts like this have been carried out for centuries. So let’s get it straight, the dolphins in Taiji are in no danger of becoming extinct.
Conservation of an endangered species is a valid cause that I can agree with, but the fact is that these dolphins are simply not endangered.
Poor dolphins…
Secondly, people argue that dolphins are sentient creatures that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. I would like to agree with that in principle, except that I eat beef and I really don’t think that cows are brainless either. I’m pretty sure a machete slash feels just as painful to a cow as compared to a dolphin. The slaughtering of dolphins, while admittedly cruel, is no different from that of cows and other similar-sized mammals. I don’t know about you, but there’s no way in hell that I’m going to become a vegetarian.
Poor McChickens…
Poor Big Mac…
Poor gazelle… Damn lions.
It’s regrettable that animals have to die to satisfy my taste buds. I’m sure one day we will all be eating some kind of mysterious meat grown in bio-vats thanks to the miracles of science. But until then, animals will just have to bear with it. I think that we can all accept this non-ideal reality.
So why should dolphins be any different? Why is it acceptable practice to kill cows? Is it because cows are less intelligent? (Shall we start killing stupid people for soylent green?) Or is it because cows are bred to die? (What an awful moral justification.)
If we are talking about net suffering, I think cows have it way worse than dolphins, and yet the poor bovinae often fall under the radars of teenage celebrities trying to fit in with the chocolate rainbow feel-good crowd.
An interview with Hayden Panettiere following the incident:
Dolphins are like “teddy bears in the water” (01:09), eh? I pity the cows for not being cute enough to garner the same attention. Perhaps they ought to consider hiring an image consultant and maybe work on a family movie or two with Walt Disney.
I do agree with Ms. Panettiere that “condemnation without investigation dooms one to everlasting ignorance” is an excellent doctrine. Therefore, I encourage her to conduct some investigation next time and find a real issue to use her celebrity influences on. Real issues such as America’s irrational love for SUVs and its asinine standards of automobile fuel efficiency. You know, things that are actually contributing to the annihilation of our planet and not just some feel-good fluff.
But I guess real issues that deserve serious attention seldom involve cute teddy bears. Aww… :(
That said, I don’t think eating dolphin is such a great idea either: mercury pollution is another genuine problem for Ms. Panettiere to consider tackling.
Well, I guess now people are going to accuse me of being an asshole. I really do love dolphins, though. I used to train tons of them in Red Alert 2 because their echo attacks are totally overpowered. :P
November 17th, 2007 at 1:11 am
I opposed killing dolphins because they are known to save people from sharks unlike a certain creature I know (I believe that everybody know what they are called)…. They will just stand there and watch as others are being attacked instead of offering help.
I rather eat a Tiger or a shark(those Carnivores ones) than to kill a Dolphins.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:18 am
I hope you realize that dolphins probably kill a lot more living things than sharks, considering it takes more tunas than seals to fill an empty stomach.
It’s quite silly to apply human morals to animals. Why should a tiger deserve death more than a dolphin? So are you saying that we should stop killing herbivores such as cows?
November 17th, 2007 at 1:52 am
It’s a pretty obvious fact that people tend to love and want to help the “cute” and “pretty” animals. But it’s the less cute, less pretty ones that truly test a person’s compassion. Loving, or at least respecting, all creatures equally is the right thing I think. Even though I do eat animals (cows, chickens, etc) I know that if I became a vegetarian it wouldn’t stop people from killing these animals for food. So eating them is at least making use of their death. I guess when it comes to the difference between killing dolphins for food and killing cows for food, people (even myself I admit) feel that it’s more wrong to kill dolphins because they’re “wild” creatures who live independently of humans whereas cows, chickens, etc., are domesticated and bred by humans to be their food and wouldn’t survive on their own. So I guess killing dolphins feels more like we’re interfering with nature than with killing domestic animals. But again, all creatures can suffer and there’s no evidence which suggests that cows fear death any less than dolphins. Well to sum it up, if an animals species is in danger of disappearing from the planet completely, then enough can’t be done to protect it. But as for killing the remaining, non-endangered animals for food, I think the less animals that have to suffer to appease people’s appetites the better. I don’t think there’d be much of a problem if people were to stop killing dolphins and other wild animals for food (at least if they live in highly advanced countries like the US and Japan where food is easily available), but for animals like cows and chickens who provide us with so many food sources, we should at least make their deaths as humane as possible.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:55 am
Good post. Did you know that Jane Goodall is/was in Singapore for a series of lectures?
As someone who is actively involved in conservation, I believe in the Shaman King school of thought when it comes to eating animals. Ie, eat those below you in the food chain but remember to say a thank you! Which is why I do not eat sharks or their fins and I always swim in the sea while throwing blood around me.
DM: Your argument about dolphins filling more is flawed because sharks are cold-blooded and thus required less energy than dolphins, who need more for homeostasis. Correct but wrong explanation.
It is useles talking to people like random_guy because they are rather hypocritical. He says we can eat him.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:56 am
Not quite, I believe that we should not kill those animals which are known to save humans. It’s only my belief though.
By right, we should not make such a big deal about killing dolphins. After all, killing is part of nature, as long as people don’t overkill, it’s alright to kill any animal (except for fellow human beings) for food.
November 17th, 2007 at 2:01 am
@ tj han:
All Humans are hypocritical, it’s whether you realise it or not.
November 17th, 2007 at 2:26 am
Dolphins known to save humans? You are watching too much Flipper. Seriously. By the way, we should eat cats and dogs. I wonder why doing so is considered cruelty.
Btw DO NOT EAT PLANTS. THEY SAVE US from the GLOBAL WARMING, SOIL EROSION and contribute much more than dolphins. Save the PLANTS!
November 17th, 2007 at 2:35 am
It is actually kind of interesting that she is trying very hard to be the next Steve Irwin. True to the fact that dolphins are endangered animals, but shouldn’t have she done her research first?
Besides, I doubt if she has ever held a puffer fish in between her mouth, let it go, then repeat the process. So it isn’t right of her to speak as though she know if how the dolphins feel. I watched the video and it was like, oh my it is an entire act out to garner the attention she wants, no sense of ingenuity at all.
Maybe it would be better if somebody feeds her to a giant squid.
If I am not wrong, dolphins also have blubber, and blubber is used to make cosmetic products. So she should like, use less cosmetics if she wants to support the drive, subsitiute her dressing table equipment with lead powder and belladonna drops.
I bet she wants to have a set of soft toys named after her, called Panetty Dolphins as what Theodore Roosevelt’s bear had the word Teddy added in front of it.
> All Humans are hypocritical, it’s whether you realise it or not.
That is a generalisation and a sweeping statement. xP
November 17th, 2007 at 2:36 am
he said animals not plants =p
November 17th, 2007 at 2:39 am
@ tj han
So what do we eat? Plankton? Air? Algae?
November 17th, 2007 at 2:39 am
Attack Dogs were my favourite animal in RAII, which is a little odd as I don’t particularly like canines in real life. Perhaps I enjoyed sending them on suicide attacks. Ah . . . good times.
The involvement of celebrities in causes, often on the ‘lunatic fringe’ end of any give cause, is a tricky one. Nowadays, I’ve noticed an increasing cynicism in the media and among ‘ordinary people’ about celebrity endorsement. It can play a useful role in attracting attention to campaigns which aren’t particularly sexy or media-friendly; however, as this case demonstrates, it does help if the celebrity concerned does some thorough research.
I’m practically vegetarian myself, but that’s for cost reasons. If someone else’s paying, I usually have something meaty.
November 17th, 2007 at 2:52 am
Eat animals duh. Can’t you read English? He (random_guy) said we humans shouldn’t eat things that save us. Since humans are destroying ourselves, we should eat ourselves. But because humans do not possess all the essential macro and micro nutrients, we do need other source of food. Bacteria and Fungi would be good.
November 17th, 2007 at 3:07 am
Yeah. I agree to. We Human have to eat to live…Even every animal in this world had already carrying this destine to being eat by stronger animal….Just like a lion eatting a deer…
The strong survive and the weak become victims…..Just as you said, Before we really can raise some meat in the experiment room we still have to rely on animal meat or fish to supply for our daily Protein needs.
Killing a chicken is the same as killing a dolphin……Well. I also din’t know what am I’m talking about…But , even if you try to avoid that and become a vegetarian, is that vegetable don’t have their life?….Eatting a vegetable also mean killing their life….
So. wat is the fuss about….Just make out the quote and avoid overkilling until the species is facing extinction….
November 17th, 2007 at 7:57 am
The one reason humans hunt dolphins are because the dolphins eat fish that the human wants. There is no other reason.
Here people hunt wolves because they “take the prey we want to hunt and kill” or “they take our dogs!!” when they are left loose… but the hunters who are out hunting kill their own dogs so I don´t see why wolves should be hunted down…
The one reason an animal should die is because it´s going to be eaten by the killer. That is the natural way of life. You eat or you get eaten.
As usual humans have stepped in and created disorder since we take animals that will give of more milk, more meat and breed them to have easy access to the food. But if something else figures this out then the humans get angry, since they lose profit and then they want whatever killed their money dead…
So why save the dolphins? Killing if you´re not going to eat is wrong. And the commitment that they aren´t an endangered species is kinda lame, keep up the work and it will be in a couple of years… and then it isn´t sure that there will be any male/female dolphins left so they can have children and then once again human have made an entire species extinct…
Which is really sad in my mind.
I eat meat and will always do. But that´s the natural way. To kill just so that I can get more money and throw the food away is a really bad reason to hunt.
Eat what you kill. Otherwise, don´t kill.
November 17th, 2007 at 8:46 am
manga, that is great and all…
Except that in Japan they do eat dolphins. And they have been eating dolphin meat for centuries.
So, yeah. No one said they were killing dolphins for leisure. :/
November 17th, 2007 at 9:41 am
I think ppl support the ban of killing dolphins just because dolphins are cute and they don’t want to see cute things being *brutally* slaughtered. The same thing goes for dogs and cats. In Korea they slaughter dogs for meat, but then in the US, dogs are considered cute/men’s best friends so they don’t want to see them die. It’s just a matter of different perspective…
For example, would you like to see a catgirl slaughtered for food? Like hell you would. We protect them because we don’t want them to die. And the reason why we don’t want to see them die? Cuz they are cute. end of story.
//I don’t think chickens are cute//
November 17th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Dolphin actually tastes pretty dang good. So does horse. I have eaten both in Japan, and they were great.
Thank goodness for a country with a little common sense.
“Dolphins are like “teddy bears in the water” (01:09), eh? I pity the cows for not being cute enough to garner the same attention.”
An animal rights activist I once knew had a bumper sticker that read, “Animals are just little people in fur coats.” Obviously this kind of purely emotional, pity for the animals you care about, and a steak knife for the ones you don’t.
Also, anybody who says cows aren’t cute hasn’t seen this:
http://www.riuva.com/?p=810
November 17th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
I completely agree, i can’t see what the big fuss is about killing dolphins. Hayden Panettiere is the epitome of ignorance and lack of common sense. It’s Japanese culture to consume dolphin so this clearly shows her lack of cultural acceptance. She has the same blatant lack of sense that is the same lack of sense that some celebrities who drive hybrid cars have. “If i drive a hybrid car I’m helping to save the environment. That’s BS. It makes no difference if you live out of town because using the highway makes you consume more fuel.
Furthermore if she’s so worried about the dolphins then what about the cows in India? She’s got no problem killing cows but in most Indian areas this practice is still outlawed due to Hinduism and culture in India. So why doesn’t she either march around the world telling people to stop killing cows or go to India and tell them to start killing more cows?
I can’t believe people sympathise with her when she can act so stupidly towards what is otherwise a normal occurence. People like to meat, so let them! They weren’t being ’slaughtered’ any differently to how another fisherman might ’slaughter’ a million fish or a slaughterhouse might ’slaughter’ cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and horses. Her reasoning is purely sentimental and has little if any seriousness behind it. Saving dolphins because they are ‘teddy bears in the water’ is the most pathetic attempt at a serious argument to protest.
Not all things in life are pretty, humans need food to live and unless she can accept that she’ll continue to be a ignorant buffoon. I’ll bet you could feed her a surprise dish of dolphin and she wouldn’t be any the wiser. I wished the fishermen did hit her, then maybe the other half of her brain would activate. And rest assured the dolphins did NOT die in vain, in fact they’ve probably been served at restaurants and cafeterias.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
I guess it’s because cows and chickens are farm animals, so no one should feel guilty for slaughtering them under legalised conditions?
But TEDDY BEARS? They are from a plush farm too, and imo if a doplin was cuddled like a teddy bear by some Hollywood bimbo, it would be better of dead!
November 17th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I totally agree with the picture saying “THE END IS AT HAND”. Even one human can put the Earth on their palm and crush it, let alone letting a single species extinct.
I’m not talking only about dolphins here, but many species of animals are getting extinct just for food, desire (to hunt and poach animals [let's own 'em all!]) and money. Not to mention hundreds were already extinct within the millions of years Earth had gone through, from the time humans a.k.a. homo sapiens exist.
Not to mention genetic changes caused by nature cause the death of one species and the birth of another for much longer.