ReNe: about whales

Actually, this is not really about whales. More like, about humans.

Haven't really been following the anti-whaling debate but the very little I've seen from the headlines leaves me disgusted with the groups on the anti-whaling sides, particularly Greenpeace.

Considering the tactics they used, their name is an oxymoron.

On the whalers' side, they claim that they avoid species that are in danger, catching only those that remain plentiful such as the minke whales. That may or may not be true -- to verify that would take a lot more digging around as to the actual numbers. That said, the so-called Japanese 'research whaling trips' sound really dubious. Incidentally as dubious as the 'moose/bison/traditionally hunted animal cullings' in the US. So right, giving the whalers the benefit of doubt for the moment.

On the anti-whalers side, however, their claims remind me of the way the West decry the 'barbaric' way Chinese eat dogs (the *horror*). (Sidetrack: but, what's the difference between eating dog and cow? How about rabbits? Meat is meat.) There's a touch of xenophobia and arrogance in the anti-whaling statements. If groups like Greenpeace are truly for environmentalism, they should be focusing their efforts on the beef industry in the US and Australia. Oh wait, Greenpeace and such are also for saving species from extinction. Sure, the cows are in no danger of being extinct soon, but the beef industry creates a lot more environmental problems, which in turn leads to the extinction of a lot of other species, which are probably small and not as visible as the whale.

Cynically, I think it's simply easier to drum up outrage in the West against the whale-eating Japanese (conveniently forgetting that they are not the only group to eat whale; what about Norway or Greenland? Australians, I believe, also used to eat whales.) rather than go up against the beef industry. The tactics Greenpeace use seem more sensationalist than effective, their actions at odds with their message. Greenpeace say they have no money to 'head to the southern seas to stop the whalers', others claim Greenpeace is pulling in over $50,000 in donations a day. I'm not sure if that number is correct, but I should think that given their glossy advertising, that figure might not be far off. Overall, there's something a bit off about an environmental group that constantly slips in the message, give us money so we can do this and that.

Somehow, Greenpeace reminds me very, very much of NKF in Singapore.

My conclusion? Glass houses all around and lots of stones.