Job Discussion Forums

[markle]

I've never liked Japanese whaling but then I've never been comfortable with efforts to stop it, ususally overly-emotive handwringing from conservation groups and hypocritical moral posturing from governments (esp the former Howard government in Aus.)
This latest effort seems to be more level-headed and likely to succeed.

http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20071219-First-Bali-now-Antarctica-Rudds-next-environmental-challenge.html

[AndyH]

Agree. i don't like Japanese whaling, just like I don't like the fact that Koreans and Chinese eat dogs. But, I have to recognize that part of it is my own cultural bias against the killing of certain animals, while condoning the killing/eating of others.

[bonyE]

[markle]

See this is where think the whole anti-whaling campaign gets de-railed. Japan's whaling stance is essentially political (the government wants the votes). To use emotive, moral arguments is fruitless. It also looks hypocritical given that Western countries hunted whales to the brink of extinction, for what? Perfume and lamp oil. Now the Japanese can't hunt them to eat? Credibility problem there. Another case in point is the former Howard government, it spurned the Kyoto Protocols for blatantly political reasons then took the moral high road on whaling. The Rudd government's tack has been to approach it from a political angle, which gives the Japanese government an out without looking weak. I'll bet you pounds to pence that there were some deals done with regard to Bali also.