giveitall comments

It is not cultural imperialism, neogreenjapan.

It is about human evolution and ethics.

Japan is hugely Xenophiliac (love of foreign things, the opposite of xenophobia), it loves to adopt foreign concepts, technologies, trends. Its people and corporations have benefits hugely by doing so and even improving on them.

What Japanese groups such as ELSA and ALIVE, and activists like O'Barry, Sea Shepherd etc are suggesting is that Japan adopt the highest ethical and environmental standards.

They are offer Japan an opportunity, including business opportunity, to lead the world in environmental and animal rights, instead of appear like barbarian throwbacks.

No one with a sane mind confuses indigenous fishing with high technology industries, all of whom have imported their technology from the West.

If you want to point a figure as the "Cultural Imperialism" which is going on, it is the Imperialism of ruthless, conscienceless industrial capitalism which Japan has adopted - completely in opposition to its 1,000 year Buddhist traditions of vegetarianism.

Sentient beings are not natural resources.

Unlike other mammal meat industries, dolphins and whales do not belong to Japan. These handfuls of industrial capitalists - some of which are funded by our tax Yen - are in effect stealing them from the rest of us.

They do not represent the true spirit of peaceful Japan.

I think the important issue to keep a focus on is that the big money corporations involved making it worthwhile, are all parasites upon Ric O'Barry work establishing the performing dolphin industry. What makes this campaign valid is that Ric O'Barry is essentially the father of this industry attempting to right a wrong he started.

The multi-billion dollar "Dancing Dolphins" industry not "traditionally Japanese".

It is funny how Japanese are willing to adopt Western commercial concepts wholescale when it suits them - Japan is a hugely Xenophiliac nation - but then reject morals, ethics or alternative commercial concepts when they arise, e.g. eco-tourism or dolphin/whale watching and instead turn into screaming Xenophobes attempting to conflate ethics with imperialism.

What Japan needs to wake up to is the financial damage the dolphin/whaling debate is causing them. It is the greatest PR disaster in the world and it is sinking Japanese's reputation.

@ neogreenjapan

Why is it wrong?

a) Because sentient beings are not "surplus products". They are living beings with rights.

And, as O'Barry points out dolphins are basically small whales and the 20,000 hunted each year are surplus to Japan's other whale hunt limitations.

b) "Eco-friendliness" includes not slaughtering sentient beings for the sake of commercial exploitation.

c) There is nothing "green" or, laughably, "neo-green" about industrial scale hunting or meat farming.

The past or the future? I know which sells better and makes more money. O'Barry is actually offering Japan a golden opportunity to take the latter.