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Hollywood Stars Make Propaganda PSA for Dolphin Rights Activists

I received an e-mail this morning from Social Radius, a PR agency that helps corporations spread propaganda on the internet. They seem to have noticed that this blog is related to Japan, so they assume that I will help them spread the word about a new promotional video created by the

The producers of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, so highly controversial in Japan, have released a new PSA featuring a number of A-list American celebrities, which is now available with Japanese subtitles. The video is geared towards collecting signatures for a petition to be presented to the governments of Japan and the USA, calling for an end to the dolphin slaughters in Taiji and thereby the multitudes of murky ethical issues and acute health risks the long-secret killings generate.

The message behind The Cove has been well-publicized and well-received in America, but the Japanese response to the film has been largely negative and its general release in Japan is continually threatened. However, the producers are continuing to work at bringing to film to the people most directly effected by the toxic levels of mercury dolphin meat holds. Would you be willing to help reach the Japanese audience by running the PSA on your blog? It can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uBfafEcqGU

I normally ignore press releases that are sent my way, but since I’ve been posting a lot recently about “The Cove,” it seems like it would be relevant to mention this new PSA.

Let’s take a look at the video:

The following points are introduced in an attempt to convince Japanese people to stop Taiji’s Dolphin hunt:

Dolphins are playful and fun.
Dolphins are intelligent.
Dolphins can swim really fast.
Dolphins can understand us.
Dolphins save human lives.
Dolphins are brutally killed in Japan.
Dolphin meat contains toxic levels of mercury.
The majority of people in Japan do not even know this is happening.

The Japanese media has already devoted a considerably amount of coverage to this issue, so it might be fair to say that a pretty large percentage of Japanese people are now well-aware of what is happening at Taiji. Japanese who have paid attention to the many news reports will see this video and recognize same old irrational, emotional, and subjective arguments that activists have made over and over again in their campaign. The fact that we now have celebrities delivering talking points on behalf of the animal rights groups changes nothing.

The second-to-last point on the list, that of the “toxic levels” of mercury in the dolphin meat, is probably the only reasonable argument they have for their cause. However, as we’ve seen, a newly-released study by the National Institute for Minamata Disease has examined over 1,000 Taiji residents and found nobody with mercury-related health problems. Some, such the the director of “The Cove,” claim that the study is all part of a conspiracy to hide the truth. Others have said that because the study was “voluntary,” one can conclude that the study is probably worthless. (Are we to assume that most credible public health surveys involve forcing people to participate against their will? )

Finally, let’s think about the main message of the PSA – a call for viewers to visit www.takepart.com/thecove so that they can join the movement against the dolphin hunt. Apparently in their big PR effort to translate this high budget video into Japanese, they failed to notice something important: that website is in English. There is no option to view the site in Japanese. Even if a Japanese person watched the subtitled video and, by some remote chance, agreed with its message, he/she would find that one must understand English to participate in this Japan-centric activism campaign. Bravo, guys, Bravo.

Update: I checked my e-mail this morning to find a message from Social Radius. It would seem they don’t even check the blogs they send PR spam messages to:

“I wanted to follow up with you about the PSA from the producers of THE COVE I emailed you about yesterday. Have you had a chance to check it out yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it and it’d be wonderful if you could run something about it on your site.”

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113 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - May 12, 2010 at 12:13 pm

Categories: Anti-Japan Tags: dolphins, taiji, The Cove

http://www.twitter.com/disco_box Jahn

I can imagine a scramble to create a Japanese site in the ensuing days. I wonder if they will Kawaii the dolphins for added appeal.

Thanks Japanprobe for your excellent coverage of all things Japan. Keep it up, you are by far the best J-Blog out there.

pixel_bomber

Yes the website is a joke, basically just asking for donations.
I tried to use their mercury calculator to see how much mercury I might have been exposed to but dolphin was not even a choice for type of fish eaten. The whole point was supposed to be that dolphin meat is dangerous, so who cares how much tuna or lobster I ate. Completely useless website unless you are trying to figure out how to give them your money.

camblo

they can run these videos 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

it’s not going to make a bit of difference.

the Jps should stop worrying about what other countries think of them.
just because a celebrtiy(even a hot one) makes a video, doesn’t mean
it’s right.

the Japanese have the absolute right to eat whale and/or dolphis if they
choose to. it’s nobody’s business.

leitmotiv

This goofy campaign fits the pattern of a typical celebrity propaganda message – devoid of any useful argument (other than emotional). But what have we seen from a coherent pro-dolphin hunting viewpoint? A lot of misguided comments about mercury levels possibly not being harmful after all, assorted claims to the “cultural heritage” of mass dolphin pest removal, the “no westerners truly understand Japan” gambit coupled with claims of “Japan-bashing”, and other predictable victimization nonsense that is even more tedious than Jennifer Aniston lecturing on marine biology.

The pro-hunting viewpoint which supports the Japanese tradition of serving bottlenose snout bentos for lunch will not prevail in the long run. Taiji’s corporate dolphin-clubbing interests will have no effective PR response to this other than more tone-deaf indignation. Japan’s tourism agencies with their pipe-dream foreign visitor targets, plus other serious business interests, will eventually wake up to smell the miso and act on the fact that preserving this particular bit of Japanese “local color” costs too much in the big picture. The business model will eventually lose crucial support of Japan, Inc. and fail. Much of Japan’s inaka population has already been shoved downward on the priority ladder of meaningful gov’t support due to current fiscal, demographic, and entrenched political realities. Taiji, with its tourism PR nightmare, will be no exception to this trend. Mercury levels will play absolutely no role in this. It’s just a matter of time before market forces show this amusing bit of “defining cultural heritage” to the exit door, where it may sit alongside other historical artifacts that will probably also prove too costly to maintain except as museum pieces, like geishas, professional sumo, and Japan’s child custody laws.

Looking forward, I am sure a few dolphins will still be whacked every year just for show, and then grilled for the curious at the Taiji dolphin festival, which will be held every spring across the street from the Taiji Dolphin Cannery Museum (total annual museum visitors, including relatives of employees: 73).

My prediction: I charitably give this 8 more years, maximum.
jay

Too bad the Japanese are willing to please their tastebuds at the expense of their national reputation. Is it worth it? Dolphins are too sentient to serve as food. There are a lot of humans less intelligent than the average dolphin – are the Japanese going to eat them too?
CryBaby

absolute right?
nobodys business?
so if japanese are concerned about animal welfare or their health they should also shut up and not complain?

camblo

also… if you have been unfortunate enough to have seen Jennifer Aniston without
any make-up on her fact, you would not listen to a word she says….

dolphis are cute animals, yes… but so are cows, horses, rabbits, and even pigs,
… and yet most Americans don’t seem to have a problem with consuming those
animals.

tbrot

This whole thin reeks of hypocrisy. We consume piglets, calves and lambs and these animals are supposedly worthy of sacrifice and dolphins aren’t. Unless we become a nation of vegetarians this is such a waste of time.

somegirl

if the dolphins are so intelligent wouldn’t they know to avoid that area by now. . . hmmm.

Karisu

If Jewish people were so intelligent, how did they get slaughtered in Nazi camps?

Oh, I see how that works…

Francesco

Best Reply Ever!
qwerty

Too bad those poor Jewish people were not dwelling in sea like dolphins back then.

I would rather see these Haolewood celebrities campaigning against Israel’s brutality strongly backed by Washington.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS5zUj94Bx0 qwerty

@Karisu
“If Jewish people were so intelligent, how did they get slaughtered in Nazi camps?”

Too bad those poor Jewish people were not dwelling in the sea back then.

I would rather see these Haolewood celebrities campaigning against Israel’s brutal acts strongly backed by Washington.

@James
Please tell me what the problem do you have with my comment? I’ll shut up if you tell me sincerely why my comment got deleted. I think at least I should be given the right to have a say in this. I’m a Japanese, and the Japanese is the very group these Western celebrities are condescendingly trying to “educate” why you must not hunt dolphins.

Also I think somegirl’s question still stands despite the half-ass reply from Karisu, since them dolphin lovers’ obsession with “intelligent” part.

CryBaby

i heard the screams of dolphins being slaughtered from a tv documentary, and even though the butchers hid behind a screen it was obvious that the dolphins were not sedated, or even being killed yet, they were getting slowly chopped up,
according to international law it it takes more than 30seconds for a cow to lose consciousness then it is an illegal kill.

CryBaby

because by the time the nazis began the in-camp gasings, they were so exausted from being worked to the bone that they couldnt fight back even if they were handed weapons.

and dolphins are very greedy, they remember humans are fishing, and helped them herd the fish in order to get an easier meal.

LB

“Dolphins save lives…”

You know, I bet if you looked, you would find more humans whose lives have been saved by pigs or cows than have been saved by dolphins. Heck, I’ve even read of a guy who was about to be mauled by a wild bear being saved… by another wild bear. And lots of folks (yours truly included) have no qualms about eating pork or beef or even bear.

But I doubt we will ever see much by way of:

1. Pigs are playful and fun, and many keep them as pets.

2. Pigs are intelligent, even smarter than a dog.

3. Pigs can run really fast.

4. Pigs can understand us.

5. Pigs save human lives.

6. Pigs are brutally killed in the Americas and Europe.

7. Pig meat contains dangerous levels of cholesterol and saturated fats, as well as parasites such as Trichinella spiralis (source of Trichinosis), roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms.

8. The majority of people in the Americas and Europe do not even know this is happening.

Kevin not kevin

True story:

I was afraid I might die of hunger the other day.

Luckily I was able to scrounge up a BLT at the local Denny’s. That bacon saved my life. I seriously don’t know where I would have been if that pig had not given up his life for me.

Now if someone tells me where I can find a DLT, I might be able to save the life of some poor, generous pig in the future.
http://halfaloafoftofu.com archie4oz

Dammit! As somebody who had a pig as a pet, I was going to write the same exact response!
Francesco

That’s why people (wishing to be called human) should become at least vegetarian.
It’s not by saying you do it to others that you justify your acting evil on some kind of living being. It’s just childish, and many comments here repeat the same old song.
Yeah, people eating animals should stop before telling others not to kill animals, but killing is bad nonetheless.
CryBaby

true, im a vegetarian, but stopped eating pigs years before becoming a vegetarian due to my understanding that pigs are similar to dogs in many ways

http://whatjapanthinks.com Ken Y-N

Heh, I got the same email – I’ll have to reply with this link.
Craig

I say we eat everything we can kill. If dolphins could kill us they’d be eating us too.
k

I’m sure if Dolphins took some time out of their days and stopped swimming through air bubble rings and raping each other they could get this matter all sorted out.
yokakashi

Dolphins taking time to not rape…I don’t think that possibility.

LoL
nagoriyuki

What those spoiled and naive Hollywood stars are completely ignoring(or they may be just ignorant) is, many countries are killing more dolphins than Taiji, in “bycatch”. Imagine, dolphins get DROWNED caught in nets.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/dolphin-bycatch-death-eviden/

The number of dolphins and whales killed in bycatch all around the world is up to 300000, Greenpeace Japan says.
http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/oceans/yil/our-oceans/bycatch

So why do they have to persist in harassing Taiji?

pixel_bomber

Not to mention those dolphins don’t even get the respect of being eaten, just dumped in the ocean.

kotar

Um,sorry,they looks like members of a kooky cult..creepy…scary..
Stereo

1. Dogs are playful and fun.
2. Dogs are intelligent.
3. Dogs can swim really fast, cannot they?
4. Dogs can understand us.
5. Dogs save human lives.
6. Dogs are brutally killed in the US.

Yes, millions of dogs are killed in animal shelters in the US every year.
http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/

7. The majority of people in the US do not even know this is happening.

I think Hollywood stars should care more about the dogs in their own country than dolphins in Japanese territorial water.
イブちゃん

James, I would appreciate it if you’d stop the knee-jerk reactions to the activist media. It’s getting old. Japan is a part of the world community, and as such, the concerns of the world community are expected to be heard. It’s always the most vocal bunch that affects change, and in this case, the activists are extremely vocal. I commend you for at least posting the video on the site, but it feels like you just threw it out there like raw meat to a pack of dogs. I’d like to see the site focus on other stories. Let the activists do their thing, it’s what they do.

http://whatjapanthinks.com Ken Y-N

always the most vocal bunch that affects change

Yes, the PSA will affect the process of change by hardening Japanese against it with all this anthropomorphication of dolphins. I’ve seen surveys and watched TV programs where the Western cuddly whale attitude raises Japanese hackles.

Oh, and is James not allowed to have an opposite opinion to you? I’m pretty sure that he genuinely holds the beliefs he posts about in this entry, and I’ll be posting a similar reaction later on on my blog. This is a genuine story and the Japanese PSA and Google News Japan shows 47 stories on the mercury survey.
pixel_bomber

I would appreciate it if activist media would leave people alone and stop trying to tell people how to think or who to vote for or what charity they should give to. People that require a celebrity to convince them of something are next to useless. Information can be presented in unbiased ways that allow people to make intelligent decisions. Hollywood stars telling us how to think is just flat out insulting. Like I want the most out of touch people on the planet giving me their opinion.
Stereo

When you say “the world community”, you actually mean the US and west Europe. The voice of “the world community” is one-way street from the West to the rest of the world.

In fairness, people of Taiji should have equal say as Hollywood celebrities. Voice of the West is not the voice of “the world community”.

leitmotiv

In fairness, people of Taiji should have equal say as Hollywood celebrities.

Well life isn’t fair. They don’t have equal say on this topic in global sense, nor are they projected to acquire it somehow. Deal with reality. What we assume they do have is the freedom, if they so choose, to refute their own PR nightmare by strategic and effective means. Ain’t seen much yet though. Until then, the dullest hollywierd diatribe, pandering to the most emotional, junk-science based “fact”, will always win more support. Period.

I predict that the predominant message we hear in favor of dolphin hunting will be more we-are-the-victim claims.

Stereo

Life may not be fair, but that cannot be a justification for unfairness. Actually, I think you are the kind of people who would have said to black salves “life is not fair and live with it”, if born in 18th century.

May I ask where the hollywood stars “win more support”? Only in the US, right? The problem is that you seem to have a bad habit of thinking the US is the whole world.

People do not support the anti-dolphin hunt movement, because their argument is so stupid and people do not want to be seen as one of the fools. We-are-the-victim claims have nothing to do with it.
leitmotiv

I love it.

Life may not be fair, but that cannot be a justification for unfairness.

…then in same post….

We-are-the-victim claims have nothing to do with it.

Do you even read what you write?

CryBaby

from a documentary i saw a few years ago, the locals around tajii liked to play ‘dumb’ about what was going on.

nagoriyuki

Let the Japanese do their thing, it’s what they do.

C$

That is like saying let the Natzis do their thing. It is what they do.
C$

That is like saying let the Natzis do their thing. It is what they do.
C$

That is like saying let the Natzis do their thing. It is what they do.

fh

The knee-jerk reactions are inevitable because of how unfounded many of their claims are.

In reality, I doubt very many people would really care whether the dolphin hunts (and the whale hunts for that matter) came to an end. Those that eat dolphin and whale meat are a relative minority.

The danger is in how these activist groups run the risk of slandering a group of people, as being somehow ethically inferior (by which it would be the activists’ “moral obligation” to correct them). Because their message is largely sensationalist (drawing on people’s emotions), some people may get the wrong impression that the “barbaric acts” of whale and dolphin hunting are uniquely Japanese.

Walking up to a random Japanese person in Tokyo and asking their opinion on the Japanese dolphin/whale hunts is no less insensitive as walking up to an African American and asking their thoughts on minority crimes in their area.

And yeah, maybe James put the story out there like some raw meat to a pack of dogs. But that’s the point, because very little of this PR is based on anything substantive and therefore defensible. (The point about mercury levels is at best disputed and thus simply requires more research; but the campaign isn’t about funding more research, it’s about stopping the hunt altogether.)

The purpose of these articles is therefore to cut through the veil of sensationalism and to provide a frank (and sometimes brutal) analysis of the underlying message/motive. The other way to look at it is: there are a lot of people that are smarter than to be bought up by cheap sensationalism, so if these PR groups intend to attract them, they have to do better than to simply resort to celebrities and emotional pleas.
sublight

イブちゃん, you seem to be confusing, as many amateur activists do, the ‘right to free speech’ with ‘the right to unconditional applause’. The video is not receiving the support you desire here because this site is not populated by knee-jerk supporters. Personally, my main criticism of the video is that it’s nothing but appeals to emotion, with only the mercury level claim having a factually testable base (although a rebuttal by the very non-corporate Minamata support group has been simply dismissed as part of ‘the conspiracy’).

The truly objectionable thing about the video is the chauvinistic presumption that everyone in the world must share the opinion of these celebrities, and that any deviation can only be the result of the poor, ignorant Japanese being kept in the dark by ‘the conspiracy’ and simply needing the good and enlightened westerners to show them the Truth.

And as for your last point, you obviously don’t visit this site often if you think there’s no focus on other stories. Read the comments, especially on stories regarding US bases, and you’ll even find that most commenters are not knee-jerk Japan supporters. There’s just a very low tolerance for emotional BS arguments here.
Kushieda

It’s also the role of the people they are targetting to make a decision on their views.

flowby

Ibuchan – my sentiments exactly.

And to present the other side to clear up those disputed points.

1. dolphins are not playful and fun
2. dolphins are not intelligent
3. dolphins cannot swim really fast
4. dolphins cannot understand us
5. dolphins cannot save human lives
6. dolphins are not brutally killed in japan
7. dolphin meat does not contain toxic levels of mercury
8. the majority of people in japan do know this is happening

Now we’ve got that straight those meanie activists can just go and harass
cows and pigs and chickens and stuff.
Michi

Another nice advertisement for Taiji. Haven’t those people realized yet that this kind of don’t-eat-dolphins-but-import-our-beef-to-get-fat campaign is ironically becoming an advertisement for the village among Japanese citizens?

Most Japanese had not known dolphins are eaten in Taiji or any place in Japan (me neither) until that spy-cam video won the Oscar. Panettiere and Psihoyos announced through a megaphone that a treasure is hidden in the village whose name few Japanese had ever heard of. How can it fail to stimulate Japanese gourmets’ appetite?

Some members of my chonaikai (neighborhood association) are going to visit Ise Shrine and Kumano this month. I’m not going with them, but I read in the kairanban (circulated newsletter) that they had changed the itinerary to stop over in Taiji after hearing the news of the Oscar. They are planning to try dolphin dishes there to financially support the harassed fishermen with some patriotism, or just out of curiosity. I hope they’ll enjoy the trip and exotic cuisine.

leitmotiv

Haven’t those people realized yet that this kind of don’t-eat-dolphins-but-import-our-beef-to-get-fat campaign is ironically becoming an advertisement for the village among Japanese citizens?

And how much increased net revenue can be expected to the local businesses from this unintended advertisement to domestic tourists? Would it even be measurable if it actually occurred?

Get real.

LB

Shush child, the grown-ups are speaking.

leitmotiv

I’ll believe that when I see it.

Inamoto

Michi, you are seriously messed up. You have issues and need help.

A-chan

This is not an American issue. Period.
Damien

At least they are trying to do something about this inhumane slaughter. It’s not because dolphins are cute and cuddly. They posses kind of intelligence that deserves our respect. If we think our lives and the level of our consciousness are unique and valuable, we can’t go on torturous killing of these creatures that are very close to our level of consciousness. Just because we have to kill and eat some animals doesn’t give us the right to kill any for any reason. They can feel the pain just as we do. Why is it so hard for most people to understand, dolphins are very special beings. Have you seen a video of dolphin playing with an autistic child? It’s amazing thing to see. No other animal in the wild is as friendly and safe to play with as dolphins. Please think twice before judging these videos of people trying to put a stop to this inhumane practice. Their efforts are very respectable. Because of people like them, I haven’t lost the hope on humans just yet.

Zou

Are you serious? Wild dolphins are friendly? I hope you know dolphins can and are quite vicious in the wild especially when in packs. Sure you hear a story once in a while about a dolphin saving a life but half of that is bullshit and the other half is just pure random chance that it did.

And pigs are quite intelligent beings but yet I dont see you defending them. As far the part about close to human consciousness, I doubt any animal is. Prove me wrong if you truly believe so but I doubt you can.

But since you are so gullible. would you believe if I told you that big foot once saved my life from Godzilla? Please save big foots everywhere, they are your friends.

LB

“As far the part about close to human consciousness, I doubt any animal is. Prove me wrong if you truly believe so but I doubt you can.”

I will throw this out there just as “food for thought”. There is a test to check for self awareness. It is a simple test: a mark is put on an animal’s body with a paint pen and they are shown a mirror. If the animal reacts to the mark on its reflection, that means it is aware that it is looking at itself – if not, it means the animal thinks it is looking at another animal. Most animals, when they see their own reflection, assume it is another animal and react appropriately by either confronting the “intruder” or ignoring it.

If you put a mark on a Chimpanzee’s or Gorilla’s face and hand it a mirror, it will look at itself and touch the mark on its own face. Not the face in the mirror. It knows that it is looking at itself. Put a mark on a part of the dolphin’s body that it cannot see directly, and it will turn itself in front of a mirror to see the mark. So far all of four (or five, depending on how you count) animals have repeatedly demonstrated in controlled experiments this ability to distinguish an image in a mirror as a reflection of themselves:
Chimpanzees (including Bonobos)
Gorillas
Bottle-nosed dolphins
Humans

pixel_bomber

I tried this test on my cat and it totally passed. I guess my cat is almost as smart as a human.
sod

and the web address to back your claims up is….
LB

@sod:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_cognition#Consciousness

Damien

Are you serious? Wild dolphins are friendly?

Yes, I’m serious. Wild dolphins are friendly to humans. They maynot be very friendly to each other, but as soon as humans, especially children are in the water, they slow down and be carefull of what they do.

story once in a while about a dolphin saving a life but half of that is bullshit

Becuase I love dolphins and believe there are much more to them than we can see, I tend to believe those stories you classify as bullshit. Or could it be maybe because you don’t believe they are any special, you dismiss them as bullshit? Here’s one of the many sites about how dolphins help autistic children.
http://www.planetpuna.com/dolphin-paper-html/dolphin-paper.htm

And pigs are quite intelligent beings but yet I dont see you defending them.

can you provide any information about how intelligent and aware pigs are? If you’re right, I’ll defend them as well.

ponta

The Intelligent Pig
The Smartest Domestic Animal in The World

http://mammals.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_intelligent_pig
CryBaby

doplhins are not friendly while in breeding mode, only when they want help getting fish, but still no excuse to torture and kill them

CryBaby

*defends pigs*

and yes in the deep pacific ocean when dolphins are in breeding season, they brutally gang-rape the females, and in their frenzy would kill any humans silly enough to swim there.

if anything they need to be arrested for rape, but NOT butchered slowly and cruelly without anesthetic

ThyGoddess

Everything you said has no scientific basis beyond hippies dreams. Autistic kids part is just a torture on the parents and has no scientific support. Dolphin’s brains are mostly cells to protect against the cold. They are not as smart as that “professor” guy that was always on LCD said. (I forget his name…)

japanese citizen

So based on your comment, i take it you have studied the anatomy of a dolphin brain? and have thoroughly researched the capabilities and limits of the dolphin? So you are a scientist in a related field to neurology and biology? Or are you just some random girl/guy that read that off the internet and thought you would share that biased/ unsupported piece of information with the community?

japanese citizen

thumbs down me all you want! shows how biased the japanprobe community is. believe what you want to believe, but dont encourage others to believe what you say

CryBaby

i not able to give a thumbs down, but why would people do this to you?
you never said anything for or against the slaughter that i could see.

pixel_bomber

I wonder if anyone has taken the time to consider the environmental impact of letting the dolphin population go unchecked. If humans suddenly stop culling these herds would they grow out of control and threaten other species of fish? Granted dolphin food like squid aren’t exactly cute and you shouldn’t let autistic children swim with them but they do hold an important place in nature.

jay

How many thousands of years have the dolphins been around – evolving within their environment? They don’t need “culling”. Do you think animal populations all have to be “managed” by humans or the world is going to spin out of control. The only thing we need to manage is ourselves.

CryBaby

just like our kangaroos dont need culling also.

helical

Once again, I’m reminded how hard it is to detect and discern sarcasm on the internet.
…wait, that’s what this is, right?
sod

the video leads me to think of one of my favourite sayings

muppets abound!
Roppongi Health

I watched it only till half and dont understand whats the point of this video, except as good promotion for those people ?
ThyGoddess

So. Take that whole list of points, replace “Dolphin” by “Porpoise” and translate it to Dolphin talk so these jerks can stop murdering porpoises.

Only replace Japan by… I dunno… Dolphin Disney World.

By the way any life on earth is “Intelligent”. In their own way.
G-chan

Ahh more “celebrities”… I think there should be a Worldwide Celebrity Summit for the purposes of creating, editing and publishing a book on their broad moral teachings.

We could consult this tome to learn how to live our lives and could even read it on the pot as our morning devotional.

It would save time for them too as they wouldn’t have to keep making videos and commercials and doing their little sayings at award events. They could just say, “read the book and do what it tells you!”
Lindsey

I’m pretty late to commenting on this but I just wanted to mention something important that no one has brought up yet. Just to preface, I am also in no way singling out Japan in the hunting of dolphins, I just want to make this one point. The biggest difference between dogs, pigs and cows in relation to dolphins is that these animals are all domesticated, albeit unjustifiably and often inhumanely. I am not in any way defending the American meat industry, at the same time the major problem with dolphin hunting (and overfishing for that matter) is that it is very difficult to replenish a wild population, specifically one that lives in a completely different habitat than humans. Livestock animals, in the way they are raised and consumed, have no other purpose other than to feed humans. They are slaughtered, eaten, and bred again by humans. Their risk of extinction minimal.

Obviously, the United States media is incapable of making this comparison because it would mean to admit their own wrong doings to whom they are preaching to, and I wholly disagree with this message as a means to get ANYTHING done except exasperate the problem. Additionally, dolphins are not the only animals threatened. Already, something like 90% of the large, predatory fish has been depleted, which obviously, Americans and people of all nations eat. These animals play a very important role in the cleaning and filtering out of small, sick, weak, prolifically producing fish that humans would not like to eat.

This kind of campaign is completely irresponsible, in that all it does is prescribe blame to a tiny part of the world, and giving more humanity to dolphins than it does to the people this PSA is blaming. However, it is important not take out the anger on the animals they are attempting to protect. Dolphins, and ALL predatory fish, are important because of the role they play in maintaining the balance and health of the earth’s oceans, NOT because they are cute and cuddly and save humans.

cesar

that’s rubish

the whales and dolphins that japanese catch are sanctioned by the International Whaling Community exactly because it doesn’t threat those species with extinction

Lindsey

First off, I think you mean International Whaling Commission, which does allow whaling for scientific reasons, although the excess whale meat is sold in stores along with meat from accidently killed whales.

Secondly, I wasn’t just talking about whales and dolphins. You don’t see these celebrities saying “Save the Snapper!” because Americans eat snapper, and tuna, and salmon. I am saying there needs to be a larger emphasis on all predatory fish including whales and dolphins, and that Japan should not be singled out.

Thirdly, I wanted to comment on the comparison between livestock and wild animals. Humans are the only real animals that depend on livestock, whereas predatory fish, whales, dolphins, sharks serve a larger purpose than just feeding humans. But I am not saying that the way we handle livestock does not need to change, because it does.
CryBaby

what is rubbish. are you for or against the slaughter?

Stereo

Which is more friendly to the environment, eating wild animals or eating domesticated animals?
To raise domesticated animals, a farmer needs a large farmland, from which all the wild animals must be driven out. Wild animals go extinct not because of over-hunting, but because of loss of habitat due to expansion of farmland.

There are too many dolphins around Taiji, that is why they hunt every year. There is robust population of dolphins there. I think eating dolphins is environmentally better than eating pigs and cows.

grimex

What’s an “A-list” celebrity ?

CryBaby

its something to do with their ‘clout’ in hollywood, either based on how many oscars they have won, or the money their movies/tv series has made

Cabirus

Why isn’t Tom Cruise in the video? I’d love to seem him get crazily excited while exclaiming his love for the dolphins.
tokyojesusfist

I am reminded of this Dave Chappelle skit.
Furansu

I wonder what is the opinion of these artists about American company like Monsanto and its GMO products… They don’t care that organic farmer can’t be organic anymore if a GMO field is just near. Seems they don’t care, even if Human is in first place.
hiMe

Can’t they just dolphin breed and just eat those?. But leave the wild ones alone.

And sell real real high?. Surely that should be okay.

Lindsey

Sadly, people have already tried this with salmon. Which only created more problems for wild fish including the salmon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/28/dining/issues-of-purity-and-pollution-leave-farmed-salmon-looking-less-rosy.html

hiMe

But that’s due to the fishes colour being different and they probably stored the Salmon closer to the sea. And besides you can’t really compare Salmon to Dolphins. Dolphins are mammals.

If they put them in a water park kind of farm…I don’t know. If you can have dolphins inside zoo’s and attractions, why not breed them?.

http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com Brian

Most Japanese don’t know it’s going on? That’s more than a little condescending. I’ll bet the average Japanese is better informed than some jackass Hollywood celebrity simply reading off a card.

japanese citizen

actually, i live in japan, and all my friends and there parents had no idea, they knew that people eat whale meat, but not dolphins. and a lot of americans are now finding out about it because of the documentary “The Cove”

fh

I think that’s the point. The average, uninformed Japanese is probably still better informed than some Hollywood celebrity simply reading off a card.
pixel_bomber

Anyone living in Japan who watches TV news or reads a newspaper would likely know about this topic. Granted every country in the world has people who don’t follow current events. Just look at all the “man on the street” interviews they do in the US where people cannot name the vice president or various other important topics. These type of people are the perfect audience for a video like this since they are obviously waiting for someone famous to tell them what to think.

CryBaby

that or they play dumb to knowing about it, or they are too busy with their personal lives to care about current affairs

http://billowykimono.blogspot.com/ Senor Science

This debacle is now reaching new epic levels of retardation.

I’m going back to the US at the end of the summer, and I wonder if I’m going to get flak from people for living here.

pixel_bomber

Why would you get flak? Do you hang out with the Hollywood elite back in the US?

saketoba

鯨といるかを友達と思える人は同レベルの知能、感性を持ってるんじゃねの？侮辱するつもりは無いよ。友達と比較されて、侮辱されたと感じる人はいないでしょ？

CryBaby

google translation “Whales and dolphins with friends who seem the same level of intelligence, I’ll not you have a sense of? ‘m Not going to insult. Compared with a friend, who did not feel that contempt Desho”they really should make a better translation

Matt

Be interesting to see how many of these celebs are truly against the dolphin killing or are against eating any animal in general. In that case, they don’t really care about dolphins per say, as much as they care about trying to get as many people as possible to become vegetarians/vegans.
The Sea Shepard guy was recently asked about why stop whale killing when people eat pigs and so on. He said he was a vegetarian.
Richard

why japanese likes to kill dolphin, and why americans likes to kill people?

and yet the americans are still being noisy about other country’s business

k

ooookkayyy Richard.
Tbrot

Yeah that makes it even, killing dolphins is justifiable since it is lower on the morality scale.
pixel_bomber

Poor English skills or troll, I can’t decide.
When you say “like” it implies that they enjoy killing, like something the family does on a Sunday afternoon. Obviously people kill dolphins to eat them, and most people regardless of nationality don’t enjoy killing people.

Also please note that the “noisy” people in this video are not even remotely representatives of Americans.

CryBaby

‘noisy’, they meant the word ‘nosy’ i think

Tbrot

The only good argument that might be applicable for not killing dolphins comes from “Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home” except that was about whales. Surely anything that comes packaged in a can with nice packaging is good to eat, no?
daush

I’m sure that if a japanese find a dog or a cat on the sea he/she will probably eat it.
If is in the sea is ok right? Watch out to take a bath on the beach…a japanese will eat you and doesn’t matter if you are cute , smart, save humans life and etc

CryBaby

hey as long as its a yummy japanese girl i dont mind being cannibalised!

jay

Are you actually in favor of the slaughter of the dolphins? Incredible! I think the humane reasons to stop the slaughter are all the reasons needed and quite legit. Perhaps the Japanese don’t care – but their slaughter of dolphins is ruining their reputation around the world. Are the tastebuds worth it?

vegetarian

CryBaby

vegetarian also

Stereo

http://www.australia.or.jp/en/pressrelease/?id=TK08/2010
28 May 2010 “Australia will initiate legal action in the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Japanese ‘scientific’ whaling in the Southern Ocean.”

I thnik Japan will win, and hope this will settle the dispute.
WA

Japan has some serious ethical issues and needs to catch up with its standing as a global power. Many of your comments on here stink of a complete lack of awareness of sustainable hunting.

Due to a concerning absence of compassion I have avoided discussing ethics and listed some scientific reasons why the dolphin ‘hunts’ are unsustainable. I am a Marine Biologist working in South Africa but I was born and raised as an indigenous New Zealander with 100% Maori blood in my veins – so I do not represent “The Evil West”. I do, however, represent common, ethical, rational sense. My people have a proud history of whaling but THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY AND WE HAVE LEARNT TO CHANGE.

Whales and Dolphins are not farmed and therefore Japan cannot replenish their numbers after each annual slaughter. Nature can’t replenish their numbers quick enough. On average female dolphins do not become sexually mature until they reach 2.3m, at roughly 5 – 12 yrs old. The average dolphin lifespan is around 20 years. Dolphins rarely bare more than 1 calf at a time and it takes roughly 3 years for her to raise that calf. Therefore, assuming that each female dolphin dies at old age and of natural causes, she will only raise a max of 5 baby dolphins. By the way, baby dolphins also have a 70% mortality rate. The dolphin population cannot keep up with this! Japan has already seen massive reductions in its dolphin numbers, for example in Iki. Why do certain countries insist on hunting species of whales / dolphins to the verge of extinction before recognising the need to stop?

The Cove footage showed Japanese fishermen killing adult and baby dolphins indiscriminately, which any hunter (land or marine based) will tell you is unsustainable. Further more, the fishermen (and some bloggers on here) have claimed that there are too many dolphins in Taiji and they’re a pest that need “culling”. This is crazy. Nature controls its own numbers and did so millions of years before human existed.

- Tradition and imperial pride are very poor reasons for obstinately defending the indefensible -

japanobserver

Please go away. Your cause is nothing but a farce, just a ton of racism and genocide-mongering clowns masquerading as “environmentalists.” I have read enough times that your “dolphin saviors” are calling for nukes and extermination of the Japanese race. Go preach your ethical nonsense in your own country and raise dolphins there if you like. I show no sympathy to a cause when the majority of it is racially motivated, sensationalist, yellow journalism portraying the Japanese as buck-toothed yellow vermin who is only capable of brutality and evil. I guess New Zealand has no ethical problems? Well take a look at this site and see what problems you people have created.

http://www.japanprobe.com/2009/07/07/japanese-born-kid-whale-muncher-nearly-beaten-to-death-by-bullies-in-new-zealand/

Speaking of ethics how about advocating animal rights concurrently with an anti-racism campaign, because sadly little to no effort exists in the latter.

CryBaby

what? you a meannie!

CryBaby

100% maori blood?, thats actually not possible, at best you are 50% pure maori, but i did enjoy your post

WA

Genocide-mongering clowns?
Nukes and extermination of the Japanese race?
Racially motivated?

This is a totally irrational response. Are you seriously comparing environmentalists (of which I am not, by the way) to Pol Pot / Adolf Hitler? You say you show no sympathy for the cause because it is ‘sensationalist’… what can be more sensationalist than calling environmentalists “genocide-mongering clowns”?

When did I say that New Zealand has no ethical issues? Racial bullying is rife, believe me, I’ve experienced it first hand. That does not detract from the issue here. Your news link is shocking and I heard about it when it happened. I hope the culprits will be dealt with.

Please – withhold the irrational and someone provide me with a well planned scientific defence for the continued “extermination of the dolphin race” (a shameless twist on japanobserver’s words).
japanobserver

People like you are the reason why I will never support activists. I hope that Taiji continues their practice with great force. After all, Japs aren’t as smart as humans right? Why should they listen then?
CryBaby

lol nice

Hollywood Stars Make Propaganda PSA for Dolphin Rights Activists

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