I found some really good videos on YouTube, but they are all downers. I don’t know if it’s wise to watch so much sadness and suffering in one go, so I suggest choosing a single theme from the following:
1. Sadistic dolphin killings in Wakayama, Japan
“Each year, the idyllic and peaceful setting of the village of Taiji in southern Japan is shattered by almost unspeakable cruelty as incredible pain and ultimate death is inflicted on defenseless dolphins.” I actually had no idea that this was taking place so close to where I lived – it’s in Wakayama… If I had known that just a couple years ago…
Dolphin Massacre in Japan
and
Japanese Massacre – Dolphin killing in Taiji Japan
FUCK cultural preservation and FUCK the limpdick Japanese government for not stepping up to these sadistic rednecks – this is just wrong.
2. Thai Brides – A glimpse into the system
“Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends is a television documentary series, in which Louis Theroux gives viewers the chance to get brief glimpses of things they wouldn’t normally come into contact with. In most cases this means interviewing people with extreme beliefs of some kind, or just generally belonging to subcultures not known to exist by most or just frowned upon.” Louis Theroux is the youngest son of famed travel writer Paul Theroux and this episode exposes some pretty pitiful circumstances and individuals.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
That said, I’d buy Lake Palmer a beer anytime.
Raising a family in Thailand // Documenting Issan food, culture, music, and people
This dolphin thing….a tough call. Are you against the methods of capture/dressing? Or are you against consuming dolphins period? As a kid in Japan, I recall seeing ‘iruka’ meat in the stores. At that time, I didn’t know what an environmentalist was – let alone watch a segment of ‘Flipper’ on the TV. On the other hand, I guess they wouldn’t starve without dolphin meat. I hope those youtube segments don’t get seen by too many folks around here. I’m liable to get shot.
I won’t watch the footage because I’ve seen it before on TV. It is inhumane and brutal, and Some people seem to relish cruelty and sadism as a bloodsport. That being said, I get mixed feelings when standing in front of the “deep swimmers” tank at Monterey Bay Aquarium. I know that the big Bluefin tuna are intelligent, awesome fish that are pretty much going extinct. I look into their big eyes and wonder if it’s fair to kill them for food, or to eat tuna? Have you seen how the Sicilians kill tuna? It reminds me of the dolphin killings in Japan. Exactly. So I am in a state of change. Because I had a realization about octopus being so intelligent and funny, I quit eating tako. I really like cows and dogs and horses, and they’re a source of food in many places also. Moral dilemma, indeed. Will I go vegan???
My objection is mostly to the killing methods – be done with it, I say. I’m pretty sure they employ these methods for the same reasons they beat dogs to death and burn cats alive in, ahem, other countries. Something about the endorphins released before death making the meat tender. You know what, I’ll even give them that – maybe it does taste better. (I’ll never know.) That’s still an unnecessarily harsh way to die/kill.
no, no, terrorizing animals while killing them makes for very tense, unhappy meat. Julia Child said that American pork is tough and has a peculiar off-taste, not sweet and tender like the famous Black Pigs. She said it was due to the manner in which pigs (intelligent animals, right?) are slaughtered here in the U.S., subjected to terror, the sound of other pigs screaming, and all that mix of negative emotions trapped in every cell in every part of the animal.
Did you ever read Temple Grandin’s book, “Seeing in Pictures”, which is about the radical re-design of cattle slaughterhouses in the U.S. which she designed? The most amazing thing is that because she’s autistic, she is able to see in her mind, what animals see and feel in their environment. It has revolutionized the way cattle are easily,quietly, calmly and efficiently slaughtered. You’d love this book!