[cranks]

Originally Posted by GoNative

I just can't believe where you are taking this debate. What is happening in Taiji is not about culture

I want to know the basis for your claim that whaling is not Japanese culture. Many Japanese people are saying it is, and in fact, there are regions that have been doing it for centuries. They had been eating whales before they started eating cows and pigs only 160 years ago. Please give me a good reason why I should listen to you over many Japanese natives, myself included.

Originally Posted by GoNative

it's about good old simple greed. Some local fisherman have worked out a way to help protect their fish stocks by killing off a whole lot predators that eat fish and to make some money off selling the meat. I personally don't have any big problem with this at all. Good on them!

Just because there is money involved, it doesn't mean it is not culture. Kosher meat is not free either.

Originally Posted by GoNative

One thing this is not is some huge cultural issue.

Again, what made you the expert on the issue? What do you know about Japanese culture?

Originally Posted by GoNative

What you don't seem to get cranks is that Japan is intricately part of the international community. Japan, even in it's own country, can't just do anything it wants without criticism. No country can. Countries all over the world come under criticism all the time for things they do in their own countries.

Criticisms are fine. Activities by an organization that is banned from the international organization, and "illegal" operation of the activists are not criticism. The producer of The Cove crossed that line. The racism expresses by some activists can not be "criticism" either.

Originally Posted by GoNative

During the previous government in Australia, a very conservative government, they cracked down massively on asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat. I personally was appalled at their policies and so were many in the international community. Some Australians claimed other countries had no right to tell us how we should manage our borders. I disagreed, we needed to be told we were doing the wrong thing as good sense seem to have left many of the Australian public after years of quite effective government propaganda. One thing they never claimed though was that the attacks on the policies from other countries were racist!

Well, Killing and eating of whales and denying entry of refugees have nothing in common. Plus, if I remember correctly, Australia is a country of immigration. It is more Australian culture to accept them in the first place. I am not saying Aussies are racist. But at the same time, it is a fact there are many racist remarks and behaviors around anti-whaling. I've already shown you the examples. I said this before but I'll say it again. Yes, Japan has a lot of racism too, but "I" NEVER EVER allow that in a group I am associated with. It seems like a lot of people don't have problem with it as long as they themselves are not doing it.

Originally Posted by GoNative

I'm not saying the Taiji issue is some major international issue for Japan because in reality it's not.

I think it is. It is propagating hatred and racism. And THAT I think is a major issue. For that reason, I was against whaling. Now it seems to me it is clearly anti-whaling side that owes the responsibility for it. That's why now I am anti-anti-whaling.

Originally Posted by GoNative

The thing I see from the somewhat ridiculous arguments you are putting forward though is an incredible defensiveness and intolerance to any criticism from anyone outside of Japan or anyone who is not Japanese.

The thing I see from the somewhat ridiculous argument you are putting forward is an incredible offensiveness and ignorance to Japanese culture. I have repeated again and again and again, that "all life forms are equal" is a "fundamental Japanese cultural value". But you just don't care because you don't understand it. All I am asking is to acknowledge this, and only this, point. I repeated this over and over and over, but I repeat it again. Many Japanese people don't even eat whale. I don't ether. It is the "superiority" that people have problem with. When a majority culture criticize a minority culture, the later WILL be defensive. And It has a reason to be. So I am just asking for more understanding.

Originally Posted by GoNative

And using cultural excuses and the racism card to deflect the criticism away from the actual issue, the slaughter of dolphins, and try and make into something else. If you think there is something so incredibly special about Japanese culture and the Japanese people that make it and them immune from criticism then it is you who seems to have the superiority complex.

You just casually dismissed the racism that clearly exists. I'm actually thinking if I should give up at this point.

Originally Posted by GoNative

Being part of an international community means you will be criticised now and again, for gods sake get used to it and stop being so defensive about it!

Criticisms are OK. But what these people are doing is not criticism. If I look defensive to you, there is a reason for it. You and the activists are being offensive and inconsiderate. Actually, you haven't made many comments yet, so you maybe not. But these activists sure are, and you failed to see that.

Originally Posted by GoNative

And trying to discredit my views because I'm not fluent in the language well look I've lived here almost 7 years. I do speak a reasonable amount of Japanese and I do have lots of very good Japanese and western friends who are completely fluent in speaking, reading and writing in English and Japanese. I don't live in an information vacuum because of my lack of fluency and I don't just get one side of the story. And I certainly didn't just get my information on Taiji from The Cove. I haven't even seen the movie!

Then why can't you understand the very basic idea of 「いただきます」? You hear a lot of 「牛や豚と鯨でなにが違うんだよ」 from Japanese people, and they are not asking for some scientific facts. The question presented there is "cows and pigs and whales should be respected in the same manner because they all have lives. Why do you distinguish one from others?"