Quote:
Originally posted by Antagony
Good points, but I still don't see it as enough justification to impose demands upon another nation.
As for battering my "pro-cultural" logic, that is the justification that was used by the pro-war folks for the "War on Iraq". I like "to put" things" in quo"tes, too.
I don't think it is valid to state that we will enter a "slippery slope" situation if we allow this to happen. Firstly recognize the huge committee that oversees all of this. It's likely that this isn't even going to pass. So if it did, I *really* doubt they'd allow them to just start killing whales indiscriminately. Not to mention that there is no basis for the "slippery slope" claim as it is purely conjecture.
Additionally, I have yet to hear any reason as to why saving 300 whales a year would be beneficial to anyone. Japan would get cultural and economic gains by having this privilege.
Wasted resources are of some issue also. We should be spending time repairing our own fucked up society instead of telling other countries how they should live their lives.
Why banter on about whales thousands of miles away when I have homeless and hungry right outside my door?
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I suppose what really annoyed me about the issue I posted earlier was the stubborn refusal of a nation to change what it does, even when confronted with blunt reality. When Japan, or any nation for that matter, refuses to accept reality and pulls the cultural relativism card, it is a cowardly and manipulative way to justify amoral actions.
America, imperfect as it is, doesn’t continue to pass on smallpox-infected blankets to native Americans or hang African-Americans for not surrendering the sidewalk in the deep south while arguing that tradition and culture entitle some to abuse the rights of others.
Culture, to put it simply, shouldn’t be used to justify immoral behavior.
Edit - Damn typos!
