Comments on: The Ethics Of "Whale Wars" http://www.adamheckler.com/2009/06/the-ethics-of-whale-wars/ by adam heckler Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:45:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Adam http://www.adamheckler.com/2009/06/the-ethics-of-whale-wars/#comment-5 Adam Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:45:29 +0000 http://www.adamheckler.com/?p=147#comment-5 Thanks for your comment, mp3phile. I would of course agree that Animal Planet doesn't support the actions of the MV <em>Steve Irwin</em> explicitly. Heck, they even have a disclaimer before the show stating that they do not endorse the crew's opinions. However, by showing the danger that the crew faces (even when the whalers aren't around), Animal Planet subtly encourages it's viewers to think of them as heroes of some sort. After all, look at all the hardships and trials the crew is enduring on their quest! They must be on the side of the good guys! Furthermore, the fact that Animal Planet informs us of the Japanese condemnations is even better, because now our 'heroes' are triumphing over adversity! So I guess I both agree <em>and</em> disagree with you. From one perspective, showing all the danger and condemnations may seem to be fair and even-handed. But from another perspective, it could be serving to solidify support for the environmentalists. Thanks for your comment, mp3phile.

I would of course agree that Animal Planet doesn't support the actions of the MV Steve Irwin explicitly. Heck, they even have a disclaimer before the show stating that they do not endorse the crew's opinions.

However, by showing the danger that the crew faces (even when the whalers aren't around), Animal Planet subtly encourages it's viewers to think of them as heroes of some sort. After all, look at all the hardships and trials the crew is enduring on their quest! They must be on the side of the good guys!

Furthermore, the fact that Animal Planet informs us of the Japanese condemnations is even better, because now our 'heroes' are triumphing over adversity!

So I guess I both agree and disagree with you. From one perspective, showing all the danger and condemnations may seem to be fair and even-handed. But from another perspective, it could be serving to solidify support for the environmentalists.

]]> By: mp3phile http://www.adamheckler.com/2009/06/the-ethics-of-whale-wars/#comment-4 mp3phile Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:24:03 +0000 http://www.adamheckler.com/?p=147#comment-4 I have to disagree with your assertion that Animal Planet itself presents the actions of the Steve Irwin in a positive light. The narration and/or editing plainly shows what transpires, and does not try to hide the fact that what the whale lovers do is fairly dangerous for all parties involved (they show the stupid things that endanger only their own lives, a-la the episode where they go through an ice field, or when they accidentally swamp one of the little pontoon boats). The narration also regularly highlights the fact that the Steve Irwin is regularly condemned by Japanese, Australian, and other government bodies. A Japanese viewpoint is not presented, but most likely because of the logistics involved, and the fact that the Japanese want to limit exposure of their whaling industry to a wider audience. That aside, I believe your thought experiment is interesting, but it ignores one fact, both the Steve Irwin, and the Japanese, are zealots. They both have positions that are mutually irreconcilable, and also immutable. An interesting corollary would be that of the more extreme pro-lifers and pro-choicers in the US. Even though a common ground exists (make abortion safe but rare by increasing access to sex education and contraception, thereby reducing unwanted pregnancies), both sides see any sort of compromise as losing. I have to disagree with your assertion that Animal Planet itself presents the actions of the Steve Irwin in a positive light. The narration and/or editing plainly shows what transpires, and does not try to hide the fact that what the whale lovers do is fairly dangerous for all parties involved (they show the stupid things that endanger only their own lives, a-la the episode where they go through an ice field, or when they accidentally swamp one of the little pontoon boats). The narration also regularly highlights the fact that the Steve Irwin is regularly condemned by Japanese, Australian, and other government bodies. A Japanese viewpoint is not presented, but most likely because of the logistics involved, and the fact that the Japanese want to limit exposure of their whaling industry to a wider audience.

That aside, I believe your thought experiment is interesting, but it ignores one fact, both the Steve Irwin, and the Japanese, are zealots. They both have positions that are mutually irreconcilable, and also immutable. An interesting corollary would be that of the more extreme pro-lifers and pro-choicers in the US. Even though a common ground exists (make abortion safe but rare by increasing access to sex education and contraception, thereby reducing unwanted pregnancies), both sides see any sort of compromise as losing.

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