Thanks Matthew - glad you identified with my sentiments. I've always enjoyed travelling in the UK (especially when the weather is kind) and this trip has made me even more curious to use more of our free time exploring this country.
Hope you enjoyed your north east trip - where did you get to?
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for sharing the post and adding your thoughts. I found this a really tricky topic to look at. Instictively I'm also very uncomfortable about the idea of 100+ whales being slaughtered on a beach.
I guess my conversations while in the Faroes left me reflecting on the basis on which I formed my opinion - never a bad thing to do in any situation. I was talking to warm, hospitable, intelligent people, who were no different from anyone else, apart from their deep-rooted belief that the whale hunts are a fully acceptable practice.
Is my unease based on my urban upbringing and ignorance of how my meat is 'made'? Or is killing whales for food crossing some sort of ethical line that most of the world has long ago accepted?
I don't know where the answer lies. If you told me in 50 years time nobody in the world would be killing whales I'd be happy to hear it. But I don't think outside pressure is going to bring about any change in attitudes (perhaps the health scares associated with whale meat will be more effective). In the meantime, given the relatively small scale of what goes on in the Faroes, I do think there are far bigger and more systematic examples of animal cruelty that don't get anything like the bad publicity than the Faroese grindadrap.
Thanks John,
I haven't seen any economic arguments in support of killing whales and dolphins (apart from the concept of food independence). And from what I've read (since writing the original post) the health risks appear to be more of an issue with the younger generation - perhaps the most optimistic indicator of the eventual abandonment of the grindadrap.
The debates online are almost without exception deeply polarising. I took a quick look at some of the Sea Shepherd (and allied) forums, found personal abuse against me for writing this post and haven't bothered checking back since. As you say, calling out the actions rather than the people doing them would be a positive step forward on all sides. The Faroe Island podcast clips by Matthew Workman (links at the bottom of the original post) are highly recommended for intelligent debates between pro- and anti- campaigners that keep the conversation on a civil level.
As far as I'm aware something similar happened in the Azores, where the old whalers switched their operation (and the function of their boats) to whale-watching in the 1980s. I'm not aware of the economic consequences, but my suspicion would be that there's more money to be made in watching whales than killing them, just as in your Namibia example.
I guess there are sections of the Faroese population that would like to see the benefits of greater tourist numbers and other sections who put their desire to preserve this part of their culture/tradition/identity ahead of removing the stigma which it carries elsewhere. While the standard of living is high, the tough choices aren't deemed to be all that urgent...
Thanks to all for continuing the discussion and especially to Matthew for sharing my original post on here. It was written slightly tongue-in-cheek, but does pander to my own feelings of guilt at taking long-haul flights and the challenge in finding enough positive outcomes from a big trip to offset the carbon I've consumed.
I agree wholeheartedly with others who have pointed out that responsible living on a day-to-day basis is just as important as making our travels less energy-busting. Walking where we can is good (and we've had some memorable UK walking holidays), but the no.1 challenge is to consume less, waste less and, perhaps even ahead of those things, to want less. It's frighteningly simple - in theory at least :-)
Anyone who correctly uses 'fecundity' in an article gets my vote. The Dakotas fascinate me too.
Reminds me of a talk I heard from a cruise company Ops Manager a few years ago. As in the article, he told us how many spouses choose to carry on the cruise with their stiff other half in the ship's morgue. He told us how in one case, the cruise continued for 6 weeks with the body in the freezer - the widow soon got over her grief, and by the time they returned to the UK, she had found herself a new fiance to replace her well-preserved husband.
@hitriddle Thanks for sharing this Matt. I grew up with these stories, and didn't really appreciate their enormity until I got older. I'm forever grateful that my parents took the trouble to write them down. It's a journey that hundreds of thousands made during those years, and one of many such untold wartime sub-plots.
Great stuff- I'm in Hokkaido for the next two weeks and will seek out these delights. Thank you :)