Should whaling be banned even though it is part of some people's culture?

Question

In the one hand I think whaling is extremely unneccesary and just wrong but in the other you can't just go into another's country and tell them how to live their culture. What say you all?

Answer 1

Like with the Eskimos and letting them continue to whale? I think that by trying to cut back whaling in the first world, but letting tribal groups that have lived off of whales for as long as they have existed was a good balance. We still need to be careful and make sure that the whale population is stable, and growing.
The Eskimos are not running around in massive boats and harpooning whales by the hundreds. They are only using what they need to survive.

Answer 2

Ending abusive practices has often entailed interference in a culture in one way or another. Southern culture recoiled at the north dictating the end of slavery, and child labor was deeply entrenched in many cultures even in the US. The cultural traditions of fox hunting did not prevent its prohibition.

There is always some point at which the harm and the cruelty justifies intrusion into "culture", this intrusion is merely one more factor (such as job loss or economy) that must be weighed against the magnitude of the harm.

Not only does the harm and cruelty from whaling justify the intrusion, but so does the type of harm. here these cultures are depleting the whale population in the oceans, which are shared by all of us. They have no right to make every other country, indeed the world, suffer just because their practice is longstanding.

Answer 3

depends really. Some cultures do it from tradition, and this is fine, as long as it's not hurting the population. Inuits, for example, ensure the population is not wiped out by their actions.

On the other hand, japanese boats are going into areas set aside to help endangered whales renew their numbers. This is wrong in my eyes, not because I love whales, but because these whales are an endangered species, and these areas are intended to help whales survive.

The thing to remember is different cultures view certain animals differently. You probably don't think twice about a thick steak (Unless you're vegetarian) but people in India revere cows as sacred. Just because you think whales are cute and cuddly (Although, have you ever SEEN a whale??) doesn't mean another culture shouldn't kill and eat it.

Answer 4

You know, I don't care what culture someone comes from. Whaling is entirely unnecessary in this day and age. Period. If we don't watch what the hell we're doing, we're going to send several species of whales into politically correct extinction. I'm all for cultural protection, but when that culture could cause the extinction of a creature, that crosses the line.

Answer 5

Hunting is considered apart of Native American culture. But they do not need to do so for survival now. They have no restrictions on how many deer they can kill, so much goes to waste.They are also allowed to use semi-autos and spot-lighting. Completely unneccesary for any hunter, and not exactly how our ancestors did it.
So no. It's the 21st century, unless you really do need it for survival and arn't being unfair by trying to wipe out an entire species, then fine.

Answer 6

WHY NOT - IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY - whales are migratory - so do they belong to Japan or Russia or Norway? - NO- they do not! so why is it that other countries and cultures stopped killing them for a better cause but a hand full of countries continue under a bunch of lies ( for research - my *ss) thousand of these creatures die! but you know how it goes in the world ,Mr Japan!!!!! there are always those who don't care and just think of themselves ! these whales your country is killing belong to all of us! that makes it a much more difficult issue! japan brutalizes the ocean with overfishing any how!
just cant quench its insatiable appetite more - more - more ..kill everything , eat everything - please - get a life , its not just about you ...... REMEMBER THIS - MOST COUNTRIES STOPPED WHALING ON THEIR OWN NOT BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD THEM TO! MOST WHALES ARE ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION , BECAUSE WE KILL THEM RELENTLESSLY WE OVER FISH WE CONTAMINATE THE SEA WE JUST WANNA KILL - NOT THAT YOU CARE MR JAPAN! I MEAN , WHY WOULD YOU??????????????????????????????

Answer 7

I think killing such a beautiful creature is disgusting, there is NO NEED for it unless you are an Inuit in a frozen land, and NEED IT for survival, anything else is B.S., and totally unnecessary, and CRUEL !

Answer 8

Kill em, kill em all

NUKE THE WHALES