Mr. Hakujin Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I discovered this show only last month and am now totally hooked. Season 2 comes to an end next week and it promises to be a great episode. This show is the one-sided chronicling of the Sea Shepherd organization's attempts to put an end to "illegal" whaling by Japanese whalers in the Arctic Ocean. There is danger from the arctic conditions (icebergs, storms, isolation), passionate people truly serious about their cause, and a good 85% of the time they're also seriously inept. That's a recipe for captivating television. Case in point--this golden nugget comes from a blonde Aussie las: "Why's everyone making such a big deal about falling out of the boat? At the end of the day, falling in the water isn't the end of the world." Sad, stupid, scary, and hilarious all at once. In case you've yet to see this slice of fried reality-TV gold here's the website link to their video clips. Season 1 is only 7 episodes long and I recommend watching from the start. It's interesting to see how their tactics to "stop" whaling for the past how many ever years (4 or 5 I think) were soundly thwarted after the whalers obviously studied footage from the TV show and defended themselves accordingly the following year (which is chronicled in season 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycaon Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I've heard about this show. Aren't the "hippies" armed with guns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 I've heard about this show. Aren't the "hippies" armed with guns? Far from it. They throw flour and stink bombs (butiric acid) at the whaling vessels. They once shot flares in the general direction of a ship, but they landed no where near the whaling vessel. And as the pic shows they occasionally ram ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I'm all for ecological preservation and all that. You show me a petition that says you shouldn't hunt whales, I'll sign it. That said, poor people cannot put the environment before their children's bellies. It seems to me like they're picking on the wrong people, but then again, who are the right people? I dunno, I'm conflicted. From the perspective of the guys who've done this for their entire life, perhaps even for multiple generations, these activists must be the embodiment of evil: they're trying to keep them from earning a living. I've heard from reliable sources (and that includes you, Hakujin) that this show is pretty damn entertaining. I'll prob'ly end up checking it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 ^^Not sure how poor the whalers are. They actually have a fleet of 6 ships and according to Sea Shepherd can get anywhere from 500k to a cool million per whale. The Japanese fleet claims to take in around 1000 whales per year. That makes those Deadliest Catch guys' haul seem like chump change. Then again all these stats come from the Sea Shepherd organization. It's a great show, but you're right in that the one thing it's missing is the whaler's perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Yeah, for the people who run the show. If the guys who are doing the actual work pull in a decent percentage of that scratch then...hmmm. *starts sharpening his harpoon* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiffytee Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 always wanted to catch an episode after seeing their little shorts between commercials. yeah. didn't think i watched animal planet, did you? i thought it was kind of cruel that the whale hunters were using a certain frequency that causes pain and stuns whales... how true is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 i thought it was kind of cruel that the whale hunters were using a certain frequency that causes pain and stuns whales... how true is that? If that's true, then it's very cruel...and brilliant. That's some mad scientist shit right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 From what I've seen here they've taken a noble cause and cranked the stupid up to 11. It's like watching reality TV written by Grant Morrisson (I so went there.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 always wanted to catch an episode after seeing their little shorts between commercials. yeah. didn't think i watched animal planet, did you? i thought it was kind of cruel that the whale hunters were using a certain frequency that causes pain and stuns whales... how true is that? I'm not sure, they haven't mentioned it on the show yet, but it makes sense. In S2EP10 they actually film a harpoon ship pursuing a pod of minke whales. They were chasing the whales and the whales couldn't stay up long enough for air to dive. Maybe a harmonic device was used to get the whales "on the run" so to speak. The whalers also have LRAD systems they're using against the Sea Shepherds, so it doesn't seem to far fetched they'd use a sonic device on the whales as well. The actual killing of the whale was gruesome yet startlingly efficient. They reeled the harpooned whale next to the ship then shot it 4 or 5 times with a rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 South Park absolutely nailed everything right and wrong with this show in their S13 episode called "Whale Whores." Added bonus: Cartman singing "Poker Face." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 That episode rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 That episode rules. fucka you whale an dolphin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiffytee Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I just finished watching "The Cove" a documentary on the killing of dolphins and how the Japanese government is trying to keep it under wraps. They also mention the mercury levels rising in seafood. Wonder how true that is, but in dolphins, it's what's causing mercury poisoning in Japan from mislabeling the meat as whale meat. Quite a sad story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 I've "The Cove" in my queue of films to watch from 2009, Spiffy. I hear it's a very powerful film... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 when i first heard of this show i was totally hoping for actually whale wars. Two tribes of whales fighting over a part of the ocean. that woulda been awesome! and it just reminded me of this lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 ^^ that pic brought the lulz. when i first heard of this show i was totally hoping for actually whale wars. Two tribes of whales fighting over a part of the ocean. that woulda been awesome! we can only hope james cameron hears your plea and answers it in avatar 2: pandoramonium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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