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That's why decisions regarding whaling are better left to those that know about the biology of whales and not to people who don't. Most of the public isn't informed enough, or knowledgeable enough, to make the right decision unless they're given completely unbiased information and helped in understanding the issues.
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I agree completely, and i present myself as a good example of the uneducated majority. Obviously sustainable whaling would be impossible, so perhaps another way could be found to effectively control numbers killed? No idea how this might be done, but surely there is some sort middle-ground which can be found.
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It's upto the people concerned to change, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't listen to others in order to gain information and to make decisions based on new ideas and ways of doing things. Just because something makes sense to someone doesn't make it right, moral or ethical. Nor might it actually make any real sense when it's looked at in the cold hard light of logic and reality. Sometimes people won't change unless they're prompted to, or educated differently. Sometimes people have to be pushed into it because they're intransigent and just don't want to change. If in not changing they possibly jeopardise the well being of everyone else, then they should be forced to change. If any country acts like a spoilt and unwilling child, then they should be treated as such.
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Of course, all cultures should be open to changing their ways through education rather than force, if a better alternative can be found, but that also goes both ways. In this case, Japan could be shown that what they're doing is generally accepted as wrong, but i also think that we as a culture should realize that whaling is not taboo in all cultures, and what we see as majestic, others simply see as food. Which goes back to my answer to Leon's original question, apart from diminishing numbers, i think its those cultural differences and misunderstandings which make whaling so wrong when fishing/hunting Skippy's etc is OK