Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and co-founder of Greenpeace, has been arrested on an international warrant and is facing charges including accomplice to assault and ship trespass
He doesnt like being called a disgusting freak for slaughtering whales, letting them slowly die after dragging them on land to maximize their suffering. Thats the only reason i can think of for why a faroe national would be mad at him.
I dont like him either, but this level of hatred only comes from people who got caught in the act and dont want anyone to talk about it.
The Faroe islands have a traditional whale/dolphin (I don’t remember which exactly) slaughter every year.
They drag dozens of them on beaches and kill them. It used to be one of their main food sources for the year, which is respectable.
But nowadays they don’t need to do it anymore, yet carry on with this super cruel tradition.
It’s a bit like bull runs and bull fighting, I get the traditional side of it, but it’s something that should not be performed anymore because of the suffering and cruelty it causes.
You are capable of subsisting without the consumption of animal products, and I assume you choose not to do so. You know that animal agriculture causes suffering. You choose your taste preferences instead of choosing to reduce suffering.
You don’t need to do it anymore, yet carry on with this super cruel tradition.
Please, go ahead, tell us about your grand plan of growing enough food on the Faroer. And then go ahead and tell other native populations all over the world to stop living off the land sustainably, and instead go in debt to buy HFCS from Nestle.
Hey so there’s this crazy thing called a “boat”, and you may not believe this, but it’s like a big truck which can go over water. And you can basically put whatever you want on it, so you can grow fruits and vegetables in Scotland, and then move them to the Faroe Islands.
They actually worked this one out a little while ago, and they’ve got these big buildings now just full of food, just shelves upon shelves with all kinds of foodstuffs. I know it sounds unbelievable, but here’s a photo of a supermarket on the Faroe Islands!
Now, I know you might be thinking, “well, hang on, doesn’t having a big boat like that cause climate change?” and the answer is “yes, but waaaaay less than animal agriculture.”
You also mentioned something about Nestlé HFCS, which I’m happy to reassure you about - It’s pretty rare over here, it’s really more of an American thing. We do have sugary foods as well, of course, but less so. But you can just choose not to eat those - it’s not like it is in the US where they put it in everything. And they’re not putting HFCS into the raw fruits and vegetables that you’d use to make a plant-based meal.
But you know what? Even if there are people living off the land sustainably - as in, fully providing for themselves and their families in whatever way they can without actively farming animals - and we’re okay with that, it doesn’t justify those of us who don’t live in that way to consume animal products.
Even if there are people living off the land sustainably - as in, fully providing for themselves and their families in whatever way they can without actively farming animals - and we’re okay with that,
So you’re ok with what the Faroese are doing, got it. Wait no you want to stop them letting sheep graze the parts of the island which aren’t suitable for agriculture, and instead whale more.
it doesn’t justify those of us who don’t live in that way to consume animal products.
Go on, tell me more about how the Faroese are living. How much of their economy, do you think, is food production in one way or the other? How, do you think, is the whale hunt organised? Is it commodified?
Having looked at that data (I trust you already have since you sound so sure and knowledgeable) one could of course say “well they could stop exporting fish then they wouldn’t need to whale”. There’s something to that, and it would also mean that they couldn’t afford to import machinery any more, couldn’t afford gas any more, no textile imports, and with them again sitting in row boats in sheepswool clothing maybe they’d look “primitive” enough for your tastes to be allowed to whale, again.
Seriously WTF. “This reservation has a supermarket, that means they should not be allowed to hunt any more”. Are you hearing yourself. Read this.
Could you please check the comment thread, look at who I replied to, what they said, and what my response was? If anything, I have been defending the Faroese, not criticising them. I have been criticising people who are being hypocritical about the Faroese whaling while also supporting traditional western animal agriculture.
I’ve not really taken much of a position on the Faroese themselves - except in my last message where I said that I don’t really have a huge issue with subsistence/survival consumption of animal products, as much I do with industrialisation of those products.
For what it’s worth, I’m sure the slave industry made some societies and cultures economically viable which are no longer so. I don’t think “but then this culture/tradition/religion/society would have to adapt to changes” is a particularly strong argument against abolishing cruel or immoral systems of oppression. But that’s not really the argument I’m interested in, right now, and it’s not the argument I originally made.
My argument is that the average person, who is absolutely capable of living a life without the consumption of animal products, with little or no impact to their quality of life beyond their taste preference, cannot justify that behaviour beyond selfishly prioritising their taste preferences over the suffering of others.
Faroese whaling is a century old tradition that used to be about survival and used whale parts for food and other things like light, fishing material, clothing, etc.
Nowadays, we have replacements for pretty much all these things right ? Whale meat doesn’t seem to be widely consumed much anymore, it’s also dangerous because of mercury levels in the whales.
Yet the Faroese kill around 700 whales a year, and in a pretty cruel fashion. They force the whales to beach themselves, have their spinal cord and a few major arteries severed and left to bleed out and die over the course of minutes.
I’m all in for traditions but not for cruel and pointless ones.
Since the eighties Sea Shepherd, led by Paul Watson, has been using images from Faroese whale slaughter to spread propaganda in order to gain financial support and volunteers. If you have seen images of a bays surrounded by green mountains coloured red in the blood of pilot whales. That’s my people.
Don’t get me wrong. Those images are real, thought often over saturated for dramatic effect. But everything else told by SS is either exaggerated or blatant lies.
These lies garner attacks on anyone remotely contacted to the Faroe Islands (often also Denmark, because uninformed people don’t know the difference). Even children are fair game. Kids are taught not to post anything Faroes related, because they WILL be harassed for it.
Don’t believe me? Go to any r/travel or r/EarthPorn post about the Faroes and you will see comments wishing death upon the poster and all the inhabitants. We are all guilty by association.
You should be able to get your point across without spreading lies and hatred. Especially when it comes up whaling. But it’s not about the whaling itself. It’s about getting people riled up so they join your cult.
Faroese cuisine is generally dominated by the use of animal products, as only about 2% of the 1,393 km2 of land on the islands is at all suitable for arable crops
a 2008 paper in Australian Archaeology said conservationists find Faroese whaling particularly offensive because it does not conform to traditional Western perspectives on “primitive” tribes
So if Sea Shepherd’s attacks were all honest, there would be less vitriol?
Does he lie in a specific way that implicates innocent people? (vs. lying in a way that garners broader attention and the attention is what drives the additional hate) Curious for some examples as someone low-information on the subject.
Yes. It is fairly common for SS volunteers to settle on the Faroes after falling in love with the culture. They go to fight against barbarians who torment whales for fun and sport, but find kind hearted people who utilize an abundant food source in the most humaim way possible. Also there are other anti whaling-organisations whose members are civil.
There are three types of lies. The main ones are attacks on the Faroese people, how they enjoy blood sport, and torturing animas. These are aimed at everyone but men get a few special ones like how rape and spousal abuse is rampant on the Faroes.
Secondly there are lies about the slaughter itself, how long it takes, how much suffering there is etc.
And lastly there are factual lies. That pilot whales are on the brink of extinction and that the Faroes kill like 90% of them without eating the meat.
Paul isn’t out harassing inuit communities. Do you know why? Because inuit communities practice ACTUAL sustenance hunting, not a tradition of slaughter dressed up as “culture”. Do not disgrace actual caretakers of the land to cover up your barbarism
I can’t speak on all inuit communities, but I know enough to know that you are ignorant.
I know that Greenlanders are allowed to hunt whales of varying degrees of endangerment with traditional tools in small numbers in order to preserve cultural heritage.
This is less sustainable and surely less humane than Faroese practices. Whether it’s worth persevering the heritage is a completely different question.
The reason why SS target the Faroes is because if the gory images of slaughtering in the open combined with the general ignorance of the rest of the would on the topic.
There are many nations that do whaling, none of whom do it more humanely than the Faroes, yet only a few are harassed by SS, and none to the same degree.
"how dare you call us out for the horrific things we’re doing ". Like you don’t even pretend it’s fake.
Hey, you don’t like people shitting on your country? How about you make them stop slaughtering whales for no fucking reason.
Like, I’m sorry, am I supposed to feel bad that people are rightfully calling you out for that shit? Is your country not a modern, functioning society? Are you really incapable of shedding these pointless barbaric traditions, and would rather just cry about it when someone dares to call you out?
Let me guess, “I refuse to discuss this with you” or whatever. Like you response to the other person.
I’m beginning to think you have more at stake in this than just being from the same country. I’m from the US, dude, my country is shit and there’s a million things to criticize it for… And you can’t even admit the one thing your home is known for is barbaric
Is your country not a modern, functioning society? Are you really incapable of shedding these pointless barbaric traditions, and would rather just cry about it when someone dares to call you out?
Have you actually looked into the topic or are you simply assuming? The Faroese regulations on whaling are extensive, from what methods are allowed to beach the whales to how the killing is to be done so it’s quick.
I’m from the US, dude
Then you should really focus on the complete absence of any animal protection laws in the US, instead. The Faroese didn’t even blink when outlawing the traditional way to kill the whales in favour of spinal lancing, yes of course whales bleeding out in shallow bays is a gruesome sight. And they own that, while risking their lives driving the whales in small boats.
Meanwhile, US consumers are safely isolated from the absolutely abhorrent conditions their food is produced under. The bloody bays aren’t avoidable, they come (literally) with the territory. Chicken rotting while still alive because they’re so tightly packed and hygiene isn’t an issue because you’re chlorinating them anyway is avoidable.
It’s you, here, who’s alienated from how food is produced, not the Faroese.
Care to elaborate?
He doesnt like being called a disgusting freak for slaughtering whales, letting them slowly die after dragging them on land to maximize their suffering. Thats the only reason i can think of for why a faroe national would be mad at him.
I dont like him either, but this level of hatred only comes from people who got caught in the act and dont want anyone to talk about it.
As long as you’re vegan or happy with being called a disgusting freak for eating animal products I think that’s fine.
It’s not about being vegan or not in this case.
The Faroe islands have a traditional whale/dolphin (I don’t remember which exactly) slaughter every year.
They drag dozens of them on beaches and kill them. It used to be one of their main food sources for the year, which is respectable.
But nowadays they don’t need to do it anymore, yet carry on with this super cruel tradition.
It’s a bit like bull runs and bull fighting, I get the traditional side of it, but it’s something that should not be performed anymore because of the suffering and cruelty it causes.
You are capable of subsisting without the consumption of animal products, and I assume you choose not to do so. You know that animal agriculture causes suffering. You choose your taste preferences instead of choosing to reduce suffering.
You don’t need to do it anymore, yet carry on with this super cruel tradition.
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Please, go ahead, tell us about your grand plan of growing enough food on the Faroer. And then go ahead and tell other native populations all over the world to stop living off the land sustainably, and instead go in debt to buy HFCS from Nestle.
Hey so there’s this crazy thing called a “boat”, and you may not believe this, but it’s like a big truck which can go over water. And you can basically put whatever you want on it, so you can grow fruits and vegetables in Scotland, and then move them to the Faroe Islands.
They actually worked this one out a little while ago, and they’ve got these big buildings now just full of food, just shelves upon shelves with all kinds of foodstuffs. I know it sounds unbelievable, but here’s a photo of a supermarket on the Faroe Islands!
Now, I know you might be thinking, “well, hang on, doesn’t having a big boat like that cause climate change?” and the answer is “yes, but waaaaay less than animal agriculture.”
You also mentioned something about Nestlé HFCS, which I’m happy to reassure you about - It’s pretty rare over here, it’s really more of an American thing. We do have sugary foods as well, of course, but less so. But you can just choose not to eat those - it’s not like it is in the US where they put it in everything. And they’re not putting HFCS into the raw fruits and vegetables that you’d use to make a plant-based meal.
But you know what? Even if there are people living off the land sustainably - as in, fully providing for themselves and their families in whatever way they can without actively farming animals - and we’re okay with that, it doesn’t justify those of us who don’t live in that way to consume animal products.
Hope this helps!
So you’re ok with what the Faroese are doing, got it. Wait no you want to stop them letting sheep graze the parts of the island which aren’t suitable for agriculture, and instead whale more.
Go on, tell me more about how the Faroese are living. How much of their economy, do you think, is food production in one way or the other? How, do you think, is the whale hunt organised? Is it commodified?
Having looked at that data (I trust you already have since you sound so sure and knowledgeable) one could of course say “well they could stop exporting fish then they wouldn’t need to whale”. There’s something to that, and it would also mean that they couldn’t afford to import machinery any more, couldn’t afford gas any more, no textile imports, and with them again sitting in row boats in sheepswool clothing maybe they’d look “primitive” enough for your tastes to be allowed to whale, again.
Seriously WTF. “This reservation has a supermarket, that means they should not be allowed to hunt any more”. Are you hearing yourself. Read this.
Could you please check the comment thread, look at who I replied to, what they said, and what my response was? If anything, I have been defending the Faroese, not criticising them. I have been criticising people who are being hypocritical about the Faroese whaling while also supporting traditional western animal agriculture.
I’ve not really taken much of a position on the Faroese themselves - except in my last message where I said that I don’t really have a huge issue with subsistence/survival consumption of animal products, as much I do with industrialisation of those products.
For what it’s worth, I’m sure the slave industry made some societies and cultures economically viable which are no longer so. I don’t think “but then this culture/tradition/religion/society would have to adapt to changes” is a particularly strong argument against abolishing cruel or immoral systems of oppression. But that’s not really the argument I’m interested in, right now, and it’s not the argument I originally made.
My argument is that the average person, who is absolutely capable of living a life without the consumption of animal products, with little or no impact to their quality of life beyond their taste preference, cannot justify that behaviour beyond selfishly prioritising their taste preferences over the suffering of others.
Not remotely accurate.
What’s not accurate about my comment?
Faroese whaling is a century old tradition that used to be about survival and used whale parts for food and other things like light, fishing material, clothing, etc.
Nowadays, we have replacements for pretty much all these things right ? Whale meat doesn’t seem to be widely consumed much anymore, it’s also dangerous because of mercury levels in the whales.
Yet the Faroese kill around 700 whales a year, and in a pretty cruel fashion. They force the whales to beach themselves, have their spinal cord and a few major arteries severed and left to bleed out and die over the course of minutes.
I’m all in for traditions but not for cruel and pointless ones.
Nothing is accurate about your content.
Well, then educate me and please share accurate information then.
My source is the Wikipedia page which is nicely sourced with plenty of Faroese references: Whaling in the Faroe Islands.
Unfortunately I can’t read Faroese, so maybe all that sourced information has been lost in translation ?
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I make it a point not to engage with ignorant people. Especially when they condescendingly try to enlighten me on mine own culture.
Try whaling.fo, but note that I won’t discuss it further with you when you have selectively gathered and the information that confirms your bias.
Hi friend.
Thanks for validating my statement.
Did this ^ guy really not get that im making fun of him for being a little crybaby?
I understand you fine.
Sure. On which part?
The hatred and racism part.
Since the eighties Sea Shepherd, led by Paul Watson, has been using images from Faroese whale slaughter to spread propaganda in order to gain financial support and volunteers. If you have seen images of a bays surrounded by green mountains coloured red in the blood of pilot whales. That’s my people.
Don’t get me wrong. Those images are real, thought often over saturated for dramatic effect. But everything else told by SS is either exaggerated or blatant lies.
These lies garner attacks on anyone remotely contacted to the Faroe Islands (often also Denmark, because uninformed people don’t know the difference). Even children are fair game. Kids are taught not to post anything Faroes related, because they WILL be harassed for it.
Don’t believe me? Go to any r/travel or r/EarthPorn post about the Faroes and you will see comments wishing death upon the poster and all the inhabitants. We are all guilty by association.
You should be able to get your point across without spreading lies and hatred. Especially when it comes up whaling. But it’s not about the whaling itself. It’s about getting people riled up so they join your cult.
Maybe you guys should stop slaughtering whales
Right? It’s real fucking simple.
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Then, while it’s going on, don’t be surprised that people see your country in a poor light
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Still nothing WHAT they allegedly lied about, only what the effects of said pictures were.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_Faroe_Islands
But, you see, I think my culture is superior so they should stop.
Anyway, who’s up for an ethically* slaughtered cow that I’ve raised in a box?
Wow I didn’t realize that cows were endangered. I also didn’t realize that we slaughtered cows by drowning them.
Both long-finned pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins aren’t endangered, they’re least concern. They’ve always been hunting sustainably.
Yeah this has mad “shooting the messenger” vibes
So if Sea Shepherd’s attacks were all honest, there would be less vitriol?
Does he lie in a specific way that implicates innocent people? (vs. lying in a way that garners broader attention and the attention is what drives the additional hate) Curious for some examples as someone low-information on the subject.
Yes. It is fairly common for SS volunteers to settle on the Faroes after falling in love with the culture. They go to fight against barbarians who torment whales for fun and sport, but find kind hearted people who utilize an abundant food source in the most humaim way possible. Also there are other anti whaling-organisations whose members are civil.
There are three types of lies. The main ones are attacks on the Faroese people, how they enjoy blood sport, and torturing animas. These are aimed at everyone but men get a few special ones like how rape and spousal abuse is rampant on the Faroes. Secondly there are lies about the slaughter itself, how long it takes, how much suffering there is etc. And lastly there are factual lies. That pilot whales are on the brink of extinction and that the Faroes kill like 90% of them without eating the meat.
Paul isn’t out harassing inuit communities. Do you know why? Because inuit communities practice ACTUAL sustenance hunting, not a tradition of slaughter dressed up as “culture”. Do not disgrace actual caretakers of the land to cover up your barbarism
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289731260_The_Faroes_Grindadrap_or_Pilot_Whale_Hunt_The_Importance_of_it's_'Traditional'_Status_in_Debates_with_Conservationists
I can’t speak on all inuit communities, but I know enough to know that you are ignorant.
I know that Greenlanders are allowed to hunt whales of varying degrees of endangerment with traditional tools in small numbers in order to preserve cultural heritage.
This is less sustainable and surely less humane than Faroese practices. Whether it’s worth persevering the heritage is a completely different question.
The reason why SS target the Faroes is because if the gory images of slaughtering in the open combined with the general ignorance of the rest of the would on the topic.
There are many nations that do whaling, none of whom do it more humanely than the Faroes, yet only a few are harassed by SS, and none to the same degree.
"how dare you call us out for the horrific things we’re doing ". Like you don’t even pretend it’s fake.
Hey, you don’t like people shitting on your country? How about you make them stop slaughtering whales for no fucking reason.
Like, I’m sorry, am I supposed to feel bad that people are rightfully calling you out for that shit? Is your country not a modern, functioning society? Are you really incapable of shedding these pointless barbaric traditions, and would rather just cry about it when someone dares to call you out?
Let me guess, “I refuse to discuss this with you” or whatever. Like you response to the other person.
I’m beginning to think you have more at stake in this than just being from the same country. I’m from the US, dude, my country is shit and there’s a million things to criticize it for… And you can’t even admit the one thing your home is known for is barbaric
Have you actually looked into the topic or are you simply assuming? The Faroese regulations on whaling are extensive, from what methods are allowed to beach the whales to how the killing is to be done so it’s quick.
Then you should really focus on the complete absence of any animal protection laws in the US, instead. The Faroese didn’t even blink when outlawing the traditional way to kill the whales in favour of spinal lancing, yes of course whales bleeding out in shallow bays is a gruesome sight. And they own that, while risking their lives driving the whales in small boats.
Meanwhile, US consumers are safely isolated from the absolutely abhorrent conditions their food is produced under. The bloody bays aren’t avoidable, they come (literally) with the territory. Chicken rotting while still alive because they’re so tightly packed and hygiene isn’t an issue because you’re chlorinating them anyway is avoidable.
It’s you, here, who’s alienated from how food is produced, not the Faroese.
Why would I engage with you? It’s a waste of my time and yours.
Take it as a victory if you want. It doesn’t bother me.