By This week South Park featured an episode that spoofs the Japanese whaling issue that I have long been following here on the ROK Drop. Via Japan Probe the link to the episode is available here.
In true South Park style no one comes out of this episode looking good. I do love how South Park exposed Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd as the frauds that they are.
You can read more of my thoughts on the whaling issue here.
It is the sad reality. No mistake...
1:11 pm on October 30th, 2009 1
Don't confuse those who oppose whaling for the right reasons with those who use the issue to fund their anti-globalization campaign.
5:58 am on October 31st, 2009 2
When Sea Shepherds plans for a new reality television show with Animal Planet were announced – we had to the following to say about it:
"Perhaps one of the most chilling departures from the entire 40 year global eco movement was this year when Sea Shepherd traded it's last shred of dignity and credibility for the cameras of Animal Planet and thus began Eco-Edutainment Television, where media messaging and outright fabrication of events have subsumed the horrors of actual whaling. Where dead whales and story lines are traded with advertisements for SUV's and laundry detergent. This is a meeting of eco media and horror that never should have happened and now that it has will change the landscape of the global eco movement for years to come."
No truer words have been written about the ongoing embarrassment to the global eco movement that is Sea Shepherds Whale Wars.
We're not the only ones to take notice, popular culture commentators South Park decided to expose Sea Shepherd this week in what can only be described as "Skewering the Emperor with no clothes."
We have been covering Sea Shepherds media rise and mistakes for the past year in an ongoing series of blog posts. In one year Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd have managed to completely redefine the term for "conservation," taking the concept from quantifiable metrics for eco success to a series of often inane talking points and million dollar media spectaculars that leverage main stream media's desire to sell advertising as their conservation vehicle.
Meanwhile whales keep being killed, year after year, while Whale Wars ratings climb. It is high time we discuss and enable real and lasting conservation efforts. Reality television shows are not conservation, and fortunately South Park has just embedded that idea with the next generation of conservationists.
Sometimes the best way to enact conservation change is with a popular culture backlash.
Unfortunately Sea Shepherd is soon to announce a new reality television show with sharks in the coming weeks. We're pretty sure the folks at South Park are looking forward to that announcement as well, while the rest of the shark conservation world cringes at the prospect.
10:21 pm on December 29th, 2009 3
Please… "Eco-loons?" You've got to be kidding me; the loss of biodiversity in the ocean is resulting in the decline of coral reefs at an alarming rate. In less than 40 years the oceans are going to be one disgusting soup filled with oil, pesticides, plastics and almost no marine life. I guess the Sea Shepherds are still the crazy one's, huh?
11:59 pm on December 29th, 2009 4
You are bringing up subjects that have nothing to do with Japanese whaling. If you are worried about pollution in the oceans what the heck does that have to do with Japanese whaling? Biodiversity in the oceans has nothing to do with Japanese whaling either. The Japanese hunt whales that are not going extinct and are in fact having a population expansion:
http://rokdrop.com/2009/09/22/beat-takeshi-on-why…
Why doesn't Sea Shepherd go attack people dumping garbage in the oceans?
4:48 am on May 9th, 2010 5
Southpark is quite funny but some of the scenes maybe a bit too morbid even for adults.~"'
1:52 pm on September 8th, 2010 6
South Park is just exposing a conservation group that has lost its objective in a pile of dirty money, received from idiots who continue to watch the so called drama that happens on board the Sea Sheperd day to day. I am opposed to both whaling and reality shows therefore South Park's take on the issue was right up my alley.
7:16 pm on October 5th, 2010 7
southpark is great! the best cartoon that i have ever watched:.,