To my surprise "The Cove", a movie that had been shot secretly and illegally, won an Oscar. Some Japanese commercial fishermen captured some dolphins which had damaged their traditional fishery and sold them for food. The fishermen didn't enjoy killing them, and have to protect their way of life. Dolphins often destroy their fishnets and eat fishes or clear fishes away from the coast. Dolphins are really a threat for people who eke out a living from coastal fisheries or depend on the sea. The movie, "The Cove", describes these people. The filmmakers illegally sneaked into an off-limits area and shot the movie.
An Oscar is a prize that the Hollywood-inhabitants, who esteem whales and dolphins more highly than human beings, select so I don't need to refer to it. However, I wondered how much bias they have! What stupid racial discrimination they have!
Australian people kill more than three million kangaroos, which do harm to their crops, a year. The U.S. people kill huge numbers of cattle for their main food. They sometimes claim that dolphins are clever. I know, of course. Then, they'd like to insist that stupid creatures can be killed meaninglessly, would they? How about China and Korea which have the tradition of eating cats and dogs?
The arrogance of western people hasn't changed at all since 15th century. Come to think of it, today is one of the anniversaries in the history of human beings. Do you know who was the first to kill more than 100,000 citizens in one night since recorded history?
(Vocabulary)
secret filming（ビデオカメラによる）盗撮
a commercial fisherman 漁業関係者
fisherman （娯楽としての）釣り人 （という意味もある)
fishnet 漁網
eke sth out
eke out a living/an existence 何とか生計を立てる, 細々と生活する
fisherman who depends on the sea その海に生計を頼っている漁師
inshore adv. 海岸近くに, 海岸に向かって; adj.海岸に近い, 沿岸の
coastal [coast] fishery 沿岸漁業
off-limits area 立ち入り禁止区域
inhabitant one of the people who live in a particular place:
esteem …を尊敬する, 評価する
highly esteem sb ＜人＞を高く評価する
refer to sb/sth ＜…＞に言及する, 触れる
cattle (集合的に) 牛, 畜牛
驚いたことに、盗撮フィルムがオスカーを取った。漁業に打撃を与えるイルカの漁を盗撮したものだ。イルカを獲るために遠洋まで出かけていくのではなく、イルカに生活を脅かされている沿岸漁民が生きるためのすべだ。人間よりイルカや鯨が大事だと思っているようなハリウッドの住人が選ぶ賞なので、大騒ぎする必要はないが、それにしてもこの人種差別はどうだろう。
作物に害を与えるという理由で毎年３００万頭のカンガルーを虐殺するオーストラリア、牛を主食とするアメリカなど、白人が主張できるような内容だろうか。イルカが賢いというのなら、賢くない動物は殺しても良いと言うことだろうか？犬を食べる伝統のある、支那や朝鮮、猫を食べる支那はどうだ？
白人の傲慢さ、１５世紀から何も変わってはいない。そういえば今日は人類が初めて一晩に１０万人を虐殺した日だった。
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