The world is like a chess game new!
Now, 8 months have passed in 2021, but in this extraordinary year, although chaos and turmoil have become the "main theme", there are many jokes and scandals.
On September 2, Japan was caught in a "whirlpool of scandals," and India showed the world the joke.
First, too cruel! Japan's Dolphin Bay began its hunting season, with 10 dolphins caught on the first day.
On September 1, local time, Japan's "Dolphin Bay" and The town of Taiji in Sakayama Prefecture once again opened the hunting season for small cetaceans such as dolphins and shortfin pilot whales, and the activities will continue until next spring.
In the early hours of the same day, 12 fishing boats set off from Taiji Town and trapped a group of dolphins in the Bay Area by means of encirclement and driving in the offshore area of 7 kilometers offshore, capturing a total of about 10 bottlenose dolphins.
According to local fishermen, the most beautiful dolphins caught will be sold to dolphinariums from home and abroad, while the remaining dolphins will be slaughtered on the spot, and the edible dolphin meat will be sold to restaurants and schools.
Such a cruel act has also made the international community very disgusted. Therefore, whenever the "dolphin hunting season" in Japan arrives, "anti-whaling" groups will come to protest, and the local police will put a warning on the protest groups.
What is clear is that "whaling" is not a pleasant act.
Especially after the release of the documentary "Dolphin Bay", the tragic scene of dolphins being caught and killed by Japanese fishermen deeply stung the hearts of people around the world.
But despite this, why did the Japanese government risk being condemned by global public opinion and sanctioned by international organizations to resolutely withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC)?
In my opinion, there are at least 3 reasons.
First, Japan has a strong whaling culture and is constantly strengthening education.
As early as 675 AD, due to the "meat ban order" issued by the Japanese government at that time, terrestrial livestock were no longer allowed to eat. Since then, eating whale meat has become a habit and has gradually developed into a traditional Japanese culture.
To this day, whale meat festivals are held throughout Japan to continue whaling culture. What's more, primary and secondary schools will be invited to organize students to visit whaling and watch whales undoing, and call it "the glorious history of Japan's conquest of the sea".
Second, although the edible value of whale meat has decreased, it is still profitable.
After whales are slaughtered, there are two main purposes, one is to refine whale oil, and the other is to sell whale meat. Among them, due to the many alternatives to edible oil at present, the commercial value of whale oil has been minimal.
However, whale meat is still in a good market due to the influence of Japanese culture. It is worth mentioning that whale meat now exceeds the standard of multiple metals, especially the mercury content can exceed the standard by a thousand times, and the value of whale meat is also decreasing.
However, due to the demand for dolphinariums, aquariums and underwater parks around the world, good-looking dolphins can still sell at high prices. Because of this, whaling has become what local fishermen call an "indispensable" livelihood.
Third, withdrew from the IWC and promoted whaling culture, the Japanese government played a "disgraceful" role.
Although no more than 5% of the population eats whale meat on a daily basis in Japan, the proportion of people who support whaling is as high as 90%.
Because of this, "whaling" has become closely related to Japan's national sentiment, and in order to cater to public opinion, the attitude of Japanese politicians to whaling is naturally self-evident.
More importantly, Japan's whaling industry has become a "community of bureaucratic interests."
Similar to the U.S. arms system, Japan's whaling industry has both government agencies such as the Fisheries Agency, academic organizations such as the Cetacean Research Institute, and, of course, large corporations such as Kyodo Shipping Corporation.
In short, in the face of such a large interest organization, any treaty concluded by the international community to protect the diversity of cetaceans has become a "dead letter" in The eyes of Japan.
As for dolphins, which are "humane" creatures, in the face of Japan's selfish national character, they can only dye "Dolphin Bay" red with blood in pain and despair.
However, compared with the cruelty of Japanese whaling, India's excessive protection of "cattle" not only failed to make people feel warm, but also made the world see the joke.
Second, the "Cow Protection Act" was submitted, and the Indian judge asked the government: Let the cow become a "national beast"!
On September 1, an Indian judge dismissed a man's bail application for alleged slaughter of a cow on March 8 of this year.
In response to the verdict, The judge, Yadav, from the High Court of Allahabad, India, wrote in his refusal: "You cannot deprive you of life for the sake of taste buds, the right to life is higher than the right to kill, and eating beef can never become a fundamental right." ”
In addition, the judge also submitted a "cattle protection bill" to the Indian parliament to punish those who included "hurting cattle with words" and asked the Modi government to declare that cattle must be declared "national beasts".
I have to say that in the eyes of the people of other countries, this bizarre incident may be very ridiculous. But in the eyes of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I am afraid that there is some headache.
First, the only one who regards cattle as "sacred beasts" is Hinduism. However, as a multi-ethnic country, India has as many as 5 major religious beliefs in the country, and Hinduism is only one of the more powerful.
Therefore, the Indian judge's proposal is bound to cause dissatisfaction among Indians who believe in other religions. Religious conflict is looming, and bloodshed is inevitable.
Second, due to the already decentralized political structure, the power of the central government in India is not concentrated, and the local state government still has greater autonomy. Therefore, strengthening the centralization of power has always been the long-cherished wish of successive Indian prime ministers.
Today, however, only 20 states in India have enacted legislation prohibiting "cattle slaughtering", and 8 states have not considered it yet. Therefore, if the central government hastily declares a "national beast", it will intensify local contradictions and india will also be in danger of splitting.
Third, as one of the followers of Hinduism, Modi was able to successfully elect prime minister by inciting Hindu nationalism represented by the religion.
But while Modi wants to unify India through Hinduism, that doesn't mean it can be unbridled. On the contrary, India, which has suffered from the ravages of the epidemic, should now take "stability" as the primary premise.
It can be said that Modi's wanton use of nationalism has now been countered, which can be described as "lifting a stone and dropping it on his own feet".