Two weeks ago I saw three episodes of Whale Wars. This was the first that I had sat down and watched the show. I came away with a few impressions that I found disturbing and depressing.
1) Watson is doing more harm than good.
I don't agree with harvesting any animal when it is unsustainable. Period. And I have no problem harvesting animals from populations that can support it. I support many environmental causes. But what I saw was a prime example of how environmentalists are given a bad name.
Like it or not, there is a stereotype of environmentalists, and it is one that the general public finds easy to dismiss - hippy / smelly / overzealous / irrational / hemp wearing / etc. While I believe that the SS is drawing attention to the 'research' harvest of whales, I also believe that he and his crew are furthing the env stereotype. The way they conducted meetings, planning sessions, etc along with the crew getting blitzed having a cabin crawl made me think of the unprofessional unfocused environmentalists I have met and worked with that turn mainstream people away from a cause.
Yes, awareness of a problem is worth something. Raising the public consciousness about an issue like illegal whaling is admirable. The methods used by Watson and the SS are criminal and negligent at worst and repulsively stereotypical at best.
We are having a debate and more people are talking about it, but it is a common theme to hear non-environmentalists, pro-environmentalists, and environmentalists alike describe the SS as a bunch of wahoos. Their actions, demeanor, exagerrated storytelling, and the like are hard for anyone other than a fringe group to understand. That group was already supporting them. Anyone who watches and is undecided is forced to see a raw form of the stereotype brought to life. It sickens me to know that many are pushed away from being more active/supportive in anything environmental because of the SS.
2) Watson shouldn't be the captain of a rubber ducky in his bathtub.
In the few short hours of WW that I watched, I couldn't believe the level of incompetence shown. I saw a ship not rated for ice poorly navigating into waters with iceburgs have to back up (and risk getting stranded by breaking props) because the hull couldn't take more impacts with the ice. On top of that I saw the 'captain' order the two newest volunteer 'crew members' to go into the lowest holds of the ship armed with ....(couldn't really tell if they had any equipment, certainly looked scared as though they had NO training and NO experience) ... to not let the water get in. Yes, to not let the water get in from the ICEBURGS that were pushing in the hull from incompetent decisions.
After that I saw them launch a smaller boat in such a way that you wondered if anyone had common sense. They even said to the camera 'we only got to practise this a little, and it was calm then'........ Totally unsafe.
When the launched boat finally got in the water, they could not perform simple navigation and headed in the wrong direction. Some crew members on board thought this was funny (remember the hippy irrational unprofessional stereotype that I mentioned was being reinforced...).
When the launched boat stopped communicating w/ the SS, the SS did not react. It did not alter course, and crew members started to either cry or pontificate that everyone was willing to die for a whale. Again, this level of ridiculousness can't help but raise the awareness of how incompetent the 'hippy enviro wackos' are to the mainstream. I actually yelled at the tv screen - 'you friggin @#%&^, call the launched boat back when they are clueless and lost, and at the very least alter your course to rescue them from icy waters after the likely capsize their boat in miserable conditions'. Sarcasm - glad they are brining attention to their cause........
Yes, Watson and the SS are 'gaining awareness', but I think the price is ultimately being paid by those who productively work on environmental issues.
I am sure there are a lot of "couch" activists that dump $$ into his account.
