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Australian says "Save a Whale – Harpoon a Jap"

30-something years ago, a group of us were at a restaurant. One of my friends had a t-shirt that said, "Nuke The Blue Whales!"

A waitress came to our table and noticed the shirt. She asked, "Why nuke the blue whales?"

My friend responded, "That's so the Japanese won't get 'em!"

She nodded and said "oh," and walked off. She wasn't the brightest bulb on the marquee.
 

I don't understand your sentences. Could you please be more specific?
 
I just don't see what's a big deal in that sign. Japan (along with 2 other European nations) has been for whaling while many other countries are against that practice.
 
JerseyBoy said:
I just don't see what's a big deal in that sign. Japan (along with 2 other European nations) has been for whaling while many other countries are against that practice.
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I don't have any problem with the "save a whale" part. It is the second part that is troubling as Astroboy-san pointed out
But I have NEVER seen racist slogan "Harpoon XXX" in public space in Japan.

I don't intend to generalize a whole nation - Australia, but I can see that Australia must be quite a unique country to enjoy racist slogan .... as a joke or something ???
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There are a lot of stupid people in this world (a hell of a lot more than the opposite) and they sometimes follow other stupid people's misconstrued beliefs and feelings on a plethora of matters they are ignorant towards. They're not worth your time.

Racists are everywhere you can't go anywhere in this world without coming across one. In some locations they're the majority of the populace(like where I live), but in most places they are few and far between. You can't generalize an entire nation on the beliefs of one or a group of individuals. There are probably a lot of racists in Australia, but theres definitely a lot more who don't fit the category.

Is it just me or does Astroboy come off as a bit(or more) racist?
 
Drew-san said:
Is it just me or does Astroboy come off as a bit(or more) racist?
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Hmm, hard to tell for sure on an online forum, but I will just say he probably does not quite fit into the list of reasons why I love Japan.
 

Well, I think it is important to point out racism or any form of discrimination when you witness/experience it. Isn't it how the weak gain equal treatment? Voicing is the first step. What is more, on the net, such attempts do not put your life in danger. In normal life, you might get some sort of retaliation if you voice your opinion too strongly.

Drew-san said:
Is it just me or does Astroboy come off as a bit(or more) racist?
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I don't think he is racist. It is just his political view is slightly (slightly or not is a subjective matter ) leaned toward the right. Nothing wrong with that.
 
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grapefruit said:
I don't have any problem with the "save a whale" part. It is the second part that is troubling as Astroboy-san pointed out
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Well, I consider it a free speech (the First Amendment). No harm in that.
 
JerseyBoy said:
Well, I consider it a free speech (the First Amendment). No harm in that.
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Sure. we are just discussing if it is racist or not, right? We are not saying we should arrest this individual or that sort.
 
grapefruit said:
Sure. we are just discussing if it is racist or not, right? We are not saying we should arrest this individual or that sort.
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I cannot determine if that person was a racist or not by simply looking at that sign. My hunch is he is not. He could be just expressing his frustration or anger toward the Japanese policy toward whaling. Simply uttering Jap does not make that person a racist (some people even think it is a short hand for Japan).
 

I think the remark has the color of racism if we apply the definition given by Wikipedia.
 
JerseyBoy said:
Simply uttering Jap does not make that person a racist (some people even think it is a short hand for Japan).
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Sure, what the speaker has intended does not coincide with what listeners interpret from that. People choose words so that they do not get misunderstand. Only insisting on what you have meant by his speech is not true communication. The speaker has to give consideration to how others might perceive. Since there is a great chance of being misunderstood, people should avoid using words like Jap and ﾅｽx窶愿淞人.
 
The way Australian opposing against whaling is as disgusting as the Japanese whaling themselves. But in the end i have to stay on Japan's side because I have to endure racism anyway.
 
The speaker has to give consideration to how others might perceive. Since there is a great chance of being misunderstood, people should avoid using words like Jap and ﾅｽx窶愿淞人.
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they are using sina themselves..
 
It is my belief that the majority of the anti-whaling crowd don't really care that much about whales. What they do care about is using the whaling issue as a proxy to voice their hatred against Japan and as revenge for WW2.

Other countries engage in whaling too but it's only Japan that gets the heat when it comes to vicious hate-filled rhetoric that is bordering on racism.

Don't get me wrong, I am against whaling too. But at the same time, I am against eco-terrorists and the people who are in it just to hate against Japan.

Another irony is that I recently learned that Australia in its past hunted whales too and did it for good profit. Not that I'm saying it's okay to hunt whales now (because it's not) but I hate hypocrisy.
 
InvisibleSkyMagician said:
Another irony is that I recently learned that Australia in its past hunted whales too and did it for good profit. Not that I'm saying it's okay to hunt whales now (because it's not) but I hate hypocrisy.
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Past tense... Not hypocrisy.
 
I used to drive past wicked campers on my way to work - if you look at all the vans, pretty much every single one has a vile, disgusting and offensive comment on the back. At least maybe they have a sense of equality in that if someone looked at every single slogan on their vans they are bound to be offended by one of them.

I agree that there are some people in australia with racist views. I may be a lucky one however in that almost everyone I know is not of such a disposition. I have friends who have come from all over the world, people at my work have come from all over the world. It is a great thing to see all these cultures mix. And yes, you will inevitably come accross some tension - mainly due to communication misunderstandings. But I think one of the great things about this country is that when people take the time to look beyond the surface (and I think many do this), they forge some great relationships with people different from themselves and can learn things they never would have before.

Unfortunately with topics such as whaling in which some australians seem to have a passionate view - their judgement slips into petty meaningless and desctructive generalisations about a race. It is disgusting and I think many other australians agree with me.
 
Astroboy said:
Is this allowed in Australia ???? or simply a country of racists.
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Perhaps you've heard of this thing called "freedom of speech."

Of *course* it's allowed.

The nice thing, however, is that freedom of speech also allows everyone to realize what a total idiot one can be.
 
AJBryant said:
Perhaps you've heard of this thing called "freedom of speech."
Of *course* it's allowed.
The nice thing, however, is that freedom of speech also allows everyone to realize what a total idiot one can be.
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Then Of *course*, it's allowed in Japan and others, isn't it? - *Harpoon*
 
I'm Australian. I'm also a scientist. I don't agree with whaling but, this is nothing to do with race. I object to whaling by big factory ships from any country. If a village group wants to get a little boat and go out after a whale, kill it and bring it home to eat, then there is probably a need within that community. But to kill whales in such a painful and prolonged way for huge commercial profit is wrong. It was wrong when other countries (including mine) did it and it is still wrong.
On the racist question. I sadly do know some racists. Even sadder some of my relatives are racist - not my husband or adult children. These racists are poorly educated and ignorant and have never even met people from other cultures.
Only by education which occurs when we meet wonderful people from other cultures can we possibly hope to combat such stupidity as racism.
 

IF you are scientist, you better explain WHY whaling is wrong scientifically.

Because I am not interested in Australia, I don't care racism in the country, but I don't understand WHY Australian are killing Cattle for business as well as eating everyday, while they oppose Japanese whaling in international sea area.

I wish to hear the scientific explanation.
 

Australian camel cull plan angers animal welfare groupsCampaigners urge 'trigger-happy' Australian government not to shoot 6,000 camels causing chaos in Docker River
Australian camel cull plan angers animal welfare groups

I thought Australian Gov was busy on protesting Japanese Whaling in the ocean, but I didn't know that they plan to kill (just kill not for eating) 6,000 camels.
From my perspective, their mentality must be something unique.
 
If you had any intelligence at all you would realise that camels are not native to Australia and are responsible many species to go extinct. So culling these pests to save the rest of the environment is bad?

You really come up with some stupid arguments... And I am hoping that your mentality is unique...
 

Killing Kangaroos in Australia - News Report

I thought Kangarros are native specieis in Australia, but not Australian.
Plus both Kangroos and camels are key animals in zoo in Japan, and not defined as "pests".


Still allowed ?
 
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