Questions for Discussion:
1. Do you agree with the Norwegian and Japanese position on permitting the hunting of non-endangered species of whales as a cultural exemption?
I disagree with the Norwegian and Japanese position on permitting the hunting of non-endangered species of whales as a cultural exemption. However, my disagreement is based on my personal value of unnecessary killing of whales. Many people may hold a similar view on this, but not everyone agrees with it. The people whose food and income source are depending on hunting whales may disagree with it. I can understand the desperation of small fishing villages trying to survive and generate income to support their families, however, a cultural habit should not be a legitimate excuse for exemption, even though I do respect other cultures. In addition, there is a great possibility that some cultural elements are changeable as long as the people are willing to accept the changes, and in addition, they need to have …show more content…
What standards would be acceptable and could be used as measures of validity of cultural exemptions? Who should be given this authority to do so, and how the process of the implementations of the policies manifest the justice? The answers to these questions lay in forming an international panel. The people who serve on this panel should be democratically elected from different countries, mostly from the countries whose positions are neutral, however, I think there should be representatives from the countries that are directly affected too. The representatives who serve on the panel should include experts from different fields, such as international law, environmental scientists, cultural experts… They should demonstrate their cultural sensitivities and unbiased professional