Please watch The Cove


Tonight we went over to our friends' house and watched The Cove, a gripping documentary about the slaughter of 23,000 dolphins every year in Japan. "The secret is out" the creators of this film declare, and it's about time. Seriously, I'm freaked out about this right now. I know I sound like an informerical, but the horrific slaughter of these peaceful, beautiful, brilliant animals is absolutely enraging, revolting, and heartbreaking. People need to know this is going on, and beyond that the film is also a story about mercury poisoning, government corruption, and the potential depravity of commerce. As well as an action-packed story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The horrors take place in this cove, a lovely little place that should be a treasure of nature, instead destroyed by mindless massacre. Until the waters turn blood red with innocent creatures' lives.





We will not keep out any longer.


Find out more:
Save Japan Dolphins
Discussion with the filmmakers
movie review
Sign the petition





Comments

Kelsie Lynn said…
The Cove. yes. amazing. crazy/terrible/excellent doc!
January 13, 2010 at 12:52 AM
boots said…
Oh no! shocking. im gonna netflix it
January 13, 2010 at 5:38 AM
Amy Beatty said…
Matt and I just watched it Sunday night. It was so good, but it does make you think of all the other poor animals in the slaughter. Plus all the freaking mercury!!! So awful. I thought the movie was so amazing though. They did such a good job. I loved everyone involved. The phrase of the night, "You are either an activist or inactivist!" Makes you think. And what about all those poor fishys in the sea, and how they are going to run OUT!! I hated the part where they showed the poor kids with mercury poison. I just can't believe how awful- we- people are. Why in the world would they want to make the school kids eat that meat? They know what can happen!
I could write about this movie forever, but I'll wait so we can talk about it forever. Love you so much xoxo
January 13, 2010 at 7:01 AM
moonshinejunkyard said…
Yeah Amy, the part about seafood was really disheartening since so many people love to go to sushi and stuff, that is creating a demand on our oceans that cannot possibly be met. I sort of got the feeling that people should not eat fish unless they need to, unless they are part of the populations of the earth that actually rely on it. we are so lucky to be able to be vegetarian, and i will admit that after a documentary like that, which of course makes you think about all the many ways various species are treated horrifically, it is good to simply opt out of animal cruelty, or try to. still, activism requires more than just passive sitting out. i loved that line too. ugh, i could go on and on, it is so crazy the many ways humans have harmed this earth. and it is so good to get woken up, in any way possible, which is one of the reasons i loved this documentary.
January 13, 2010 at 9:44 AM
mattbeatty said…
Glad you're hawking this Heather. A great activist doc. We really loved it--brings you to tears too, that part where the wounded dolphin comes flapping over to them through the nets and everything, then just goes under . . . so heartwrenching.

The conversation the fishermen had about seeing "whales from horizon to horizon" off South America was saddening, sad how we're diminishing our lovely land is whatever ways possible (i'm hurting for the Haitians today too and their sadly destroyed and deforested land).

My only (minor) complaint is how villainized and dehumanized the fisherman were made out to be. There truly is an element of tradition and trade in what they do. THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT OKAY. I'm just saying, these folks are people too. You could see it in the Japanese police force--they seemed very polite (maybe a little exasperated) and amiable.

I recommend this to all. I'M A PROUD ACTIVIST!
January 13, 2010 at 10:07 AM
moonshinejunkyard said…
Yeah, Matt, i bought into the villainized fishermen part because i just could not sympathize with their total lack of feeling or emotion. laughing when the diver woman goes by crying after seeing the dying struggling dolphin, and even their stories that you mentioned, so proud that they helped decimate that enormous whale population....going on and on about something beautiful that they had to destroy...makes me question what turns off in the brain to allow for that. the two councilmen who stood up for what is right, now those are heroes. you're right though, perhaps there were indeed fishermen or ONE at least who cared, who stood back, who felt emotion with the killing, who sort of secretly wishes to end it but feels his job relies on it, yeah, we never see that so it's easy to think the fishermen are heartless. and i really have a hard time with that aspect, whether or not it is tradition. NOT a fan of traditions that rely on cruelty, murder, rampant bloodshed. i'm sure if there were a tradition of dolphin killing carried over from ancient times it was not on such a massive scale, why would it be? that has to do with commerce, greed, consumption, and power.

anyway, point taken absolutely, i rarely buy into anything oversimplified but this one obviously just cut me to the heart.
January 13, 2010 at 10:43 AM
mattbeatty said…
And anyway, that was just kind of a sidenote, an afterthought. i feel the same way as you, that the corruption, the razorwire, the secrecy etc. show they know what they're doing is unacceptable, controversial, and still they're doing it. I don't believe or buy into this, just going for the whole "other side of the story" thing. Anyway, I'm glad for the heroic documenters who put their all into this and risked being jailed and so forth.
January 13, 2010 at 10:52 AM
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