太地に来て思うこと
この2年間、色んな本を読み、色んな所に行きながら考えたことの中で、自分なりに結論が出たことがいくつかある。
一つは、今月9月から太地町で始まった追い込み漁で話題のイルカとクジラについて。
今日の泊まりは、イルカ漁で国際的に話題の太地。
どうしても当地に来て確認したいことがあった。
"太地ではイルカ肉をいつでも手に入れることが出来るのか？"
大きな街では無いので、数軒あるだけのスーパーを巡ってみた。
結果、今の季節という限定が付くのだろうけど、街中のどのスーパーに行ってもイルカの肉は売っていなかった。
一方、オーストラリアではどこの街に行っても、スーパーでいつでもカンガルー肉を売っている。
そして、日本では太地ですらイルカ肉を自由に手に入れることは出来ない。
オーストラリアでは、さらに野生コアラが増えすぎて、先月700匹を安楽死させたという。
哺乳類を分類すると、「ホモサピエンス（人）」と「それ以外」になる。
イルカやクジラは、「それ以外」に属し、その中にあって「賢くて人間の友達だから残酷な漁をしたり食べたりしてはいけない」というのが、欧米人の意見。
この賢いという度合いが非常に曖昧。
どの種類の哺乳類までが賢いのか全く不明確。
少なくとも、欧米人が盛んに食している牛は賢くないのだろう。
そして、オーストラリアでは、どの街のスーパーに行っても必ずカンガルーの肉を売っているので、カンガルーは賢くなくて、人間の友達でも無いのだろう。
ホモサピエンス（人）も、過去の歴史を見れば、「白人」と「それ以外」に分類されてきた。
賢いか否かという観点で、白人が、黒人や我われ黄色人種に対し迫害や差別、さらには侵略を行ってきたのは歴史上の事実。
イルカが可哀想と言う発想は、牛は賢くないから食べても良いという差別/区別に直結している。
どこまでが賢い動物なのか明確な”区別”が出来ない類の基準は、欧米が過去の歴史の中で過ちを犯してきた”差別”の根元になっていると思っている.
恐らく、欧米人にとって、白人やイルカ＆クジラは賢くて、過去や現在の事実から考えれば黒人や黄色人種にカンガルー＆コアラは賢くないのであろう。
イルカ漁に抗議するシーシェパードなど欧米人の意見を聞くたびに、欧米人は人種差別に対する自分達の過去の過ちから未だに脱することが出来ていないと私は理解している。
自分の結論は以下。
「人間と同じ種類である哺乳類は全て食べない」と言う意見なら、大いに傾聴に値する。
動物性たんぱく質は、哺乳類では無い鳥などで取ることが出来る。
しかし、「イルカやクジラの代替えを考えるべき」と言うのなら、「牛肉や豚肉の代替えを考えるべき」と言う発想を欧米人に持って貰いたい。
少なくとも、ハンバーガーを食べながら「イルカ漁は止めるべき」と言う人は、論理が矛盾している。
賢いか否かで動物を区別する欧米人の考え方は、人種差別と言う過去の大罪の延長線上にあると早く気が付いてほしい。
人類が生きていくために求めた動物性たんぱく質の取り方は、それぞれの国や環境の中で先人達の知恵として培ってきた文化でもある。
欧米人は牛、日本人はクジラだった。
この夏に太地へ行き、クジラ博物館を訪れて思ったのは、「この巨大な生き物は日本人に豊富な食を与えてきた」と言うこと。
それは、海洋国の日本にとって、欧米の牛と何ら変わるところは無い。
2015年6月11日Facebookに9月6日分を統合＆加筆
My thought by visiting “Taichi”
Today, I visit “Taichi” which receives attentions from the world as the
fishing port of Dolphin.
I have one thing which I really want to confirm by coming here.
That is “whether Dolphin meat is available in Taichi”.
Because I have never seen Dolphin meat at any places in Japan before.
Taichi is a small port town with only a few super markets, and I visited
all.
As a result, no Dolphin meat were found out in any super markets (at least
in this season).
On the other hands, Kangaroo meat is available at super markets of any
town in Australia at any time.
And, we cannot get Dolphin meat even in Taichi, Japan as above mentioned.
Additionally, there is the news that 700 Koalas were put down (killed)
last month in Australia because there are too many in the wild.
Westerners (Europeans & American) say that it is pitiful to fish and
kill Dolphins in Taichi, because they are “clever” Mammalia and friends
of human.
But, we Japanese do not understand why it
is accepted that Kangaroos and Koalas are killed even though they are lovely
and friends of human.
Mammalia are divided “Human Being” and “Others”.
Dolphins & Whales belong to “Others” in
Mammalia.
And, Westerners assert that Dolphins &
Whales must not be fished and eaten because they are clever and friends of human.
But, this “clever” is fuzzy classification.
It is unclear which Mammalia is clever or
not.
At least, for Westernerrs, Cows might not be clever because of main foods.
And, Kangaroos might not be clever and friends of human because Kangaroo
meat are available at any super markets in Australia.
“Human Being” also had (has) been divided “Whites”
and “Others”.
It was true history that Whites made the persecution,
the discrimination and the invasion to “Colored”, Blacks and us/Yellows by the
point of view which they were “clever” or not.
I do not understand the criteria of “clever”.
Maybe from the Westerner point of view, “Whites” and “Dolphins & Whales”
might be clever, and “Colored” and “Cows, Kangaroos & Koalas” might
not be clever.
Therefore, I understand that Westerner did discriminate
to “Colored” and do kill “Cows, Kangaroos & Koalas”.
Every time I hear the asserting of Westerner & Sea Shepherd about Dolphins
& Whales, I feel they have not be able to solve the past enormous guilt
of the discrimination by themselves to “Colored”.
I feel their guilt is not past story.
They have made the same guilt continuously
under their claims about Dolphins & Whales.
If Westerner, especially Sea Shepherd, say never to eat any kinds of Mammalia
which is in the same group of Human Being, it would be worth listening.
We could take the animal protein even from the
chicken, which is not Mammalia.
But, if Westerners assert that the alternative of Dolphins & Whales
should be searched, I would like to request them to have the idea of the
alternative to Beef & Pork.
At least, if they ask to stop fishing Dolphin and eat Hamburger at the
same time, it would be the logical inconsistent.
I would like to request them to understand that “the differentiation from
clever criteria” is connected directly to the past guilty of the discrimination
to “Colored” by “White”.
How to take the animal protein which was
the essential foods to survive, it is the one of the culture which was the earlier
people cultivate under owns countries or circumstances.
It was Cows for Westerner, and was Whales
for Japanese.
And more, it is Dolphin for Taichi.
As the result I visited Whale Musium at Taichi this summer, I understood
that these great big Whales gifted a lot of meals to Japanese and me.
In Japan as the seafaring country, Whales are not different from Westerner’s
Cows as the cultural point of view.
*Notes (Basement of my consideration from my experience):
I’ve been growing up with eating Whale meat when I was child.
It was the valuable source to take the animal
protein for me.
Therefore I have not the feeling of Whales as human friends.
It is same feelings to Cows for Westerner.
I believe Taichi people has the same to Dolphins even now, because of their culture to eat Dolphins.
Although I have no experience to eat Dolphin meat, I fully understand Taichi minds.
By the way, Whale meat are not available at any super markets in Japan
nowadays.
They are available at very few restaurants in Japan.
I have a feeling of human friends to Kangaroos because they are lovely.
However, Australians eat their meats populary.
At the first time to visit Australia, I was surprised by it so much.
And, I understood that each country has each culture.
On June 11th, 2015 at Taichi