So turns out, in my case, never trying dolphin meat was actually a step in the direction of self-preservation.
However, this is not the only seafood that contains dangerously high levels of mercury. According to the Natural Resources Defence Council, one of the most common ways in which people are exposed to mercury is through tuna fish. In fact, if I (weighting 125lbs/57kg) were to eat just one can of tuna per week I would be exceeding the safe level of mercury ingestion outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Makes my tuna salad look quite a bit less appealing...
"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women made for men."
~ Alice Walker
Recently, my life has changed quite dramatically. In one very important respect, I have lost my blissful ignorance. My eyes have been opened, and, despite how much I might want to, I can't close them again. I am haunted by my knowledge of reality.
I can no longer peacefully wander through the grocery store. I can't happily order my usual Hawaiian pizza. I can't lust over skilfully crafted leather wallets at Fossil. I am now painfully aware of the fact that as I go through my daily life I am continuously surrounded by and ingesting the carcasses of tortured and slain animals. I can't do it any more.
Of course, I have always generally known where meat and other animal products come from and, aside from a year-long stint in my teens, I have not been a vegetarian. So, now you are probably wandering what brought about this sudden and drastic change of perspective. Simple. I watched Earthlings.
EARTHLINGS
is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food,
fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most
persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for
its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory
farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses
and research labs.
The
film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music
by platinum-selling recording artist Moby. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets
people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell
three.”
In
1999, writer/producer/director Shaun Monson began work on a series of PSAs
about spaying and neutering pets. The footage he shot at animal shelters around
Los Angeles affected him so profoundly that the project soon evolved
into EARTHLINGS. The film would take another six years to complete because of
the difficulty in obtaining footage within these profitable industries. Though
the film was initially ignored by distributors, who told Monson that the film
would “never see the light of day and should be swept under the rug,” today
EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations
around the world.
Although seeing the magnitude of suffering depicted in this film was very difficult for me, I made it to the end by continually reminding myself that embracing ignorance is never a solution. It is never the way towards a better future.
So, now I know the horrible details of this reality. Initially, this knowledge was nothing but upsetting. However, after a period of reflection, I have been able to harness it and adopt an alternative way of being in the world which brings me peace. A way in which I am no longer part of the problem. A way in which I am doing the least harm possible. A better way.
Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power.
So, please, take this opportunity to empower yourself.
Although most South African's have wholeheartedly embraced Nelson Mandela's vision of a multicultural rainbow nation, some right-wing Afrikaans extremist groups continue to promote racist discourses and insist that they are not a part of the new South Africa.
The following documentary, Afrikaner Blood, provides a shocking view into a boys camp run by the group Kommandokorps (led by old-apartheid leader Franz Jooste) at which Afrikaans teenagers are indoctrinated with Apartheid ideals and taught to defend themselves and their families against South African crime. The fact that these young boys have not been allowed to embrace the freedom of the country that they were born into is nothing less than a tragedy.
So you think music videos are harmless... think again.
Dreamworlds 3, a ground breaking documentary by Sut Jhally, examines the stories contemporary music videos tell about girls and women, and encourages us to consider how these narratives shape individual and cultural attitudes about sexuality.
Illustrated with hundreds of up-to-date images, Dreamworlds 3 offers a unique and powerful tool for understanding both the continuing influence of music videos and how pop culture more generally filters the identities of young men and women through a dangerously narrow set of myths about sexuality and gender. In doing so, it inspires us to reflect critically on images that we might otherwise take for granted.
Warning: The following images are not for the faint of heart, but it is nothing you wouldn't see on MTV...
