Jackassalope

Whale Wars

My wife decided to hang out with some coworkers last night, which left me home alone with nothing to do. My idle hands finally found the second season premiere of The Discovery Channel's Whale Wars.

The show chronicles the efforts of Australian Whale activists as they try to disrupt the Japanese 'research' whaling season in the Antarctic. Aboard the aging ship, Steve Irwin, the activists attempt to stop the Japanese with homemade stink bombs and a constant barrage of threats.

Even though I disagree with this type of activism (the whalers are completely within their rights to be there, so the protesters are really borderline eco-terrorists), it is a gripping set up. I will say that the only reason the whalers are within their legal rights is because they conducting research, a facade and convenient loophole according the crew of the Steve Irwin. These extremely passionate people are putting their lives on the line to save the whales. They are risking the safety of the boat, the safety of the whalers, and the film crew. Of course everyone knows what they're getting into, but if something bad were to happen in the middle of the Antarctic, help would be a long ways away. Of course, this adds to the tension.

Whale Wars is like the Deadliest Catch with a cause. I enjoyed the drama and since I'm not an activist, I found it very intersting to get inside the psyche of these passionate people. I don't with their level of protest, but I probably end up watching the show anyways, thus supporting their cause indirectly.