FINAL PROPOSAL: KILLING FOR COMMERCE

For my final I would like to take an in depth look at the questionable dolphin fishing practices that happen several times throughout the year in Japan. I have very little knowledge on the topic, but understand that it is becoming a larger social issue presently due to exposure from contemporary media. The unique moment in history in which we find ourselves has the ability to spread information worldwide over an extremely short period of time, faster than has ever been possible, because of invention of the internet. For my final paper I plan on making an in depth analysis of the 2009 documentary film The Cove, which illustrates the issue (albeit from a decidedly biased point-of-view, which I will take into account when writing the paper), and how widespread dissemination of the film made the issue visible and urgent. Then I plan on exploring how social media, like Twitter, has also played a crucial role in giving the issue a similar kind of global and current, immediate visibility that would have never been possible before the present time. I want to be sure to present both sides of the issue, taking into account the tradition of the Japanese people but also the rights of these animals themselves; from what others have related to me (although not necessarily animal experts by any means), dolphins are some of the smartest animals on the planet and what happens to them in these fishing scenarios is essentially murder. I will also present my own viewpoint and position on the topic, to frame where my own biases may lie (mostly for the benefit of my reader).