Jun 8 2012: I agree with you that zoos are a good way to help people connect to animals outside of natural settings. However, I feel like sometimes zoos can also let people see animals in captivity that they then want to see in their natural environment. Zoos should work to conserve species outside of the zoo because although having rare and endangered species breeding and living in captivity is a good way to educate people and keep an organism present in the world, if species disappear from their natural environment having some left in captivity won't really help that species.
Jun 6 2012: I agree with you Trevor that we need to start with ourselves in order to start forwarding these causes. We are the generation of future leaders and if our mindset is of one that the world may actually be able to change, then I think possibility of change could become a reality. Also along the lines of the original question, in order to bring conservation to the forefront of politics and social discussions, something first needs to be done to inform people of the issues of conservation. If people don't know, they don't care. This is where the media aspect of conservation comes into play, the more media coverage an issue has, the more people know about it and the more potential for people to care and want to do something to help create change.
Jun 5 2012: Matthew
I agree with you that not all extremist tactics can nor should they be considered terrorism. In regards to your last comment about how once the media gets ahold of the actions extremist preform they get turned into a one-sided argument about how corporations were hurt, do you think this is always the case no matter what the extremist act? Is there anyway for extremists to somehow communicate with the media so that their tactics were portrayed in a positive way that can inform the public of the issue at hand?
Jun 5 2012: It is true, the Sea Shepherd did only throw stink bombs. This example was used because of the amount of people who have heard about or have seen this show.
In regards to your last question, I agree with you that I would likely also feel the need to physically stop people the people responsible. However, I would also likely have to ask myself if there a way to somehow physically stop the killing without becoming violent? On that note though, I honestly cannot say what I would do in that situation because I am not in it, and I am a true believer in until you are in a situation you don't really know how you will react.
Do you think their actions will bring attention to the issue or will it just bring attention to their actions? Is there a way to make sure that extreme actions that grab the world's attention are able to also inform the world of the issue at hand and not just have to focus be on the actions they just preformed?
Jun 5 2012: It is true that some targets of extreme activism are themselves causing extreme damage however what about the case of extremists poisoning POM juice to protest for animal rights. Were the consumers of this poisoned juice guilty of extreme destruction? In this case, is it possible there was a better way to try and stop the selling of the juice? Possibly by educating the public on POM's use of animals?
Jun 5 2012: Has whale wars made people of the United States more aware of the subject of whaling or has it has it made people more aware of the actions some people take against whaling ships? What I mean is, do you think that this show has made the general public more knowledgeable on the subject or when they see this show do they just remember the actions of the activists and not what they are actually fighting to stop?
Jun 1 2012: Sometimes people won't listen to peaceful methods because they are too "quiet". Is there a way to make people care and have issues be heard in a peaceful way? Although people mostly remember the antics of the people on the show, they remember that they are preforming these to try and stop whaling. Therefore, are these extreme antics not also contributing to the fight against whaling in a positive way by making people aware of the issue?
Do you think that extremist are the only ones stepping up to the plate, or are their actions the only ones that are widely publicized due to the outcomes of their actions? Is there a way for both voices to be heard as well as encourage others to join the fight using less extreme tactics?
May 31 2012: Drew
This is a great connection! I agree with you that the last two points are significant in regards to the topic of eco-terrorism. I think that the first point can also be applied to eco-terrorism, in the way that these extreme acts have the potential to inaccurately portray environmental activism efforts
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A reply on Conversation: Do zoos help biodiversity conservation?
A reply on Conversation: From ivory tower to prison cell: How can we bring conservation efforts to the public?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
I agree with you that not all extremist tactics can nor should they be considered terrorism. In regards to your last comment about how once the media gets ahold of the actions extremist preform they get turned into a one-sided argument about how corporations were hurt, do you think this is always the case no matter what the extremist act? Is there anyway for extremists to somehow communicate with the media so that their tactics were portrayed in a positive way that can inform the public of the issue at hand?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
In regards to your last question, I agree with you that I would likely also feel the need to physically stop people the people responsible. However, I would also likely have to ask myself if there a way to somehow physically stop the killing without becoming violent? On that note though, I honestly cannot say what I would do in that situation because I am not in it, and I am a true believer in until you are in a situation you don't really know how you will react.
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
Do you think their actions will bring attention to the issue or will it just bring attention to their actions? Is there a way to make sure that extreme actions that grab the world's attention are able to also inform the world of the issue at hand and not just have to focus be on the actions they just preformed?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
Do you think that extremist are the only ones stepping up to the plate, or are their actions the only ones that are widely publicized due to the outcomes of their actions? Is there a way for both voices to be heard as well as encourage others to join the fight using less extreme tactics?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
This is a great connection! I agree with you that the last two points are significant in regards to the topic of eco-terrorism. I think that the first point can also be applied to eco-terrorism, in the way that these extreme acts have the potential to inaccurately portray environmental activism efforts