| Shark fin banned from Olympic menus | |
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| Mar 13, 2007 13:23 |   |
 | Thoughts on the invasion of the political correctness police? ************ BEIJING (AP) - Don't look for shark fin dishes on any official menus at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A national legislator said Tuesday that serving rare or exotic dishes sends out the wrong message about China. "Serving shark fin to foreign guests during the Olympic Games could greatly hurt China's national image, and officials should start to remove the dish from the dining table right now," Xu Zhihong, a deputy to the National People's Congress, told the state-run Xinhua news agency. Xu, the president of Beijing University, also warned restaurants against serving other unusual wildlife dishes - such as snakes - during the Olympics. He said it could irritate foreign guests and animal rights activists. "It is not only an environmental issue, but one that has a direct bearing on the image of Chinese people." Officials are using the Olympics as a way to promote China, and change well-entrenched behaviour. Campaigns have begun to curb spitting in public places, get hotel clerks and taxi drivers to speak English, and to teach people to line up. LINK TO STORY: http://www.cbc.ca/ |
| Mar 13, 2007 18:54 | #1 |
| Griz, Based upon a foreigners insight into manners and behavior of Chinese people, I think the Olympics are the perfect opportunity to improve China's image from the bottom up. I am weary of having to wrestle to climb aboard a bus in Wuhan City. In Chinese banks, when conducting a transaction, I hate when people just walk in front of you and talk louder than you (this happened 3 times in a span of less than 6 months). Worst of all being a pedestrian on a crowded road. Pedestrians are supposed touse the sidewalks (where they exist) to walk on. I was nearly run over by a speeding car when walking out the door of an internet cafe onto a sidewalk in Xiamen. It was my quick reaction thay averted catastrophe. As much good that is said about Chinese cultures, it is clear that 'manners' and 'orderly' behavior is amongst them. As it is now, China is a much freer society than I had thought it was. So free, in fact, the people and their 'old-fashioned' culture inhibits them from doing anything real good to change some of problems mentioned in your article. __Breeze__ |
| Mar 13, 2007 20:14 | #2 |
| Well, Griz, in the case of shark fin soup and other 'exotic' dishes, they've got the wrong motive, but the right action. This shouldn't be about China's image, but it is about protecting endangered species and the environment. I won't argue that animals have rights, that's absurd, and I despise the PC police as much as you do, but these animals have a role to play in a healthy ecosystem, and taking them out of that role will only result in badness for everybody. As for teaching everybody English, I can't stand that. First of all, people coming to China should learn at least a little survival Chinese. I can't stand people who tell me "I've lived here for 10 years and I still don't speak a word of Chinese" as if it's something to be proud of (this has happened to me). Secondly, what happens when these hotel clerks and taxi drivers come across a foreigner who doesn't speak English? Highly likely, especially when the Olympics arrive. Windenergy, sounds like you're hitting the wall. I recommend taking a short break from China. |
| Mar 13, 2007 22:51 | #3 |
| Agreed Chris, not for the PC police, but for preservation of endangered species it could be justified so long as the Chinese people willingly limit their consumption of traditional dishes. ...but I don't thinks of sharks as endangered; are they? ...I do know there are a number of "exotic" dishes with endangered ingredients, but I did not know shark was among them. The only issue I might have with your point of view, Chris, would be when the PC police control the environmental terms. ...and you are correct, Chris, in saying I believe strongly that the PC police are a destructive force; I have greater tolerance for governmentally imposed restrictions on speech. I am not certain I understood your post, WINDENERGY....but if you are saying that the Chinese are not as kind, gentle, and polite as you were led to believe - you may have a point in modern Chinese society. I can testify that China is nothing like it was when I first visited Amoy and Shanghai in 1978. I believe you can attribute your frustration to the ills of modernization. |
| Mar 14, 2007 03:53 | #4 |
| Griz, some species of shark are endangered, some are threatened. One serious problem is overfishing in general, and in the case of shark fins, this often involves catching every shark they can get, slicing off the fin, and dumping the still-living shark in the sea where it drowns (or the fish equivalent of drowning, at least). Ideally, yes, there would be a properly managed fishery, but there isn't, so I think that until the fishery can be managed properly, shark fin soup should definitely be off the menu. |
| Mar 14, 2007 07:09 | #5 |
| You are right Chris, there are many species of shark which are now endangered and I have actually witnessed personally the awful way these creatures are killed just for the fin. Your description was spot on. The only thing that drives this killing is the Chinese demand for the fin. If that stops then the shark can begin its long road to recovery. I disagree with the notion that animals don't have rights. What I find amazing is that people consider that they are the only things on this amazing planet who have rights. I personally think the Olympics is an over rated waste of time, but...if it can save the sharks then I say bring it on!! |
| Mar 16, 2007 13:50 | #6 |
| There has been a massive drop .shark populations in northern Australian waters as Chinese and Indonesian fishermen catch them for their fins and throw the body back...still trying to swim. I try to avoid going into restaurants which sell shark fin soup or display fins in their windows and I explain the western objection to my Chinese friends. |
| Mar 16, 2007 17:34 | #7 |
| This thread makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. If the Chinese want to abandon a traditional food for their own reasons, that's fine. But carpetbagging stinks anywhere in the world...no matter how sincere the carpetbagger's beliefs may be. |
| Mar 16, 2007 23:09 | #8 |
| True, Griz, but in this case it's not a matter of China's internal affairs, it's a serious environmental problem that affects many other people. If China were managing it's shark fishery in a sustainable manner, there'd be no problem. Unfortunately, management is lacking and neither sharks nor unscrupulous fishermen (don't mean to slander all fishermen- just those who bend or break the rules for the sake of making a quick buck) have much respect for national borders. |
| Mar 17, 2007 00:31 | #9 |
| ...I actually agree with you Chris...but I've seen many "serious environmental" issues prosecuted in the USA that make ABSOLUTELY no sense in reality...from the red tail hawk to the spotted owl. Many of those cases were based on fraudulent evidence...available only after the fact... ...even at that, the evidence remains entirely subjective and argumentative. Absolutely nothing goes to waste in nature, no matter how cruel the taking appears to be to civil society. Living in a wilderness area, I know this better than anyone - based on first hand observation of remains. If the Chinese what to take a stand - that is their decision. Our Western viewpoint, IMO, should have no weight. We should not stick our nose where it does not belong. Maybe we do not agree, but China has endured multiple millennia without "our wisdom." I trust the people and the Chinese leadership to make the correct decision on their own. |
| Mar 17, 2007 05:40 | #10 |
| Griz...perhaps you should do more research on the parlous state of the shark population before you accuse people of carpetbagging. I have worked in the industry and believe me there is no doubt about the serious decline in shark populations all around the world. On the day that the Chinese stop poaching sharks from the waters around my country and practically every other country around the world I will stop criticising them. Till then I will fight their stand in any way I can. The fact that they have taken shark fin off the menus for the olympics should tell you that they are fully aware that much of the world is against the practice. If they persist then they will also know that they can expect the criticism that will surely follow. I will definitely keep my nose out of their shark business when they are just eating their own sharks! |
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