Cultural Clues Revealed through Environmental Reaction

The issue of animal cruelty in the greater sphere of environmental problems has often at times had the power to bring people, communities and even nations together in an effort to change the dynamics of a most negative aspect of our increasingly complex relationship with the natural world. For the purpose of this paper, I will focus on two separate issues in Asia regarding animal welfare: their exploitation and the negativeenvironmental impact. In particular, I will look at recent events concerning the poaching of the Tibetan antelope, an animal indigenous to the Tibetan plateau of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of the People\u27s Republic of China (PRC) and the coastal whaling of cetaceans (dolphins and other small whales) centered in Taiji village, Wakayama prefecture, Japan. Two motion pictures, the 2004 Chinese-produced filmKekexili: Mountain Patrol set in Tibet, and the 2009 American-produced film The Cove focusing on the village of Taiji, Japan, are the primary resources for this paper. Secondary sources, including film reviews,interviews and newspaper articles, are intended to give the reader some background as to the reception these two films received in their respective countries and to what extent these films have influenced the response to these issues. Additionally, a class survey was conducted in order to gage university-level students\u27 attitudesconcerning the consumption of particular animals, and also towards their feelings about animal welfare. The general perception of Japan, as a democratic, free and open society, and of China, as a closed, regulated and controlled society, has helped create a misperception that underlies the inability for us, the lay observer, to truly understand the cultural identities of these two geopolitically important nations. The traditional views of Japan and China reveal a surprising revelation when we take into consideration these two environmentalissues and the reaction and the response of their citizens. As we will see, these reactions are not just an anomaly, but rather, a more honest representation of these two countries\u27 cultural norms when put to the ultimate test