Friday, May 9, 2014
Self-Reflection
This project definitely made me think about
sharks in a deeper perspective. I was already aware of the shark finning issue,
but I did not fully understand it. Also, given the fact that we live in the
Midwest, there is not much talk about shark attacks in this area. However,
sharks are a popular species that have made its mark around the world. There is
definitely a lack of understanding when it comes to these species, which leads
to the way that they are viewed in society. There is a strong speciesism
against these species because of how they are perceived. In order to combat
this problem, education and outreach is important in informing society about
the impact that sharks have to the community.
Moral Vision Statement
1.
Society’s
perspective on sharks today is viewed at a negative light, and this must be
changed. In order to promote sharks and change their perception of being viewed
as “man-eating” creatures, more education and outreach must be implemented. By
doing so, people will be more aware of the impact sharks have on society.
Compromise
1.
One
thing that can be improved in order to benefit sharks is to ban shark finning
as a whole. By doing so, sharks can be saved from being on the brink of
extinction. This ban will also benefit the entire aqua ecosystem, so this could
save other aquatic species as well. While banning shark finning will be
beneficial for the animals, companies may lose a large sum of money because of
it. If this is the case, there is not much that can be done about it. Yes,
employees will lose jobs as a result of this ban. However, companies must
realize that the harm that they are doing to these creatures is much worse than
the satisfaction they receive from their customers. If this were the case,
these companies would have to rely on something else in order to gain some
profit. The last thing that can be improved on is the target the specific
restaurants that sell shark fin soup. If these restaurants can be stopped of
selling this product, then the demand for shark fins will decrease.
Controversial Topic - Con
1.
Because
of shark finning, tens of millions of sharks die every year. Shark finning is
putting sharks in the endangered species list, and if this act continues,
sharks may eventually become extinct. Not only is this detrimental to the shark
species, it is affecting the whole ecosystem. This is having an effect on other
aquatic species as well, causing them to get closer to extinction. This act of
shark finning is also simply inhumane. Stripping sharks of their fins and then
pushing them back into the water is pointless because it leads sharks to either
drown or get eaten alive by other fish. Without their fins, these sharks lose
the ability to move.
Controversial Topic - Pro
1.
One
reason why companies have the desire to continue the shark finning industry is
because of economic profit it entails. One pound of dried shark fin costs
around $300. The demand for shark fin is high especially because of shark fin
soup. Shark fin soup is something that only the rich consume as a symbol of
their wealth. According to Chinese culture, there is a claim that consuming
shark fin provides numerous health benefits for the human body.
Controversial Topic
1.
A
controversial topic I would like to discuss revolving around sharks is the
concept of shark finning. Fishermen are capturing sharks, cutting their fins,
and throwing them back in the water. By doing so, the shark will die in the
water. This is a problem because sharks are currently an endangered species.
Also, this could disrupt the ecosystem since sharks are the primary predators
of the sea. The reason why there is such a high demand for shark’s fins is
because of shark fin soup, especially in Asian countries. Shark fin soup is a
status symbol. It is a very expensive dish that only the wealthy would consume
to show off the fact that they can afford to eat it. Shark fins are implemented
in this soup for its texture, not its taste. Usually, it is incorporated with
chicken or vegetable broth. The fin only provides a unique texture to the soup.
The only benefit I see from shark finning is the economic profit that will be received
by companies selling shark fin soup. Personally, I believe that we should do
something to stop this worldwide. Whether this is making legislation laws or
banning it worldwide, nothing is going to stop it without reinforcement.
Companies that support these efforts will be more difficult to persuade since
this is their source of profit. This act is inhumane towards sharks, especially
given that they are an endangered species and the effects that this could
potentially have on the ecosystem. The whole concept of sharks being viewed as
evil, dangerous, man-eating creatures is ridiculous. These are all
generalizations based on very few stories that media portrays sharks as.
Religion/Mythology
1.
There
is a Native American myth that originates from Hawaii, titled The King of Sharks. In summary, the King
of Sharks marries a woman, and they have a son. In this society, a problem
occurs: fishermen are catching fewer and fewer fish, and society relies on this
in order to feed the population. The son is successful in escaping from
society, adventuring off to the sea with his father, the King of Sharks. This
mythology impacts the way sharks are viewed at this time because of how they
are represented in this story. Also taken into consideration is where this
story originated from, which is Hawaii. Hawaii is an area where sharks are abundant,
so it makes sense that a myth about them came about. This mythology depicts
sharks as a dominant species because they have power over humans. Because the
King of Sharks has the ability to drive the fishes away, this then causes
people to go into a panic. Hence, these people make the decision that the best
solution is to kill whoever is the cause of these actions: the King of Sharks
and anyone directly related to him. The incorporation of sharks in this mythological
story gives rise the meaning that they are creatures that are sacred and at the
same time dangerous.
Film
1.
A
children’s movie that incorporated sharks is Andrew Stanton’s Finding Nemo. While Marvin and Dory are
on an adventure to find Nemo, they encounter three sharks: Bruce, Anchor, and
Chum. It is interesting how in their first encounter, the sharks attempt to be
their friends with the statement, “fish are friends. Not food.” Suddenly, a
turn of events occur where the sharks suddenly want to eat the fish after
smelling their blood. However, in the end of the movie (spoiler alert!), the
sharks become the fish’s friends. An adult movie that incorporated sharks is
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. In this
horror film, sharks are clearly depicted as the villain. One of the most
notable things about this movie was the music itself. Also, since the release
of this film, many have developed a fear for sharks. This movie depicts Brody
as the protagonist and the shark as the antagonist. In the end (another spoiler
alert!), Brody successfully kills the shark, saving himself. In this scene,
suspense builds up, allowing the audience members to cheer for Brody, not the
shark. A main difference between these two depictions of sharks in film is how
they’re viewed. Since Jaws was
released before Finding Nemo, Jaws depicts a more “traditional”
viewpoint of sharks that have been followed: evil, man-eating villains. However, in Finding Nemo, this viewpoint is
established until the ending is reached. There is a turn-around in the
viewpoint of sharks because they suddenly become the fish’s friends. Since Finding Nemo is a more modern movie, the
incorporation of sharks and this turn-around may be a message for the audience
to takeaway. While sharks have always been viewed as an evil sea creature, they
can also become friendly creatures that are not always devouring everything in
sight. The sharks are able to control themselves. On the other hand, Jaws may have wanted its audience
members to watch this horror movie for entertainment’s sake.
Literature/Folklore
One way that sharks are depicted in literature
and folklore is in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick.
Sharks are the focus of one particular chapter in this novel. In this
chapter, the crewmen are killing a shiver of sharks because they are attempting
to eat the sperm whale flesh. The incorporation of sharks in this context says
a lot about how sharks are viewed in society. According to this context,
Melville describes sharks as hungry, man-eating creatures. The language
Melville uses to depict sharks as the villain because they are in the way of
the crewmen’s work. The violence that is
also depicted in this chapter is very gory, an indication that sharks are
willing to do anything to get what they want. Sharks were probably chosen for
this particular scene over other species because of how they were viewed at the
time. Moby-Dick is a historical pieceof
literature that has been around since 1851. The representation of sharks in
this chapter brings the idea that sharks were already viewed as evil,
man-eating villains of the sea.
Art
In this first example, depicted is a past
painting of a shark attack. John Singleton Copley created this painting in
1778. According to the National Gallery of Art website, this image is
representative of an event that occurred a couple years before. Brook Watson,
14 year old boy, was attacked by a shark. His crewmates are seen trying to
rescue him. In the second example, Damien Hirst depicts a modern piece of art
with this sculpture of a tiger shark that was created in 1991. While explaining
the context of this art piece itself, he says that he wants to exemplify death
and fear. Presenting the shark in an environment outside of its own natural
habitat, he wanted the audience to see that while death is avoided, there
actually is no way to do so. Something that these two pieces of artwork have in
common is that they ultimately present the shark in a negative light. It is
obviously shown in the past art piece, but it is a little subtle when it comes
to the modern art piece. In Copley’s art, the shark is viewed as the villain.
Given the detail that the other crewmembers are focusing their attention to the
shark and are trying to save the boy, these are signs that the shark is the main
focus of the painting and is the antagonist. However, in Hirst’s sculpture, I
would have never understood his intentions with the art piece if I had not read
his description for it. He wanted to instill fear to his audience and add a
shock value to his piece. Putting the shark in this context, it makes it more
relatable to the audience. For example, the audience gets a sense of the size
of the shark, therefore understanding the power that sharks may have over
humans.
Speciesism
1 I
believe that the species discrimination against these creatures is strong.
Society views sharks in a negative way because of numerous human-shark attacks.
Hence, people most likely want to eliminate these species as much as possible
to avoid more attacks. The majority of society wants sharks to be dead in order
to protect people from shark attacks. According to ichthyologists at the
Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, people
have a better chance of getting killed by a bee, wasp, or snake in the United
States. Also, in the year 2000, statistics show that 1 in 11.5 million shark
attacks occurred and that there were 0 in 264.1 million shark attack deaths,
meaning that no one died that year of any shark attacks in the United States.
Ethology
1 Sharks
are rather intelligent creatures. It is popular belief that sharks are
unintelligent creatures and that their sole purpose is to feed on whatever they
can find. This perception came about because of the negative light that sharks
often fall under. However, much research has been done on their intelligence.
Many studies have proved that sharks are intelligent creatures that also
exhibit problem-solving skills, possess a sense of curiosity, and have memory.
One specific example that researchers have studied for their sense of curiosity
is to expose sharks to two objects: one in the shape of a seal, and the other
in the shape of a square. Because sharks are rarely ever exposed to anything in
the shape of a square, most of the sharks in this study swam towards the square
because they were curious about what it actually was. Sharks heavily rely on
their sense of smell to attack prey. When they are attacking for prey, they are
specifically detecting blood. Sharks can sense a drop of blood in 100 liters of
water. Also, they can detect electric charge. They can specifically detect
0.005 microvolts of electric charge. These two skills are advantageous to
sharks because this is their method of detecting any kind of prey that may be
hiding.
Current Social Perceptions
1. We
interact with these species mainly because of human-shark attacks. Because of
this, society tends to view sharks as the enemy and consider them to be the
most dangerous species alive. On the Discovery Channel, for the first week of
August, the channel only shows episodes relating to sharks. This is also known
as “shark week.” These shows include:
human-shark attacks, documentaries about sharks, discoveries of new shark
facts, etc. Something else to consider is the movie Jaws. Ever since the release of this movie, the fear of sharks has
spiked. Also, especially in the Asian culture, people enjoy eating shark fin
soup. Shark fin soup is a luxury to consume because it is only eaten by the
wealthiest people and is a sign of wealth. However, this is a threat to sharks
because they are already endangered species. Overall, sharks are viewed at a
negative light.
Social History/Domestication
1. Sharks
have been around for even longer than dinosaurs. They are considered to be one
of the oldest creatures in the world. Because of this, it is concluded that the
first human-shark interaction occurred long ago. However, not all shark attacks
are reported, so it is unclear of when the first human-shark interaction
actually occurred. Sharks live in different parts of the world, so sharks were
more popular in other parts of the world than others. Sharks did not become
popularized until the colonial times with the Europeans in the 1800’s. At this
point, sharks were viewed as “man-eating” creatures. In the United States,
sharks become popularized in the 1900’s after a cluster of them appeared in the
New Jersey area.
Species Identification
The
species that I have chosen to do is sharks. In society, sharks are considered
exotic species.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)