Whale Meat
Tonight, I'll enjoy one of my favorite delicacies: whale meat.
Korea has managed to avoid the international controversy surrounding whaling that faces Japan, Norway, and now Iceland. I imagine Korea has done this by keeping the whole whaling issue quiet.
When the Olympics were held here in 1988, Koreans avoided any controversy about dog meat by making it illegal. It is still not legal, but there are dog meat restaurants everywhere. The law is simply not enforced.
It's the same way with prostitution. It's illegal, but brothels with half-naked women sitting in pink-lighted windows are a feature of any Korean city or town. The same situation exists in the case of abortion. Under Korean law it's illegal, but abortuaries abound in this country. About 1,000,000 Koreans are aborted each year. That is almost equal to the number of abortions committed in America each year, where abortion is legal and the population is almost six times greater!
Pretending a controversy does not exist does not make it go away. In the case of dog or whale meat, no real ethical issue is involved, other than dog's being "man's best friend" and some whale's being endangered. Therefore, these two issues should be out in the open. Dog and whale should be legal and regulated.
Prostitution and, especially, abortion are two great evils. It is right that they are proscribed by law. However, those laws should and must be enforced.
I'll think about all this as I enjoy a "whale of a meal" tonight.
Tonight, I'll enjoy one of my favorite delicacies: whale meat.
Korea has managed to avoid the international controversy surrounding whaling that faces Japan, Norway, and now Iceland. I imagine Korea has done this by keeping the whole whaling issue quiet.
When the Olympics were held here in 1988, Koreans avoided any controversy about dog meat by making it illegal. It is still not legal, but there are dog meat restaurants everywhere. The law is simply not enforced.
It's the same way with prostitution. It's illegal, but brothels with half-naked women sitting in pink-lighted windows are a feature of any Korean city or town. The same situation exists in the case of abortion. Under Korean law it's illegal, but abortuaries abound in this country. About 1,000,000 Koreans are aborted each year. That is almost equal to the number of abortions committed in America each year, where abortion is legal and the population is almost six times greater!
Pretending a controversy does not exist does not make it go away. In the case of dog or whale meat, no real ethical issue is involved, other than dog's being "man's best friend" and some whale's being endangered. Therefore, these two issues should be out in the open. Dog and whale should be legal and regulated.
Prostitution and, especially, abortion are two great evils. It is right that they are proscribed by law. However, those laws should and must be enforced.
I'll think about all this as I enjoy a "whale of a meal" tonight.
Redeemed by Our Savior, I work out my salvation with fear and trembling in Pohang, South Korea, where I live with my wife, daughter, and son and teach English at a science and technology university. Baptized a Methodist and raised a Missouri Synod Lutheran in Buffalo, NY, I spent six years as a guest of the Anglican Communion before being received by the Grace of God into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of Saint Andrew, my patron, anno domini 2002.
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