Okay, Let's Address The Japanese Premiere of Avatar 2 - And the Kanji in the Movie

This is not the first post-viewing of Avatar 2 post I wanted to make. To be very brief, I'm super happy with the movie, which I've seen twice now.

But I feel there is a pressing matter I really, really want to get off my chest. This has to do with Avatar 2, Japan, and my absolute love for whales and dolphins--which is why I was looking forward to Avatar 2 so much! Pandoran whales, dolphins, ocean, and more!

To say I was disappointed to see captive dolphins performing at the Japan premiere of the movie is an understatement. To see Cameron and Jon Landau and the actors we know and love all smiling and applauding this absolutely horrible treatment of our very sentient ocean cousins is a bit nauseating.

A few prominent animal rights' activists groups also lashed out at Cameron about this, and a lot of online news sites picked up the story.

However, I'm not going to let my personal feelings on the matter block out logical thinking, either. So, allow me to give some background here.

The first thing to know is that I lived in Japan for eight years, so I like to think I understand a little bit about the culture. I also know some of the language, and more importantly, how to interpret the language in context of the culture* (at least to some extent).

Secondly, let's talk about "The Cove." I'm going to keep it brief but honest: The Cove is both a documentary *, and a place in Japan some of us dolphin-advocates know too well. It is one of the few places in Japan where dolphins of all sorts of species are herded into, a place they cannot escape from. This is done using "banger boats" which are called such (in English at least) because, on these motorized boats, long poles are attached, made of metal, that go underwater. The hunters then bang on these metal poles which causes sound-reliant dolphins to become scared and confused. Using the banger boats is analogous to something that we see in the movie, in fact. And doing this to dolphins would be the same as me taking a strobe light and holding it inches from your face and you can't close your eyes. It's pure hell for them. Several boats are used to surround the dolphins who almost never get away.

(*You can watch The Cove for free here; it is my own upload--since it is technically the Japanese version of the movie, which was banned in Japan, the Japanese dialogue is not translated.)

When they are herded into the infamous Cove, it's all over. Scared and with no where to go, many, in their fright, jump up onto jagged rocks and get cut. The water already starts to turn red. While the dolphins are panicking, trainers from various marine parks in Japan go into the boats or even into the water to directly to select the dolphins they want for captivity. They usually pick slightly younger, "beautiful" adults who do not have a lot of scarring or have gotten injured in the hunt. Afterwards, usually (far more often than not) whatever dolphins are not chosen for captivity are not simply let go. No. They're chased further up the cove, unto a very narrow shoreline until they beach among sharp rocks. This is where hammers and long, thin metal rods come in. The hunters put the rods right behind the blowhole and hammer down, into the brain. While you would think this is a quick death, it is not. Splashing is often heard for around two minutes as the dolphins die. While in recent years the Japanese in Taiji, where this all occurs, have made it very difficult to film and to see at all, there is still footage and the hunts are still the same as they were thirty, twenty years ago.

When all is said and done, much of the Cove's waters have gone from being pristine green to a pure red color.

If you're wondering about non-adult dolphins, perhaps death would have been preferred: very young babies are put on a boat, a tarp covering them, and the boat goes far out from the shore into deep waters. The babies are then thrown overboard. I am not exaggerating for emotional effect, here. This is actually what happens. And often these babies then starve on their own, their corpses found ashore later, because they don't know what to do, where to go or how to hunt on their own. (But the hunter group "has quotas" -- sound familiar? -- but the babies don't count against the quotas because they technically let them go).

The dolphins left alive for captivity often do not live very long after capture. They are starved until they accept dead food from human hands, and starved again until they're "trained", forced, to do tricks for their food. They literally have their will broken. Many die of stress-induced health issues. Others starve or get sick due to their captive conditions. It does not get more complicated than that. Most only last a few years, though many die shortly after capture as well. Breeding in captivity almost never happens, meaning all the adult dolphins you see at parks in Japan came from Taiji. And all of them were torn from their families, and likely watched their relatives get slaughtered.

As for slaughtered dolphins, Taiji will say it is about food. Dolphin meat is then served in kid's lunches at the local elementary, despite knowing about the mercury levels in the meat; it is not safe to actually consume. Other meat is sold in the local market. But actually, eating dolphin is falling fast out of favor even in Taiji, and most Japanese people not only do not eat dolphin, but don't even know Taiji has the hunts in the first place. Most of the meat is processed into pet food, or the dolphins are simply dumped elsewhere.

Yet, these disgusting hunts happen every year. There are several groups dedicated to making people aware, including at least one animal rights group in Japan (but it's quite tough for them!), but the most notorious is The Dolphin Project. The man who created that, Ric O'Barry, actually helped on a documentary about the Japanese dolphin hunts called The Cove. The second group is also pretty notorious: Sea Shepherd. While Sea Shepherd has been banned from Japanese waters, their contribution to awareness and fighting against whaling is still going strong.

Finally, Japan still hunts whales. They go south to do this, around Australia, despite international law. But they get around this in the name of "scientific research", saying they need to kill the whales in order to study them. The only ones who attempt to do anything about this is Sea Shepherd, but the boat is also very careful to avoid getting too close to Australian waters, as well.

Ric and James Cameron know each other, this is a fact. James Cameron is also generally looked upon in high regard especially by vegans not only for his environmental messaging with Avatar, but the fact he is vegan as well. He even produced "Secrets of the Whales", a four-part documentary about whales. Furthermore, Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Trudy Chacon in the first movie, is part of Sea Shepherd herself. I actually checked her Twitter to see if she happened to say something publicly, but she did not--and in truth I wasn't really expecting her to do so, either. Which finally brings us around to the premiere itself.

"Welcome to Pandora!" Cameron announces as a camera zooms out to reveal him, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Landau, and other prominent cast members in a row above a dolphin tank in Tokyo, Japan. Cameron then sits down and the show begins, as two trainers enter the pool with two dolphins to begin performing their circus tricks.

 As many news articles on the matter noted, Cameron, "complimented the dolphins on their “intelligence and sociability” and joked, “I’m sure everybody asked their permission to be in the show.”"

Well, that's a bit of a snarky comment. Ouch! It clearly did not land well with animal rights' activists, and it stung when I read that he said that (I have yet to find video, though). But, I don't think he actually met this the way it might come off in writing...

 I'll explain, but first, we move onto Avatar 2 itself. 

 

Yes, from here on there will be some spoilers. 

 

Upon going to see the movie the second time, my hubby leaned over and whispered, "Hey, there's Japanese on that gun!" He was referring to the harpoon on the Matador, the small whaling boat that is used by the character of Scorsby to hunt tulkun. Tulkun hunting is so obviously analogous to human whaling, I don't think that needs to be explained.

Additionally, tulkun are analogous to cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in more than just being ocean-based animals: scientific research has proven that cetaceans have language, they have culture, and we know they have music (just listen to humpback whales; their songs are their own and are actually not the same as another's). This is actually all pointed at about the tulkun themselves by the Marine Biologist, Garvin (Jemaine Clement's character). His distaste at having to work under or with Scorsby is evident not only in various looks he gives the situation and Scorsby himself, but in his quip, "It's why I drink."

Back to the harpoon on the Matador, I leaned in and paid really close attention. I did recognize both kanji, the Chinese-based characters used in written Japanese: 日浦 (hi-ura)

First, these two characters together don't seem to mean anything specific in Japanese, though it is a surname. This is where breaking it down becomes really significant, and I feel that these two kanji were chosen extremely deliberately.

The character 日 (hi) means a few different things in different words: the sun itself, used in Sunday (to mean Sunday just like in English); it is also a counter for days, and perhaps most importantly, 日 is used in the Japanese word for "Japan", Nippon or Nihon - 日本. Many words in Japanese are prefaced with 日 to indicate it is something Japanese. This includes, for example, the Nisshin Maru (日新丸) -- the primary vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet and is the world's only "whaler factory ship." This is the "ship" I was talking about above when I mentioned that Japan still hunts and kills whales.

 The character 浦 (ura) means an inlet, seashore, beach -- or, dare I say, cove. Yes, there is technically another word for cove in Japanese, but it's not something you would want to name your spear, I think. So, sticking the two kanji together is perfect.

See where I'm going with this?

"Japan" and "coastal area"... Japan's Cove.

To me, it's clear as daylight that Cameron is calling out Japan for their horrific behavior towards whales, and surely toward the Taiji hunts, as well. The double usage of the 日 kanji, used to mean both Japan and being the first kanji in Nisshin Maru, is no coincidence. It's genius.

And if you doubt at all that Japan might be signified by the 日 kanji, I also want to point out that behind that kanji is a red disc... just like the symbol on the Japanese flag, a red disc. Which, by the way, represents the sun. Behind the second kanji is a blue square. In Taiji, the holding pens for captured dolphins which are in the bays are square. Maybe I'm looking too much into this, maybe I'm not. But this again I don't think is a coincidence either.

So let's get back to Cameron's comment, his apparent joke: “I’m sure everybody asked their permission to be in the show.”"

Well, except, you can't. Everyone knows this, including Cameron himself. And I think that is the point. The trainers didn't ask permission, neither did the hunters. And I think his comment is calling them out in the only way he could have at the time. Because let's face it: Cameron could not walk out of that event, whether he agreed with it or not.

So, let's get into culture. I'm going to quote wikipedia for the simple fact it's already written and pretty succinctly explained: 

"In Japan, honne refers to a person's true feelings and desires (本音, hon'ne, "true sound"), and tatemae refers contrastingly to the behavior and opinions one displays in public (建前, tatemae, "built in front", "façade"). A person's honne may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one's position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one's closest friends. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one's position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one's honne. In many cases, tatemae leads to outright telling of lies in order to avoid exposing the true inward feelings.
The honne–tatemae divide is considered by many, especially older generations, to be of paramount importance in Japanese culture."

James Cameron is savvy and knowledgeable, no one can deny this. He understands people well, but whether he knows well about the honne-tatemae divide, he does understand how absolutely important it is as a famous public figure, one promoting his own movie, to put on a little tatemae himself.

And this is what many animal activists don't care to understand, because their feelings are clouded by the passionate response they have to seeing what is perceived as an offense or injustice. And, I get that. I do. But getting angry and saying, "Well, I won't be seeing the movie now!" or "I liked James Cameron but not anymore!" isn't helping anyone. You're certainly not helping yourself. And, hate to say it, but it doesn't matter if you see the movie or not. The numbers won't be effected except by such a minuscule amount it won't even be noticed. It's like an ant trying to affect the actions of a deer. The only one missing out is the one not seeing the new movie due to an incident that wasn't even in Cameron's control.

And this is, honestly, what pisses me off the most. I'm going to get personal here. I do not like radicals no matter their viewpoints. 

If you're too radical, you're not only wrong, but you're also ineffective, not matter how much passion you hold for a cause. I, as someone who cares very strongly about the dolphin captivity industry, am being turned off the movement completely by the insane amount of radicals who yell and scream at you if you don't 100% agree with their opinion and express themselves the same exact way. When I expressed myself on a forum, pointing out that Cameron likely didn't even know about this until he got there, I was simply told I was "making excuses for him." Okay. You have all the answers. Glad to know you can read JC's mind and see behind the scenes where none of us can! 

It's no wonder no one likes working with hard-line activists. They think they have all the answers and hate on anyone who doesn't 100% agree with their point of view. Heaven forbid I have some hope!

But this is just an example of how they don't understand how a director and actors must conduct themselves. They might not be Japanese, but they need to put on that "public face." They cannot show disappointment, anger, and they certainly cannot walk out. To do so would shame everyone, including themselves--and like it or not, actors and directors have what I suppose you can call a "stock market price." Even Cameron and all those involved in the highest-grossing movie of all time. If you embarrassed yourself or others, no one will want to work with you and they won't think highly of you, either.

 And yes, I do think the people who actually organized the dolphin show should be put to shame, but that is neither here nor there. And the thing is, organizing premieres isn't exactly the director's job. It's the company's job, and whoever they have working on those premieres. And such events would involve local (local to Disney, Lightstorm, etc) and foreign employees. We don't actually know who suggested much less approved a dolphin show, which is extremely antithetical to the message of Avatar.

I would not be surprised if a local team in Japan went, "Oh, the Way of Water is all about the oceans, those creatures are clearly like our whales and dolphins--hey, let's have dolphins at the show!" And that's as much thinking as went into it.

(By the way, I don't want people hating on Japanese culture. As I already said, most in Japan don't even know these hunts exist anymore, so please direct your anger where it belongs. If you ask me, feel free to be angry at the government, both that local to Taiji and the national government for allowing this and whale hunting.)

Cameron, and the actors had to do their job by attending publicity events for the premieres. To me, I like to think he was just as disappointed on the inside as anyone else, but I don't think he can show it publicly. Maybe he and the others couldn't get out of it. Yes, they clapped. But they also had how many cameras on them? I don't know, I just think he would not have actually approved of this. At LEAST, this is my hope. I can't jive the message of the movies, how he feels about the ocean and nature, and him actually liking this. Maybe they talked about it after--but we just do not know.

 So, what was the point of all this? I really had a lot of frustration over people being angry at me because I dared to point out some logic in all of this, in the form of the paragraph above this one. Yes, I'm also upset because maybe there is a chance that someone will see that show, and see Avatar 2 and think, "Oh, ilu are like dolphins, and the Na'vi ride them, and we can ride dolphins, it's all good!" Of course I'm upset, but stop bashing on Cameron, the actors, and direct your anger usefully, in a letter addressed to the companies who worked on Avatar, and express yourselves that way!

I really, really hope that Cameron comes out to say something about it publicly. Or someone connected to the Avatar team. Maybe even Lightstorm as a company.

I also hope that those who only had some knowledge of the situation, might be able to work their own thoughts on the matter. I would also like to hear others' opinions, but if you're gonna yell and scream at me for being a "Cameron apologist", you can march right on out.

After-Post-Edits:

I decided to also search this matter on Japanese twitter. Among all the confusion (and some anger) of people wondering why the harpoon has those kanji and what they mean, I found this lovely gem:

日本の要素なんか皆無のストーリーの中、捕鯨砲に存在感マシマシで描かれる『日浦』の文字 Japan/coveあたりから直訳したのかと思う捻くれた自分.

Translated:  "In a story with no Japanese elements, the word "Hiura" is drawn on the whaling gun with a strong sense of presence. I am a twisted person who thinks it is a direct translation from Japan/cove..."

Yes, I think you're right!

*******

By the way, this may or may not mean anything, but the Metkayina's most sacred place is The Cove of the Ancestors. There are cultures that consider dolphins to be our own (human) ancestors. I just find the name very curious in the context of all this. Maybe it's Cameron's way of a virtual memorial to all the dolphins lost to "The Cove" in real life....