“The dolphin’s smile is nature’s greatest deception” -Ric O Barry
by Christine Kling
These past few weeks I’ve been reading and watching the shenanigans in the political arena. On the Sisters in Crime email list, they’ve been holding a discussion about whether or not it is appropriate for writers to voice their opinions about the touchy subjects of politics, religion, sex, etc either in their fiction, on their blogs, on Facebook or out in public in general. I’ve been rather shocked by the discussion, actually.
Writers shouldn’t inject their opinions into their work or their lives? Tell that to the authors of Lysistrata, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Nineteen Eight-Four, or The Gulag Archipelago. Hell, I’d even throw in The DaVinci Code since it was considered commercial fiction or entertainment and that is mostly what I write.
The dolphin’s “smile” is really just the shape of his mouth. It’s not a real smile. Is that what we writers are supposed to wear?
My current WIP (Work in Progress) has a storyline set in 1945 in the Pacific at the end of World War II. As with most research, one ends up meandering through the fibers of the Web and sliding off on tangents. My interest was piqued when I read about a covert operation in Japan in more recent years. This operation resulted in the documentary film title, The Cove.I watched it recently, and I wept. This film that was produced by The Ocean Preservation Society is part mystery, part thriller, part horror movie. It tells the story of a group of brave men and women who fight the status quo to inform the world about the brutal slaughter of dolphins that takes place every year in Taiji, Japan. Watch the trailer:
For anyone who loves dolphins, cetaceans of all sorts, and the ocean, I strongly suggest you watch this film which is available to rent through iTunes and Amazon, or you can purchase the DVD here.
There is a significant amount of research out there that suggests that dolphins are self-aware and very close to humans in their intelligence. It’s reasonable to believe that these animals suffer immensely from being enclosed in concrete pools where they can only swim in tight circles and their sonar bounces off the walls. After watching The Cove, I went to the website Save Japan Dolphins and signed the petition to help save Japan’s dolphins.
Every sailor can tell stories about the many times they’ve interacted with dolphins who came to play around the bow of their boat. And in my experience at sea, almost every time I have been really low because I was exhausted or frightened, dolphins have arrived to give me a burst of adrenaline and/or confidence to get me through. I’m not usually superstitious, nor do I believe in much paranormal, psychic woo-woo stuff. But when it comes to dolphins, I’ve simply had too many amazing experiences to call it coincidence.
The killing season in Japan starts on September 1st. Tomorrow, August 31st at 2:00 p.m., I’ll be marching and protesting in front of the Japanese Embassy in Miami. I’ll be taking my camera, and I may add some photos or more comments to this blog when I get home that night. As for those authors who say we shouldn’t write about our beliefs or our politics? I could no more do that than I could give up writing or the water.
Fair winds!
Christine
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