Whale Wars has started again. Last season convinced me that Paul Watson fancies himself an Evil Overlord. I just have the impression that in his private moments he giggles at how he can manipulate his naïve crew.
According to Watson himself, he does manipulate:
‘If you do not know an answer, a fact, or a statistic, then simply follow the example of an American President and do as Ronald Reagan did—make it up on the spot and deliver the information confidently and without hesitation.’ – Earthforce! An Earth Warrior’s Guide to Strategy, by Paul Watson
‘Survival in a media culture meant developing the skills to understand and manipulate media to achieve strategic objectives.’ – Militants sink two of Iceland’s Whaling Vessels. New York Times*, November 10, 1986*
I watch this from time to time. While I can’t sympathize at all with the Japanese whalers, Watson is a hard man to take in a positive light.
Last seasons climax, where he was "shot" is a good example. Nothing that the show has presented about Watson would leave me to fail to believe that he hung the vest up, shot it, and then put it on so that he could strategically claim that he had been shot, and saved by the vest and the conveniently place badge.
He is just the sort of lying, manipulative, drama queen to do something like that.
It’s too bad. Watson’s self-aggrandizing agenda takes away from what that wide-eyed crew of true believers is try to do out there (and it’s so easy to spot the real seamen amongst the groupies). This show is about Watson, not whales- make no mistake about that.
Having said that, my brother used to volunteer for Sea Shepard back in the day, and Watson is a very charismatic guy. Kids would scrape barnacles off hulls all day for free just to be part of “the cause.”
Yes. I completely disagree with what the Japanese are doing. But I still think Watson is a douche.
Yeah, being ‘saved’ by his Jr. Aquaman badge (with all of the privileges ascribed thereto) was a nice touch. Just the sort of thing True Believers would eat up.
Am I wrong, or did Peter Brown become the First Mate because he’s friends with Watson?
This show is a farce. Paul Watson should have been put afloat on an ice drift and left to fend for himself after the crap he and the “sea shepherds” pulled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence last year.
I’m off to Montreal in August to eat some seal, jackass!