Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Forget the Whales, What About Us Humans’

Whales: Love them, or hate them? Few issues are more divisive than that of saving the whales. Luckily, these giants of the deep have a new hero – a young woman with the courage and nerve to stand up and say, “Killing whales is wrong.” The Georgetown Lecture Fund could have settled for a number of whale experts – John Calambokidis, a blue whale specialist; or Véronik de la Chenelière, a biologist at the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals. Instead, the Lecture Fund went straight to the top and brought us 18-year-old Hayden Panettiere – the Whale Whisperer. Though whale advocacy is undoubtedly the main source of her publicity, Panettiere has dabbled in acting and music. Her wide body of work in Hollywood includes the role of a cheerleader with rejuvenating power on NBC’s hit show “Heroes,” the role of a cheerleader in that instant classic “Bring it On: All or Nothing,” and, who can forget, her memorable role cheering for Denzel Washington’s football team in “Remember the Titans.” She decided to speak here at Georgetown. Probably because she, like all of us, is well aware of Washington, D.C.’s declining Potomac River whale population. Ever since that 1993 cinematic masterpiece “Free Willy” – in which Jason James Richter unleashed a blood-thirsty killer orca into the wild – I have loved whales. And my love of whales is the one and only reason I decided to go hear the Whale Whisperer last Sunday night in Gaston Hall. I decided to round up some fellow whale enthusiasts before the lecture, so I asked some of my friends, “Do you want to go hear the Save the Whales lecture?”Huh?” they responded. I tried a different angle: “That cheerleader from `Heroes?'”Ohhh. Yeah, I’ll go.” Before I knew it, I had gathered a team of five genuinely concerned guys who could think of no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than learning about whales. I was not shocked to see that the line for the lecture wound down the stairs and out the door of Gaston Hall. What did surprise me was the high guy to girl ratio. The obvious conclusion: Girls don’t care about whales. We waited patiently in our seats, and were told that the Panettiere was running a little late because the paparazzi had held her up – surely, they wanted to hear and take pictures of her view on whale and dolphin hunting in Japan. Finally, she arrived and every guy in the audience looked genuinely thrilled to be in the presence of such a staunch animal rights advocate. First, a four minute video was shown. It featured shaky footage of the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan, in which dolphins are rounded up, lifted onto boats and brutally slaughtered with harpoons and knives. This dolphin massacre is supported by local Japanese dolphinariums, which either sell the mercury-infested dolphin meat or capture the dolphins for marine parks. This slaughter leaves over 20,000 dolphins and porpoises dead every year. During the video, something remarkable happened. No longer was the celebrity the center of attention. Every pair of eyes in the auditorium was fixed not on the eighteen-year-old blonde, but on the tragic massacre occurring on the big screen. Every pair of eyes save one: Panettiere’s – she was unable to watch the violence and spent the last few minutes of the movie with her head turned and her eyes wet. Next, Panettiere took the mike and spoke of her 2007 encounter with Japanese fishermen during an annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Wakayama. Though she came close to the blade of a Japanese propeller, she said that she felt no fear as she paddled out with five other surfers and attempted to release the captured pod of dolphins. I’m not going to make the obvious joke that she has rejuvenating powers and need not fear death. She made a courageous move – well worthy of the “Compassion in Action Award” from PETA. Next, the Heroes star opened it up for a little Q and A. She opted not to stand behind the podium, a choice that I gratefully applauded. As the cream of the crop, we, Georgetown students had done our research and came prepared with worthy and multifaceted questions: “What are you doing later tonight?”Can you sign my `Heroes’ memorabilia?”What kind of things do you look for in a whale?”Please stop calling me” (That last one was not a question but a thought-provoking statement nonetheless). However, one interesting question did arise: “Would you be willing to quit your Hollywood job to pursue your passion for saving the whales?” I honestly couldn’t think of an answer to this question, and I didn’t expect much from someone who had just called whales “the teddy bears” of the sea. However, I found her answer both articulate and convincing. She said that she wanted to use the paparazzi to do good for a change. She said that she realizes the impact of a Hollywood actress and decided to use her popularity to further a cause that is important to her. She also offered an interesting commentary on actors who simply “lend their faces” to a cause, but shrink away when it comes time to get in the water and get involved. I appreciated Hayden’s passion, but I would argue that there are bigger more pressing issues that face our world. If President Bush were to devote even a few minutes to the whales in his state of the Union address he would be laughed off the stage. I dream of the day when we can devote our country’s time and budget to rigid anti-whaling regulation. But until we find solutions to Iraq, Darfur, AIDS, cancer and poverty, I’m afraid that a thriving population of Potomac whales will have to wait. Andrew Dubbins is a freshman in the College.

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