Saturday, September 5, 2015

A Letter to Ric O'Barry: No More Fish Stories Please!


No more hyperbole please

All Eyes are on Ric O'Barry.
There are 40 synonyms for exaggeration.

The latest biggest Taiji news we see is not that Ric was NOT arrested, it's that, the prick from Texas, was right: Ric's statements on Dolphin Project's Blog were false. It hurts when friends lie. It makes you wonder why.

Contrary to Ric's statements, Ric was never offered the title of Ambassador of Ito City last week for his Dolphin work or ANYTHING else by Mayor Hiromi Tsukuda or ANYONE else.

When we investigated Ric's similar claim in The Cove...it turns out that Ric was never given the "Keys to the City of Taiji" either, as stated in the film.

Maybe they were both just figures of speech...you know, "having the keys to the city" and being the “Ambassador of Ito City” are like saying that we are like "best buds". That could be, but unfortunately for Ric, Ito City Mayor took the twisting of his words at face value, meaning a lie and complained to everyone who would listen, which thankfully included Cara Sands, the Dolphin Project .net web manager, and the falsehood has been taken down, but there is an uncomfortable accumulation that has prompted our letter to you today.

Dear Ric:
We love you as the tough Dolphin loving warrior you chose to be when one of the Flipper Cast, became the only Dolphin in history fully documented by you to choose to stop breathing. We know the Japanese in power may not like you. We are now reasonably certain that the Taiji police have it in for you...but you have a good team there in Taiji and 1000's of people standing with you to keep on keeping on...you don't need to exaggerate your titles or police brutality (torture for a night in jail) for us to keep loving you...You don't need to lose your passport or drink before you drive or drive your car off the road to get attention.

You don't need to hype the radiation in dolphin meat before you test it either. The Tesla-Drive-to-DC-to-Deliver-a-Million-Signatures-to-Obama-to-Announce-a-Cove-Japanese-Rights-Buy-Back-Paid-For-With-New-Donations Event so the Japanese will finally see the truth, was a boast beyond reason or reality with no apparent follow-up...No tall tales! No lies please! Just you. We love you just the way you are.

What the world needs is good people observing the hunt and reporting it in photos and videos, tweets and posts to the world. That's the base. From there we need increased international pressure like with the Australia for Dolphins WAZA Lawsuits. Let's put more money into real pressure. 

We also need real negotiation if we are actually going to see an end of the Dolphin hunt. Next time we have an actual negotiation with people on the side of the hunters and people on the side of the activists, please support it instead of ending it. With great media attention, comes great responsibility. We need solutions. We need you there in Taiji.

The more you are there, the more the "Eye of Sauron" will not be on the Sea Shepherds, for they are doing the heavy lifting every single day of the season, year after year, without the drama. Dozens really have gone gone through regular Taiji police interrogations for years. They have even stoically gone to jail in Taiji and been found innocent.

If the police do arrest you, we are confident that you too will be found innocent of whatever crime the Taiji Keystone Cops can dream up. You are a better man than this. Your cause...our cause...the Dolphin Cause is just. The hunt will end. You don't need to try to do it alone.

We can do it together.

Sincerely,
Steven Thompson

The opinions expressed here are mine alone based on my own research and experience. The intent here is to improve Dolphin activism with constructive criticism.

There are at least 40 synonyms for "exaggeration". One in this list need not be.
They are: baloney, excess, fabrication, falsehood, fantasy, hyperbole, misjudgment, misrepresentation, untruth, aggrandizement, amplification, boasting, caricature, coloring, crock, elaboration, embroidery, emphasis, enlargement, exaltation, extravagance, fancy, hogwash, inflation, jazz, line, magnification, overemphasis, overestimation, pretension, pretentiousness, rant, ric o'barry, romance, stretch, whopper, yarn, figure of speech, fish story, flight of fancy, and tall story.

21 comments:

  1. Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers.Voltaire
    French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778)

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  2. I just so want to see all with common passions and goals come together & unite to end these horrors ! God only knows that those who abuse, exploit and murder animals in every field if abuse are united, sick together and have each others backs ! They must really laugh at us when they see us feuding back and forth ! And most certainly those we hope to gain respect & support from must question our strength and abilities too !? This is why I also feel ashamed when letters such as this are made public for all to see ! There should never be false statements by anyone ... this is not a competition for status or fame ... the lives of these animals depend on each and every one of us - we are all equal no matter where we are on this planet fighting for these animals to have their God given birth rights to live free !

    Mary Alice, Cornwall's Voice for Animals who loves and thanks you all !

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  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. Y r you posting smear campaign articles about Ric O'Barry. R we not all working towards same thing? Shame on you. IMO you are no better than trolls for this blog post that you put in closed group . I will happily spread it around for you to my over 13k followers.

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  5. Well said jill my friend's are all doing the same

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  6. Well said jill my friend's are all doing the same

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  7. Sooo.... an anonymous report that someone was driving a rental car while drinking leads YOU to report/suggest that Ric was indeed drinking and driving? That's a pretty heavy assertion, based on some flimsy report. If you are going to be calling out people for talking BS, then I suggest you live up to that same standard.....

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  8. The first death of a (Facebook) group is the criticism of like-minded animal rights activists!

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    1. How very true, as evidence by the mass exodus of people from that group. I would think the other admins would care about the quality of people who have left; apparently not. Sad.

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  9. You singlehandedly caused a flood of people to leave the group, because of your petty jealousy of Ric. Honestly, by picking on the popular boy you think it will gain you notoriety? Can you not see how pathetic that is? Be very careful about whom you slander, I would think you should probably seek out a lawyer.

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  10. Actually, members requests went up as those who refuse to hear left.
    The truth will set you free.

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    1. Ha, yeah...that's why there was a loss of over 150 overnight. 14925 at about 9PM EST, 14785 today at 2PM with a total of 25 new people (you had 41 new last night, 66 today) to make up the difference. Congrats.

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    2. 14,771 4 hours later....that number just keeps going up and up.

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  11. you cant complain you gotten eaten by the bear if you volentary go into the bears den and sit down. also it seems some people dont want to face the truth. nothing is changing in taiji, as a group we should ask why. Fact is so much money
    has been raised on taiji and no change, if this was a biz it would close from bankruptcy!

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  12. Not sure the purpose of this public, passive-aggressive "You're a liar but we love you" open letter... but IMO the author (and the group he represents) have lost credibility in my eyes. One post mentioned if this was a business, it would close from bankruptcy. Well, if this WAS a business, grievances such as these would be hashed out behind closed doors... not in public. Fact is, there HAS been change in Taiji... and I for one am appreciate ALL the groups fighting to make that happen instead of fighting each other.

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  13. G'day Steven.
    I am going to politely ask you to shut yer mouth mate.
    I understand what you are saying however I don't think you quite understand the full implications of what you are doing.
    I am sure you want to end the drive hunts and I am sure you are stressed by the situation too..we all are...and I think some..just some of what you are blogging on about is correct, however what you are doing is dividing people even MORE... after we have all gone to so much trouble to UNITE everybody...are you sure you want to continue doing this?
    As for your blog on the friggin 'game' ...well....you've said what you think now haven't you...WE are all now JUDGING your perspective...and to be totally honest , mate...it's complete and utter bollocks...and I would suggest you consider deleting that whole page...and try writing some positive stuff to help repair the damage you've caused.
    Now... I'm only saying this because it has come to my notice...as people...thousands of them..throw their arms up in the air saying ' what the fk..these people don't know what the hell they're doing'... and then completely turn off and go and watch some crap on tv...instead of signing petitions or spreading the info about Taiji far and wide...so you see...I hope..what I am saying.
    Good luck mate...try and turn it around quickly please...Thank you.
    ~Andy M. Beattie. ACT. Australia. For The Oceans.

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  14. per Diana T who is "..for all the groups fighting in Taiji" .. That is a very good point. Monopolizing control is not a good thing. Watch who attempts to monopolize because that's strictly about garnering the lions share of donations. There is alot of that behind this, if I'm not mistaken.

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  15. per Diana T who is "..for all the groups fighting in Taiji" .. That is a very good point. Monopolizing control is not a good thing. Watch who attempts to monopolize because that's strictly about garnering the lions share of donations. There is alot of that behind this, if I'm not mistaken.

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  16. per Diana T who is "..for all the groups fighting in Taiji" .. That is a very good point. Monopolizing control is not a good thing. Watch who attempts to monopolize because that's strictly about garnering the lions share of donations. There is alot of that behind this, if I'm not mistaken.

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  17. 伊東市市長がリック・オバリーを伊東市の大使に任命したかどうかの事実関係に関する石井泉氏の声明の英訳
    English translation of Izumi Ishii's statement regarding to the fact if Ito mayor appointed Ric O'Barry an Ambassador if Ito City

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    September 4, 2015; 3:52 p.m.

    Here’s the answer for the question to me. Ric and I made a courtesy visit on the mayor of Ito City. It is true. However…

    There is no fact that the mayor appointed Ric an Ambassador. I can assure you. What Ito City and the mayor stated is right. But it is not Ric’s fault. He visited here to support promoting the pleasure of my SUP (Standup paddleboarding) business that led us visiting the mayor. It was my dream that someday he will spread publicity of Ito as a tourist spot of SUP to the world.

    It doesn’t mean anybody was wrong… but anyone could misunderstand things. Neither of Ric nor I had any malicious intention against the city. I can assure this is a simple misunderstanding that anyone in the world could get. And I’m sure that Ric understands my mind and proposal.

    Everyone, please do not carry on about this matter regarding to Ito City anymore. If any of you still have objections nevertheless I’m asking to stop, I will block you.

    And if it still continues, I will withdraw myself from Facebook and all other media and discontinue the activities I have ever done.

    I have a confidence and belief in my behavior.

    If people in the world or some of you still continue talking about this, I will stop contacting you any longer.

    Again, Ito City and Ito Mayor didn’t appoint Ric an Ambassador. If we’d say this is caused by anyone’s fault… I think it’s me. Because I am the one who made Ric’s courtesy visit on the mayor.

    And again, I will discontinue all the activities I’ve ever done if anyone still mention about this. And I will just focus on the tourism development of Izu Penninsula, Ito City and Futo.

    There are also differences in the interpretation of Japanese and a foreign language. So I will speak everything in Japanese from now on.

    But there is a thing I should not forget. The fact that people from all over the world have helped and supported me is what I will never forget and the fact will be the support of the way of my life now and in the future.

    And I hereby declare that “Bright Sea” means nothing but the name of my vessel. I will close my Facebook page “Bright Sea.”

    If you have anything to tell me, please do in Japanese from now on that is the language I can be responsible. And show your real name and address clearly. I won’t use foreign languages as much as possible.

    Now lastly, Ric has been very kind to me. And he helped me. I am the one who admire him. I always wish for his health. Ito and Futo are very peaceful places. And I’m wishing the continuation of the peaceful area.

    Izumi Ishii

    (English translation: CMP)

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