Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Greenpeace for Greenland?

Greenland is a country which has been deeply harmed by organizations meant to do good, namely Greenpeace. Greenpeace aims to protect the Earth and the animals, while at least in the case of Greenland, it seems they have forgotten human welfare.
In Greenland, 1 out of 4 people commit suicide. There are many reasons why this occurs, but perhaps the most substantial reason is that traditional Greenlandic culture is almost extinct. Hunting is or was the center of the Greenlandic Inuit culture. Everything in their society revolved around the hunting of whales and seals. Taboos and laws against this began when Danish explorers discovered and colonized Greenland, and the West moved in. Today, the Greenlandic people have almost completely lost their culture, but are still very far from fitting in with European paradigms. They are in between cultures: their ancient traditions, and the modern European world. The problems which ensue include a very poor education system, severe alcoholism, widespread child abuse, and the highest suicide rate in the world.
The question may be raised as to what Greenpeace and other such organizations have to do with this crisis. The rise of these social issues: alcoholism, suicide, etc... correspond directly with the involvement of said organizations. When Greenpeace moves in with movements to ”Save The Whales and Polar Bears”, and who push international laws meant to end global warming, they neglect to remember the Greenlandic people who have subsided on hunting whales for thousands of years. Because some young activists jumped behind a blind cause, the entire way of life for the native Inuit population is falling apart. While Greenpeace meant to do good, it seems their efforts to save the world by saving the lives of icebergs and seals are really just causing the deaths of thousands of human beings.

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