Seaspiracy is a new Netflix documentary everybody is talking about. As they should.
We all get off on shock value these days, it’s the only way to capture our attention in a world where shocking new things happen every 6 seconds. The fact that Seaspiracy is still trending even after exactly 12 days says a lot. That doesn’t sound like much but the fact that I’ve been thinking about it ever since I first saw it, is.
Changing an opinion after learning new information is totally fine and lord know I’ve done it plenty of times.
I’ve been the one boycotting the use of straws or single-use plastic in my inner circle and I also published my Beat Plastic Pollution article. Given the information I had back then I believed I was doing the best I could.
Seaspiracy opens up new wild horizons of the issue and makes you feel like a total loser for thinking not using a plastic straw is gonna save the oceans. We all did.
The media supported that idea and we were all relieved with “we did something” and that was it. And sure you have to start somewhere and I applaud everyone who decided to reduce their plastic just a little bit. You shouldn’t stop just because there is a bigger enemy than a plastic straw we should have been focused on all this time.
Seaspiracy exposes that enemy and leaves you wondering how could we not see it all this time?
The documentary stars its director Ali Tabrizi, a British filmmaker who created this masterpiece along with the producer of a more popular name- Kip Andersen. Kip is well known for his previous documentaries titled What the health or Cowspiracy.
Seaspiracy has all of the wow factors of a Cowspiracy from 2014: introduction of the director, statistics, facts, and a lot of numbers, spooky undertone, interviewing corporations, interviewing the experts, and exposing the damaging industry in an hour and something long document on Netflix.
Seaspiracy exposes the truth behind the overfishing, human impact on marine life and environmental impact of fishing, slavery and human trafficking involved in a fishing industry, ghost nets, and what a bullshit all of the sustainable fishing and dolphin-safe labels actually are.
I was watching those 90 minutes of Seaspiracy with my phone down and mouth open.
I had tears in my eyes several times and afterward, I felt sick, angry, cheated, and guilty. There is just no way you can watch Seaspiracy and feel nothing.
You know a document is good when the accused parties are filing complaints cuz it makes them look bad.
Honey, you had your chance. Now face the consequences just like every other individual that feels or will feel the consequences of your actions.
I think everyone should watch Seaspiracy and no I don’t think everyone will suddenly stop eating fish from now on. But I do think people would think twice about what they’re eating and how it got onto their plate.
Right after finishing this documentary, Netflix suggested Cowspiracy, and I watched that as well. I continued with the documentary series that makes me sad and angry at the world with the What the Health document. All of them made by Kip Andersen.
All of them are about questioning the general knowledge and exposing its dark site.
Like organizations fighting against diseases are sponsored by the agriculture that causes the disease. Or that the meat industry is the number one cause of the global environmental crisis but everyone refuses to talk or even acknowledge it because it’s just too profitable. And so on…
What upset me about all of them though was this:
You can’t call a companies receptionist and ask them about the companies secrets and then be surprised they can’t answer you that. It’s not withholding the information and it’s not a big conspiracy. They just work there. They’re probably not gonna know all of the companies dirty secrets. It’s the same as going to Mcdonald’s and yelling at a 16 years old cashier who works there part-time about the health consequences of their product. It just doesn’t make any sense. Just talk to someone more adequate to answer those questions.
All of those documents sound like pretty basic conspiracy theories if you’re a hardcore meat-eater. On the other hand, you’re gonna be in high support of their idea of meat and dairy products reduction if you’re on the fence about your dietary preferences yourself, for example, vegetarian or vegan. That’s totally understandable.
What I like to do when I stumble upon a piece of new information that sounds a little too suspicious I like to ask myself: “what could the source of the info possibly gain from it?”
Maybe it’s something I mastered due to my years as a blogger. To see behind the other side of the fence.
I know what would interest my readers, what would make people click on my stuff, and what would be generally appealing to them and beneficial for me. And I know I’m not the only one aware of this.
The most popular idea against Seaspiracy is that it was paid by small fishing companies trying to discredit the big guys mentioned in the document. And overtake their place I guess. Well, I think that kind of backfired cuz it made people not want to eat fish altogether and not buy fish from smaller companies.
Another one is that Seaspiracy is out of context to bring the most shock value to their audience. I’ve struggled with this one myself.
How can you possibly believe anything you see without questioning it?
Could the profit of the Netflix show be more than the risk of getting involved with everything we saw in that document?
In my humble conclusion, even if half of the information shown in the document were not true or exaggerated for the effect, it would still have a positive impact. The ends justifies the means even though they were immoral to make the world more moral. Sounds messy and complicated but I hope you see my point.
Even if all of these documentaries were sponsored by some vegan companies trying to bring down the whole animal agriculture I’d still supported the first one even if my whole relationship with meat is quite difficult.
I talked bout it in my: How mental health affected my eating habits. It’s another example of changing an opinion after learning new information. I’ve been a vegetarian for years and whilst struggling with depression, anxiety disorder, and more I put the blame for my terrible well-being on not eating meat. Surely I felt better once I started eating meat again. I can’t deny that. But the truth is I was miserable because of my personal dietary errors. Yes, I skipped meat but I didn’t eat anything to supplement that, no extra veggies or anything. Not even B12 in a pill form.
I know better now and that’s all that matters.
It’s not like I’m gonna remove fish or meat or dairy from my diet altogether now because I saw those documents. You can’t do that from day to day. For silly reasons like: I still have a full box of milk in my fridge and just throwing away food like that is just contributing to the problem. It’s not possible for people with lower income as a hamburger is much cheaper than broccoli. Also, it’s not possible for people from third-world countries where fishing is a primary source of their food. It’s just not that simple for them. It never was and therefore total removal of fish products is not possible.
But I have the option to simply refuse bacon-wrapped shrimps because oh my god why would anyone ever eat that.
Just remember when every company was in support of removing plastic straws or plastic bags altogether and exchanging them for paper ones. Reducing fish, dairy, and meat intake should hire the same publicist.
It all starts with knowing the information so I highly recommend watching Seaspiracy and documents like that.
To end this on a lighter note.
To not feel so sad after watching Seaspiracy a put on My octopus teacher– an oscar nominee movie with a theme also from under the sea.
It simply monitor the life of a very intelligent octopus and it’s the cutest shit ever. Even though the guy was disturbingly in love with the octopus it was so nice to see what we’re actually trying to preserve in the ocean.