After a nanosecond of hand-wringing, I've decided that, no matter how much it may make me squirm that men risk and sometimes give their lives to deliver a luxury food item to Americans who probably don't need to eat any more than they already do, there is nothing inherently wrong with the industry itself. This is nothing like slaughterhouses or pre-Chavez vinyards; dire economic circumstances force people into plenty of compromising positions (I will never get my stilettos stuck in my hoop earrings again), but working on a crab boat isn't one of them. This is more like diving for salvage or working as an assistant to Naomi Campbell: Here is a field, like some others, that offers not only the chance to score some fat coin, but also an opportunity to toughen oneself, to prove oneself -- to take risks and be a badass. And to want to seize such an opportunity is as natural a desire for many men (and not a few women) as sex or eating salty, fatty things.
Please don't take this as glibness -- a lead in to some sort of O'Rourke-ish, "they chose to do this; if they die, ha ha too bad." On the occasions when crew have suffered grievous injuries or even death, I've found it devastating; I've cried during a couple of episodes (madame, perhaps I need some mood stabilizers.)
But that leads me to my one quibble: the manipulativeness of the television program itself. I'm glad the show is out there inasmuch as it's deeply educational -- I for one had no clue that crab fishing in Alaska was so damn scary and dangerous. But I cannot shake the feeling that the show itself, or perhaps its presentation -- sly editing for emotional effect, the whole Real World-ness of it all -- is sickeningly exploitative.
In summation, I eat crab with a lot more thoughtfulness, but I don't feel bad about it. I do however feel bad about watching the show. Sort of.
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Comments for Watching Guys Catch Crabs
Was George Clooney in it?
j kidding
It's important to allow yourself to get ferklempt when watching a film or television program. Being in touch with one's emotions is a healthy thing. My cute Jewish shrink told me.
Now, let's talk pharmaceuticals. I recommend Xanax for general zone-out, Ativan to put your sobbing self to sleep, or--if you're looking for something longer-term--a SSRI. Looking to quit smoking at the same time? Talk to your doctor about Zyban!
j kidding
It's important to allow yourself to get ferklempt when watching a film or television program. Being in touch with one's emotions is a healthy thing. My cute Jewish shrink told me.
Now, let's talk pharmaceuticals. I recommend Xanax for general zone-out, Ativan to put your sobbing self to sleep, or--if you're looking for something longer-term--a SSRI. Looking to quit smoking at the same time? Talk to your doctor about Zyban!
- Posted at 8:54 PM | By
madamerouge
When they started airing that show in Indy, snowcab instantly went up $.51 per lb. Fuck that show.
The last time I saw a guy catch crabs is when Jimmy spent the evning with a young man from Atlanta.
- Posted at 10:25 PM | By toobusyliving
I feel far more guilty eating chicken than I do eating crab.
- Posted at 6:33 AM | By Smartypants
Did you all watch the Daily Show last night and see the map with all the bird flu countries highlighted in red? Holy fucking shit, we are all going to die when that turns into human flu. That freaks me out while also calming me.
madame: George Clooney was busy catching "fish" at his hottub in the Peoples Republic of Hollywood. And thanks for the recommendations -- maybe you could help me piss of our Republican establishment and send me a sample platter from your socialist health-care system?
butchieboy: there's that. See above, under "exploitative."
tbl: Atlanta? He should be glad that's the worst thing he caught...
assparrot: it is pretty crazy, isn't it? I remember one episodes where one of the men was recounting the last ship he was on, that went down, and he was the only survivor. Harrowing stuff.
And it doesn't shock me re: the addict thing. One of the reasons the show is kind of a cheat is that it does absolutely no exploration of these men's lives off the boat.
smarty: I felt guilty when I ate your boyfriend.
chuckles: missed TDS. But I get where you're coming from: Imagine you're the only survivor, like in Night of the Comet. Pretty nifty, huh?
Glad I live in the middle of nowhere.
butchieboy: there's that. See above, under "exploitative."
tbl: Atlanta? He should be glad that's the worst thing he caught...
assparrot: it is pretty crazy, isn't it? I remember one episodes where one of the men was recounting the last ship he was on, that went down, and he was the only survivor. Harrowing stuff.
And it doesn't shock me re: the addict thing. One of the reasons the show is kind of a cheat is that it does absolutely no exploration of these men's lives off the boat.
smarty: I felt guilty when I ate your boyfriend.
chuckles: missed TDS. But I get where you're coming from: Imagine you're the only survivor, like in Night of the Comet. Pretty nifty, huh?
Glad I live in the middle of nowhere.
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