I went to Sea World yesterday with my family, watching the aquatic mammals perform, getting soaked in water in the ride Atlantis, and clapping at the famous Shamu executing a comical break dancing spin. As I read the many posters and information in the amusement park, I found it ironic that Sea World encourages people to help the environment, save species, and overall respect animals while they keep many in captivity and teach them tricks. All for our entertainment.
During a show, a speaker informed the crowd that every dolphin and pilot whale, excluding one, they have was born and raised in captivity. The pilot whales were new and Sea World San Diego was the only place in the world that had these mammals doing tricks. I counted six dolphins and two pilot whales performed in that show. I though that these animals should not spent the majority of their lives performing for our sake and live their own.
In Amusing Ourselves to Death, I noticed that evolution of entertainment was going from vocal, to print to visual. Television is basically the prime example of Postman's argument, but I thought that this is another way media has targeted us. It does work, after all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Alexis, could you tie this to the summer reading in some way??
ReplyDeleteSo sorry, Mrs. Fletcher, I had a connection with it. I fixed it just now.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kiddo!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about the same thing when i went to Sea World. Overtime people just seem to come up with new ways to entertain themselves. Sea World as well as other theme parks revolve around entertainment and have became just another part of the media.
ReplyDeletep.s. I also believe that it seems hypocritical that Sea World encourages everyone to help the environment yet they keep animals captive.
For some reason, I have always been against the fact that these beautiful aquatic mammals are held captive just for the purpose of our entertainment. What do they get out of amusing us? You make a great point when you state how it is ironic that there are flyers asking for their protection, while they keep the poor animals far from where they should be. This to some of us seems wrong, but yet we do not take action and demand their freedom. We still go to Sea World and have fun watching the dolphins and whales perform their tricks, right?
ReplyDeleteYour post reminds me of that shocking news involving a Killer whale, I believe, and a trainer/employee. Whatever caused this tragic loss, to me it seems reasonable. I do not think like animals, but I sure would get to a point when I have had enough. To us, our entertainment goes above everything.