Blog Leader: "SeaWorld vs. the Whale That Killed Its Trainer"

This article stands out from all the others to me because all of the articles we have read in this class prior have had to do with the way that humans and animals compliment one another while this one does just the opposite. It speaks out in a way that showcases the detrimental effects that living in captivity can have on a wild animal. In my opinion, the best thing that the author says throughout the entire article is “These are not bad whales. They just come with the instincts of predators”. I think as humans we tend to underestimate the power and natural tendencies of animals that we take out of the wild, which leads to extreme consequences. Not to mention the fact that when they do act out in a way that is natural for them we, rather than blaming ourselves for taking them out of their habitat, blame the animal for being too aggressive.

I liked the way that the author specifically covered each argument from the letter from SeaWorld. It was a clear organization of the ideas and each of the things that the author disagreed with. Also, this article was pretty clearly a piece attempting to persuade people to watch the film Blackfish and I thought that it seemed particularly effective. The author mentions the film throughout and compares the information from the film to the letter from SeaWorld. It is an easy comparison to see, which is what makes it so successful.