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~ I am getting really sick of being told, by co-workers and by bloggers, that if I don't care about the Olympics, I obviously don't care about my country. Please. I am not interested in the Olympics because I am not interested in sports. Don't waste your time trying to turn it into anything more than that.

~ You've probably all heard of the trainer who was killed at SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday due to an incident with one of the orcas there. I've had a variety of different reactions to this; the one reaction I have not had is surprise. Maybe I shouldn't even be talking about this, because I know I'm a total hypocrite on the subject of zoos and aquariums - I frequently visit them at the same time as I condemn them. And I guess I only really speak out against them when the specific animal in question is a marine mammal, because I am a hypocrite who plays favourites. But seriously, orcas and captivity just don't work. This is far from the first time that a captive orca has caused harm to a human (although I admit I was surprised to see that Wikipedia gives this subject its own page); captive orcas have also been reported to have injured themselves, for example by smashing their heads against the walls of their tanks. I find the arguments against keeping whales in captivity a million times more compelling than any of the arguments for it, especially if we're going to continue to use them as entertainers.

I have no idea how to write about this, so I'll link you to a blog post entitled A Few Thoughts on Tilikum which brings up a lot of the points I've been thinking about. It also briefly discusses Tilikum's history, which is not at all a happy one.

One thing that I'm really not impressed with is the number of people who are calling for Tilikum to be killed. This incident may have been an accident or it may have been intentional, but either way, it seems absurd to me to fault a wild animal for reminding us that he's a wild animal.

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It's this thing we have in Florida. When we fuck up and mistreat an animal, captive, domesticated or wild, to the point where it turns and hurts somebody, it was clearly the animal's fault and so it deserves to die for not bending to human will. My blood still boils over them killing an alligator in the park down the street from me, years and years ago... because an employee, who worked at the park and knew the gator was living there (everyone knew - they had named him), walked out into the pond, stepped on its tail, and had his arm bitten off as a result. Or people who keep panthers until they chomp on someone or someone's dog, and it's never the fault of the supposedly evolved morons who knew they were putting themselves in danger, no. It's the animal who has only instinct to go on.

Re: the Olympics, I am in complete agreement. What I find especially grating are the people who argue that disinterest in or or even dislike of the Olympics is somehow a measurement of patriotism. Bullshit. There are so many compelling reasons to protest or object to the Olympics. Nobody protests the Olympics just to be a buzz-kill, and the people who are all butt-hurt because the entire country doesn't agree with their ridiculously expensive sporting event ARE NOT THINKING. (I'm looking at you, L.)

One of my neighbors was arguing the other day that we shouldn't pay attention to people protesting use of tax money on Olympics versus use of tax money on social services for homeless people because homeless people don't pay taxes. I left before that conversation got ugly.

So ... objecting to obscene government spending and wanting more money put into social and employment services for disadvantaged Canadians in Vancouver makes you a hater, but supporting the eviction of those same homeless Canadians from the city in order to prettify it for the Olympics makes you patriotic? Logic, this is not.

I don't mind that people like the Olympics, but I do mind when people who like the Olympics malign those who conscientiously object to the games as "unpatriotic." Because fuck you.

Re: Tilikum, all I've got is ditto.

It's sad that the only reason I'm interested in the Olympics is because of Hetalia. I don't actually care about the sports I'm just like COME ON FINLAND DON'T LOSE TO AMERICA IT'S EMBARRASSING (oh god this hockey game is hurting me it's so embarrassing for Finland)

also...can we stop killing animals who are pissed off that they're stuck in a tank the relative size of my dorm room to them? 'cause that's not how life works

1.) OMG SO MUCH WORD. Dude, I do not care about the Olympics, nor do I care about sports in general that are not college basketball when my alma mater is playing. Not watching the Olympics does not make you a bad person.

2.) As the blogger you linked said (paraphrased), "I would be more surprised if the animal that killed the trainer was called a 'snuggler whale'." Dude, cetaceans are not stupid--they're among the most intelligent of non-human animals. If I were a huge apex predator and made to live in the equivalent of a tiny bathtub, I'd be hacked off too. (I've heard this kind of thing framed as "animal resistance", and while I'm not sure if I'd go that far since "resistance" implies a conscious decision and most animals are just doing what comes naturally, rather than being OMG DOWN WITH TEH HY00MAN OPPRESSORS UNITED CRITTER LIBERATION FRONT!!!11, I do think that it is the unfortunate, but inevitable, result of making wild animals cavort for our entertainment.)

They're wild, end of story, and the fact that they look majestic/cute/whatever doesn't negate that. People shouldn't be so surprised that things like this happen.

Wow, this was a long comment. (There was more, but I thought better of it.) Don't worry, it's over now! :D

Oh gurl, I haven't even watched any Colbert this week because I am so sick of the Olympics.

I personally love the Olympics, but I respect your right to not be interested?

I haven't even been looking at the stuff about the whale, because much like you, I was like, "...kind of duh?", and I'm not too interested in hearing about how it gets slaughtered. >.>

So far it seems like Tilikum isn't going to be killed, he's going to be put right back into performing. Which, in a way, is equally ridiculous.

...what. Maybe this is just the voice of somebody raised on Free Willy, but, uh... why don't you let him go?

There are issues with simply letting him go - wild orcas live in pods and he wouldn't really have a pod to go back to, he's been in captivity so long he might not remember how to live in the wild, etc. Keiko was released back into the wild but that was only after, iirc, a long rehabilitation program. I did see people suggesting that Tilikum be put into an ocean pen (near Iceland? I guess they have some up there or something? or maybe these commenters were just making stuff up), so that he would at least be not quite as captive as he is now and he'd no longer be forced to entertain, but I guess the bottom line is that he still makes money for SeaWorld so they don't want to let him go. :| They've already resumed the orca shows (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100227/us_nm/us_usa_whale_2) (although Tilikum isn't a part of them right now) and people are still attending them, so ...

In related news, Matt Damon wants SeaWorld shut down (http://www.3news.co.nz/Matt-Damon-wants-SeaWorld-shut-down-after-trainers-death/tabid/418/articleID/144026/Default.aspx?ArticleID=144026) completely, wow!

Yeah, that's true. It would be kind of lonely for him to live all by himself. But rehabilitation? Why not? Better than either of the other two options, if you ask me. (Which the world totally did. Also, finally, someone to ask- iirc stands for?)

As;elkfj, money. Did I tell you about the whale that appeared in our school lunch here? At least the US isn't whaling under the guise of science. >.>

Rock on, Matt Damon! :D

iirc = if I recall/remember correctly x)

And if you told me about the whale in your school lunch, I must have blocked it out of my memory. o_O Did they feed you guys whale??

Mysteries solved~! Thank you! :D

I made a facebook status about it, surely you saw it. :p

Yeah, they totally did. I was extremely surprised, and also felt like a terrible person for eating it. But at the time that felt like a better decision than letting it be thrown away, which is what happens to waste food.

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long comment is long

Not TOO long, though.

Re: Not TOO long, though.

!