The propensity for preaching. I am going to fore go the normal lead in, which consists of thanking you, and congratulating you all for your instance on being inquisitive. You already get it, and you know that I am Joe Public, its why you are reading this. So I will dispense with the normal pleasantries and just get into it. I am frustrated. I am frustrated, because of the news and journalists in general. I am at work, and for the last 2 weeks, the news station has been hyping a “NEW” documentary, designed to promote one person’s view, while summarily dismissing all others, regardless of their validity or relevance. The documentary is called “BLACKFISH” and is about the Orca (Killer Whale). Up to today, I was looking forward to seeing it, and seeing an “UNBIASED” view of the program, and the whales themselves. I was looking forward to points, and counter points. Instead, I get overwhelmed by the lowest common denominator. The high school dropouts that managed to get jobs as “Trainers” and are now “Blowing the whistle”, hoping for their 15 minutes of fame. I will be the first person to tell you, that I have no experience as a large animal trainer. Unless you count the couple of dogs that I owned, and they were not that well trained. I don’t have intimate knowledge of the SeaWorld programs, or the overall management of the organization. I do however have a trusted and valued friendship with two well respected Trainers at the SeaWorld in Texas. I love these people very much, and I respect what they do. I also pay attention when I go to SeaWorld. I have seen several of the “Shows” many times, and continue to be thrilled every time. I have discussed with several of the show trainers, and specifically, the Shamu trainer told me one day, “you don’t Train the Orca, you ask them to do something, and if they feel like it, they will do it. Usually, it works out.” Of all the trainers I have met, (and it has been a decent number.) Not a single one of them considers it a job. (That is, it is Not something they can just work 9 to 5 and put it behind them.) Working with those animals is a labor of love. They usually spend more time with the animals then they do with their own children. Those creatures become family. They build a bond that is strong. There is trust and love. I hear these morons on TV, talking about “Consider how the animals FEEL.” The particular statment I loved was, “Imagine if you spent 20 years in a bath tub, you would get a little cranky too.” Idiot. I get mad, because all these “EXPERTS” are simply pushing their opinions as fact, and twisting the gullible and uninformed public to shift their ideas of what is and is not right, and what should and should not be. Here is a question that hasn’t been asked yet, and should be. How many of these EXPERTS have actually worked at SeaWorld? (Probably a few, but probably only to check a box on the way to their Masters Degree.) A better questions might be, how did THEY decide the animals were unhappy? Here is a good test to that question, first ask the animal how he feels, then write down his response. If it is any thing other than “Gronk” or “REEErrrooo”, you cannot be certain how the animal REALLY feelks or what he is REALLY thinking. We can guess and make suppositions, but those are ALWAYS tainted by our own feelings and emotions. If you want me to give it some thought or You want to make me change my mind about it, when you ask the animal how it feels, if it says, “Why thanks for asking Steve. Frankly, I am tired of anchovies..” That would be a game changer. But don’t bring “Bertha, the pet PSYCHIC” up here, and claim to “UNDERSTAND” the animals. No one will TRULY understand what the animal is thinking. Instead, we take an action, and watch the animal’s response. This is not communication, it is cause and effect. The people whose opinion I do value regarding these creatures are the ones who haven’t given up and taken a love, and turned it into a job. The program talks about The Trainer in Florida who was killed by an Orca. The Whale tore her arm off and swallowed it. Horrible? YES! But I would say, she died doing what she loved. She deeply loved those animals, and would probably say she doesn’t regret anything. We will never know why the whale killed the trainer. I am pretty certain it didn’t decide to simply kill the woman. (Murder for pleasure is uniquely a HUMAN thing.) According to witnesses, the Animal didn’t want to release Dawns body. Perhaps it was playing, perhaps it deeply loved her, and wanted to share part of his world with her. I don’t know. We will never know. Look at Siegfried and Roy, the magicians in Las Vegas. According to Roy Horn, (The Man who was mauled on stage,) he passed out, and the Tiger “Monticore” attempted to pick him up and bring him off stage. He says he was NOT attacked, and continues to profess love for the animals, and calls that particular tiger “His Brother.” These two incidents have taught me something. They have taught me, that animals can have feelings, that animals can love, and that animals have instincts. What it has taught me, is that we as humans do NOT need to over-react every time someone gets hurt. I will put my opinion on the line here, and say that there is order to the universe, and applies to all living things. 1. Respect 2. Trust 3. Love 4. Protect If things happen in this order, all is well. I will now share something I learned. Shamu is sorry the trainer was hurt. How do I know? He told me. I am Joe Public
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 12:27:28 +0000
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