What is the Blackfish Effect and how does it affect animals?
While the Blackfish Effect may not transcend the political and financial incentives of SeaWorld and institutionalized animal entertainment programs, it has created a heightened awareness of the devastating cruelty that humans inflict upon animals. In terms of global animal rights, the Blackfish Effect is a small step toward changing the status quo.
What is blackfishing and why is it trending?
The term has been increasingly in the news to describe behavior by White entertainers who appear to be imitating the appearance of Black people. It's not a compliment. The latest example is pop star Iggy Azalea, who has drawn criticism for her look in a new music video. Here's a look at what Blackfishing is and why people are doing it.
What is the movie Blackfish about?
In January 2013, the documentary Blackfish premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, telling the story "about Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity," according to the official film synopsis.
Is Blackfish still relevant today?
Blackfish is yet another piece of evidence that marine mammals belong in the wild Though Blackfish was released in 2013, it is sadly still relevant today, seeing that there are currently more than 3,000 whales and dolphins held captive in zoos, aquaria or marine parks.
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What does the Blackfish effect mean?
I found evidence that Blackfish led to negative publicity for SeaWorld and changed how people viewed marine mammal captivity. As a result, attendance at the park decreased and the market value of the company dropped. These interviews revealed three main variables which explain why Blackfish had such a wide impact.
What effect did Blackfish have on SeaWorld?
In the year following Blackfish's release, SeaWorld's attendance dropped by one million visitors. In 2014, the company announced a 84% fall in income and saw its share price drop by 33%. Although SeaWorld attributed this to “the seasonal nature of the business”, the media largely blamed Blackfish.
What did Blackfish teach us?
Blackfish provides startling revelations about the marine mammal exhibition industry and particularly the operations of SeaWorld Entertainment. The film raises important questions about the way people treat marine mammals and, by extension, all wild animals confined in zoos and animal exhibition parks.
Why is Blackfish controversial?
Blackfish criticizes SeaWorld for lying to the public, denying the animals' aggression, and perpetuating the orcas' image as a "cuddly toy” (a term used in the movie while SeaWorld's plush orca gift shop is shown).
How much money did SeaWorld lose from Blackfish?
The 2013 documentary Blackfish sparked public outcry over SeaWorld's treatment of orcas, also known as killer whales, and the theme park has been suffering ever since: The loss of $1.7 billion in market capitalization the year of the film's release, plummeting attendance, and the loss of corporate partnerships.
Why was Blackfish created?
“Blackfish” the documentary film was created to reveal how confinement of killer whales can lead to dangerous behavior toward human trainers. The main claim this film displayed is how the captivity of Killer Whales triggers aggression and is unsafe for humans and other marine mammals.
Was Blackfish removed from Netflix?
However, in 2021, for unexplained reasons, Netflix removed Blackfish from their platform.
Has SeaWorld improved since Blackfish?
SeaWorld has recovered, and its stock price is high again. Blackfish didn't end the industry. It helped focus attention on orca captivity in North America and Europe, but in China, they're building marine parks one after the other, and until recently Russian fishermen were still capturing wild orcas to sell.
Does SeaWorld treat their animals well?
“SeaWorld is American Humane Certified which means we have inspected their facilities and they met our rigorous certification criteria for the good welfare and humane treatment of animals.
Does SeaWorld still abuse animals 2022?
Although SeaWorld ended its sordid orca-breeding program, the company continues to sexually abuse dolphins. Unwilling male dolphins are masturbated, and females are torn out of the water and sometimes drugged so they can't fight back while staff members shove tubes filled with semen into their uteruses.
Does SeaWorld still abuse animals 2021?
No two ways around it—SeaWorld is bad. SeaWorld trainers masturbated male orcas to collect sperm. The marine park company still does this to other dolphins today. Female animals are sexually abused and forcibly impregnated, and they're often drugged to prevent them from resisting.
What is false about Blackfish?
“'Blackfish' is billed as a documentary, but instead of a fair and balanced treatment of a complex subject, the film is inaccurate and misleading and, regrettably, exploits a tragedy that remains a source of deep pain for Dawn Brancheau's family, friends and colleagues,” SeaWorld's statement said.
Does SeaWorld still have orcas 2022?
As of October 4, 2022 there are: In the wild, male orcas live to an average of 30 years (maximum 50-60 years) and 46 years for females (maximum 80-90 years). At least 172 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or still-born calves. SeaWorld holds 18 orcas in its three parks in the United States.
How did SeaWorld get their orcas?
Some Orcas Were Kidnapped and Sent to SeaWorld Five orcas currently at SeaWorld were kidnapped from their ocean homes, as were others who have since died.
Is SeaWorld still breeding orcas?
SeaWorld has ended its killer whale breeding program, making the orcas in our care the last generation. Our whales will continue to thrive under the best veterinary care for the remainder of their lives here.
What happened to SeaWorld orcas?
SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. announced in 2016 that orcas would no longer be bred at its parks following an order by the California Coastal Commission and dropping attendance since the 2013 release of the documentary "Blackfish," about Tilikum, an orca who spent most of his life at SeaWorld Orlando.
What is Rose's response to the sea parks?
A response that encourages sea parks to become more like a sanctuaries and less like a circuses. Rose is a, "marine mammal scientist and part of a team working with Merlin Entertainments Group to create the first sanctuary for captive bottlenose dolphins.".
What is the impact of Blackfish on the Earth?
The same impact that is, right now, wreaking havoc on all of earth’s systems—its oceans, its soils, its people, its animals, and most critically momentous, its climate —is made heartrendingly visible by Blackfish. And, perhaps key to understanding the Blackfish Effect itself, it gives the global public a way to act.
What is the Blackfish Effect?
The Blackfish Effect taps the moral outrage of our time: the huge and devastating impact of cultural and corporate domination of the Earth, as well as humans and non-humans alike. The same impact that has allowed for captivity, corruption, lies, subjugation, slavery, and oppression. The same impact that is, right now, ...
Who tapped the power of empathy?
Outrage fueled by empathy …one of our world’s greatest powers. It is the same power that Nelson Mandela tapped, along with Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Jesus, Rosa Parks, Jane Goodall, Mother Theresa, and so many countless others…known and unknown. article continues after advertisement.
Is the Blackfish Effect a public relations crisis?
article continues after advertisement. Public relations crisis, indeed. The Blackfish Effect is not a public relations crisis; it’s a response to a moral crisis.
Who is the author of Blackstone's dump?
Blackstone’s dump and the bands’ exodus are only two of the more dramatic results of the Blackfish Effect. Carl Hiaasen, acclaimed and bestselling author, started his scathing December 14 denouncement of SeaWorld, “Well God Bless Willie Nelson.”.
Did Blackstone dump Seaworld stock?
NASDAQ reported, also on December 18, that Blackstone subsidiaries dumped the bulk of their SeaWorld stock. Blackstone was the main shareholder of SeaWorld stock. Blackstone, it seems, is taking a lesson from the bands and is, likewise, jumping ship.
How does it differ from cultural appropriation?
Blackfishing and cultural appropriation are all interconnected -- you cannot have one without the other, Thompson said.
What is blackfishing in social media?
“Blackfishing is when White public figures, influencers and the like do everything in their power to appear Black,” Thompson told CNN this week. ...
What is blackfishing in music?
The term has been increasingly in the news to describe behavior by White entertainers who appear to be imitating the appearance of Black people. It’s not a compliment. The latest example is pop star Iggy Azalea, who has drawn criticism for her look in a new music video.
What does Bow say about power?
Bow said there's a specific power dynamic in American society that implies aspects of racial culture must be validated by those with status for them to be considered positive or valuable.
Does Iggy Azalea have a wig?
Critics on social media noted that in the video her skin appears darker than usual, but she dismissed it. Iggy Azalea performing in 2017.
When people change their appearance with makeup, cosmetic surgery or digital editing to appear black, it goes a step further than?
But when people change their appearance with makeup, cosmetic surgery or digital editing to appear Black, it goes a step further than cultural appropriation. It's Blackfishing.
Who said Mars plays up his racial ambiguity to cross genres?
In 2018, writer and activist Seren Sensei said Mars “plays up his racial ambiguity to cross genres.”. Mars, who was born to a Filipino mother and a half-Puerto Rican, half-Jewish father, responded that “You can’t find an interview where I haven’t talked about the entertainers who have come before me.
What is the movie Blackfish about?
Released in 2013, Blackfish focuses on Tilikum, an orca kept in captivity at the marine park SeaWorld in the USA. Built upon interviews of former marine mammal trainers, the documentary highlights various conservation and animal welfare issues surrounding the use of orcas in marine parks such as SeaWorld, as well as the dangers animal trainers face - seeing that Tilikum killed his trainer in 2010.
What channels did Blackfish come on?
Firstly, the documentary was broadcasted by major distribution channels like CNN and Netflix, which allowed Blackfish to reach a wider public. Secondly, Blackfish was able to engage hearts and minds on the animal suffering caused by marine mammal entertainment.
Is blackfish still alive?
Blackfish is yet another piece of evidence that marine mammals belong in the wild. Though Blackfish was released in 2013, it is sadly still relevant today, seeing that there are currently more than 3,000 whales and dolphins held captive in zoos, aquaria or marine parks.
What was the public call to action in Blackfish?
Blackfish did not simply raise awareness about captive orcas; it incited the public to take some form of action, like calling for a SeaWorld boycott, live tweeting during the CNN broadcast, and engaging in physical protest even though the filmmakers themselves did not explicitly call for it. The audience understood SeaWorld’s role, and the film’s narrative about orcas in captivity issued a clarion call. The public was moved and motivated to make noise and call for change, and it did, over and over.
What is the Blackfish experience?
The Blackfish experience is a blueprint for how even a very modestly financed documentary film can have a huge narrative impact. Caty Borum Chattoo, executive director of the Center for Media & Social Impact at the American University School of Communication and author of two books about the role of media and narrative in social change, writes [5] in her new book, Story Movements: How Documentaries Empower People and Inspire Social Change, that the impact of Blackfish can be attributed to five elements:
How many people watched Blackfish?
According to Twitter, there were 67,673 tweets about Blackfish seen by 7.3 million people the night the film aired, making it the most talked about show on CNN that month. Anderson Cooper hosted a live post-show debate that expanded the conversation on traditional and social media, and additional celebrities including Ariana Grande, Zach Braff, Michelle Rodriguez, and Stephen Fry chimed in and encouraged their followers to watch the documentary and think twice before visiting a SeaWorld park. In December, eight out of 10 scheduled musical acts pulled out of SeaWorld Orlando’s Bands, Brew and BBQ concert series citing Blackfish as the reason. One of the performers was Willie Nelson, who was responding to a petition launched by Change.org, which garnered close to 10,000 signatures. That same month Joan Jett asked SeaWorld to stop using her song “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” during the Shamu Rocks opening number.
What is Seaworld Entertainment?
SeaWorld Entertainment is a multi-billion dollar public corporation that operates three SeaWorld parks in California, Texas, and Florida. [2] Over the more than 50 years since its founding, the company has striven to brand itself not only as a place for families to enjoy rides, shows, and animal habitats, but also as “a global leader in animal welfare, training, husbandry and veterinary care.” In the words of SeaWorld, “Through our theme parks’ up-close animal encounters, educational exhibits and innovative entertainment, we strive to inspire each guest who visits one of our parks to care for and conserve the natural world.”
What was the revenue of Seaworld in 2013?
In his “Dear Shareholder” letter in SeaWorld Entertainment’s 2013 Annual Report, CEO Jim Atchison wrote, “It has been a remarkable year.” He cited the success of the corporation’s Initial Public Offering in April of that year and reported that 2013 had ended with “record revenue of $1.46 billion, a 3 percent year-over-year increase.” He also projected that in 2014 revenue would grow still more and in signing off wrote, “I hope you are as gratified by our inaugural year performance as a public company as I am.” Yet that same year, a very different, parallel story was unfolding about SeaWorld that would dramatically undermine Atchison’s rosy predictions and would, in fact, lead some to believe that SeaWorld, long one of the most popular theme parks in the United States, might not survive.
What is the film "The Orcas" about?
They also spoke of SeaWorld’s practice of separating young calves from their mothers and the obvious and extreme anguish this caused to both. Scientists described the complex social relationships among orcas in the wild and the fact that they are highly intelligent and use language to communicate within their families and with other pods. The film made a strong case against keeping these highly social animals in captivity, demonstrating that putting them in confined environments and altering their family structures is harmful to the orcas and can lead to aggressive and even deadly behavior.
What is strategic layered distribution?
Strategic Layered Distribution. Layered distribution across platforms over a period of time is essential for social change fueled by documentaries. Each distribution tier for Blackfish stoked public and media interest, and each display outlet, from the Sundance Film Festival to theatrical screenings to the CNN premiere to Netflix streaming, was meaningful.
