Highs & Lows

After reviewing in class yesterday the documentaries we watched, I thought about the several highs and lows I witnessed while watching Blackfish. 

The list of the highs I came up with goes as follows:

• Creating awareness of the affects captivity has on wild animals
• OSHA trial created safer restrictions for trainers working with the killer whales
• Showed another side to the Dawn Brancheau story
• Decreased sales at SeaWorld
• Famous artists (such as Martina McBridge, Willie Nelson, the Barenaked Ladies and many more) canceled their acts at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL.
• Former trainers speaking out against what they witnessed
• OSHA taking a stand to stop the horrors and unfit living situations for the whales

The lows that I recognized were:

• The separation from the mother and calves
• Capturing the whales from the wild
• Tilikum is still performing at SeaWorld
• Several trainers dying, being injured or affected by the whale's behavior
• The living conditions of the whales
• Lies told to the media to cover up SeaWorld's wrongs
• How unpredictable the whale's emotions and attacks are (could happen during a live show)
• Shamu's image appeals to the public as fun and friendly, but in reality is extremely dangerous
• Raking and violence done to other whales living in the same pool 

I'm sure that there are several more highs and lows of the documentary but after viewing the film again these were the ones that were coming to my attention. Each one of these is showed during the film to the audience and is explained. The audience can easily understand after watching the documentary why each could be considered a "high" or "low" point in the film.