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Symbolism In Blackfish

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Blackfish tells of the story behind Tilikum, the killer whale that is being held captive at Sea World. Tilikum has taken several lives over the course of the last few years and has participated in harmful and violent behavior since its arrival at the theme park. The documentary analyzes and reveals the mistreatment of the killer whales encaged and being held captive there, the lives lost at Sea World, and how deceptive the theme park really is. According to the second humanity formulation of Kant’s Categorical Imperative which states that individuals must never treat others as a tool or the sole purpose of a need. As visualized in the documentary, the killer whales, and other mammals were treated poorly and as objects for the means of entertainment. …show more content…

The theory of psychological egoism declares that actions are based on the idea of self-interest. We see that the animals are confined and miserable. The orca whales often engaged in violent behaviors towards other whales and even divers. Whales are often left with fatal cuts on their bodies due to this and human lives were lost in the process as well. These whales would chew on the arms and legs of divers during performances and even after hours. Over the years, the number of deaths caused by the killer whales at Sea World increased significantly. Despite this, Sea World still decided to run their theme park and continue as though it was not a problem. Because they most likely fear of losing millions in the process, they acted in their self-interest, rather than taking the deaths and injuries in consideration. Furthermore, there is a part in the documentary that brings to light the misconceptions and lies as told by Sea World workers. Sea World workers tell tourists that collapsed dorsal fins are quite normal. However, the truth is that in the wild, it does not occur very often and indicates a serious problem. We also see that Sea World workers tell individuals that an Orca’s lifespan is equivalent or longer in the theme park versus the wild. This could be far from the truth, as they tend to die younger being held captive in Sea World. Sea World does this to hide the truth behind colorful lies and to deceive the public from the unlivable living conditions these animals must endure and go through on a daily

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