exactly, by calendar date
A witness compares two death cases almost exactly twenty years apart, and the precision sharpens the point.
And they're almost, to the day, 20 years apart.Blackfish · 2013 — Chapter 11 of 11 · 2'56" · C1
SeaWorld Blames the Ponytail, Explained: placing the blame on
The surface question is whether a trainer slipped or was pulled into the water. The real dispute is over blame. One line says, "This is a subtle way of placing the blame on Dawn's shoulders," while another cuts through it with "That's as simple as it gets."
What happens
In a courtroom, someone recalls holding two case files twenty years apart and answers that nothing has been learned. News reports then shift from a fall to a ponytail grab, while a SeaWorld curator denies aggression and the narration describes an industry protecting a cuddly image.
Listen for
to the daya damn thingnew planplacing the blame on
00:00 / 02:56Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
placing the blame on
shift responsibility onto someone
Someone analyses the official story: the whale's grab is recast as the dead woman's ponytail problem, and the focus shifts onto her.
Stop placing the blame on the person who got hurt.
Also in this scene
- to the day
exactly, by calendar date
- a damn thing
anything at all, in a negative
- new plan
a new plan or strategy (often ironic)
- just a tale
merely a made-up story
- came up with
invented or devised
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 40 lines
Let not a run together and land the weight on damn.
In fact, it's not a damn thing.anything at all — Mild swearing for frustration; avoid it at work or in formal writing.
We have not learned a damn thing for something like that to happen 20 years apart.regularly
Could you tell if it was an accident or if this-- Did this female trainer work with this whale on a regular basis?killed by injuries
She apparently slipped or fell into the tank and was fatally injured by one of the whales.witness reports
It wasn't until eyewitness accounts disputed that that they had to go back in their huddle and say, "Wait a minute. We gotta come up with a new plan."not-until cleft: The first that completes disputed; the second that introduces what they finally had to do.
It wasn't until eyewitness accounts disputed that that they had to go back in their huddle and say, "Wait a minute. We gotta come up with a new plan."first officially stated
She didn't fall into the tank as the sheriff's department initially reported.let it occur
that it was her mistake in allowing that to happen.alive and able to speak up
How disrespectful for you to blame her when she's not even alive to defend herself.exclamatory for-structure: How plus an adjective plus for someone to do turns the accusation into an exclamation of outrage.
How disrespectful for you to blame her when she's not even alive to defend herself.Put the main beat on alive and keep even light.
How disrespectful for you to blame her when she's not even alive to defend herself.as plain as possible
That's as simple as it gets.falsely claim that
so I knew that SeaWorld was lying about the fact that this was her fault.very probably
The ponytail, in all likelihood, is just a tale.Keep in all compact and stress likelihood.
The ponytail, in all likelihood, is just a tale.invented that explanation
The safety spotter, who apparently didn't actually see the takedown, came up with that.non-restrictive relative clause: The who-clause adds a damning aside: the spotter did not actually see the takedown.
The safety spotter, who apparently didn't actually see the takedown, came up with that.a forcible pull-down — Jargon from wrestling and accident reports; too technical for casual small talk.
The safety spotter, who apparently didn't actually see the takedown, came up with that.pressured him into saying
During the spotter's testimony, OSHA pushed him to say that he wasn't really sure that it was her ponytail that was in the whale's mouth,a more serious kind of aggression
OSHA contends that the whale came up and grabbed Dawn Brancheau's arm, saying that that was another level of aggressiveness.an aggressive action
The initial grab was not an act of aggression.have a personal stake in
The industry has a vested interest in spinning these so that the animals continue to appear like cuddly teddy bears that are completely safe.presenting facts in a biased way Here spin means presenting facts in a biased way, not rotating.
The industry has a vested interest in spinning these so that the animals continue to appear like cuddly teddy bears that are completely safe.purpose clause: So that introduces the purpose behind the spin: keep the animals looking safe and cute.
The industry has a vested interest in spinning these so that the animals continue to appear like cuddly teddy bears that are completely safe.Give vested and interest two beats; let in fade.
The industry has a vested interest in spinning these so that the animals continue to appear like cuddly teddy bears that are completely safe.keep using
You know, that sells a lot of Shamu dolls, it sells a lot of tickets at the gate, and that's the story line that they're going to continue to stick with for as long as they can.for as long as possible
You know, that sells a lot of Shamu dolls, it sells a lot of tickets at the gate, and that's the story line that they're going to continue to stick with for as long as they can.SeaWorld Blames the Ponytail, explained
What's really going on
The scene is not really about whether the trainer slipped. The telling phrase is "The new plan is that he grabbed her ponytail": the wording turns a death into a revised story with a convenient culprit. The issue is not the hair itself but what the hair lets the company do—make the trainer's own choice the cause. One line names the move as "a subtle way of placing the blame on Dawn's shoulders," and another answers with moral anger: "How disrespectful for you to blame her when she's not even alive to defend herself." The closing claim about a "vested interest in spinning these" connects the language to the business: animals that seem like "cuddly teddy bears" sell dolls and tickets, so the safe image has to hold. The scene watches blame being rewritten as fact.
Theme
DeceptionThe official story changes from a fall to a ponytail grab, and one line calls it a way of placing blame on the dead trainer.
JusticeA dead trainer cannot defend herself, yet the revised story makes her actions the cause of the attack.
Listen for
- not a damn — Let not a run together and land the weight on damn.
- not even alive — Put the main beat on alive and keep even light.
- in all likelihood — Keep in all compact and stress likelihood.
- vested interest in — Give vested and interest two beats; let in fade.
We have not learned a damn thing for something like that to happen 20 years apart.After two similar incidents twenty years apart, the answer to what has been learned is: nothing at all.
How disrespectful for you to blame her when she's not even alive to defend herself.The objection is that blaming the dead trainer is unfair because she cannot speak for herself.
That's as simple as it gets.The speaker reduces the incident to one blunt action: the whale grabbed her ponytail and pulled her in.
The ponytail, in all likelihood, is just a tale.The ponytail detail is probably invented rather than a reliable account of what happened.
The industry has a vested interest in spinning these so that the animals continue to appear like cuddly teddy bears that are completely safe.The industry benefits from making incidents sound harmless, because a safe, cuddly image sells dolls and tickets.
Questions about this scene
Why is the ponytail such a big deal in this scene?
Because the revised account says the whale grabbed her ponytail. One line calls this "a subtle way of placing the blame on Dawn's shoulders," and another says the ponytail story is probably "just a tale."
Did Dawn Brancheau fall into the tank?
The report quoted here says she "didn't fall into the tank as the sheriff's department initially reported"; it says the whale pulled her into the water.
Why does one line call "the new plan" suspicious?
It is not presented as a neutral update. The next line says it is "a subtle way of placing the blame on Dawn's shoulders," so the new wording redirects responsibility onto the trainer.
How does SeaWorld explain the whale's first grab?
A SeaWorld curator says the initial grab "was not an act of aggression" and that the whale was not "a crazed animal." The company's position is that the behavior was not an attack.
Why does the scene end with Shamu dolls and ticket sales?
It links the safe image to money: if the animals seem like "cuddly teddy bears," the company sells more dolls and gate tickets, so it keeps repeating that story.
Blackfish · 11 chapters
All chapters →
Chapter 1come to find outTrainers Hired for Personality
Chapter 2without missing a beatCrews Net the Orca Calves
Chapter 3on a hair triggerStarving Whales Into a Steel Box
Chapter 4on its last legsKeltie Falls Into the Whale Pool
Chapter 5screams outOrca Families Each Have a Language
Chapter 6making such a big dealSupervisor Yells Get Her Away
Chapter 7never crossed my mindKalina Taken from Katina
Chapter 8twisted and turnedTrainers Challenge Captivity Claims
Chapter 9proven track recordWhy SeaWorld Kept Tilikum
Chapter 10went southTilikum Misses the Whistle
Watching · Chapter 11placing the blame onSeaWorld Blames the PonytailThat's all 11 chapters of this film