SeaWorld started out with a lineup of 10 acts. Today they had their 10th cancellation.
Every year, SeaWorld runs a concert series. But this year, things are different. This year, millions of people saw the documentary Blackfish. Americans now know about the harm SeaWorld does to orcas. And people are asking the artists they love to not be associated with SeaWorld's cruelty for profit.
After the Barenaked Ladies cancelled their performance at SeaWorld, and after Willie Nelson did, and Heart and Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon and Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride and 38 Special, SeaWorld decided they needed to do something to stop the cancellations. Their solution: move the concerts to another venue they own (Busch Gardens) and downplay their ownership of it.
For a while, that seemed to work. Justin Moore and Scotty McCreery, the only two acts on the entire lineup of 10 that hadn't already cancelled, stayed committed, and SeaWorld manged to add two more acts: Pat Benatar and the Beach Boys.
That didn't fool people long. Fans of Benatar and the Beach Boys caught on and started educating their idols.
Today, SeaWorld posted on Facebook that both Benatar and the Beach Boys have walked out on them! The post drew so many likes and shares from animal lovers that SeaWorld removed their post less than an hour later, but you can see a screenshot of the post at https://www.facebook.com/...
Whether "Blackfish" gets an Oscar or not, it is clearly the most important documentary of 2013, considering the impact it has shown.
SeaWorld has spent good money trying to stop this tidal wave of compassion. SeaWorld has rigged public polls, pushed its employees to blog in support of the company, and placed full-page ads in newspapers, and they still can't muffle the truth.
Even in modern America, a wealthy corporation can sometimes be knocked down. When we see a stone like "Blackfish" hit a Goliath like SeaWorld, it can be awe-inspiring.