Sharks are Rebranding!
it’s 2021, Don’t offend the sharks
The first time I ever saw the movie Jaws I had to have been between 7-8 years old. It was a usual Saturday night, sitting on the carpet sharing a bowl of popcorn with my younger brother and sister, while my parents shared their bowl on the couch. Bloody water and floating limbs… it was a rough movie to watch since I was so squeamish at the sight of blood. Finally the scene of Robert Shaw aka “Quint”, was eaten by Jaws. My father paused the movie and explained that in this scene, there was a mechanical error in which the shark actually crushed Robert Shaw. My mother claimed, “You’re lying, You’re lying Jim!!!” My father then assured us that is wasn’t a joke and Robert Shaw gasped his last breath in agony by a mechanical shark. He told us that our Great Grandfather told him (he worked special effects in Hollywood). It wasn’t till I was an adult in which I learned that all my life I believed a fib.
Shark experts are demanding that we hinder the use of the word “Attacks” when directed at sharks. Christopher Pepin-Neff, a language researcher from the University of Sydney stated, “A majority of what people call “attacks” are merely nips and minor injuries from smaller sharks.” Yes, you read that right… Australia has the 2nd most shark attacks in the world, behind USA. Australia has even formed a “Bite Club” in which members are individuals who have had “interactions” or “nips” by sharks. Using more sensitive terms can have a positive affect on the image we have for sharks. Leonardo Guida, shark researcher at the Australian Marine Conservation Society stated, “Because it helps dispel inherent assumptions that sharks are ravenous, mindless man-eating monsters. To describe shark interactions more accurately helps improve the public’s understanding of sharks and how they behave.”
With this rebranding, news sources such as the New York Post came to the aid of sharks. In their article on July 15th, the very first sentence is “Who is attacking Whom here?” Insinuating that using the phrase “shark attacks” cause an emotional barrage for sharks. Just an hour before they posted their article defending the sharks, they posted an article titled:
The phrase “Dot your I’s and cross your T’s” comes to mind when reading these articles. Why didn’t the New York Post fix the previous title to “Drunk man had an UNPLEASANT INTERACTION with shark while wading into sea to relieve himself”. A man in Brazil was bitten by a shark while he waded into the water to “relieve himself”. Marcelo Rocha and his friend entered the water around 2 p.m. They were located at Piedade Beach in Jaboatao dos Guararapes, northeastern Brazil. There was no visibility due to the murky water. The shark bit off Marcelo’s hand and bit into his hamstring. Unfortunately, he passed away on the beach. 12 attacks in the area were previously reported. The New York Post, has yet to revisit this article and eliminate the use of the phrase “Shark Attack”.
