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Morbid Mondays - All That is Wrong With Discovery Channel in one Clip

4/7/2014

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This video from Discovery Channel is inaccurate to say the least, and is horrible PR for sharks...but is a good summation of the downward spiral of Discovery Channel's Programming.  I feel bad even sharing it, but perhaps in doing so you'll know why I disapprove of most of 'Shark Week'.

Here's this week's video breakdown:

  • Title of Video: '18 Foot Shark Attacks Cage / Great White Serial Killer'. First, there's no attack.  A slow swimming shark investigates the cage (probably after hours of baiting and chumming). 

    Next, there's never been a white shark "serial killer" or "rogue shark" despite any myths, stories, or movies.  Even if there had been a set of unfortunate events this title is not good for sharks

  • Opening line from narrator, "Can sharks sense vulnerability in people?".  Barf. Fear mongering.
  • Follow up from narrator indicates that the goal is to lure the shark into an attack, "such as the ones endured by surfers at a beach".  You're trying to simulate an attack?  Comparing a surfer at a beach to a diver in a cage?  Those two scenarios are nothing alike.  Secondly, if this is indeed their goal, where's the outrage that they are attempting teach a shark to attack someone?  I don't think this can be done, but never the less, what a disgusting line.

  • The hosts states that there's a shark down there with a bad attitude.  By bad attitude they mean a shark that actually paid attention to them despite the efforts to chum and bait it into behaving aggressively, while the others stubbornly remain docile despite the crew's best efforts to get "TV worthy footage".  (list continues below video)

  • The host says he needs his head checked for getting in.  Actually there is no danger.  Since my early days of working on a boat in South Africa in 2004 I've probably gotten into a cage for white shark diving over 400 times.  The only potential danger comes in the form of operator or diver error.

  • The host says the ONE SIDE of the cage that is made of clear plexiglass will cause the shark to think the diver is an easy target, as though the animal is so dumb and eyesight so bad that it will be unaware of the the metal bars on all three other sides.

  • Listen to the fake "underwater screams" that are added for dramatic effect.  These scream are played continuously while slow motion footage of the shark biting the float is shown.  Note, the float is bitten once, but the footage is played slowly to drag out the drama.

  • The on-deck screams of "Get him out of there" I assume are fake as well.

This actually looked like a magnificent encounter with a gorgeous shark that was slowly, and rather gently investigating the cage.  

Who knows how much of this drama was added by the producers after it was filmed so I don't know how much to criticize the host.  From what I hear these shows go in and change the final product so that it is this reality TV drama crap... so if you ever see me on a shitty show like this, before you condemn me, write to me, because there's a good chance what you are being shown is not what was set out to be created.
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