The Rock and the Whale

This past week, the biggest attraction at the Georgia Aquarium wasn't its famous whale sharks - it was professional wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.  Johnson and his family had a behind-the-scenes guided tour of the facility where they met many of the aquarium's animals up close and personal.  Afterwards, he did what many a father or husband did and posted some pictures on social media.

And there the headaches began.

Johnson was almost instantly beset by animal rights activists who alternately called him a monster for supporting "slavery" and by begging him to see Blackfish, the most unbiased and honest of all "documentaries."  Almost at once, zookeepers rallied to the Rock's defense, swarming his facebook and instragram with words of praise, invitations to visit their facilities, and defense against the critics.  Within hours, Dwayne Johnson was the favorite celebrity of many a zookeeper.

It makes me happy to see a celebrity with such a public forum sharing happy memories of a visit to the aquarium.  Still, I find it frustrating that we have to spend so much of our time justifying ourselves and playing defensive.  I think of what we could achieve if we didn't have to pour that much energy into this.