The hits just keep coming.
When Svalbard’s polar bears make the news they usually do so virally and bizarrely, and the bear that was shot on Saturday after attacking a cruise ship guard is fully living up to that clickbait craziness. While most of the global headlines manage to report it’s a seemingly simple case of self-defense (but there’s still plenty of anger about humans invading the bear’s turf), the proliferation of headlines pushing inaccuracies and obvious agendas are continuing to spiral every further into surreality.
A sampling of “who/what is to blame” headlines from the past few days (and remember, these are just the English ones):
BLAME THE HEAT
This continues a common and wildly inaccurate theme during the first couple of days after the attack:
But then this takes the nonsense further by altering a few words (remember: “weather” and “climate” are two very different things).
BLAME STUPID PEOPLE TRICKS
Variations on a theme:
Polar bear’s death raises questions about sustainable tourism in the Arctic
The polar bear shooting tells us everything that’s wrong with selfie-driven wildlife tourism
Polar Bear Who Attacked Cruise Leader Tells a Sad Story of How Our Food Choices Are Harming Species
BLAME THE LIBTARDS
A polar bear has been shot — and suddenly white lives matter
(“It was the first time that I’ve seen the left get this upset about something bad happening to someone who’s white.”)
Is it right to shoot a bear that is attacking you in its territory?
(An MMO site: “yes” prevails 87/13 in online poll.)
Cruise ship bear guard survives being mauled by polar bear in Svalbard
(From world-famous climate change denialist Susan Crockford, who of course sympathizes with the guard)
BLAME ROUNDING UP ERRORS
When you search for “Svalbard polar bear attacks cruise guard” and get headlines like these, all you can do is wonder WTF?
NJ Cruise Ship Rider Takes Upskirt Photo of Young Girl: Pros
CASTING OUT THE BLAME
And just to show some are capable of a pretty decent perspective about the whole thing:
Polar bear safety
(By someone who does “more or less the same work as these guides do.”)