‘Karen Of The Sea’ Boots A Sea Lion Into Orca-Filled Waters And People Are Divided

October 2, 2021, 9:14 am*

Last week, a video went viral on TikTok showing a woman usher a sea lion off her boat into a watery, orca-filled grave. The video ignited such ire that the OP removed it shortly thereafter. However, many other folx downloaded the video before it was removed. 

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The account @castrowas95 re-posted the same video to Twitter last Saturday, adding the caption, “I would’ve s—t my pants” The video has since garnered nearly 110,000 likes, as well as tens of thousands of retreats and (of course) comments.

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Many expressed disgust and anger with the woman for what they saw as cruelly murdering the sea lion. They argued that land is visible in the video, and she could have taken them both to safety. As one TikTokker wrote on the original video: “Just start the boat, Karen, and go.”

Others sided with the woman in the video, arguing that she was just saving herself, because otherwise the orcas would have capsized her boat and killed her along with the sea lion. (Spoiler alert: we are Team Start The F—king Boat Already, Karen.) 

How evil you gotta be to try and send a sea lion to its death, especially when its just sittin there lol

— Brown Skin Nerdy Girl (@BrownSkinGirl88) September 25, 2021

Meanwhile, Paul Vigna asked the question we were all thinking: if she was so scared of the orcas, why was she loitering around and videotaping everything while they were still swimming towards her boat from relatively far away?

Look, this is cool and all, but if you’re so scared, why are you *videotaping* it? Start the boat, leave the seal where he is, and get the eff out of there. She can see land. Just go.

Can Orcas outrun a janky little boat? Asking for a friend. https://t.co/59Ffnmliug

— Paul Vigna (@paulvigna) September 26, 2021

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Others simply expressed horror with the overall situation:

And, in true Twitter form, dark humor as coping mechanism ruled the day:

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It gets more complicated, however. Orcas in this area are protected under the Endangered Species Act. If they were underneath this woman’s boat and she turned on the engine, she could have injured or arguably even killed one. Sea lions, on the other hand, are not an endangered species. Some used this to try to defend the woman’s actions, as well.

Meanwhile, one Twitter user pointed out the truth—this is a “trolley problem,” straight out of freshman Philosophy 101. The only difference here is that the train full of people are bullying predators but also endangered species. And the person tied to the trolley tracks is the cutest, goofiest-looking little creature on earth who just jumped onto your boat to avoid being someone else’s dinner.

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*First Published: October 2, 2021, 9:00 am