The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s most controversial attractions
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is taking heat from animal-rights activists this year for including SeaWorld’s float, which features Shamu, the park’s famous killer whale. SeaWorld has been the target of harsh publicity this year after the release of “Blackfish,” a documentary about the treatment of orcas in captivity.
“It’s unfortunate that they’re going to have a float to promote what we now know is a very ethically questionable industry,” Emory University neuroscientist Lori Marino told the Christian Science Monitor. Macy’s defends the parade, saying it’s about entertainment, not “social commentary.” If Macy’s decided to bar balloons and floats from controversial companies, it would sure whittle down the parade. Here are some other parade participants that might draw “social commentary.” -- Kerry Cavanaugh
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