People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

The current response to the coronavirus is like an exploding whale. I’ll bet you weren’t expecting that comparison! The person managing the Doncaster Council Twitter account posted a history lesson about the time that US officials blew up a decaying 7.3k kilogram (16.1k pound) sperm whale in Florence, Oregon, in 1970. With dynamite.

That solution wasn’t the brightest idea because it rained chunks of whale meat on everyone, smashed a car, and didn’t get rid of the main problem. But do you know what was a success? The Doncaster Council’s Twitter thread which got more than 63k likes and over 35k retweets.

People were so wowed by the story that some of them even suggested giving the Twitter account’s manager a raise. Scroll down to read the full story and the lessons we’re supposed to learn about the coronavirus from this disastrous historical “solution.”

More info: Doncaster.gov.uk | Twitter | Facebook

The Doncaster Council Twitter account manager posted a historical analogy about how the 1970 Oregon exploding whale can teach us 3 lessons about the coronavirus

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: TheExplodingWhale.com

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: TheExplodingWhale.com

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: TheExplodingWhale.com

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

Here are the 3 lessons we can learn from this event

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: MyDoncaster

Back in 1970, news reporter Paul Linnman who covered the story stated that “ the blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds.” Not only was part of the whale still intact, but the explosion also scared away the birds that officials had hoped would eat the chunkified remains.

“It might be concluded that, should a whale ever be washed ashore in Lane County again, those in charge will not only remember what to do, they’ll certainly remember what not to do,” Linnman said. In fact, US officials learned from their mistakes. So when 41 sperm whales beached nearby in 1979, they were burned and buried. No more messing with explosions.

Here’s the full news report from 1970

Years later, in the mid-1990s, Linnman contacted George Thornton, the engineer in charge of the operation, once again. Thornton thought that the operation had been a success and blamed the media for turning what happened into a PR disaster.

As things currently stand, the policy of the Oregon State Parks Department is to bury whales when they wash ashore. And, if the sand’s not deep enough, the carcasses are transported to another beach. Lesson learned? Lesson learned. Now, it’s time to learn the lessons that the Doncaster Council’s trying to teach us about the coronavirus.

People loved the analogy and some even suggested giving the Twitter account manager a raise

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: Liesbethflowers

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: Vintage_Maggie

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: mkingscott

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: Overthehillprop

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: ThatGuy3002

People Are Applauding This Twitter Manager For Using A Whale Blown Up In The 1970s As A Lesson On Coronavirus

Image credits: SocialBeastie

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Read less »

As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

Read less »

What do you think ?

POST

Kateryna 4 years ago

There is another thing I noticed that relates this back to the current pandemic. The whale is a large unit of people. The chunks are the people that traveled. They spread the problem eslewhere.

10points

Mark 4 years ago

Would be interested in Trumps opinion on this if it were to happen now ;)

8points

Pretty Pangolin 4 years ago

"It will be the biggest, most beautiful explosion you've ever seen! I've been in touch with people, the highest quality people, and they all asked how I knew so much about these wonderful exploding whales."

34points

Load More Replies...

WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago

Trump would have nuked that whale. Because that's his way of solving problems since he's president. HIs prior ways of solving problems was to file for bankrupcy, but you can't get more more bankrupt than a dead whale, can you?

3points

Chris DiFonso 4 years ago

tRump would want to build a wall around the whale, and tRump would announce publicly that the whale would pay for the wall.

2points

Christa Russell 4 years ago

They should have moved it far back into the ocean so other sea life could eat it.. imagine how much food that would be for so many species .. this is stupid and sad :/

2points

Load More Comments

POST

Kateryna 4 years ago

There is another thing I noticed that relates this back to the current pandemic. The whale is a large unit of people. The chunks are the people that traveled. They spread the problem eslewhere.

10points

Mark 4 years ago

Would be interested in Trumps opinion on this if it were to happen now ;)

8points

Pretty Pangolin 4 years ago

34points

Load More Replies...

WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago

3points

Chris DiFonso 4 years ago

tRump would want to build a wall around the whale, and tRump would announce publicly that the whale would pay for the wall.

2points

Christa Russell 4 years ago

They should have moved it far back into the ocean so other sea life could eat it.. imagine how much food that would be for so many species .. this is stupid and sad :/

2points

Load More Comments