From meme to animal control: The USDA is apparently utilizing the fight scene in “Marriage Story” to train wolves to avoid humans
A report from WSJ states that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is utilizing a scene from Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story to assist with the wolf population.
And, no, this isn't an article from The Onion you clicked on from 2019.
Remember Marriage Story?
You're likely already aware of the infamous film Marriage Story. Starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, the film was released in December 2019 to critical acclaim and earned six Academy Award nominations.
The movie is based on the turbulent divorce between the leads’ characters, Nicole and Charlie, inspired by the director's divorce. The movie's most talked-about moment is the scene where Nicole and Charlie fight, the two berating each other and accusing the other of either infidelity or lack of intimacy.
With its memorable dialogue and physical actions, the scene spawned a multitude of online memes by re-creating it into light-hearted hilarity and silliness at the time.
Now, the scene is being used for something completely unrelated to memes—and it’s not something anyone would guess.
Marriage Story with wolves
It's true: the United States Department of Agriculture is using the fight scene to scare away wolves from damaging livestock on farms across the country, per the Wall Street Journal. Seemingly, the move is not just for the meme points, as other Trump administration social accounts have demonstrated.
According to WSJ, loud sounds such as gunshots and fireworks will be used to commit the action, along with the fight scene from Marriage Story. An Oregon USDA supervisor told WSJ, "I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad.”
The practice is called “wolf hazing.” It's a method of straying wolves away from an area where they could pose a threat, specifically to livestock and human activity. Supposedly, this will help prevent conflict and reduce the likelihood of wolves being killed. Other techniques include bright lights, loud noises, and drones.
Social media weighs in
Although the announcement is recent, social media users wasted no time voicing their opinion on the situation, as well as the impact of Marriage Story. Some even made hilarious jokes in reference to the meme.
One commenter questions, "Wolves watch movies?"
Another commenter writes, "The impact of this film, yet Scarlett and Adam did not win Oscars for this masterpiece of acting to comic book slop and Renee's uninspired Judy biopic."
A third commenter jokes, "Divorce rates in wolves rose by 50%.”
One person genuinely wants to know what Driver thinks about the ordeal, writing, "I really want to know how Adam Driver feels about this.”
“This is arguably one of the funniest scenes ever written,” a second person writes.
And, of course, the holy grail of the scene, a third person writing, "EVERY DAY I WAKE UP!"
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post From meme to animal control: The USDA is apparently utilizing the fight scene in “Marriage Story” to train wolves to avoid humans appeared first on The Daily Dot.