Coral Bleaching

I read an article the other day about the terrible risks of Coral Bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef. "Coral Bleaching" is a term which describes the phenomenon of coral ejecting their symbiotic algae in response to stress, which can be either a chemical toxin or a temperature change. Since algae give coral their color, their eviction causes the coral to look white (bleached, if you will -- hence the term, "bleaching.") It looks nice, but can be fatal in the long run.

I read an article the other day about the cancerous risks of tanning. "Tanning" is a term which describes the phenomenon of humans producing more melanin in their skins in response to sunlight. Since melanin gives people their color, the increase in melanin makes people look darker (tanner, if you will -- hence the term, "tanning.") It looks nice, but can be fatal in the long run.

Do those phenomena sound similar? Yes.
Are they similar? Yes.
Should they be viewed in a similar manner? Yes.

Let's begin.
Tanning, when prolonged or frequent, can cause cancer. But getting tanned once in a while is not lethal.
Coral Bleaching, when prolonged or frequent, can be fatal. But since it is essentially the same as Tanning, being bleached once in a while should not kill Corals.

Furthermore, there are plenty of corals who have never been bleached. That is why I urge everyone to DUMP CHEMICALS IN THE WATER! THESE POOR CORALS ARE HAVING A MARITIME FASHION CRISIS! We have to help them.

There are charity organizations which help impoverished young women go to Prom. Why not donate to a charity which will help impoverished young corals get bleached?

Look how happy these bleached corals are. A couple dollars' worth of industrial-strength chemicals should be enough to bring a metaphorical smile to some poor coral's metaphorical face.