Would you mow your lawn if there were millions of 1mm baby giraffes in it? They're mammals. Just asking, not arguing.
Well, as we've discussed before, I have a problem with that arrangement because a 1mm living thing is by definition not a mammal.
You're asking me to imagine an affinity I don't and could never have.
If it was a 1mm living thing running through the grass it would be a bug, but a pretty bug like a ladybird.
In which case I might go out of my way not to kill it, I might not.
If I saw a 3cm baby monkey lying on the lawn I sure as hell wouldn't run it over with a lawnmower though.
Hey I'm apparently not the only person who has thought of this possibility :)
Genetic memory may play a role in this too.
Possibly.
It's interesting.
And to answer your question about the giraffes, I think also possibly yes.
I mean when people have headlice, they don't think twice about exterminating them.
But if headlice were your little giraffes, with the same sort of family structures and behaviours and they were harmless, I could imagine a great deal of sympathy there. Possibly even a symbiotic relationship or even something of a status symbol.
People might deliberately infect themselves with cute little giraffes.
But as there are none, it's impossible to know.
Okay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
Okay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
Because the Lions are the AFL love child?
Okay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
Because humans are the top of the food chain and if the lion doesnt get it then there is more food for us to eat, plus a large portion of society dont like the fact that cute animals have to die in order for big bad nasty animals to eat, why cant they just get their food from Woolworths like civilised animals.
Kittens are cute. But hitting the children would probably damage the car more.I want to make the point that we are instinctively, without even the need for conscious consideration predisposed to favour certain species over others.
Examples of other groups on the road:
Kittens - Children (that's a ridiculous one I know but still necessary to get the mind working).
Hmmm.
Oh that is so funny, that's probably the funniest thing I have ever read on this site. You have a comic talent you really do.
I‘m not. I‘m all BAAAAAAALLLLLL… YEEEEEEEEESSSSSS! Either that or Bill LawryingOkay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
“Got ‘im, yes, what a catch!â€
Oh that is so funny, that's probably the funniest thing I have ever read on this site. You have a comic talent you really do.
Okay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
I'm not entirely sure that's true actually. I am sometimes in awe of the speed of say a cheetah or the ability of a big cat to bring down much larger beasts.
Okay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
When I was a kid I used to barrack for the elk and the zebra. Now I barrack for the leopards and lions because I've come to realise that the zebras and elks are just big, stupid animals. It's like they don't even want to escape. Leopard gets touch on it's prey and it just sits down and waits for death. You deserve to die.
Okay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
We always go for the underdog
I'm all about cheering on the predator, but I am not above defecting should the prey get a cheap shot in and escape.
"AHAHAHAHHAHA FKN TAKE THAT YOU DUMB LEOPARD! YOU HAD ONE JOB!"
Especially if you watched that one “we followed this lion pride for a year†documentary where THEY ALL DIE*. Injury to a few of the women escalates, the old man gets killed by two roaming arseholes who then kill all the kids, the rain and thus victims doesn‘t come, everything falls apart.When I was a kid I used to barrack for the elk and the zebra. Now I barrack for the leopards and lions because I've come to realise that the zebras and elks are just big, stupid animals. It's like they don't even want to escape. Leopard gets touch on it's prey and it just sits down and waits for death. You deserve to die.Okay, here's one for you.
When we see wildlife documentaries of a lion or leopard chasing down an elk or zebra or something...why are we barracking for the prey to get away?
Why aren't we going, 'yeah lion, get that ■■■■■■■.'?
* OK, nearly all
I think it's a bit becasue humans are naturally selected for some level of sympathy. For whatever is most close to us. at the leve of a tribe, that helps us all survive, and so our genes get passed on. I reckon there is some associated sympathy for other creatures we can associate with at least at some level, just because of the function of that little bit in our brain. If they are a little bit cute, big eyes like a baby and furry, well that mothering/altruistic sensor goes off the scale (unless we are a Canadian seal cub clubber). With mammals, they are warm blooded, they suckle their young, they do all kinds of things that we can relate to. And when they are rare, we really don't want them to die out - although this is true even for things that aren't mammals.
On the other hand, we have to be prepared to eat things (to survive). So some of them mammals are food. Things like sardines are cold-blooded, extremely numerous, we're not really going to cuddle one, so hey, let's have em on toast.
With the lions - we dont really imagine ourselves running across the serenghetti about to chomp on a wildebeest, but hey we can imagine tryign to get the hell away if that goddam lion was on our tail....
Can't believe this hasn't been posted yet;
I think it's a bit becasue humans are naturally selected for some level of sympathy. For whatever is most close to us. at the leve of a tribe, that helps us all survive, and so our genes get passed on. I reckon there is some associated sympathy for other creatures we can associate with at least at some level, just because of the function of that little bit in our brain. If they are a little bit cute, big eyes like a baby and furry, well that mothering/altruistic sensor goes off the scale (unless we are a Canadian seal cub clubber). With mammals, they are warm blooded, they suckle their young, they do all kinds of things that we can relate to. And when they are rare, we really don't want them to die out - although this is true even for things that aren't mammals.
On the other hand, we have to be prepared to eat things (to survive). So some of them mammals are food. Things like sardines are cold-blooded, extremely numerous, we're not really going to cuddle one, so hey, let's have em on toast.
With the lions - we dont really imagine ourselves running across the serenghetti about to chomp on a wildebeest, but hey we can imagine tryign to get the hell away if that goddam lion was on our tail....
Thanks for the detailed answer. I can't help wondering what the sardines would have to say about all this.....if they could think......and talk.