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Joined: Mar 2000
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
I spotted this on the internet today and thought it was relevant to all of us - perhaps we're barking up the wrong tree!
I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet. That may be. But I think there's one other thing that separates us from animals...We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners.
copyright JOKE-OF-THE-DAY : mailto:can-joke@calder.net
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Gee, I was always taught that we're different because of our opposable thumbs--thanks for setting me straight! Guess I'll switch to a horse of a different color. :-)
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
Hi More than 30 years ago a man of some experience told me: people use language for the same purpose as dogs use their urine on streetcorners.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
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Joined: May 2000
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: May 2000
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Whoever said that people aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners hasn't met my flatmate!
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
well, if what puts us above other animals is their fear of our creations (vacuum cleaner) ,does the fact that a vast percentage of our population is afraid of cobwebs make spiders our superior?
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Good point, Jazzy-- I reckon the same would go for snakes, rats, a variety of bugs, arachnids, and other creepy-crawlies, and... people...of different cultures/backgrounds than ourselves.
I think knowledge is the key here. We're not afraid of vacuum cleaners because we understand "what makes them tick". I know that, once a person understands, for example, that snakes aren't slimy, and that they virtually always prefer fleeing rather than fighting humans, then the person's fears are eased. Same would follow in most situations, but I don't think I would ever be able to have a hissing cockroach run up and down my arm, no matter how much I learned about them!
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