Slog - Comments on Bear Celebrity

Comment by nbc

nbc — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:21:14 -0800

The Klondike never formed to mind or voice,
Like a body wholly body, fluttering
Its empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motion
Made constant cry, caused constantly a cry,
That was not ours although we understood,
Inhuman, of the veritable ocean.

Comment by commenter

commenter — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:25:39 -0800

This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever read. Human talents aren't trapped inside our bodies? Ever? I'm certainly grateful for the pole-dancing stripper sharing her talents to society as a whole. Or the billion dollar fashion and cosmetics industry. That industry is really all about inner beauty after all. Many species of animals are actually much better at being social with their kind than humans are. If having one's talents trapped inside one's body means that we don't get to travel to foreign countries and kill other humans, then I think I'd rather be a non-human animal.

Comment by eclipse

eclipse — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:26:25 -0800

While I agree in general, there are exceptions. Besides animals changing their environment, I'd point out that bees have "waggle dances" to tell each other where to find food, and birds learn songs from neighbors, leading to local dialects.

Comment by dbell

dbell — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:27:48 -0800

this is why wild animals should not be given theme songs, no matter how cute you think they are.

The general 'don't turn animals into humans' rule goes for duck shows and any kind of clothing, even on domesticated animals.

Comment by elenchos

elenchos — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:30:05 -0800

I know how Knut feels. As a leader of opinion here on the Slog, I've learned it's hard to be a major celebrity. I was also rejected by my mother and a bunch of animal activists wanted to see me dead for it. Fuckers! Who's your daddy now, PETA?

Comment by Mike of Renton

Mike of Renton — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:31:49 -0800

So... the bear's turning into Britney Spears?

Comment by dbell

dbell — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:36:09 -0800

On the whole animal talent thing, I've got to strongly disagree with you, Charles. Monkeys that are good at picking fleas out of their fellow monkeys' hair fill the same social role that a good doctor does. There are probably a million more examples that aren't worth going into right now

My first reaction is that the difference has much more to do with the level of specialization humans attain. No monkey would make it in the wild if it needed 18+ years of education to pick fleas off its neighbor.

Comment by treacle

treacle — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:45:58 -0800

@2, that dancer you speak of is able to teach other people to dance similarly - talents not trapped in body. Ok, perhaps he has a particularly sexy gyration that is available only to his body, but the point still stands.
The cosmetics industry is NOT about inner beauty, it's about creating a false beauty that didn't exist before.
You know, maybe you already are a non-human animal... you aren't, say, a Dog on the Internet, are you? We'd have no way of knowing from here.

As for Knut, well, further proof that all creatures need creatures of their own species around them for proper mental development. Are his talents trapped? Or do polar bears learn different hunting skills from each other? Hmm..

Meh.

Comment by Spoogie

Spoogie — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:56:35 -0800

Please don't feed the Mudede.

Comment by monkey

monkey — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:57:26 -0800

OMG, Britney has gotten SO fat and hairy! What a trainwreck.

Comment by julia

julia — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:58:57 -0800

Wrong again. What about chimps that hunt with spears and "fish" for termites? Some are better than others, and they share their food with the rest.
Maybe it's time for you to admit that there *is* no concrete difference between humans and other animals.

Comment by Bellevue Ave

Bellevue Ave — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:02:47 -0800

or maybe charles needs to reform his stupid crap criteria for what makes us human.

Comment by Abby

Abby — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:23:54 -0800

Knut is so last year. It's all about Flocke now. (Besides, even last year all the cool fans of bear cubs in Berlin were into Ernst.)

Comment by NapoleonXIV

NapoleonXIV — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:46:52 -0800

I was a polar bear for a couple years in the late eighties, but the pay wasn't all that hot, so I ended up going back to school.

Comment by Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:55:24 -0800

OMG!! This is too funny!! I TOLD you he was a gay polar bear! Remember that pic when he was a cute little baby bear looking like he was heading to the gym with the dumbbell in his mouth?

Christ, now he has become the total self centered faggot I told you he would become. He should probably start going out on the weekends at some of the clubs.

Comment by crazycatguy

crazycatguy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:21:01 -0800

Knuts trainer played with him and hugged him and loved him while people watched and cheered. Knut learned to associate feeling good with people watching and cheering. Shouldn't be any surprise he misses the crowds. All animals, including humans, like to feel good.

Comment by johnnie

johnnie — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:31:14 -0800

Charles, every time you try these "what seperates the human animal from all others" posts, you're the one who looks Tardian. Perhaps you should learn a bit more about animals if you really want to pursue this theoretical tangent. For one, the sharing of talents is common in all social beings, not just humans. If a wolf is a particularly gifted hunter, her entire pack benefits from that. Chimps teach each other basic tool use, and can transfer that knowledge from one group to another. Dolphins and elephants have been known to care for the injured, and again 'share their talent.' Hell, even adventageous genetic mutations can be seen as a 'talent' passed along through the gene pool.

I mean, really, it only takes but a minute to think these arguments through.

Comment by COMTE

COMTE — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:34:50 -0800

Sounds to me like a perfect match - for the Britster!

Get those two attention-whores hooked up!

Comment by cw

cw — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:44:45 -0800

I'll pile on Chuck here as well.

There are so many examples of different species of animals (and more to the point, populations) having specific, flexible cultural traits. It's PISS-POOR writing and neglectful to not even 'google' a few animal studies. Human behavior is not that unique.

Comment by -B-

-B- — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:27:18 -0800

We are animals and not sharing is a very human trait the same as giving.
We share many traits with other animals.
The deciding what makes us human and not animals is just a sign of insecurity on behalf of some people that think we are not animals.
We are.

Comment by Sargon Bighorn

Sargon Bighorn — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:31:04 -0800

Knut rejected by his mother, now rejected by his keepers, and soon to be rejected by his adoring fans. Holy Gheezuz it's just like Hollywood!

Comment by Wes

Wes — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:20:13 -0800

I know a few bears that are the same way...

Comment by josh

josh — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:52:52 -0800

I guess this story never gets old. Here's one from January:

"Knut is a psychopath and will never mate, say experts"