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No-longer-paradoxus paroxysm
Sep. 21st, 2008 09:20 pmMaybe a week ago I came across about several comments in different venues which mentioned - mostly in the course of an evolution/design discussion, but sometimes as a general "Australia is odd" comment - how weird the platypus is. No other Australian animal brought up, *always* the platypus. Normally I'd think, "hey, that's neat, platypodes are awesome, thanks for mentioning" and move on. But for some reason this time I started getting really annoyed. Irrational-ranting annoyed. Even wikipedia's opening paragraphs pissed me off (I came -->this close<-- to randomly editing wikipedia, people). But the impulse passed and I forgot about it.
Then tonight I read yet another platypus-is-weird comment retreading the same old ground, and woah. Up bubbles the same irrational, protective anger. Right now I've had a long day and I am le tired, so this will be short. No unpacking of ideas here. Just--
Please, please, stop co-opting the platypus into the whole evolution/design/what-the-hell-ever arguments. Just stop. Because it's never a thoughtful discussion of monotremes or marsupials. It's always "the platypus is funny-looking!", "the platypus is such a mish-mash of birdimals it must've been designed by a committee!", "the platypus is crazy, crazy I say!". A long list of "it lays eggs, has fur, poisonous spurs (males only), a duck's bill/otter feet/beaver tail..."
Bitch, please. Consider: beavers are hamster-headed, scaly-tailed freaks that eat wood and block up rivers with their homes (see how shallow and Australia-centric I can be?), and their tails are nothing like a platypus's. The platypus is sweet, and totally awesome. So don't be ragging on it, and please try not to Other it as woo-woo exotic. Thank you.
Then tonight I read yet another platypus-is-weird comment retreading the same old ground, and woah. Up bubbles the same irrational, protective anger. Right now I've had a long day and I am le tired, so this will be short. No unpacking of ideas here. Just--
Please, please, stop co-opting the platypus into the whole evolution/design/what-the-hell-ever arguments. Just stop. Because it's never a thoughtful discussion of monotremes or marsupials. It's always "the platypus is funny-looking!", "the platypus is such a mish-mash of birdimals it must've been designed by a committee!", "the platypus is crazy, crazy I say!". A long list of "it lays eggs, has fur, poisonous spurs (males only), a duck's bill/otter feet/beaver tail..."
Bitch, please. Consider: beavers are hamster-headed, scaly-tailed freaks that eat wood and block up rivers with their homes (see how shallow and Australia-centric I can be?), and their tails are nothing like a platypus's. The platypus is sweet, and totally awesome. So don't be ragging on it, and please try not to Other it as woo-woo exotic. Thank you.
