Talk:Stereotypes of animals
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An entry from Stereotypes of animals appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 21 September 2006. |
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[edit] Stereotypes caused by saying
For some stereotypes the article states the stereotype is caused by some work or a saying. For example:
- "The hyperactive/fast-running rabbit/hare (Again, generally not distinguished from each other.) Probably mostly due to the fable of "The Tortoise and the Hare")"
This is the other way around: In "the Tortoise and the Hare" the hare was used because it really does run fast. In my opinion the stereotype here is a magnified real quality. Same goes for horny rabbit and unforgetting Elephant. Pukkie 06:14, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
- For what it's worth, I think almost all the stereotypes on the list are ultimately based in some way on "magnified real qualities", and it's more a question of how some came to be more widely associated in the public mind than others (that is, which appearances in popular sayings and stories got them there?). Yes the hare runs fast, but so do horses, yet on picture-based speed-settings (such as may be found on many lawnmowers) it always seems to be an icon of a rabbit and a turtle. --Arvedui 13:15, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Compare What?
The article says "others develop the character in the opposite direction: compare Western and Japanese sterotypes of the hare." But then doesn't give any comparison, and indeed, the article doesn't even mention what the Japanese ster*e*otype is. (P.S. Fixed typo.) -- 14:11, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
I can think of one off the bat: Tentacle rape and The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife. --293.xx.xxx.xx 20:18, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Stereotype vs. Adjective
Is "cute kitten" a stereotype? I would say it's a common descriptor, used because it describes the animal in question. Like saying "slippery eel."72.43.141.163 14:33, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
- Their cuteness is frequently amplified in media. violet/riga (t) 16:13, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] No octopus in Pirates
Unless someone can come up with a good reason to keep it, I'm going to remove the reference to Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest under octopus this weekend. The "octopus" is the Kraken, a specific mythological creature, rather than a simple octopus. The Dark 16:49, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Owl is considered wise in Finland too
There was unsourced claim, that owl is considered "clueless" in Finland. It is mainly not true, owl is considered wise. A clueless person may be called pöllö ("owl"), but that does not mean owls are considered fool. There is a family of words meaning stupidity, like "pöljä", "pöhkö". "Pöllö" just happens to sound like such words, and so it become such in modern time. But it is used only about people, not about owls, which are still considered wise 193.65.112.51 18:17, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] IRL
What does "Such stereotypes are present in real life" mean? Can it be made less awkward sounding?
[edit] Nick Bottom
Is it really accurate to have Bottom as an example of a "horny donkey"? I had always gone with what I considered to be the obvious connection, that he was changed in that way to reflect that he was "an ass." The Dark 12:09, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
- Good point. But donkeys are often known as 'horny', so I suppose it is a reflection on the view by socity as much as it is to reflect that he was an ass. Think outside the box 17:34, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Promiscuous Raccoon
I've come across, or can at least appreciate, every other entry under the Western list, but this one I have never ever heard of, alleged mating habits notwithstanding. Am I alone on this? I'd say raccoons are stereotyped much more often as bandits or thieves than as horndogs... --Arvedui 15:09, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
