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Dolphin Suicide

VigaViga
edited June 2008 in Everything Else
I shit you not. Dolphin Suicide

Okay, I don't think an animal can consciously commit suicide. I actually think they were in a bind that made them swallow all of the mud and stuff that killed them. I hear dolphins are smart but smart enough for suicide? Come on. The title of "dolphin suicide" sounds hilarious in a macabre way. That and I am a horrible person.
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Comments

  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    smart enough for suicide?
    Heh, a saddening bit of text.
    I would say that we are not the only animal capable of consciously choosing not to preserve itself.
    As for suicide, that is more complex, but I think a non-human animal could do even that.
  • ninjarabbininjarabbi
    The title of "dolphin suicide" sounds hilarious in a macabre way
    I want to start a band with that name. It's symbol could be a dolphin with X's on it's eyes and it's tongue sticking out.
  • ladyobsoleteladyobsolete
    The title of "dolphin suicide" sounds hilarious in a macabre way
    I want to start a band with that name. It's symbol could be a dolphin with X's on it's eyes and it's tongue sticking out.
    I'm so there with you. I saw "dolphin suicide" and I immediately thought that there needs to be a song with that name.
  • VigaViga
    The title of "dolphin suicide" sounds hilarious in a macabre way
    I want to start a band with that name. It's symbol could be a dolphin with X's on it's eyes and it's tongue sticking out.
    I'm so there with you. I saw "dolphin suicide" and I immediately thought that there needs to be a song with that name.
    Whoa! Talk about same wavelength. I was talking to a friend on IM and said that.

    Now the question is..what genre?
  • ninjarabbininjarabbi
    Now the question is..what genre?
    Mabye death metal or techno but that has dolphin squeaking mixed in. It's kind of hard to pick a genre with a name like Dolphin suicide.
  • VigaViga
    edited June 2008
    Techno is more for a song called "Dolphin resurrection."
    Post edited by Viga on
  • ladyobsoleteladyobsolete
    I'm seeing the death metal. But at the same time, there is this side of me that is thinking of some lightweight punk song that I would really hate.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I heard a story told by the trainer of the original Flipper. Flipper looked her trainer in the eye and stopped herself breathing. The dolphin had nothing wrong with her, and the trainer tried to coax her into breathing again, but the dolphin just didn't bother. She didn't struggle or look distressed either, just decided not to breathe any more.

    I think dolphins are so different we will never understand them as well as land mammals, but I think suicide is a realistic and understandable action for the second most intelligent species on Earth.
  • ......
    I think dolphins are so different we will never understand them
    What do you want? They're smarter than us.
  • Magnum_OpusMagnum_Opus
    edited June 2008
    Now the question is..what genre?
    Ska would be the genre and there would be much rejoicing.

    It'd be kind of cool to increase the longevity of some animals to see what intelligence started up, though we could never accept the competition.
    Post edited by Magnum_Opus on
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    edited June 2008
    Dolphin Suicide sounds to me like a hardcore punk band like Murphy's Law or Agnostic Front.
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
  • Magnum_OpusMagnum_Opus
    But 'dolphin' doesn't sound hardcore. It sounds light and silly.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I think dolphins are so different we will never understand them
    What do you want? They're smarter than us.
    I don't think I want anything. What are you asking? And when you quote me, why don't you include the second part of my sentence? Or is this a tired old joke that leads to something like "...but we are the THIRD most intelligent beings on Earth"?
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    edited June 2008
    But 'dolphin' doesn't sound hardcore. It sounds light and silly.
    Indeed it does. However, juxtaposing something lighthearted to something grim and awful...
    For example, would you consider "baby massacre" to be the title of a hardcore band/album/song?
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
  • SailSail
    edited June 2008
    This is not a new phenomenon. Cetaceans(a general term for dolphins, whales, etc.) have histories of committing suicide by beaching, it's just no one is sure why. Some people believe, in the case of whales exclusively, it is out of sadness as a result of the death of a leader in the community. If this were true, it would mean that cetaceans are even more intelligent than we once thought. It would mean not only that they were capable of complex social behavior but also true emotion as we define it. It would mean that they, like us, are animals capable of feeling great sadness and loss, enough to commit an act not beneficial to them for survival. This is a plausible claim because they have already displayed habits of play that, unlike that of a lion cub, is not meaningful to it's survival and only purpose sees to be enjoyment. It has also been suggested that stuff like sonar and other man-made underwater signals causes cetaceans to go crazy in some way, but there is no evidence to support this and it is typically propagated only by crazy environmentalists.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • ......
    I think dolphins are so different we will never understand them
    What do you want? They're smarter than us.
    I don't think I want anything. What are you asking? And when you quote me, why don't you include the second part of my sentence? Or is this a tired old joke that leads to something like "...but we are the THIRD most intelligent beings on Earth"?
    The second part of the sentence was irrelevant to what I was saying. And how dare you say that the humour of the late Douglas N. Adams is old and tired?! You having your (awesome) Science Fiction Podcast (I forgot the right name) should know that, and also respect the man.

    Anyways, yes, I for one welcome our micey overlords.
  • VigaViga

    Anyways, yes, I for one welcome our micey overlords.
    image
  • SailSail
    This thread started off on such a serious note. What went wrong?
  • VigaViga
    They committed suicide.
  • RailithRailith
    This thread started off on such a serious note. What went wrong?
    Dolphins killing themselves is weird at best and a harbinger of the end at worst.
  • VigaViga
    This thread started off on such a serious note. What went wrong?
    Dolphins killing themselves is weird at best and a harbinger of the end at worst.
    ...wait. So they don't just fly away into space. Wow. You learn something new everyday.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    The second part of the sentence was irrelevant to what I was saying. And how dare you say that the humour of the late Douglas N. Adams is old and tired?! You having your (awesome) Science Fiction Podcast (I forgot the right name) should know that, and also respect the man.

    Anyways, yes, I for one welcome our micey overlords.
    The humor of Douglas Adams is not old and tired. The humor of other people continually quoting him whenever dolphins, mice, Norway, 42, towels, life, the universe, everything, etc are mentioned gets a bit tired. At least it is better than people continually quoting Monty Python.
  • AprecheApreche
    The second part of the sentence was irrelevant to what I was saying. And how dare you say that the humour of the late Douglas N. Adams is old and tired?! You having your (awesome) Science Fiction Podcast (I forgot the right name) should know that, and also respect the man.

    Anyways, yes, I for one welcome our micey overlords.
    The humor of Douglas Adams is not old and tired. The humor of other people continually quoting him whenever dolphins, mice, Norway, 42, towels, life, the universe, everything, etc are mentioned gets a bit tired. At least it is better than people continually quoting Monty Python.
    Nobody expects the quoting of Monty Python!
  • ......
    The second part of the sentence was irrelevant to what I was saying. And how dare you say that the humour of the late Douglas N. Adams is old and tired?! You having your (awesome) Science Fiction Podcast (I forgot the right name) should know that, and also respect the man.

    Anyways, yes, I for one welcome our micey overlords.
    The humor of Douglas Adams is not old and tired. The humor of other people continually quoting him whenever dolphins, mice, Norway, 42, towels, life, the universe, everything, etc are mentioned gets a bit tired. At least it is better than people continually quoting Monty Python.
    Oh? I rarely see people quoting Douglas Adams on the internet. As for Monthy Python, they indeed get quoted a lot. But as Scott demonstrated, it's hilarious.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    Oh? I rarely see people quoting Douglas Adams on the internet. As for Monthy Python, they indeed get quoted a lot. But as Scott demonstrated, it's hilarious.
    I see it all the time, but maybe my experience isn't average. In 2000 one friend in our "group" (or "crew" or whatever the terminology is here) set up a chatroom that anyone at any work could get to, through firewalls and using different portals and sessions and lots of things I don't understand. Eight years later, the same group has been chatting there almost every weekday and at least half are big Hitchhikers' Guide fans so a quotes or references pop all the time.

    As for Monty Python quoting, it CAN be hilarious. Scott is a funny guy, so he brought something new to a Monty Python reference that was indeed hilarious. But in my experience this is very much an exception to the rule. For my other complaint about Monty Python quoting, I'll just refer you to an early XKCD:
    image
    Alt text: "I went to a dinner where there was a full 10 minutes of Holy Grail quotes exchanged, with no context, in lieu of conversation. It depressed me badly."
  • AprecheApreche
    Mindless quoting of things can sometimes be funny. Mostly it is good when there is something funny, like Monty Python, but it has been awhile since everyone in the group has remembered how funny it is. Everyone sitting around quoting a bit can bring back memories of all the humor of the original without having to actually rewatch the original. Though, it can easily become too much.

    Of course, this is true for just about anything quotable. No reason to pin Monty Python any more than South Park, The Simpsons, George Carlin, or GeekNights.
  • ninjarabbininjarabbi
    Mindless quoting of things can sometimes be funny
    Najica?!.......Desert Punk?!
  • VigaViga
    Mindless quoting of things can sometimes be funny
    Desert Punk?!
    "Your mothers a dirty whore!" "Your mothers a dirty whore!" "Your mothers a dirty whore!" "Your mothers a dirty whore!" "Your mothers a dirty whore!"
  • SoloSolo
    It has also been suggested that stuff like sonar and other man-made underwater signals causes cetaceans to go crazy in some way, but there is no evidence to support this and it is typically propagated only by crazy environmentalists
    There is evidence, their inner ears have completely burst. What more evidence do you need than that? There are many cases of whales beaching themselves in irrational manners, and it is later found out that their inner ears had literally burst, and that the navy was testing their sonar in the immediate area. There is proof.
    I hear dolphins are smart but smart enough for suicide?
    I remember hearing that intelligence comes from the wrinkles of your brain. I'm pretty sure that whales and dolphins have brains with more wrinkles than humans. I believe I read that in a zoobook on whales and dolphins years ago, so I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    In Iran last year, 152 dolphins washed up on the coast, and the idea of suicide was raised, but this was dismissed as an attempt to project human motives on to a wild animal.
    It is a bit ridiculous to call this suicide.
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