Posted by Susan47 on December 27, 2005, at 13:30:43
In reply to Re: Are humans naturally attracted to jump off cliffs? » Susan47, posted by alexandra_k on December 27, 2005, at 3:39:58
I know nothing about this alleged hoax. And not much about lemmings, either. But my dictionary, which is the extent of my investigation into the matter at this point, tells me that the meaning of lemming is Norwegian in origin, and "refers to any of several small short-tailed Arctic rodents of the genus..." etc., "...noted for their fluctuating populations and, esp in the Norway lemming..." "...periodic mass migrations." Also, "a person bent on a headlong rush, esp. towards disaster; a person unthinkingly joining a mass migration; an unthinking person..." then, further on, "lemming-like.. resembling (that of) a lemming; headlong, suicidal, unthinking..."
So, as far as I'm aware, myth is an attempt to explain fact in a way that helps us make sense or order out of the world, and the myth here would be in the way in which we describe lemming-like behaviour as being suicidal, and the second definition of lemming being that it's a person bent on a headlong rush..towards disaster... then the word "unthinking" kind of all ties it together, and you have to wonder what it is about the actual genus lemming that caused us to relate this human behaviour to a lemming.. and whichever came first, the chicken or the egg, the result is the same. Or, I could be full of hot air.. or maybe not. Anybody in the house, know for sure?
poster:Susan47
thread:592023
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20051225/msgs/592450.html