weasel
worm
sloth
slug
vulture
snake
pig
rat - gotta love that one
pooch
cow
chicken - an oldie but a goodie
turkey, jive
any more?
weasel
worm
sloth
slug
vulture
snake
pig
rat - gotta love that one
pooch
cow
chicken - an oldie but a goodie
turkey, jive
any more?
Puss dripping syphalitic sore on the body politic?
I think I've used that one, or a variant on occasion.
But long before this outbreak of swineflu in our rhetoric here, I've become uncomfortable with using rhetoric that seeks to dehumanize those we take issue with. As I said last night, I've felt that way ever since reading "Shake Hands With the Devil", specifically how the Hutu radio station kept referring to Tutsis as "cockroaches". And, we have the example of the Nazi's refering to Jews as vermin, and old Nazi propaganda films where Jews transformed into rats.
And again, I'll state once again that in the past I'm as bad as anyone else for this. A mix of outrage, anger and helplessness does tend to put an edge on our words, and I can find no fault with someone who finds the shooting death of a seven year old cause for such usage.
On the contrary. I'd be rather dismayed if people were not so moved.
However, I wonder if it might be a good idea, for the reasons I mentioned above, that babble adopt a policy where we don't dehumanize those we dissagree with.
In another thread, it's said that we probably make too great an effort to control our language. I'd agree to some extent. But I'm not sure a non-dehumanizing policy would dim our creativity, or create a metaphore free zone.
It might have the opposite effect.
Yet all the while, we were supposed to believe that it was the corrupt, Parkinson's-haunted Yasser Arafat who was to blame for the new war. He was chastised by George Bush while the Palestinian people continued to be bestialised by the Israeli leadership. Rafael Eytan, the former Israeli chief of staff, had referred to Palestinians as "cockroaches in a glass jar". Menachem Begin called them "two-legged beasts". The Shas party leader who suggested that God should send the Palestinian "ants" to hell, also called them "serpents".In August 2000, Barak called them crocodiles. Israeli chief of staff Moshe Yalon described the Palestinians as a "cancerous manifestation" and equated the military action in the occupied territories with "chemotherapy". In March 2001, the Israeli tourism minister, Rehavem Zeevi, called Arafat a "scorpion". Sharon repeatedly called Arafat a "murderer" and compared him to bin Laden.
He contributed to the image of Palestinian inhumanity in an interview in 1995, when he stated that Fatah sometimes punished Palestinians by "chopping off limbs of seven- and eight-year-old children in front of their parents as a form of punishment". However brutal Fatah may be, there is no record of any such atrocity being committed by them. But if enough people can be persuaded to believe this nonsense, then the use of Israeli death squads against such Palestinians becomes natural rather than illegal.
Horse's ass
Fish
Shark
Monkey
Wolf
Jackal
Dinosaur
Ass
Pigeon
Cuckoo
Dog/Bitch
Louse/Nits
Cockroach
Jellyfish
Snail
(from Fisk, above)
cockroaches in a glass jar
two-legged beasts
ants
serpents
crocodiles
scorpions
cancerous manifestation
Ape
Gorilla
Hound
Magpie
Packrat
Lotta people here who really hate animals, eh?
What is wrong with a horse's ass that would make you compare it to a bad person? I think horses' asses are actually quite beautiful, and their gait as they walk away from you is deeply sensual.
I think that if people have lived through truly awful experiences -- of animal abuse, eg, or the abuse of people who are mentally disabled -- they learn not to use animals or mental disability as smart-mouth metaphors when they need to vent their anger at humans who do terrible things that would never occur to animals or the mentally disabled.
I understand what it's like to hurl imprecations at my monitor or the ceiling -- I'm a woman; I'm old; and I spend too much time reading about torture. But even when I'm swearing, I would never dignify a criminal like Dick Cheney by calling him a pig or a horse's ass or crazy. And it doesn't help me or any other serious detective to read sentences like "Fuck the fucking fucker for fucking authorizing fucking torture" when slower and more quiet work can actually get us closer to proving what the war criminals did.
The animal-metaphor threads are starting to become triggers for me, just as Alzheimer jokes often are. I doubt I'm alone.
cancerous manifestation (or "cancer cell(s)") - not an animal
nor is a horse's ass, polunatic.
----
bear
I understand what it's like to hurl imprecations at my monitor or the ceiling -- I'm a woman; I'm old; and I spend too much time reading about torture. But even when I'm swearing, I would never dignify a criminal like Dick Cheney by calling him a pig or a horse's ass or crazy. And it doesn't help me or any other serious detective to read sentences like "Fuck the fucking fucker for fucking authorizing fucking torture" when slower and more quiet work can actually get us closer to proving what the war criminals did.
True, and in the threads where this all came up, I was thinking that totalitarian was a closer to the mark adjective, and being so might be a more powerful word to sling about, in the long run.
But, on the other hand, a message board should be organic, too. It's why I don't use spell check, or correct all of my spelling, and sometimes use wierd syntax or slip into a dialect. And that includes letting loose when something really upsets you.
Speaking of which, what the fuck is this bullshit about "I'm old". You're old when you've given up.
You'll never be old.
Thank you, Tommy P. You're such a flirt.
Some of me is still 18, but the rest of me actually is old. It's an interesting experience.
I don't hate animals at all. My lovely cat is watching me as I type this ("get off the friggin' table").
What is wrong with a horse's ass that would make you compare it to a bad person?
The thread title is "Animals used to describe people". If doesn't say "bad" although HA is usually a put-down. I didn't make it up. In any case, I wasn't venting. I was just listing. Perhaps I do once in a while Skdadl and I will keep your views in mind next time I'm tempted.
You're right, Skdadl, I am an incorrigible flirt, and a good one if I say so myself. My secret?
Never lie when flirting.
Hmmm, they mentioned flirting, this brings to mind:
Peacock
Fox
Stud
Vixen
and to my understanding, the OP was looking for animals used to describe people, didn't specify they had to be pejoratives.
cat
mouse
cougar
moose
deer
jackal
rabbit
bear
muscox
mule
squirrel
badger
bat
mole
fox
mink
wolverine
tiger
pussycat
lioness
skunk
lion
dragon
pigeon
sparrow
crow
parrot
oh and "bagkitty" and "old goat"
point being, non-human alive things are used for both positive and negative attribute compares, a great deal, so where does the non-use stop?
If people are wanting to dehumanize other people, there are a multitude of ways to do so, using other species references to do so, is but one.
How about we spend energy on changing things that prompt some wanting to hurt others?
Yes, the Canadian Senate is a puss oozing syphilitic sore on the body politic. But I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Pig stain on his fat chin
[url=http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15923.htm][IMG]http://im...
But remind, bagkitties are mythological, I think the OP was referring to real animals.
I think my favourite is "poodle".
It's got the whole dog thing going on, but it's not just any dog, it's an [i]effeminate[/i] (read: weak, submissive, obedient) dog. You can basically call someone a dog and a woman/homosexual at the same time.
Had this great No Fear ball cap, that had a embroidered cat and a chicken on the front calling each otther "pussy" and "chicken", someone stole it....miss that hat, for several reasons, the main one being it worked better for holding long hair back than a hair tie.
Have been thinking about this subject, and I have found my position on it has not changed, actually it has become further entrenched.
How about inanimate objects? Here are some terms associated with oil and gas exploration:
There are many more, of course.
My goodness, I forgot to include a couple of obvious ones yesterday:
Ferret
Hyena
[ETA: and in response to al-Qa'bong's irreverent drift... can't we lump a lot of those under the catchall "tool"?]
Somewhere there's a pig thinking how embarassing it is to be compared to us lesser mammals.
Somewhere there's a pig thinking how embarassing it is to be compared to us lesser mammals.
Wow, my second chance to use the same Churchill quote within 24 hours:
I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.
I think it is more likely that the pig would be merely confused about the matter, cats are the ones more likely to consider us lesser mammals.
Agree about cats thinking we are the lesser.....and the brat cat has taken to lying to me even.
"The cat who thinks she is wild", comes to the door and scratches it off until she gets fed her wet food, which usually means 30 seconds is not quick enough for her, or if she wants to be talked baby talk to....damn you Michelle.... :D.
Bug as in pester or arson
Nit as in pick
My goodness, I forgot to include a couple of obvious ones yesterday:
Ferret
Hyena
[ETA: and in response to al-Qa'bong's irreverent drift... can't we lump a lot of those under the catchall "tool"?]
Why irreverent? Am I disrespecting of insults, or have I violated a holy place? Am I some sort of worm, a mole or a termite? Should I follow the rest of the herd like a sheep, or merely ruminate? I hardly think that by adding terms beyond those that describe humans I'm behaving like some sort of bull in a china shop.
And no, you cannot lump these terms all together, as each performs a different funtion, and they aren't really "tools," unless you'd call a floor, for example, a tool or a shelf a tool.
al-Q: I am sure you go shod in the mosque and leave your head uncovered in the temple.
But if you really want to expand the discussion, talk about automobiles... "junker", "lemon" and "sporty BUT tempermental".
Okay, your turn...
Those examples aren't of animals.
junker=impala
lemon=pinto
sporty BUT tempermental=jaguar
(and you are seriously in danger of having ALL your "guy points" taken away if you didn't see that coming)
Sorry, but I refuse to be cowed by such a convoluted attempt at reasoning.
A guy would say what he means, instead of inverting his meaning then making one guess what he's really getting at.
You're arguing like a woman (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Gee, I knew there was a reason my argument was going better than usual, but couldn't quite but my finger on it.... thanks for stating it so clearly.
What is wrong with a horse's ass that would make you compare it to a bad person? I think horses' asses are actually quite beautiful, and their gait as they walk away from you is deeply sensual.
Although the rest of your post was awesome, as usual, today this made me laugh my ass off while making a call at work!
Way to get me in trouble skiddillididdilidoo