Crows could be the smartest animal other than primates

Post by carokann » Thu, Dec 12, 2019, 11:09 AM UTC

jdck1326 wrote: post #152

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A wild untrained human animal isn't that bright. We can probably operate above the crow level, but maybe not by much. What makes us special is persistent collective learning and abstract communication. Unlike animals, generations of humans don't have to keep re-solving the same problems. As a species we have cumulative persistent memory for techniques and abstractions. That's the real game changer. But it took a surp…

It seems like you're suggesting that there aren't massive biological differences between a wild human and a crow. This is false. Humans have many biological faculties that crows simply do not have. For example, the wild, untrained human still has the biological faculty of language. That is, there is a reason why no animal other than a human has been shown to be able to learn a language. The reason is that they do not…

Post by coldtea » Thu, Dec 12, 2019, 11:21 AM UTC

boomboomsubban wrote: post #132

coldtea wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Irish are an ethnicity, not a race. They're the same race as I am (and probably the grandparent). And they make the same kind of jokes themselves all the time, like my people do the same kind of stereotype jokes for our own kind. It's only "racism" in the provincial US preoccupation that "everything said that touches on a population/ethnicity/race is racism". Not in the "X are inferior/KKK/etc" sense, which is what w…

>Irish are an ethnicity, not a race. Racism is often considered antagonism based on race or ethnicity. The terms are very closely linked, though it may have been better for me to say "ethnicity." >Not in the "X are inferior/KKK/etc" sense, which is what we should be concerned with So what grudges do you think the Irish held leading to this stereotype? I don't get the rest of your argument. It seems to be "my country…

Post by swebs » Thu, Dec 12, 2019, 11:23 AM UTC

kingbirdy wrote: post #9

duelingjello wrote: post #4

Crows are social too, will hold a grudge... you's swear they were part Irish. A crow once sneaked quite far into my mechanic's shop without being seen, got up on a rolling toolbox and stole a bag of sunflower seeds without being noticed. I found this because I saw a crow and their other crow buddies were having a sunflower seed party in the alley, and one of the mechanics lost their snack. Also, crows will remember i…

>will hold a grudge... you's swear they were part Irish There's no need for this.

Post by coldtea » Thu, Dec 12, 2019, 11:25 AM UTC

boomboomsubban wrote: post #140

philipov wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, that's stereotyping. Racism is systematic denial of opportunity to people on the basis of their ancestry.

Personally, I would consider your definition "institutional racism," and both it and stereotyping would be forms of racism.

Post by leadingthenet » Thu, Dec 12, 2019, 11:26 AM UTC

circlefavshape wrote: post #133

kingbirdy wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>will hold a grudge... you's swear they were part Irish There's no need for this.

I'm Irish, and now I hold a grudge against you for taking offense on my behalf.