It's just a Smithsonian article about some damned thing actually caterpillars do to con ants:
They found that the caterpillars with the most significant myrmecophily, or relationship with ants, communicated signals with exceedingly regular timing and particularly intricate rhythms very similar to those that ants employ. On the other hand, the caterpillars with weak or zero myrmecophily had simpler and less regular rhythms....
Great. Good for the caterpillars and I hope the ants are digging the good vibrations.
I want the article — about human beings — that would fit that headline if only it were metaphorical. Clearly, we the People are the ants, and the needy caterpillars are politicians.
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25 comments:
Speak for yourself, sister.
You ALWAYS fall for the "only the US military can protect us now!" razzle dazzle while the rest of the ants work daily...
The Queen is out of touch again pretending to be one of us, not the squirmy elite she is and has been for the past decades.
It kind of does parallel how formerly centrist Dem politicians try to sound like rabid lefties to get their votes.
Or to be fair, how RINOs try to put out MAGA vibes. CC, JSM
@john mosby, we have the opposite problem out here in Virginia, where Abigail Spanberger campaigned as a moderate but is governing as the most extreme of left wing extremists. Forty-six more months of this.
Headline that I wish wasn't literal: "Needy Caterpillars Vibrate to Complex Rhythms to Communicate With Ants."
Althouse said...
"I want the article — about human beings — that would fit that headline if only it were metaphorical."
Why is this indigenous, crude, powerful, black American music invariably best interpreted by young long-haired British homosexuals?
I see what you did there.
Tell 'em a strong, vibratin’ caterpillar
Has given you the call
He called Adam
When he was just small
For literal human behavior like this, review the Democrats in 2020 after the "circular firing squad" debate that led to Biden's emplacement as the hollow figurehead of the party.
Then, review the endless bullying of Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema to vote for "moderate" hard left bills.
No words needed, just follow the weirdest leader and the pain of TDS will go away...insect logic.
Big Mike: yes, campaigning on "affordability" but then regressively taxing virtually every niche of human endeavor. I watch from across the river with a mix of amusement and dread. CC, JSM
So the ants are running a protection racket. Give us some sweet excretions and we'll protect you. Nice set of feet their Mr. capitipeller, be a shame if something happened to them.
@Wince: Yeah, that third verse of "Honky Tonk Women" is a riot
Strollin' on the boulevards of Paris
Naked as the day that I will die
The sailors, they're so charming there in Paris
But I just don't seem to sail you off my mind
That’s a great word for the little smarty-pants in next national spelling bee, myrmecophily. Use it in a sentence.
RCOCEAN II said...
“So the ants are running a protection racket. ‘Give us some sweet excretions and we'll protect you. Nice set of feet there Mr. caterpillar; be a shame if something happened to them.’”
Whacking some caterpillar’s kneecaps with a tiny baseball bat (toothpick?) would be an all day job.
FredSays said...
“Use [myrmecophily] in a sentence.”
FredSays said he’d give me $5 if I used ‘myrmecophily’ in a sentence.
Myrmecophily: Not just for caterpillars anymore!
“"I want the article — about human beings — that would fit that headline if only it were metaphorical."
I prefer the ant/caterpillar version. Human beings aren’t as interesting as they like to think they are.
Rocco, ha! You little smarty-pants.
I thought it was going to be about farm equipment.
Can this research ever possibly lead to any practical use?
https://althouse.blogspot.com/search?q=insect+politics&max-results=20&by-date=true
Rejected Headline: “California’s Caterpillars Race Is a Democratic Nightmare, But There’s One Easy Fix.”
If there’s one thing the Democrats are good at, it’s fixing Caterpillar races. Just ask Bernie.
Thanks a lot. Thinking about needy politicians vibrating almost made me throw up.
This sounds like a great idea for a story if Disney ever makes "Fanatasia II."
Do they still have that hookah-smoking caterpillar under contract?
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