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The Truth about Lemmings


Mickey

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Since insulting references to lemmings are so popular hereabouts, I found it interesting that the notion upon which it is based, that lemmings will follow another blindly, even off the edge of a cliff, is flat out wrong. Not that the truth matters but for it is worth, The truth about Lemmings:

 

Lemming suicide is fiction. Contrary to popular belief, lemmings do not periodically hurl themselves off of cliffs and into the sea. Cyclical explosions in population do occasionally induce lemmings to attempt to migrate to areas of lesser population density. When such a migration occurs, some lemmings die by falling over cliffs or drowning in lakes or rivers. These deaths are not deliberate "suicide" attempts, however, but accidental deaths resulting from the lemmings' venturing into unfamiliar territories and being crowded and pushed over dangerous ledges. In fact, when the competition for food, space, or mates becomes too intense, lemmings are much more likely to kill each other than to kill themselves.

 

The Disney nature film "White Wilderness" played a role in perpetuating this myth. It was filmed in Alberta, Canada, which is not a native habitat for lemmings and has no outlet to the sea. Lemmings were imported for use in the film, purchased from Inuit children by the filmmakers. The Arctic rodents were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from various angles to produce a "migration" sequence; afterwards, the helpless creatures were transported to a cliff overlooking a river and herded into the water. White Wilderness does not depict an actual lemming migration — at no time are more than a few dozen lemmings ever shown on the screen at once. The entire sequence was faked using a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures.

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The entire sequence was faked using a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures.

 

The crew responsible now have highly placed positions at CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, NYT and Newsweek.

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Since insulting references to lemmings are so popular hereabouts, I found it interesting that the notion upon which it is based, that lemmings will follow another blindly, even off the edge of a cliff, is flat out wrong.  Not that the truth matters but for it is worth, The truth about Lemmings:

 

Lemming suicide is fiction. Contrary to popular belief, lemmings do not periodically hurl themselves off of cliffs and into the sea. Cyclical explosions in population do occasionally induce lemmings to attempt to migrate to areas of lesser population density. When such a migration occurs, some lemmings die by falling over cliffs or drowning in lakes or rivers. These deaths are not deliberate "suicide" attempts, however, but accidental deaths resulting from the lemmings' venturing into unfamiliar territories and being crowded and pushed over dangerous ledges. In fact, when the competition for food, space, or mates becomes too intense, lemmings are much more likely to kill each other than to kill themselves.

 

The Disney nature film "White Wilderness" played a role in perpetuating this myth.  It was filmed in Alberta, Canada, which is not a native habitat for lemmings and has no outlet to the sea. Lemmings were imported for use in the film, purchased from Inuit children by the filmmakers. The Arctic rodents were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from various angles to produce a "migration" sequence; afterwards, the helpless creatures were transported to a cliff overlooking a river and herded into the water. White Wilderness does not depict an actual lemming migration — at no time are more than a few dozen lemmings ever shown on the screen at once. The entire sequence was faked using a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures.

607930[/snapback]

 

Legal business slow of late? :doh:

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I'm sorry, I ain't falling for that. Besides, any lemming who wanders off to strange lands without a map, and onto the precipice of cliffs, standing next to other strange lemmings, presumably looking shady, likely named Eddie, and wearing trenchcoats, in order to be easily shoved over the side to its imminent death, is suicide not lemicide. So they're easily led, stupid and dead, just as we always thought.

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I'm sorry, I ain't falling for that. Besides, any lemming who wanders off to strange lands without a map, and onto the precipice of cliffs, standing next to other strange lemmings, presumably looking shady, likely named Eddie, and wearing trenchcoats, in order to be easily shoved over the side to its imminent death, is suicide not lemicide. So they're easily led, stupid and dead, just as we always thought.

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Sounds like liberals to me.

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Since insulting references to lemmings are so popular hereabouts, I found it interesting that the notion upon which it is based, that lemmings will follow another blindly, even off the edge of a cliff, is flat out wrong.  Not that the truth matters but for it is worth, The truth about Lemmings:

 

Lemming suicide is fiction. Contrary to popular belief, lemmings do not periodically hurl themselves off of cliffs and into the sea. Cyclical explosions in population do occasionally induce lemmings to attempt to migrate to areas of lesser population density. When such a migration occurs, some lemmings die by falling over cliffs or drowning in lakes or rivers. These deaths are not deliberate "suicide" attempts, however, but accidental deaths resulting from the lemmings' venturing into unfamiliar territories and being crowded and pushed over dangerous ledges. In fact, when the competition for food, space, or mates becomes too intense, lemmings are much more likely to kill each other than to kill themselves.

 

The Disney nature film "White Wilderness" played a role in perpetuating this myth.  It was filmed in Alberta, Canada, which is not a native habitat for lemmings and has no outlet to the sea. Lemmings were imported for use in the film, purchased from Inuit children by the filmmakers. The Arctic rodents were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from various angles to produce a "migration" sequence; afterwards, the helpless creatures were transported to a cliff overlooking a river and herded into the water. White Wilderness does not depict an actual lemming migration — at no time are more than a few dozen lemmings ever shown on the screen at once. The entire sequence was faked using a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures.

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I am !@#$ing amazed that you didn't sneak some snide remark in there about how lemmings don't shoot other lemmings in the face...

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I am suspicious of lemmings, I only trust voles.

 

Now who is with me?

 

Join us.

 

Trust only voles to do your thinking.

 

Trust the voles.

 

Not the lemmings.

 

Trust the voles.

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All animals are created equal.

 

But some are more equal than others.

 

(Two legs good! Four legs bad!)

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And are so offended by what you just said that they'll probably spend a week talking about it.

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I need to call them and tell them I said it, first. No...wait...I'll have SDS make the call tomorrow, so they can get the facts accurately from someone with knowledge of the original activity. They'll probably B word because either I didn't personally call them and tell them, or have a staffer call immediately and tell them "An insult was made, but I'm not certain of what it was...You are free to speculate and report whatever you want until we get the facts in."

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I am !@#$ing amazed that you didn't sneak some snide remark in there about how lemmings don't shoot other lemmings in the face...

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Well, at least you are not pretending that I did and raking me over the coals for it even though I didn't. It is a step in the right direction.

 

Actually, don't you think that lemmings fighting over resources and killing eachother in the process is an even better metaphor for modern politics than mass suicide? I am not saying it is so, I propose it as a hypothesis.

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The crew responsible now have highly placed positions at CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, NYT and Newsweek.

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I think the movie came out in 1958. Assuming a mean age of 35 years old for each person on the crew, they would all be 82 years old. I think only CBS would be willing to employ them at that age. Fitting, no?

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Speaking of lemmings, did you see Russ Feingold on Bill Maher?  Maher made a statement about the Patriot Act and asked why Feingold was the only guy to vote against it...Feingold response = "I read it".

 

Priceless.

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Yeah, I saw a clip of it at Crooks and Liars. I'll definitely be hitting the HBO on Demand channel tonight to rerun the whole thing.

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