this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2024
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What would you expect from a seahorse though, am I right?

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[–] TheImpressiveX@lemmy.ml 102 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys. How’s the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, "What the hell is water?"

— David Foster Wallace, This is Water

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 49 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That joke works until you realize we're perfectly aware of the existence of air.

[–] 5765313496@lemmy.world 79 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Yeah, but would you be aware if you hadn't learned about it in school?

Oh wait. Fish spend lots of time in school. Dang.

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

There are lots of effects you cannot explain without air. Even if you haven't been to school, you can observe wind, use a hairdryer, blow up balloons, fly a drone etc.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

And "air" as a word dates back to both Latin and Greek "aer", probably from proto-Indo-European "awer" so it's pretty much been the same word in European since civilization was a thing.

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

in European

Oh yes, my favourite language. It's "vzduch" or similar in most Slavic languages, and I'd bet you're not pronouncing it right.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago

I meant "parts of Europe" but my fingers didn't catch up with my brain

[–] Landless2029@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

I vaguely recall reading about people not knowing the science of wind and air. They explain trees swaying in the wind as spirits.

[–] Rolando@lemmy.world 35 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

“Fish forget they live in water; people forget they live in the Tao” -Confucius?

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 39 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)
[–] kboy101222@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Isn't is a bunch of space elves?

[–] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You are moments away from either being slaughtered by space clowns or whipped into the air by bondage bird men. Best case, some tall motherfuckers may just toss you into space.

Someone will like it no matter what.

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[–] gwilikers@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Immediately thought of this.

[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 60 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

I think the saying about fish not being aware of water is nonsense. People are aware that there's air around them, without having to know any science. They can feel the wind, their own breath, etc. Fish have that plus they need to push against water in order to move. A fish that didn't know what water was would be like a land animal that didn't know what the ground was.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 49 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Next you'll be telling me seahorses can't talk.

[–] nexguy@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The unstable ones are mute?

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 7 points 3 weeks ago

Of course, of course

[–] LesserAbe@lemmy.world 28 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I'll have you know fish are fucking idiots

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

I have seen the documentary called Finding Dory and I can confirm this.

[–] fishbone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 weeks ago

Can confirm.

[–] Krackalot@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think you underestimate our past ignorance. It took many decades of science being taught for the general population to "know" that air exists.

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[–] Ironfacebuster@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm not entirely sure if a fish would actually know what water is lmao

The FOOLS fall for little pieces of plastic with metal in them, so there's no way they know what water is

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

humans jerk off to anime so it's not like we're that much smarter

[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

No, that means we have transcended the petty limitations of biological sexuality. We are like gods.

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[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 7 points 3 weeks ago

Wasn't Davinci one of the first to think about air that way? Welll, maybe aside from some ancient greek philosophers.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 36 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Do you like living in the ether?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 52 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yes, I have good ethernet.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I just realized how odd that name is.

[–] bitwaba@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

The idea was first documented in a memo that Metcalfe wrote on May 22, 1973, where he named it after the luminiferous aether once postulated to exist as an "omnipresent, completely passive medium for the propagation of electromagnetic waves."

Hmm, I really thought there would be some clever name I didn't understand, but it really is that aether.

[–] Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml 18 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Ether you love it or hate it

[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

You either love hating it or hate loving it

[–] Hupf@feddit.org 4 points 3 weeks ago

Like it or leave it.

[–] neatchee@lemmy.world 28 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

How many ways can we rewrite the allegory of the cave?

[–] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago
[–] burgersc12@mander.xyz 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Stupid seahorse can form complex sentences but can't analyze the water around him like some kinda simple animal!!

[–] jjagaimo@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 weeks ago

You mean the aether

Right?

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I have a friend who believes in magic, and that we can't see it for the same reason this sea horse is confused about the ocean

[–] bitwaba@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Jesus do be like dat

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Humans live in an ocean as well.

[–] LowtierComputer@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Air is a fluid!

[–] PrimeErective@startrek.website 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I thought the seahorse was talking about the microphone

[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 4 points 3 weeks ago

Why would you think that? It literally reacted to what the guy said about water.

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