My first car was a 2003 red mini cooper. And when I traded it in 10 years later with 200,000 miles, I felt like I was abandoning her. Yes she had a gender and a name Miss Scarlett. I cried. I swear she even looked sad. 😢
My Chevy Sonic is named George. From the Bugs Bunny cartoon when abominable finds Bugs and says, “I will love him, pat him, hug him and call him George Why this popped into my mind when I bought him, no clue.
I’m not quite as universally anthropomorphic as you, but I get emotionally attached to many objects (and cars). I do talk to my car, and encourage her if she’s balky. Also, all plants, rocks, and animals are people entitled to acknowledgement and conversation. Electronics are entitled to criticism and swearing. A month or so ago, I was angry at one of my electronics and yelled “These fucking devices!” To my horror, Alexa woke up and answered me! 😳
Hmm. We generally don't name cars, but our current van is called the "Sheltie Shuttle." That's because it transports our Shelties and rescued Shelties. It even has a decal on the back that says that.
Another winner, Robin! Loved the whole thing. Here's one example:
"I’m not the only one who does this, either. It’s a common human peccadillo called anthropomorphism, where some of us assign human characteristics to animals and objects. Others, however, may think we’re a few fries short of a Happy Meal."
Never heard the few fries short saying before!
But I must admit, you describe ME TOO! Each time I eat my veggies, I thank them for feeding me. When I cut / trim my plants I know I am hurting them, but I tell them it's for growth, please forgive me.
And I talk all the time to an urn that contains 1/3 of my sister's ashes, as if it is protecting her. Perhaps I am on the spectrum, but it could be simple empathy. I pick up all kinds of stuff in a room just by looking at people. I can hear their moods, and THOSE are real people :-)
As soon as the new year rolls around and I do the budget, I must attempt to support your work. You brighten my days.
I've been reading comments on this, and I've discovered we who anthropomorphize are legion! No matter who we are or where we live, it would appear it is a human trait. Nice to know we all have something in common :)
I gotta say that I actually think this attitude is a massive step forward in the planet’s evolution. For ages, I thought I was the only one that did this. As a child, when my mother angrily instructed me that none of these things have feelings or personalities, I KNEW she was absolutely wrong. Maybe not personalities per se, but a unique value. If we are going to save ourselves from ourselves, we had better stop assuming that everything but humans are expendable - anthropocentrism. I love all the commenters here who said, “Hey, I do this, too!” If you feel bad about junking your car that has served you well, I believe that makes you way less likely to support blowing up a mountain for coal, or allowing whales and rhinos to become extinct. You’re all part of the consciousness we desperately need.🥰Yay!
There's actually a fair bit of info on anthropomorphism in the eco spaces, and how it can help make a better planet. It's an interesting concept to read into.
Yes, I can see how that might be helpful. I also find it interesting to explore the way plants, animals, birds, rocks, etc. respond to various occurrences like fires, flood, drought, and so on. I think we can learn from their responses, too.
I finally got my dream car in 1984. Mazda RX7 with everything I wanted on it - everything. I talked to her all the time. She was stolen from a mall parking lot after I let my husband use it for a week. He came home and told me and I went in the bedroom and cried. I’ve never gotten a car the way I wanted since.
I was raised on Beauty and the Beast and technically-not-Disney (no matter what it says NOW) animated movies like The Brave Little Toaster (The O. G. one with the existential themes and the trauma, not those inferior, utterly unasked-for sequels) so I am right there with you on being conditioned from a young age to have feelings about objects.
I have since over the years named my iPods ('Michelle' and 'Eleanor Rigby,' respectively - I was also on a Beatles kick for a while) and I have yet to part with any of my old technology even when I've upgraded and no longer use the old.
It will be lovingly retired to a nice shelf in my room because frankly it breaks my heart to imagine it sitting on the curb or in some trash heap, singing some sad wistful song about when I loved it.
Should I turn out to be a full blown hoarder if I grow up, I will at least partially blame all of those schmaltzy movies for stooping to the emotional manipulation of impressionable children in order to become such "timeless classics."
Some of us blame Disney for this tendency to humanize objects. Personally, I blame the monks. Spend enough time in silence and even your broom starts developing a personality. But honestly, if feeling tenderness toward a wonky-wheeled shopping cart is the worst of our eccentricities, we’re doing fine. The real danger is when the robot smiles back. Then it’s over.
I talk to everything in my house. I live alone. I rotate my plates too. I feel ok talking to plants because they’re “alive” & when something inanimate has reached the end of the road - like my home land line phone that was my Dad’s from work with the neck rest thingy on the side finally fell apart, i sobbed as i threw it in the trash. One of my best friends had to come over when i threw 3 pair of leather cowboy boots in the trash - soles were falling off, leather ripped like a weasel had had it for dinner, because she knew i wouldn’t do it by myself without moral support. I have 3 sets of clothes from over the past 3 decades, not for style but for body size. Fuck style, i wear what i like…..did i say I’m single? I apologize to anything i bump into, drop & god forbid i break it. Then i feel like a murderer. Haven’t brought any of this up to my therapist….yet. Glad I’m not alone. Maybe weirder than everyone else but….
For sure plants are alive. They grow, they bear food, and they kindly create oxygen for us. You know, I think "feeling weird" is bearing the weight of other people's criticisms of us, whether real or feared. It's pretty annoying because eff them and everyone is non-standard in some way. Speaking from experience, I encourage you to tell your therapist. It's scary but such a relief.
One doesn't dare tempt the cruel M/C god of riding to not care for its favoured creatures with love, adoration and worship propitiated by frequent lavings on of clean water, soothing oils, ointments and lubrications.
To fail is to be righteously smote mightily by the Imps of Shanks Mare and your feet sorely afflicted by chafes, blisters and boils from long trudges and hikes pushing said heavy offended motorcycles alongside the road toward destinations long and far in the distance.
Yup. Emollients, salves, greases, cremes, waxes, butters…- all sorts of slippery whiz modern chemical science bangery to keep slidey bits slipping and not gripping….
I always thank Siri. In fact the bitch now expects it and won’t go away until I do. Yes, Siri also doesn’t like being cursed by me. The first time this happened I was driving and trying to hands free call someone. Siri kept saying the wrong name and after several tries I said “f**k you” and I received a stern reprimand. I guess I curse clearer than saying “call Mike.”
I talk to my stuffed animals all the time! Of course I live alone & have been home a lot due Long covid for the past 5 years but i did it before then too…you have a right to feel stupid but i don’t think you are, i think you’re caring & polite.
Living alone and with my cat dying last year I've started talking to the Labubu I was given recently. I've gotten over feeling stupid.
Our family always named cars. I owned a very large pre-OPEC boycott chunk of Detroit metal, and it was so giant we called it "Das Boot". I have literally seen pictures of one-man submarines that are smaller than it was.
I apologize to tables I walk into. I felt terrible when I threw away a small skillet a few weeks ago, poor hard working dear. If I have anything for any length of time, it develops a personality.
My first car was a 2003 red mini cooper. And when I traded it in 10 years later with 200,000 miles, I felt like I was abandoning her. Yes she had a gender and a name Miss Scarlett. I cried. I swear she even looked sad. 😢
My Chevy Sonic is named George. From the Bugs Bunny cartoon when abominable finds Bugs and says, “I will love him, pat him, hug him and call him George Why this popped into my mind when I bought him, no clue.
Ooph the car abandonment feeling is soo real. We've been through so much together!
Right? Certainly more than I went through with my husband in the same period! 😂
I’m not quite as universally anthropomorphic as you, but I get emotionally attached to many objects (and cars). I do talk to my car, and encourage her if she’s balky. Also, all plants, rocks, and animals are people entitled to acknowledgement and conversation. Electronics are entitled to criticism and swearing. A month or so ago, I was angry at one of my electronics and yelled “These fucking devices!” To my horror, Alexa woke up and answered me! 😳
Perfect, relatable piece once again! ☺️❤️
That last point is a good one, before it was truly inanimate objects, but now they listen to us...and talk back!
Hmm. We generally don't name cars, but our current van is called the "Sheltie Shuttle." That's because it transports our Shelties and rescued Shelties. It even has a decal on the back that says that.
I named my first car Bessie - 1962 Chrysler Crown Imperial (hand me down from my grandmother).
Waaaaiiiittttaminit..waddya mean not everyone rotates plates, glasses and cups?
What are those people? Are we sure they *are* people, and not aliens sent here to mess with the proper care of flatware and beverage holders?
Aliens, yup, it's always the aliens.
How do we know that those plates, chips, and glasses don't want to be on the bottom? Maybe you're upsetting them by moving them. 😉
😆😆 I love how this thread turned out
Ohhh... yeah, they could be anti-social. I hadn't considered that possibility.
😆😆
Ungrateful plates are the worst.
😆😆
Another winner, Robin! Loved the whole thing. Here's one example:
"I’m not the only one who does this, either. It’s a common human peccadillo called anthropomorphism, where some of us assign human characteristics to animals and objects. Others, however, may think we’re a few fries short of a Happy Meal."
Never heard the few fries short saying before!
But I must admit, you describe ME TOO! Each time I eat my veggies, I thank them for feeding me. When I cut / trim my plants I know I am hurting them, but I tell them it's for growth, please forgive me.
And I talk all the time to an urn that contains 1/3 of my sister's ashes, as if it is protecting her. Perhaps I am on the spectrum, but it could be simple empathy. I pick up all kinds of stuff in a room just by looking at people. I can hear their moods, and THOSE are real people :-)
As soon as the new year rolls around and I do the budget, I must attempt to support your work. You brighten my days.
All of this sounds perfectly normal to me haha.
Yup! Appears so.
I am NOT on the spectrum -- I am scarily neurotypical -- and I anthropomorphize like crazy.
Lately I've been talking to my BFFs ashes whenever I go over to her house. Obvs her husband, also my friend, still lives there.
I've been reading comments on this, and I've discovered we who anthropomorphize are legion! No matter who we are or where we live, it would appear it is a human trait. Nice to know we all have something in common :)
I gotta say that I actually think this attitude is a massive step forward in the planet’s evolution. For ages, I thought I was the only one that did this. As a child, when my mother angrily instructed me that none of these things have feelings or personalities, I KNEW she was absolutely wrong. Maybe not personalities per se, but a unique value. If we are going to save ourselves from ourselves, we had better stop assuming that everything but humans are expendable - anthropocentrism. I love all the commenters here who said, “Hey, I do this, too!” If you feel bad about junking your car that has served you well, I believe that makes you way less likely to support blowing up a mountain for coal, or allowing whales and rhinos to become extinct. You’re all part of the consciousness we desperately need.🥰Yay!
There's actually a fair bit of info on anthropomorphism in the eco spaces, and how it can help make a better planet. It's an interesting concept to read into.
Yes, I can see how that might be helpful. I also find it interesting to explore the way plants, animals, birds, rocks, etc. respond to various occurrences like fires, flood, drought, and so on. I think we can learn from their responses, too.
You're my soul mate. I do these things, too. Some people don't think animals have feelings. Maybe they've never had pets.
Some people are...wrong 😆
Listen, me and my mother have both spoken to our dead cats.
For sure. It's good. I'm sorry they died.
i simply love how your wildingian mind operates. it could not be more twisted ... err ... perfect.
haha, thanks Dan. At least my brain is a fun place to hangout sometimes.
My first car was a giant, green Pontiac Catalina. Her name was Esmeralda. I called her Essie.
I had a Crown Victoria. Her name was Vickie. I still miss that car.
My current car is a Ford Escape. We call it "The Bunny" because if you're not gentle on the accelerator, it hops forward. It's white. (White rabbit 😆)
😆 The bunny is such a great name for that car
I finally got my dream car in 1984. Mazda RX7 with everything I wanted on it - everything. I talked to her all the time. She was stolen from a mall parking lot after I let my husband use it for a week. He came home and told me and I went in the bedroom and cried. I’ve never gotten a car the way I wanted since.
I was raised on Beauty and the Beast and technically-not-Disney (no matter what it says NOW) animated movies like The Brave Little Toaster (The O. G. one with the existential themes and the trauma, not those inferior, utterly unasked-for sequels) so I am right there with you on being conditioned from a young age to have feelings about objects.
I have since over the years named my iPods ('Michelle' and 'Eleanor Rigby,' respectively - I was also on a Beatles kick for a while) and I have yet to part with any of my old technology even when I've upgraded and no longer use the old.
It will be lovingly retired to a nice shelf in my room because frankly it breaks my heart to imagine it sitting on the curb or in some trash heap, singing some sad wistful song about when I loved it.
Should I turn out to be a full blown hoarder if I grow up, I will at least partially blame all of those schmaltzy movies for stooping to the emotional manipulation of impressionable children in order to become such "timeless classics."
Yes! The Brave Little Toaster was another one that tugged hard at the anthropomorphic heart strings.
I ove your old technology graveyard, giving them the respect they deserve...even if it's probably on the hoarder spectrum haha
Some of us blame Disney for this tendency to humanize objects. Personally, I blame the monks. Spend enough time in silence and even your broom starts developing a personality. But honestly, if feeling tenderness toward a wonky-wheeled shopping cart is the worst of our eccentricities, we’re doing fine. The real danger is when the robot smiles back. Then it’s over.
Ooh good point about the silence. Let's hope none of us ends up in lock up.
I talk to everything in my house. I live alone. I rotate my plates too. I feel ok talking to plants because they’re “alive” & when something inanimate has reached the end of the road - like my home land line phone that was my Dad’s from work with the neck rest thingy on the side finally fell apart, i sobbed as i threw it in the trash. One of my best friends had to come over when i threw 3 pair of leather cowboy boots in the trash - soles were falling off, leather ripped like a weasel had had it for dinner, because she knew i wouldn’t do it by myself without moral support. I have 3 sets of clothes from over the past 3 decades, not for style but for body size. Fuck style, i wear what i like…..did i say I’m single? I apologize to anything i bump into, drop & god forbid i break it. Then i feel like a murderer. Haven’t brought any of this up to my therapist….yet. Glad I’m not alone. Maybe weirder than everyone else but….
Aww what a good friend you have that would be the moral support you needed!
For sure plants are alive. They grow, they bear food, and they kindly create oxygen for us. You know, I think "feeling weird" is bearing the weight of other people's criticisms of us, whether real or feared. It's pretty annoying because eff them and everyone is non-standard in some way. Speaking from experience, I encourage you to tell your therapist. It's scary but such a relief.
I will this week. This is not a judgement, i just a love your initials cause i go to AA. It saved my life. Thanx for sharing your thots & feelings..
I'm glad it was saved. :-)
Every motorcycle I've owned has been named.
One doesn't dare tempt the cruel M/C god of riding to not care for its favoured creatures with love, adoration and worship propitiated by frequent lavings on of clean water, soothing oils, ointments and lubrications.
To fail is to be righteously smote mightily by the Imps of Shanks Mare and your feet sorely afflicted by chafes, blisters and boils from long trudges and hikes pushing said heavy offended motorcycles alongside the road toward destinations long and far in the distance.
Richard Thompson summed it all up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0kJdrfzjAg
Not the ointments and lube 😆
Yup. Emollients, salves, greases, cremes, waxes, butters…- all sorts of slippery whiz modern chemical science bangery to keep slidey bits slipping and not gripping….
We’re not called dirty greasy bikers for nothing.
Every single one of my cars & both of my motorcycles had had names. People name their dogs, cats & horses, don’t they? What’s the difference?
I always thank Siri. In fact the bitch now expects it and won’t go away until I do. Yes, Siri also doesn’t like being cursed by me. The first time this happened I was driving and trying to hands free call someone. Siri kept saying the wrong name and after several tries I said “f**k you” and I received a stern reprimand. I guess I curse clearer than saying “call Mike.”
😆😆 That's hilarious that you got reprimanded.
I apologize to inanimate objects often. I don't rotate my plates, though.
I was given a Labubu about 10 days ago, and last night I told him not to run amok while I was in bed. He didn't.
😆 I'm glad your Labubu is well trained already.
I took him to a concert tonight and he behaved fine.
They're little trickster monsters, so I'm pleased he's mellow.
I once apologized to a stuffed animal for something or other. I immediately felt stupid. :D
I talk to my stuffed animals all the time! Of course I live alone & have been home a lot due Long covid for the past 5 years but i did it before then too…you have a right to feel stupid but i don’t think you are, i think you’re caring & polite.
Living alone and with my cat dying last year I've started talking to the Labubu I was given recently. I've gotten over feeling stupid.
Our family always named cars. I owned a very large pre-OPEC boycott chunk of Detroit metal, and it was so giant we called it "Das Boot". I have literally seen pictures of one-man submarines that are smaller than it was.
I'm sorry about your cat. ❤️
Thanks. He was 17 and it was a very short illness, so not as bad as it could have been.
He's buried in the yard in the place he was born. Seemed fitting.
I apologize to tables I walk into. I felt terrible when I threw away a small skillet a few weeks ago, poor hard working dear. If I have anything for any length of time, it develops a personality.
Ooh yes, its hard to throw them away after they've worked so hard.