So Awkward It's Funny

the reason that she made these videos was in response to a story about her dog bunny using the buttons, which I believe is the one that made her internet famous, it got her articles and interviews with by a few publications.

the story goes that the dog pressed the button for "mad", she asked "why mad?", dog pressed "ouch", she asked "where is your ouch?" and the dog pressed "stranger" and "paw". she then examined the dog's paw, and found a foxtail in it (a plant thing that is painful).

from this, she concluded that the dog was using the buttons to tell her there was a foreign object, or stranger, in its paw. she of course felt that this was an amazing use of limited language skills, hence the interviews and articles. these two videos were almost certainly made in response to the backlash of saying that the dog doesn't know what those words mean, since those are two of the words she used.

so first thing here, I checked her channel, and she did not make a similar video about how she taught bunny the word "stranger". (nor one about "paw" but I think we can accept that one makes easy sense)

but to play along for a moment, let's assume that bunny was taught that "stranger" means "person she hasn't met before" and maybe "food you haven't tried before" or similar concepts.

the idea that bunny was then able to use that concept metaphorically to mean "a thing that's not supposed to be there" would be ASTONISHING. an unbelievable leap in language capability that we wouldn't expect from a human preschooler. unbelievable being the key word here.

and that's what she's selling her audience on. that's the part that this op is rightfully angry with. the top comment on that happy and mad video is talking about how they love that bunny coined the phrase "play poop" to mean fart. again, that's absurd!! understanding those two words separately makes plenty of sense, but insisting the dog is creating coherent phrases when they press buttons in sequence is ridiculous. just because they are very intelligent creatures does not mean they think in words like you and I do.

I'm sorry but it is pseudoscience.

I'm getting pretty much all of this from two youtube videos talking about the topics so I'll link them below if you're interested. the first is all about the dogs pressing buttons things specifically, and the other is more about the history of humans trying to teach apes sign language and explains why that also didn't work.

one person cannot create scientific consensus. especially with a study that hasn't even been completed, let alone peer-reviewed, published, and repeated.

maybe his study will be completed and go through all those steps and change scientific understanding of language and animals forever. but I don't hold out much hope, since it's extremely irresponsible of him to have just hopped on camera to say "I'm a scientist and I believe this stuff is real!" without anything to actually back that up, and now this video is topping search results on youtube about this topic, from presumably being shared by people like you, auntbibby, that want so badly for this stuff to be real. I understand. but there's no proof there.

it's only Federico Rossano! here's his name in the youtube video description:

and I just came to my MIL's place where she has some NYT magazines and this cover caught my eye:

the article has the very same story I mentioned above about "mad, ouch, stranger, paw"

they even deflect criticism here with "people online can be mean" (as opposed to "some people online are very naive") and end the paragraph with "what's not to believe?" (some scientific rigor would be nice. has anyone ever successfully gotten a dog to repeat what they just "said" on the buttons? that would be a good start)

and on the next page, whose name do we see?

that's right, it's the one and only, Federico Rossano of UC San Diego!

one and only because he's the only scientist supporting this!

I know this topic is not that serious, and I'm sorry for dragging it up... but this is how consensus is manufactured. if you see in multiple places that "scientists" are looking into the idea that dogs can talk, you'll start to kind of believe it.

unless you happen to notice it's only the one scientist and it's the same one every time.

in this same thread, olewheat asked about another silver piece; uncle_vic explained that blades were not made from silver, because it'd be too soft - often carbon steel would be silver plated, and eventually get pitted.

after a volley of questions, several users asked if they could contact uncle_vic directly. vic responded, very kindly:

I am always, always charmed by a clearly veteran hobbyist helping out new people on a forum, and i wanted to see what else uncle_vic posted, what other nuggets about his life i could learn, and it turns out he was a pillar of the community:

He joined in 2006, when the website was only 2 months old, and throughout the next 6 years, he helped many identify their silver pieces, and welcomed them all with: "Hi there and thanks for joining us", and always ended with a "Regards, Uncle Vic"

He helped so often, he'd post on the social thread to let people know he'd be gone without internet access for an extended period of time!

These often didn't get many interactions, but he did so anyway, like a journal made public: one about how a hurricane was reaching him in Baton Rouge; several about his fishing trips, like this one in 2011:

A year later, he wrote a similar vacation post, which became his final topic on the forum, titled: "Gone fishin'".

In May 2012, 3 months later, a newer user asked Vic what type of fishing he liked.

Vic replied: (content warning for cancer)

This was Uncle Vic's last post on the silver-collecter.com forums. Unflinchingly honest, and this time, instead of his usual "Regards", he ended with "Keep the Faith".

According to the obituary posted in the same thread, he passed away the next day, at his camp on the Tickfaw river -- well known for fishing.

--

This isn't the first time I've come across kind, dedicated forum users, usually knowledgeable retirees, who suddenly stop posting; it certainly won't be the last. But everytime I fall in love with them, and in turn, with humanity even more, to see what we leave behind.

A retired Cajun lawyer from Baton Rouge found a silver collecting forum from a hobbyist magazine in 2006, and decided to spend the next 6 years, up to his dying day, sharing his life, his love, and his knowledge with strangers.

Thank you, Uncle Vic, for the forum users you helped; thank you for the countless, anonymous users who found your posts through search engines like me.

Outraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was a ProPublica reporter.

In the video the survivor said “Never seek a permanent solution to a temporary problem. And they’re all temporary problems.”

Tourism has TANKED because of this— more and more companies are freaking out about it. Las Vegas is a ghost town. People from all over the world are watching what is happening, seeing the ridiculous state of things and they dont want to come to the country the GOP has created.

Shit this got me out here cryin in the club

I hope it isn’t totally out of order for me to post here, as a man I don’t want to take up your spaces so I’ll try and keep this as short as possible. Tw genital mention

I have full permission from my partner to post this and she’s read it all. There is a misconception that the only men a straight trans women can get with, is a chaser. It is very sad that many of you feel that way, and I’m sorry for how men treat you, but that’s not how it has to be. I met my girlfriend when I was 15. She was living as a boy then and was 13. I used to push her around when we played football at school. I thought she was one of the lads. Time goes on, I was never that close to her and we lost touch. Next thing is I meet her again on a fine art course. I didn’t recognise her at all and with her name change and generic surname I never made the connection. I developed quite the crush, we would go on dates and I’d sort of play them off as just hanging out with a friend. I was so giddy around her and I was terrified to tell her I liked her. One day we were going to the movies and I told myself ‘today is the day I ask her to be my girlfriend, and try to kiss her’ We ended up skipping the movie to go on a walk in the local forest. I held her hand and she squeezed mine - my heart was beating so damn fast. We finally kissed and it was like fireworks. I told her I liked her but she cut me off. She told me to stop talking because she needs to tell me something. Now in my mind I’m panicking thinking she’s in a relationship, but she says ‘l used to be a boy. I was at school with you, please don’t be mad I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you ‘and then to my absolute horror she said ‘please don’t hurt me’ She genuinely thought that there was a danger of me attacking her after finding out. This broke my fucking heart. I had my moment of being like wtf - mainly because I’d known this girl for almost 10 years and hadn’t pieced the 2 people together - but then we kissed again, and then again and again and we kissed so much my face hurt by the end. That was 5 years ago and boy this has been a learning curve. I’ve only ever dated cis women before. I am 100% straight and I had to unlearn some internalized shit for maybe a day or so, until I thought what the fuck does it matter who she used to be? Damn I used to be a baby, people change. But I love her the way she is now. I love her smile I love her eyes I love her body her curves her hands her hair and you know what? I love her penis too. I love it because it’s hers. and it gives her pleasure, and there isn’t anything wrong with it. I don’t have a fetish. I just fell in love with a woman and that means I fell in love with the whole package. I’m planning to propose to her on new years eve. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to raise kids with her and I want her to lose all of these insecurities. Just because you can’t carry them, doesn’t mean you won’t be the mother of my children. There is hope, you’re not broken or unlovable or nothing but a kink. You’re a powerful woman.

The second post is titled “Update from the cis guy that proposed.“ It reads:

Hey ladies. I’ve been asked by a few of you to share an update. Here is my previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/MtF/comments/e95hgx/to_all_of_you_ladies_from_a_cis_man/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

And here is your official soppy post warning - beware…

Soooo on exactly 00:00 new years (ok I was probably out by a couple minutes but I did try to time it) I proposed to my beautiful girlfriend (who also happens to be trans, hence why I’m posting on here) and she said YES

I don’t know if I can fully articulate how happy I am. I wanted to keep it lowkey and between the 2 of us so she didn’t feel any pressure, so I cooked her favourite meal ever (I would have liked to cook something fancy and elegant but honestly she would much rather eat spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread and then a loaded ice cream sundae for dessert ANY day of the week) we ate, played board games and did a competition to see who could make the best vehicle out of old egg cartons and toilet roll tubes. Then we decided to make cupcakes which were fucking vile because we forgot to add the sugar of all things. Not typical romantic evening but I felt all the love and when I dropped down on one knee she just wept. I didn’t even know I had a yes at first because she was crying so much. I actually got really scared I’d freaked her out so I stood up and hugged her and said I’m sorry and she finally told me yes yes yes and explained that she was crying because it was always beyond her wildest dreams as a youngster that she would ever be able to be a wife. This is not something I can relate to, but I think I do understand, as best as i can as a cis man. We literally just held each other for a bit before we both realized she hadn’t seen the ring yet! I’m not a wealthy guy at all so I was afraid she would be disappointed in my grandmothers wedding ring as her engagement ring (I will buy her a new ring for the wedding) but I did want her to have it as my grandmother always told me she wanted my future wife to wear it. Luck was on my side though people because the ring made her cry all over again, happy tears, because she said it made her feel like the fairytale she told herself as a child has finally come true. I think there maybe was something affirming about the fact that this ring was left from my grandma for me to give to the woman I want to spend my life with.

Ok I don’t want to bore you all to death with the ins and outs but I haven’t stopped smiling since she said yes. The fiancee (I love saying that, so exciting) has been obsessively wedding planning which is mighty convenient for me considering I have no clue on how to organize a wedding. It’s like the child in her has come out to play and its very endearing. She missed out on all the typical girly activities as a child so she’s making up for lost time. She ALREADY has a scrapbook for the wedding and she’s already browsing dresses!

I’m sorry for being all cliche and cringey. I know its insufferable to many and I do understand. I just feel drunk in love, and i did want to update and not leave people hanging! Other than my mother, my family does not know she is trans, because frankly it’s none of their business and my fiancee hasn’t wanted to open up to them about that part of her life. She confided in my mother because my mother knows a transgender boy and so it came up in conversation. As far as the rest of my family are concerned, it’s totally irrelevant to them and they will only ever know if she chooses to tell them. So I was wondering if incorporating rainbows anywhere in the theme at all would be too obviously lgbt pride themed? Or can I get away with some rainbow tokens and such just as a discreet acknowledgement of how far she’s come? Obviously I don’t want people to think of this wedding as anything other than what it is, a straight marriage between a man and a woman, so are rainbows risky? I’m just so damn proud of her and want to show that in some way. I was thinking of wearing rainbow cufflinks or something? Anyway sorry for the damn essay but I hope the new year goes well for you lovely ladies and sorry for being a cringe lord. I just can’t believe I’ve found my queen

in MtF by takeurmedsbro

Third is another post, which reads:

Perfect lunch break

Here's the link