"I dream of a hard and brutal mysticism in which the naked self merges with the nonhuman world and somehow survives...Paradox and bedrock."-Edward Abbey

23 August 2011

"Kangaroo?"

Back in antiquity, when the world was still flat and dragons waited along the edges for hapless travelers, explorers, from a continent now named Europe, came upon an vast island far removed from everything. It was there they beheld many magnificent beasts. Animals with pockets in their bellies, in which to carry their whelps. It was amazing sight to behold to these wide eyed travelers.

The most fantastic, was a creature that stood upright, like a man, but hopped about, like a rabbit. The explorers were fascinated by this beast. When they found the indigenous humans of the vast island, naked savages in their estimation, who needed to be saved from themselves-it was called the White Man's Burden in antiquity-they inquired about this animal that stood upright, like a man, but hopped about, like a rabbit.

The naked savages looked at these pale strangers for a bit. Finally, one of them, a leader perhaps, spoke but a single word;

"Kangaroo?"

The explorers found this really quaint what the naked savages called the fabulous beast. When they finally dominated and subjected the vast island, which came to be known as Australia, they named the animal, which stood upright, like a man, but hopped about, like a rabbit, the kangaroo. After all, that's what the naked savages called it.

Here's the irony, kangaroo is aboriginal for;

"I don't know what the fuck you're on about..."

7 comments:

  1. LoL! Does kangaroo really mean "I don't know what the fuck you're on about..."?

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  2. Technically, it means "I don't understand you". My daughter and I discovered this fun fact watching a nature documentary some years ago. Admittedly, I like my paraphrasing a little better.

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  3. It's actually a pretty good name for the creature, as the idiots were probably standing there, scratching their heads and thinking "What the fuck!?"

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  4. I am inclined to agree.

    By the way...I always find such joy in reading your ever changing profile description...

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  5. Thanks. Not many people comment on that. It's nice that you've noticed.

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  6. this iz a very well known story in australia. theres still some talk of whether its true or not, but i'm inclined to believe it.
    i'm glad to know people from other countries know this story.

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  7. Hopefully, as someone who has never set foot in the Land Down Under, I hope I did it justice.

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