June 18,2024 – Andy is here today in OurLittleCorner
The above poem made me curious about whether or not chickens, with brains no larger than walnuts, could have any idea of why they do things like cross roads. I had always assumed that in terms of intelligence chickens ranked not much higher than banana slugs.
Was I ever wrong! The following excerpt is from a Scientific American article entitled “The Startling Intelligence of the Common Chicken:”
Few people think about the chicken as intelligent…
In recent years, though, scientists have learned that this bird can be deceptive and cunning …
the sounds or movements an individual chicken makes convey specific information, and other chickens understand it the way that words used by people do (emphasis mine).
Despite their supposed “cunningness” and sophisticated communicative skills, I would bet that chickens seldom, if ever, are interested in knowing why they cross the road, let alone feel compelled to cluck to one another about it. For us humans on the other hand, talking about why we do unexpected things, even when we seldom truly know the reason, is an essential social skill. Sociologists refer to this as “motive talk” which consists of giving “accounts” or explanations for questionable behavior (think of the proverbial chicken crossing the road). Without such “accounts” we risk being labeled as a loose canon, eccentric, inept, rude, or any number of other undesirable characteristics.
If you’re looking for some tips on how to bolster your repertoire of socially acceptable accounts, you’re in luck. It just so happens that in my former life “motive talk” was one of my favorite lecture topics and I’m going to share with your some secrets of the trade. Don’t fret, I’ll keep this short and follow the “editorial rule” uttered by Jeffery Goldbloom in the Big Chill, – avoid writing “anything longer than it takes your average person to take an average cr*p.“
What follows is an abbreviated outline from my old lecture notes (largely based on a classic article entitled “Accounts by Marvin B. Scott and Stanford M. Lyman). Feel free to beef it up with your own examples and comments, but please put away all cell phones and at least try to look like you’re interested. Thanks.
MY LECTURE NOTES FOR ACCOUNTS (based on the Scott and Lyman article)
- Accounts are verbal excuses and justifications for behaviors that are not routine or are unexpected
- Four types of excuses (and examples)
- Excuses claiming accident
- Oops! I thought that cow was a deer, said the hunter.
- Appeals to defeasibility
- If I’d realized that she was vegan I never would have served her that prime rib.
- Appeals to nature or biological drives
- Sorry to be so grumpy, it was just a menopausal moment.
- Scapegoating
- It’s my wife’s fault that I got pulled over for speeding. She was worried we would be late for the dinner party and wanted me to hurry.
- Excuses claiming accident
- Six types of justifications
- Denial of injury
- So what’s the big deal if we TP’d their house; nobody was hurt.
- Denial of the victim
- I beat the crap out of him because he was being a jerk and deserved it.
- Condemnation of the condemners
- Don’t tell me that I shouldn’t have rolled through that stop sign; I’ve seen you do that dozens of times.
- Appeal to loyalties
- I didn’t tell you about the affair because she’s my best friend.
- Sad tales
- I don’t have my homework assignment because the dog ate it.
- Self-fulfilment
- I get up at 4 am and run 10 miles in the freezing cold because running helps me find my true self.
- Denial of injury
I will close by revealing what has recently become my own personal go-to account. It is very handy, to the point, and covers a broad range of my daily screwups.
All I have to say is, I’m 81 after all!”
