Tuesday, April 13, 2004
The Smartest Monkey...
That's a song title, referring to the human race, by the typically witty British art-rock band XTC. While watching a documentary about apes and chimps (Life of Mammals again), I was taken aback by their complex hierarchy and repressive social structure. And the extremes of behavior: grooming each other to gain favor, 'protection' arrangements, and a savage beating administered to 'teach a lesson' and 'set an example.' How could anyone doubt that these are our relatives? : - ) Being unusually hairy, I feel especially close to the apes. : - ) Here I am in Morocco, 16 months and 20 pounds ago, on market day 100 miles south of Marrakech. I went there in December 2002 with the French Institute, and got a surprisingly warm reception considering the post-9-11/intifada/George W times we're living in.
"What luck for rulers that men do not think...." - Adolf Hitler
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