Discussion»Statements»Rosie's Corner» Why would a bunch of minnows attack a whale? Hunger? How many minnows would it take to devour one? How many would get indigestion?
I suspect you intend this metaphorically, since it could not happen in the natural world. Whales live in the oceans and minnows are freshwater fish. Fish don’t possess the sentience to become angry or vengeful.
Living in the world of hypotheticals leaves too much left to reason: how big a whale? Is it alive (why doesn’t it swim away?).
"Living in the world of hypotheticals leaves too much left to reason"---well put.
On the one hand, a minnow is a small freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae.
But if you are primarily a fisherman rather than a biologist or zoologist, a "minnow" is a general term for freshwater and saltwater fish, especially those used as bait fish or for fishing bait.
While I not at all against hypotheticals, it is true that the the higher one's intelligence, the more likely that some hypotheticals remind us of those extra credit questions on the science tests are not possible to answers; and if you try to answer rather than stating the question doesn't make sense gets you zero points, while saying that it doesn't make sense gets you the extra 10 points credit.
This post was edited by tom jackson at December 23, 2017 3:53 PM MST
Yes m'dear t'is indeed a metaphor. So you get hung up on the minutae, on the edges of the question rather than focusing on the center of it. What I said is too many gnats take on elephants because they don't like the elephant. They are always outclassed, bite off more than they can chew, and lead a life of desperation to take down the elephant which they never do. Translate that to humans and you will get my point. I think it's smart to know your limitations. Know what is possible and worth investing time in and what's a hopeless quest for dominance when you are outclassed. How big a whale, is it alive, why doesn't it swim away? All irrelevant, immaterial and insignificant in my opinion to the point of my question. There are folks who always dive right in and answer the question straightaway. There are always those who don't. Why that is I have no idea. Thank you for your reply Don B and Merry Christmas Monday to you and your family! :)
Why do the weak attack the strong? Because it is time to rise up. When they are backed against a "WALL" without anything left to lose, then courage can be found even in the weakest of cowards.
You'd be surprised. Strength in numbers is a fact that it would serve the brain-dead out there to remember.
Minnows ATTACK WHALES in my question Sharon. I set up the parameters I want to ask when I configure the question I wish to ask. Often my questions are metaphorical. This one is. In your question perhaps they don't. In mine they do. Lightweights are always taking on heavyweights. They have no way to win but they don't know that so they keep trying.They always fail and starve to death. Thank you for your reply.
Ill go with Sharrona on this. even the strongest minnow would need to gnaw on the whale's skin for a month to get through to the softer lard and muscle tissue inside (which minnows cannot digest anyway)- That is a very good reason for minnows not to attack whales. There is nothing in it for the minnows.
Sigh. Metaphor JakobA. Humans not whales or minnows. A lightweight is never going to deck a heavyweight. Has it ever happened before? In metaphor? Thank you for your reply. SIGH.
Don Barzini 