At (well, where else?—Daily Beast): For some reason, he believe that humans with “tails” prove Darwin right.
My presentation—crafted with consideration of my non-specialist audience—was dismissed as a “bunch of pictures—characters from The Simpsons (a cartoon of Homer evolving); a baby with a tail, webbed feet, a strange-looking whale creature with legs (ambulecetus, a well-established and very significant transitional fossil connecting sea mammals to their terrestrial ancestors); and a pretty picture taken at [my] vacation home.” In contrast, my debate partner’s presentation was “sleek, professional, and chock-full of evidence and data.” Like the sweat on Nixon’s brow, my homey images and simple questions apparently destroyed my argument.
You wonder , at times, has the guy ever lived with animals that have actual tails (as opposed to a minor genetic defect)?
Cats and squirrels use their tails to communicate, of course, so at any given time here in Ottawa, you could see several cat and squirrel tails thumping away vigorously on either side of a window, with squirrels and a bag of peanuts on the outside and aggrieved cats on the inside.
(We like it peaceful here, if tense).
You know, I couldn’t think what Giberson’s arguments reminded me of, then suddenly I remembered: Freak shows on the Midway in small Canadian towns. You know, Penguin Boy, Bearded Lady, etc.
The medical profession finally succeeded in getting them discredited. They were not evidence of any type of evolution, rather of untreated (but non-lethal) medical disorders. We can see the same things today, unfortunately, in countries without general access to medical care. With luck, Giberson will run out of examples in his own lifetime. Sure hope so.
Note: Is there some reason Giberson uses an image of once-US vice Prez contender Sarah Palin to illustrate this series? Does he claim she has a tail? Otherwise, what exactly is his point? It’s hard to imagine people paying attention to this sort of thing today, but … takes all sorts.
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