Welcome to the Monkeysphere
Posted by Will HortmanApril 24th, 2007
It’s true! There are only so many people I can care about in this world, and it’s sorta-scientifically proven by the ‘monkeysphere’.
Here’s the Osama example from the full post on pointlesswasteoftime.com:
But think of Osama Bin Laden. Did you just picture a camouflaged man hiding in a cave, drawing up suicide missions? Or are you thinking of a man who gets hungry and has a favorite food and who had a childhood crush on a girl and who has athelete’s foot and chronic headaches and laughs when a friend farts, a man who wakes up in the morning with a boner and loves volleyball and fusses over his spoiled children and haggles over the price of a car and who goes on Seinfeld-esque rants about too much ice in his drinks?
Something in you, just now, probably was offended by that. You think I’m trying to build sympathy for the murderous bastard. Do you see the equation? Simply knowing random human facts about him immediately tugs at our sympathy strings. He comes closer to our Monkeysphere, he takes on dimension.
Obviously, there’s more to it than that.
Thanks, Adam, for the new word!
