this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] Egonallanon@feddit.uk 97 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Penguins are a Christmas animal because they're all catholic.

[–] Klear@quokk.au 57 points 2 days ago (4 children)
[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 18 points 2 days ago

Aww, cute penguin feeding her young

[–] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

What’s the clip from? Looks hilarious, curious to see more.

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 14 points 2 days ago

If you've not seen the Blues Brothers go watch it right now. Order the DVD if you have to. Its absolutely worthwhile. Its an SNL spinoff film with a Legendary soundtrack featuring the biggest names in the Blues and Jazz scene. Great soundtrack, brilliant gags, incredible car chases and just a ton of rediculous chaos.

[–] Klear@quokk.au 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Blues Brothers. Legendary movie.

They're on a mission from Gad.

[–] Notserious@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago

Aww, momma used to beat us the same way

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[–] Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

The penguins we know today are not actual penguins. They are named after the real penguins which were prevalent in the northern hemisphere but which humans drove to extinction.

Edit: the Great Auk

[–] HereIAm@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I don't know if the page looks the same to others, but the bird that's pictured under that fact is not a great auk, they really do look like penguins.

[–] qualia@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

If you're referring to this little guy, he's what I have to pay whenever I get new sneakers: my shoebill

[–] Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah, not sure why Encyclopedia Britannica would not just omit the correct picture but also put in a link to another article for a completely different bird with a picture!

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[–] Redacted@lemmy.world 67 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I see the ongoing slide into labelling anything mildy analytical as autistic is in full swing.

[–] AstaKask@lemmy.cafe 28 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Disability as a subculture or identity is just really cringe. Especially the deaf/blind organisations lobbying against curing childrens deafness/blindness.

[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 31 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Not arguing here. But just want to point out that disability subculture usually arises as a survival response in the face of discrimination and segregation. Everyone has a need for community and a sense of belonging. When broad hegemonic culture rejects you and your presence, belonging is found in the one distinctive feature that is the cause for the rejection and the source of cohesion with your peers. See also gay subculture as a response to homophobia, US black culture as a response to racism, feminist sorority subculture in response to misogyny, etc. So it is not rare to see disability subculture as a response to ableism. These communities are very important for security and preservation of individuals. Just as everywhere else, security is always a trade-off with something else.

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[–] FundMECFS@anarchist.nexus 11 points 2 days ago

We wouldn’t need a subculture if we weren’t oppressed and excluded from normal culture.

[–] stray@pawb.social 6 points 2 days ago (7 children)

Obviously autism can vary between people, but it's not something that's wrong with me, and I wouldn't want to cure it. I'm different than what's widely considered normal, but in a way that I think is fine. It's like having red hair or being transgender.

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[–] MotoAsh@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I'd say subculture is fine. A subculture doesn't have to be bad or annoying. Identifying with autism is also totally fine. Recognizing kinship isn't bad.

Where it goes wrong is using it as an identity outright. "Sorry, I'm autistic" is just fucking more annoying after someone does something annoyingly autistic. Being autistic doesn't mean you literally cannot learn good social behavior. By the time that is true, there is definitely something more serious than autism involved.

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[–] caradenada@feddit.cl 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Context is important. In this case, it wasn't the place for that kind of analysis.

[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 8 points 2 days ago

Although ironically it matches the meta-context perfectly (displaying signs of autism in an exam to detect autistism).

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[–] ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 days ago

Excuse me while I get mauled by a polar bear to get in the Christmas spirit.

[–] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 41 points 2 days ago (7 children)

I can't say I've ever seen penguins in relation to christmas

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 28 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

I'm part of the problem. I have a penguin inflatable on my lawn. (I also have a dragon and a dinosaur, also not known for Christmas)

[–] Cascio@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Apparently you haven't seen the seminal classic from 2014, "The Christmas Dragon". Lovingly covered by Mystery Science Theater 3000 in season 13 episode 13.

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[–] Una@europe.pub 37 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Not sure I wanna know what comes out when you finally... um... .. reach your peak.

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 20 points 2 days ago (2 children)

According to any documentary about avian species, predigested fish for their young.

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[–] genuineparts 15 points 2 days ago

Core dumps.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (6 children)
[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 38 points 2 days ago (6 children)

To be fair, neither are reindeer IRL.

Santa's sleigh should be pulled by 8 murderous polar bears.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago

Murderous flying polar bears.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago

🎵Rudolph with his nose so red, better run now or you'll soon be dead🎶

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

It's a ton better, you're not going to get many that are literally at the North Pole.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 7 points 2 days ago

Exactly. Ain't nothin alive up there besides scientists running from student loan debt.

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[–] Tja@programming.dev 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

But santa lives in Finland...

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[–] stray@pawb.social 10 points 2 days ago

Puffin

Cormorant

Arctic tern

Common eider

King eider

White-tailed eagle

Kittiwake

Fulmar

Snow bunting

Northern gannet

Sanderling

Black guillemot

Brünnich’s guillemot

Little auk

Arctic skua

Long-tailed skua

Ptarmigan

Great northern diver

Red-throated diver

Glaucous gull

Lesser black-backed gull

Great black-backed gull

Ivory gull

Red phalarope (grey phalarope)

Pink-footed goose

Barnacle goose

Brant goose

Razorbill

Turnstone

https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/blog/22-enchanting-arctic-birds-and-their-most-fascinating-facts

The website has pictures.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 days ago

Puffins are penguins if they didn’t give up on the whole flight thing

[–] InvalidName2@lemmy.zip 15 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Am I missing something? A few penguin references / associations with Christmas, sure I've seen that. But, at least in my part of the world, they're not a major part of the lore -- or am I having a moment?

Either way, this can be easily explained: It's called being inclusive. The last thing you want is a north pole versus south pole world wide Christmas turf war, best to extend an olive branch andlean into that diversity and inclusion metric for the good of the world's children and the fate of humanity.

[–] qualia@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (3 children)

In order to do that you'd need to get the branch from more temperate latitudes so in keeping with this thread here goes their approximate range:

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[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

Santa essentially has teleportation. Space is meaningless to the entity we know as Santa.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What has the north pole to do with Christmas? Santa lives in Rovaniemi, Finland. Jesus was born in the middle east. Presents are made in China. Your house is whatever it is, surely not on the north pole.

[–] moody@lemmings.world 17 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Santa lives at North Pole, Canada. Poatal code H0H 0H0. You can write him a letter and he will reply.

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