Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Lo-Fi

I had read once several years ago that only 3% of mammals are monogamous—and thought, Christ, what's wrong with that 3%? ;-) Well, now we know that that figure is probably high. Here's Broadsheet's take: 
Screw all this, I'm marrying a flatworm
The other day, for lack of a hairshirt to wear, I watched Larry King. "Why do men cheat?" he barked at the camera, shifting back and forth in his chair. (Have you ever noticed that, at any given moment, there are approximately 100% more Larry King shows than there should be?) […]

"Sexual promiscuity is rampant throughout nature," writes Natalie Angier, "and true faithfulness a fond fantasy."

In fact, monogamy is so rare that we get this tidbit: The only 100% monogamous species is a flatworm called the Diplozoon paradoxum. "Males and females meet each other as adolescents, and their bodies literally fuse together, whereupon they remain faithful until death."

So, pffft, monogamy. So, pffft, cheating spouses. These are the days I wish I were some sophisticated Galoise-smoking Frenchwomen who is SO OVER all these naive fantasies about men and women. I suspect, however, I would still mist up watching March of the Penguins.

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