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[Subculture] Paleontology and related memes

Last posted Feb 21, 2017 at 07:59PM EST. Added Jan 15, 2017 at 11:57PM EST
4 posts from 2 users

Alright, so this one is a little odd.

Most of KYM's subculture entries are about subcultures that exist either primarily online, or subcultures that are just so omnipresent in either IRL culture or online culture that they cannot be avoided. Generally really broad "subcultures" such as philosophy are not entry worthy on KYM. (Science is another one, [which was originally an April Fools day joke] but there is a legit meme where people are just exclaiming the word SCIENCE! but I digress)

Having getting semi-back into paleontology within the last few months, there are things that keep poping up that are either legit "memes" or are commonly referred to as "memes" within the more serious discussions about dinosaurs and other prehistoric life.

Legit "memes" or otherwise notable things include Montanaspinus "hoax" "Awesomebro", All Yesterdays David Peters and the general public's reluctance to accept feathers on dinosaurs.

There are also some more serious debates that have devolved into creating some more "memey" content, like the taxonomic validity of Nanotyrannus and various Pachycephalosaurs, and the Hartman 2014 Spinosaurus interpretation (which deviates drastically from both previous ideas of what the animal looked like and how any other known dinosaur is thought to have lived)

Due to the fact that paleontology and it's art is really old, the term "meme" (more in the original meaning spreading of similar ideas) is also through around quite a bit to reference extremely similar art trends, especially when the scientific validity of these ideas is dubious, or contining to be depicted after it is shown it would be literally impossible for the animals to do this. They are often called Palaeoart memes. Ornitholestes is almost always shown grabbing a bird (generally Archeopteryx despite being on different continents). Tyrannosaurus is almost always shown with Triceratops (but at least they existed at the same time and place). Dinosaurs depicted in vast rocky near deserts with extremely sparse vegetation, occasionally with a rocky outcrop or volcano in the background. Dimorphodon is often colored like a puffin despite it not really working under scrutiny Plesiosaurs with arching "S" swan necks (even though their necks cannot bend that way). Theropods with broken wrists. Tenontosaurus seldom shown as anything more than prey for Deinonychus, and is almost never shown without it. Sauropods living in basically flooded quarries with 90 degrees sides next to a Theropod on land.

There a other things that I know I missed, but they are a little more difficult to just look up on your own and are generally not as famous as the above.

So, while I do think some of the proper "memes" could probably use their own entry (and actually have a few on my meme list) the Palaeoart "memes" are sometimes more than a hundred years old, and don't really count as an internet meme, except for in discussions about them being very common within certain parts of said community.

As for Paleontology subculture page… My fear is that it will turn into basically a "cool dinosaur pictures" gallery that borders on art theft which could cause some actual problems for people which also does next to nothing to show the spread of it online.

Would this merit an entry? is there a way to make it clear that it's about the online Palaeo-culture (that isn't just peer reviewed articles)

I mean, if there's no hope for Science to be a confirmed subculture, because the internet is genuinely fascinated with the mindfuckery associated with it (likely not any of the observation/data-collecting part of science, but the "conclusion" aspect), then I don't know how Paleontology, a pathway of Science, could do better. Maybe I'm wrong; the internet fucking loves dinosaurs too. Considering we have several other entries, confirmed and not, relating to dinosaurs, I feel "Palaeoart" and/or your other mentions can have a place here if there's worthy spread/circulation/yaddayadda.

As for Paleontology subculture page… My fear is that it will turn into basically a “cool dinosaur pictures” gallery that borders on art theft which could cause some actual problems for people which also does next to nothing to show the spread of it online.

If we held the standards of dino art to the standards of other art entries where we require uploaders refer to a source so that the source of these images would remain by said images, would this still be an issue?

we have several other entries, confirmed and not, relating to dinosaurs

> Loch Ness Monster
>"a plesiosaur dinosaur"
> phrase not present until Don "fixed" it 2 months ago

maybe we don't need paleontology entry…

Most of these are just Pop culture things that, for the most part, just "happen" to be about dinosaurs. I don't know anyone who would seriously put Baby Sinclair, Dinosaur Comics, Raptor Jesus, T-rex jet, Everybody Walk the Dinosaur, or "Yee" as actually being part of paleontology maybe the admins. Even the Tyrannosaurus tiny arms thing is largely a more public understanding/ pop culture interpretations of dinosaurs. The only existing meme entries really "from" the palaeo community being Montanaspinus and #BuildABetterFakeTheropod. It's the similar to the difference between "Star Wars" and actual space exploration. Sure, it may not be quite that extreme of a difference but there is a distinction between "dinosaurs as are popular with the general public" influenced heavily by popular culture and the slightly more scientific (but still meme filled) culture inspired by more recent actual science that mocks "Awesomebro", "Everything prehistoric is a dinosaur", and "feathers ruined dinosaurs" mentality. The former is the overly broad concept I would like to avoid, the later is what I was intending to focus on. While it doesn't have as much spread, it is closer to being a more confined and recent subculture which has a bit more tangible presence online as opposed to just an ever present concept that almost every single human being knows about.

This was the other reason I was worried about the galley. Sure, Charles Knight did some great paintings for the day, and they are notable in the original concept of a meme as a spread of ideas, as it inspired various other artists (aka they ripped off his works long after ideas in them were proven incorrect) but again, that's not what I was hoping to focus on. FreshPaleomemes and Palaeofail is closer to what I was trying to work towards. Just random Dinosaur art, unless it's related to one of the aforementioned memes, doesn't really do much for documentation in general.

Last edited Jan 16, 2017 at 09:53AM EST
Skeletor-sm

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