Butt sniffing is a common behavior in the animal kingdom. All of us with dogs and cats (and other animals!) have seen it. It draws our attention because it seems a most unsanitary, most unappealing thing to do. Yet, the dogs and cats all do it - some seem totally unable to resist the opportunity, EVER! It never gets old, even if no more than ten seconds have passed since the last full sniff. What could they have encountered in that time frame that would result in a change in the information gleaned from the activity?!
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Dailypuppy says:
Humans can’t completely understand all the information a dog gets from smelling another dog’s butt. At least 33 percent of a dog’s brain is designed to process smells, as opposed to about 5 percent of a human’s brain. A dog’s sense of smell is so powerful that he can tell, for example, whether the dog before him in the veterinarian’s examination room was afraid, just by the smell the previous dog left behind.
cracked dot com provides more detail.
Dogs have two glands around their anus, and sacs that emit a fluid. That stuff tells another dog everything they need to know; the dog's sex, how healthy they are, what their diet is like, even their mood.
What their diet is like! Apparently, dogs can tell what other dogs have eaten with a good butt sniff. Oh boy! Canned food! Fresh pork! Where is he getting that?! I want some!
Who knows? Perhaps survival could depend on information gleaned in this fashion about what other dogs and cats eat. Maybe it will lead to a shot at some poop! Some delicious, high protein poop to gobble up!
Yes, of course, to many of us humans, butt sniffing and eating poop have non-existent (indeed, totally abhorrent!) appeal, so we can joke about it and make fun of it as if our entire species was immune. And, yet, it isn’t.
What is the intense jealousy one has at a success or benefit someone else gets if it is not butt sniffing? What is anger and resentment over advantages underprivileged school children may receive through public education if not butt sniffing? What is resistance to marriage equality for those outside one’s in-groups if not butt sniffing? What is apoplexy over retirees receiving benefits they worked many hard years to earn if not butt sniffing?
Yes, there are butt sniffers among us, and they are conservatives and tea partiers and Republicans. And they fashion massive and exceptionally well-funded political campaigns to make this butt sniffing activity contagious, to make the resentments and anger and jealousy contagious, to reinforce butt sniffing in those who might vote for them, even if they don’t want their cultivated butt sniffers smelling THEIR butts, with all the benefits THEY get in our society, with all the decks stacked in their favor. If they can make their arguments successfully, they not only train and reinforce the behavior of butt sniffing in those whose votes they crave, they can focus the butt sniffing and restrict it to their political enemies, women, public workers, retirees, union employees, postal employees, children, the list goes on and on.
Give me an honest butt sniffing dog or cat any day. They merely want to get information that can help them with survival. They don’t use the activity to foment resentments and hatreds, to solicit deep jealousies. They don’t use it to manipulate others. They don’t use it for political advantage, they don’t advocate for it, they don’t reinforce it in others for electoral exploitation.
Is that what you want, American voting public? A political party built on a foundation of butt sniffing? A political party that cultivates in you a desire to sniff the butts of others for jealous effect? For hatred? I don’t think so. Don’t let them turn you into a butt sniffer. Or, if you do, be sure to take a good sniff of THEIR butts, first, and get a sense of the extreme advantages they enjoy, and hope you will help them expand.
On to tonight’s comments! Formatted most professionally and helpfully by brillig! Welcome back!
It's good to be back! I promise, however, that no amount of sniffing will give you any more info about my vacation than a mere "so brillig, how was vacation?" Really :)
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Top Mojo for yesterday August 25th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
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1) I worked in a by fugwb — 117
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10) Calling a specific someone a paid shill... by Meteor Blades — 83
11) Not just MLK by Dallasdoc — 81
12) Oh Hai Whoknu! Next Time Pleez Post Warning: by leonard145b — 79
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16) I lost respect for Kos when he pushed that meme. by FishOutofWater — 70
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18) people don't need to be paid by Laurence Lewis — 67
19) Saw a bumper sticker yesterday by SottoVoce — 66
20) But each layer of the NSA onion that is peeled... by Meteor Blades — 66
21) I am going to be in and out all day today, so by Lawrence — 65
22) It's almost like people have seen by JesseCW — 65
23) Oh Hai Kossacks! Ur Sekritarmy Message Of Da Day: by leonard145b — 65
24) This diary is very welcome, Lawrence. Thanks. by PhilJD — 64
25) #sekritarmy ... we're on a mission from Dog. by jwinIL14 — 63
26) keep on staring... by kerflooey — 63
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28) Time for a big raise by Crider — 62
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30) This story about Nixon WH and Gainesville 8 by RFK Lives — 62
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