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Ask Slashdot: How Do I Explain That Humans Didn't Ride Dinosaurs?
p00kiethebear writes "I have a wonderful and beautiful girlfriend who treats me right in every way. We've been together for almost a year now and everything seemed to be going perfectly until this morning. Over breakfast we were discussing dinosaurs and she told me a story about how her grandfather, fifty years ago, dated footprints of a dinosaurs and a man that were right next to each other to be within the same epoch of history. I laughed when she said this and then realized that she wasn't joking. She believes dinosaurs and humans walked at the same time together. The odd thing is that she's not religious, it's just what her archaeologist grandfather taught her. More important than just backing up evidence to the contrary, how do I explain this to her without crushing her childhood dreams? Is it even worth discussing it further with her?"
Yes, I'm serious. Really this is one of the fundamental flaws in geeks. Do not fuck up a relationship making your girlfriend feel bad over something that happened 165 million years ago. I know the geek think is: "This is a gateway problem that leads to the entirety of all mystical belief and ruins the world." Shitcan that garbage, now!
A person's religion is rarely entirely from the church, it's a blend things they've heard and want to believe and things their parents believed in addition to church input. Don't treat this any differently than arguing against any other "invisible man in the sky who rights all wrongs and gives us eternal life for being nice people and giving money to the church" belief system.
Let it go. If (and only if) she asks for your help, take her to some museums and do research *with* her and let the overwhelming body of scientific evidence change her mind, not the guy who wants to take her shirt off. If science is not at risk of losing that capability.
You have been warned!
It's sad that things are so stupid in the US right now that I can't tell if this story is fake or not.
I live ze unknown. I love ze unknown. I am ze unknown.
OH HO HO! You almost had me, Slashdot... you would have succeeded, until I realized that nobody on Slashdot has a girlfriend!
In Russia, dinosaur rides YOU.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Can we PLEASE dispense with the silly encryption bullshit? If I wanted something that was impossible to read, I'd go to FOXNEWS
Wow, you really can find porn of anything on the Internet.
I heard they discovered a lesbian dinosaur. They named it Lickalotopus.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
She's got to be talking about Paluxy.
http://paleo.cc/paluxy/tsite.htm
You need to recognize that your own knowledge of the past is at least as bad as hers (if you didn't already know about Paluxy) so that you won't come across to her as some kind of paternally condescending authority figure. That's bad for your love life!
And you know, if her grandfather was involved in the discovery or documentation of Paluxy, that's awesome and you should celebrate that. Take her to the site! The two of you can look at the actual real life data personally and come to some sort of conclusion together. That would be a lot less stupid than fostering discord because "my authority figures contradict your authority figures" which is what you are looking at doing right now. Have you seen the tracks? I think not, so her opinion (which was possibly passed from a person who actually saw them) is at least as valid as your hearsay beliefs.
Most likely, when you both visit the site, you will find that one or the other explanation is more likely, and you'll both benefit regardless of who is right. Real Science is Fun.
I thought it was Megasoreass.
I have a wonderful and beautiful girlfriend who treats me right in every way
This part is a April's Fool day prank.
Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
1) Jesus was a carpenter.
2) Carpenters build ladders.
3) You need a ladder to get into the saddle of a dinosaur.
It's scientrific!
Jesus only rode the mightiest of dinosaurs. Don't be sacrilegious.
Nitpick, you cant PROVE anything historical, because history isnt something you can test in a lab.
Scientists deal in hypotheses, experiments, and theories. Proofs are for mathematicians.
Why do I even bother to come to Slashdot on April first?
Because it is the one day all year long on which there won't be any dupes!