“ We are the only species on Earth that observe "Shark Week". Sharks don't even observe "Shark Week", but we do. For the same reason I can pick this pencil, tell you its name is Steve and go like this (breaks pencil) and part of you dies just a little bit on the inside, because people can connect with anything. We can sympathize with a pencil, we can forgive a shark, and we can give Ben Affleck an academy award for Screenwriting.”

-Jeff Winger

Sounds like Derek is in a sticky situation.

It's all fun and games until the kids go home and tell their parents Derek went missing

I'm naming all my posts from now on.

This is Janegus. Janegus, this is where we keep the threads.

Maximum Derek.

Works with farm animals too. In 2009 the ignobel Veterinary medicine price was given for discovering that cows who have names give more milk than cows that are nameless. Apparently the nameless cows receive inferior treatment from the employees, which is then reflected in their wellbeing and milk production. If production animals have only numbers instead of proper names, people have a harder time relating to them, and consequently, don’t treat them much better than a child would treat a nameless gluestick.

Excellent to also teach Personification 👏