RIP Koko | The Boneyard

RIP Koko

Travelman6

Travelman6

Joined
Dec 6, 2016
Messages
4,649
Reaction Score
12,365
Not sure if anyone heard but Koko the gorilla died 2 days ago. She was known for her ability to learn sign language rapidly, her love of kittens, meeting several famous people and her gentle demeanor.

You taught the world so much in 46 years. RIP gentle Koko.

https://i1./www.mbird.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screenshot-2017-10-24-mr-rogers-koko-the-gorilla-Google-Search.png?fit=290%2C291
 
Last edited:
Yep, very sad. Koko forever changed the way we looked at animals. The image of Koko and her pet kitten All Ball (who she named) is one of the most striking images of the 20th century.


0590444255_xlg.jpg
 
.-.
.-.
If these great apes had the proper vocal chords they could learn to speak. That would change the whole concept of using them for lab rats. Then again, there are cynical people who could care less.
 
Travelman32 said:
Media hype? Some people. Wow, Whatever.
Expand ...
Mokum said:
Some people have cold hearts and are cynical about everything. Just the way it is bro.
Expand ...
Some people are experts on communication. They’re called speech-language pathologists. I’m one of them. She was special and came close, but no, did not acquire language. And no, lol, apes need a lot more than “the proper vocal chords” to become verbal communicators; pretty sure that anatomically they have essentially the same larynx we have, and have essentially the same upper aerodigestive tract (if anything, just a relatively elongated oral cavity). There is a whole lot of complex neural circuitry that they just don’t and never will have.

Language acquisition is not achieved through years of operant conditioning training the labeling of simple objects. Language and communication as we humans understand and use it is a lot more than that. She being as rare as she was itself goes to show how far off apes are from actually being linguistic communicators

It was all hype from media and people way too familiar with her who had serious confirmation bias

We should care more about Harambe
 
Last edited:
.-.
Koko was never really super popular, even at her peak. Harambe, on the other hand, inspired an entire generation of people and will live forever in the minds of most. Koko is known only for being a female in an industry (rightfully) dominated by males.

Sorry for the loss and all, but please don't waste my time with any more of these threads. One thread on a niche media sensation like this and you open the door for someone's pet goldfish. I come here to talk basketball.
 
People care more about the goriller than the little boy?
 
Rocktheworld said:
Some people are experts on communication. They’re called speech-language pathologists. I’m one of them. She was special and came close, but no, did not acquire language. And no, lol, apes need a lot more than “the proper vocal chords” to become verbal communicators; pretty sure that anatomically they have essentially the same larynx we have, and have essentially the same upper aerodigestive tract (if anything, just a relatively elongated oral cavity). There is a whole lot of complex neural circuitry that they just don’t and never will have.

Language acquisition is not achieved through years of operant conditioning training the labeling of simple objects. Language and communication as we humans understand and use it is a lot more than that. She being as rare as she was itself goes to show how far off apes are from actually being linguistic communicators

It was all hype from media and people way too familiar with her who had serious confirmation bias

We should care more about Harambe
Expand ...

Why Haven’t the Obituaries for Koko the Ape Talked About Her Purported Nipple Fetish?

PENNY: Hey, Cutie. Let me explain what we’re doing.

KOKO: Fine.

PENNY: We’re going to be on the phone with a lot of people who are going to ask us questions …

KOKO: Nipple.

***

Yet it’s not at all clear that she really meant “nipple” when she used the sign, in which she gestured to her own nipple. Koko’s signings tended to be incredibly malleable. According to Patterson and her colleagues, “nice” could be interpreted as meaning “rice.” “Foot” could be interpreted as “man.” “Lip” as “woman.” “Bean” as “cookies.” Or “shoes.” Or “artichokes.” Or a “toy tiger.” Or “Jell-O.” When all else fails, an out-of-context word could be interpreted as an insult. (“Bird,” “nut,” “toilet,” and “devil” were supposedly favorites.) Or interpreted as boredom. Or as bizarre gorilla humor. Even when transcribed by a sympathetic stenographer, Koko’s signing seemed to be littered with non sequiturs, even gibberish. Instead of seeing Koko’s inconsistencies as a sign that the gorilla hadn’t truly acquired language, advocates had to go through more and more intricate—and bizarre—intellectual backflips to try to project a meaning upon them.
 
Just saw Won't You Be My Neighbor?, the excellent Mr. Rogers documentary this afternoon. Great scenes from him meeting Koko, which I had forgotten all about.

I'm no communications expert, but it was pretty amazing and there is no doubt he connected with her in a special way.
 
.-.
Rocktheworld said:
Some people are experts on communication. They’re called speech-language pathologists. I’m one of them. She was special and came close, but no, did not acquire language. And no, lol, apes need a lot more than “the proper vocal chords” to become verbal communicators; pretty sure that anatomically they have essentially the same larynx we have, and have essentially the same upper aerodigestive tract (if anything, just a relatively elongated oral cavity). There is a whole lot of complex neural circuitry that they just don’t and never will have.

Language acquisition is not achieved through years of operant conditioning training the labeling of simple objects. Language and communication as we humans understand and use it is a lot more than that. She being as rare as she was itself goes to show how far off apes are from actually being linguistic communicators

It was all hype from media and people way too familiar with her who had serious confirmation bias

We should care more about Harambe
Expand ...

Yeah, I remember hearing of all people a comedian talking about how Koko wasn't really as advanced as her trainer made it seem and it blew my mind. Some people are just really set on a lie they've been fed for decades and think anyone who wants to be real about the skills of a trained gorilla are sad sad people
 
I am not at all convinced that koko was not capable of cognitive thinking. We really don't know what is going on in the mind of such a creature. You can have a bunch of degrees, but you really don't know. I don't think we give animals enough credit or respect.
 
nomar said:
Why Haven’t the Obituaries for Koko the Ape Talked About Her Purported Nipple Fetish?


Yet it’s not at all clear that she really meant “nipple” when she used the sign, in which she gestured to her own nipple. Koko’s signings tended to be incredibly malleable. According to Patterson and her colleagues, “nice” could be interpreted as meaning “rice.” “Foot” could be interpreted as “man.” “Lip” as “woman.” “Bean” as “cookies.” Or “shoes.” Or “artichokes.” Or a “toy tiger.” Or “Jell-O.” When all else fails, an out-of-context word could be interpreted as an insult. (“Bird,” “nut,” “toilet,” and “devil” were supposedly favorites.) Or interpreted as boredom. Or as bizarre gorilla humor. Even when transcribed by a sympathetic stenographer, Koko’s signing seemed to be littered with non sequiturs, even gibberish. Instead of seeing Koko’s inconsistencies as a sign that the gorilla hadn’t truly acquired language, advocates had to go through more and more intricate—and bizarre—intellectual backflips to try to project a meaning upon them.
Expand ...

So you're saying she would have been right at home on the Cesspool?
 
Kembacity said:
Yeah, I remember hearing of all people a comedian talking about how Koko wasn't really as advanced as her trainer made it seem and it blew my mind. Some people are just really set on a lie they've been fed for decades and think anyone who wants to be real about the skills of a trained gorilla are sad sad people
Expand ...
Not too many steps above that horse learning to count

Mokum said:
I am not at all convinced that koko was not capable of cognitive thinking. We really don't know what is going on in the mind of such a creature. You can have a bunch of degrees, but you really don't know. I don't think we give animals enough credit or respect.
Expand ...
Well nobody should be convinced of too many outright negatives. You can’t really be compelled to believe in a negative through evidence.

I’m not saying that absence of evidence is evidence of absence as someone recently said here; not trying to prove a negative. I’m not making any comment on her “cognitive thinking” (not sure what you actually mean by that). I’m just saying that she did not demonstrate that she acquired language as we humans view, understand, and conceptualize it
 
Last edited:
.-.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,479
Messages
4,577,266
Members
10,488
Latest member
husky62


Top Bottom