Lions Understand English

I WISH WE COULD TEACH THE LIONS ENGLISH, SO WE COULD TALK TO THEM! THAT'S ACTUALLY A FUNDAMENTAL MISUNDERSTANDING OF WHAT LANGUAGE IS! IN ORDER TO COMMUNICATE, WE NEED TO NOT ONLY HAVE WORDS, BUT A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD. EVEN IF A LION WERE TO LEARN THE WORDS OF ENGLISH, WE STILL WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH IT. WHAT DO LIONS KNOW OF OUR THOUGHTS? OUR SOCIAL SITUATIONS? WHAT DO WE KNOW OF THEIR? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT A LION COULD SAY TO US THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND? I DON'T THINK SO. MAYBE NOT. ACTUALLY WE CAN UNDERSTAND ENGLISH FINE, WE'LL JUST DON'T TALK AROUND THE HUMANS OR THEY'LL MAKE US HAVE JOBS AND PAY RENT AND STUFF.

A comic shows two men discussing why humans cannot truly communicate with lions, while two lions listen from behind the bars. In the final panel, the lions reveal that they understand English perfectly but stay silent to avoid being forced to work and pay rent. The joke parodies philosophical discussions about language and gives the lions a relatable human reason for pretending not to understand. EN: A comic shows two men discussing why humans cannot truly communicate with lions, while two lions listen from behind the bars. In the final panel, the lions reveal that they understand English perfectly but stay silent to avoid being forced to work and pay rent. The joke parodies philosophical discussions about language and gives the lions a relatable human reason for pretending not to understand.

• @rzeczyzabawne / 879 2022-04-07