1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey you welcome to stuff to goow 3 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: your Mind. My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Bass. 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: The holidays are upon us, so of course we're talking 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: about the science of a couple of our favorite holiday entities. 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: So we have an episode about Scrooge, and this episode 7 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,480 Speaker 1: is about the Grinch. That's right, You're a mean one, 8 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: Mr Grinch. Is everybody familiar with that song? They should be. 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: This is another one that I feel like I watched 10 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: and read it so many times as a child, and 11 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: then you know, and then it's just all over pop culture. 12 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: And then they made that movie. The less that's said 13 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: about the better, But still people are not that movie 14 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: is old enough now that people are nostalgic about it. 15 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: That's noting like that films like over a decade old 16 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: now the gym Carey, But for me it was all 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: ways the old animated version. The head boars karlof yeah 18 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: in it and in the book itself by the good 19 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: uh Dr Seuss, Yeah, The Grinch She Stole Christmas is 20 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: a great literary classic. In the song You're Mean when 21 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: Mr Grinch performed by Thorle ravens Croft. Yeah, not Boris 22 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: Karlaf some people mistake did the voice of the and yeah, 23 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: and in fact Thorle ravens Croft also did the voice 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: for Tony the Tiger. But we bring it all up 25 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: because this is just great fodder. Great, yes, great fodder 26 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: to deconstruct the Grinch. That's our aim today, to find 27 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: out what makes him tick mentally and physically, and also 28 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: find out why he's so obsessed with stopping Christmas from 29 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: coming to Ville. Indeed, you know, the basic scenario is, uh, 30 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: it's it's very much like Scrooge in a sense, you know, 31 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: the commugon ly old critter who who learns the true 32 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: meaning of Christmas and has a big change of heart. 33 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: You know, it's a reduntion story and all that, um. 34 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: But in the meantime, can't be bothered with all those 35 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: do goods and merrymakers right, and just can't stand can't 36 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: stand the sound of them, can't stand the idea that 37 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: they are down there, and decides, well, I'm just gonna 38 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: steal their Christmas. I'll take it away. I'll go down there, 39 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: I'll dress the Santa Claus, I'll take everything out of 40 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: their houses. Their presence, their food, there, the decorations on 41 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: the walls, Like he just completely ravages their culture. That's his, 42 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: his thing, and then he's going to destroy it all. 43 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: But then something happens. He has an epiphany, and we'll 44 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: get to that. There is another character that we're like, 45 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 1: how did he get to that epiphany? Um? First though, 46 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: let's take a look at what the Grinch looks like, 47 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: I mean with his actual physical characteristics. As we're talking 48 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: about a green fur clad primate. Yeah, yeah, some sort 49 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: of bipedal critter. Now, I I do have questions about 50 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: his primate status because the the world that we encounter 51 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: in the Grinch, uh, the who despec is, is filled 52 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: with creatures that are just run straight out of our world. 53 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: There's a dog, you know, there are mice, but then 54 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: you have the primary resident seemed to be the Who's 55 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: who haven't who are bipeds as well, but they have antenna. 56 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: The Grinch doesn't have antenna, but I will know that 57 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: he has very animated eyebrows and these two kind of 58 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: horns of hair, which leads me to believe that they 59 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: might be antenna. They're simply covered in hair that's just 60 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: a loose theory. That's true, it's hard to tell. I 61 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: saw that little mop. I kept staring at that little 62 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,959 Speaker 1: mom trying to figure out because what could it be. 63 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: In the animated version, there's that great scene where he 64 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: gets the idea, uh, and he smiles and it's the 65 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: most devious smile ever brought to the moving picture. Now, 66 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: from the Whoville Wikipedia, it states that the grinch is 67 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: known to be of a different species than the who's 68 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: being stated as a what. And moreover, in the story, 69 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: the grinch is described as being as strong as ten 70 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: grinches plus two, implying that perhaps a grinch is its 71 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: own species. To who's call him of what? How very how? 72 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: How very alienating of them to do that to to 73 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: who it's who? It's tied up with your identity, right 74 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: and what? That's very dehumanizing. Well, keep a handle on that, 75 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: because I feel like this will become important discussion fodder, uh, 76 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: for when we talk about epiphanies. Now, the grinch is constitution, 77 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: as we all know, super grumpy, antisocial, neurotic, aggressive, depressive, 78 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: you could even say, vindictive, and possibly even fulfilling a 79 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: neurotic need for power by exploiting his companion Max the dog. Yeah, 80 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: the relationship between the Grinch and max Is is perhaps 81 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 1: a little borderline abuse of at times. But but but 82 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: he's a you know, it's a service animal. That's that's 83 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: that's that's animal. Yeah. I don't see anything on there 84 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: that says do not pet. Well, it's implied, you know, 85 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: the horn on the head, positioning in the front of 86 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,559 Speaker 1: the sway like clearly. Uh, you know, the Grinch sees 87 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 1: this as an animal that aids him in his endeavors. 88 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: He makes a great foil, does now The image of 89 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: the Grinch in that cave on a mantaintop really brings 90 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: to mind a jetty or better yet another creature and 91 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: I'm talking about from the epic tale bail Wolf. Yes, uh, 92 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: this is this is something I just keep thinking about 93 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,040 Speaker 1: this Christmas season. I never thought of it before, but 94 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: it it's it comes up every now and then. We're 95 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: not the first people to to talk about Grindel and 96 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: Grinch as very similar entities, because you have one that's 97 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: a cave dwelling monster that haunts the Danish moors, and 98 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: the other lives within the microcosm of the hood despec 99 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: one taliens in bloodshed, the other in Christmas Cheer. But 100 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: both stories concern a loan outside or a to quote 101 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 1: the words of authored John Gardner, who who wrote the 102 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 1: book Grindel, which is the story of Baowulf and Grendel. 103 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 1: From Grendel's perspective, uh, the creature is quote a shadow 104 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: shooter and earth room roamer, a walker of the world's 105 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: weird wall, a perpetual outsider that is uh, that's barely 106 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 1: even a part of the the world of man, or 107 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: in this case, the world of the Who's Yeah, there's 108 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: a sense of suffering there. And according to Courtney che 109 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: writing for Humanities three sixty, she says the first and 110 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: most apparent similarity between Grendel and the Grench other names 111 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: both begin with a sound Grin the Online Etymology Dictionary 112 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: states that the Old English word grenian means to show 113 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: the teeth in pain or anger, and an old Norse 114 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:51,599 Speaker 1: the word crena means to howl indeed, uh And and 115 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: you know, in both cases the creature is is just 116 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: really irritated by the noise and the grinch and the noise, 117 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: the noise, the noise, and in bow will fuh it 118 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: is written, then the mighty war spirit endured for a season, 119 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: bore it bitterly, he who bided in darkness. That lighthearted 120 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: laughter aloud in the building greeted him daily. There was 121 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: dulcet heart music, clear song of the singer. And uh. 122 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: And so Grendel sets out to attack uh the mead 123 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: hall of Herod and uh and it's important to know 124 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: that the mead hall here is the center of Danish culture. Like, 125 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: he's striking at the heart of the Dames. He's striking 126 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: at their merriam. And he's starting at the He's striking 127 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: at the glue that holds them together through the dark winter. 128 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: Right and uh and and the Grinch is doing much 129 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: the same thing. He is striking at their Christmas. He's 130 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: striking at their their central belief and their central um, 131 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: the very heart of their culture. Yes, there's a merriment, right, 132 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: there's the feasting. And when he attacks them, Grendel, they 133 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: are asleep from their feasting nuts, unlike the Who's who 134 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: lay a snooze exactly. Um. But it had had Cindy, 135 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: had Cindy lou Dane woken up and wandered into the 136 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: meat hall, she would have met with a very different fate. 137 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: She would just be gulped down. There will be no discussion. 138 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: Oh yes, torn apart. Now, the biggest difference, of course, 139 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: is that Grenville's vengeance and hatred makes them incapable of 140 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: connecting with anyone else. Right, He's got different motivations too, Yeah, 141 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: and some other issues I think too, don't we all Yeah, 142 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: And also I'm you know, theo Wolf is a bit 143 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: of a jerk. Well, yeah, so it's not like the 144 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: Danes are not doing a great job of reaching out 145 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 1: to Grenville, right, and so he's not going to have 146 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: that epiphany like the Grinch. R. Yeah. But nonetheless, there 147 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:44,959 Speaker 1: are so many similarities between the two you can't help 148 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:47,960 Speaker 1: but mention them. Indeed, Yes, and I would love to see, uh, 149 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 1: some sort of adaptation that combines these two in a 150 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: in a more festive manner. All Right, we're gonna take 151 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:57,320 Speaker 1: a quick break on that note, and when we come back, 152 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 1: we're going to discuss the physiology of the because we 153 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: know at least one crucial thing about it. All right, 154 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: we're back. We're back. And one of the distinguishing physiological 155 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: features of the Grinch is of course that his heart 156 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: is two sizes too small. Yes, and this seems to 157 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: be both a physical and figurative situation. For the most part, 158 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: from what we can tell, we have a little X 159 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: ray that comes into frame and shows you that the 160 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: heart is is literally too small, and also his love 161 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: for his uh, his fellow creature seems to be somewhat 162 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: lacking as well. Indeed, so we look to the human 163 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:41,560 Speaker 1: world to try to explain some of the reasons why 164 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: this may be so, at least on the physical level. Yeah, now, 165 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: I do want to say one quick thing about why 166 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: it is definitely a problem. Because the grinch is living 167 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: at a very high altitude, right and uh, and so 168 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,319 Speaker 1: he's living in a glow oxygen environment. So if he 169 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: if his species, if you will truly evolve to throw 170 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: I have at high altitudes, then that species would boast 171 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: slower development, delayed maturity, greater lung volume, and a larger heart. 172 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: Has pointed out in the book Essentials of Physical Anthropology, 173 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: we find all four of these attributes in lifelong high 174 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:19,200 Speaker 1: altitude human residents. So his heart is too small for 175 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 1: his environment. Well, especially if you consider that the grinch 176 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: and the Who's evolved convergently with one another, as possible 177 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: that the grinch has a heart that is really better 178 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: adapted to um higher levels of oxygen, which would find 179 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: on the ground right right, So it's it's hard to 180 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: tell where this is coming from. It could be maybe 181 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: the Grinch is actually at lower levels of altitude, but 182 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:48,920 Speaker 1: now as an outsider has decided to live on this 183 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: mountaintop and therefore doubt by the Who's, Yes, he's been 184 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: excommunicated by the Who's and now here he is with 185 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: his heart. She size is too small to deal with 186 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: a lack of oxygen the high altitudes. It's okay, I 187 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 1: like this theory, and it plays into some other arguments 188 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: they're gonna make later in the podcast concerning the origins 189 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: of the Grinch. But another idea, maybe that's not a 190 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,200 Speaker 1: Grench heart in his chest. Maybe it is a whole heart. 191 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,880 Speaker 1: Because in in, indeed, when it comes to you a 192 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:23,199 Speaker 1: human heart transplant, transplantation UM underside replatement, replacements are are 193 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,559 Speaker 1: certainly an issue of concern because you you know, when 194 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: it when it comes to heart availability, you're not always 195 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,319 Speaker 1: able to match up everything perfectly. You know, you're you're 196 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: matching across genders, um, you know, ultimately across different people. 197 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: So sometimes the heart is a is a bit smaller 198 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: than it would ideally be for that chest cavity. Yeah, 199 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 1: and what you're describing is actually called the Grinch syndrome. 200 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:52,079 Speaker 1: In some cases it is a postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. 201 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: And it sounds like one of the things that Who 202 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: gets on Christmas Morning one of the instruments. It is 203 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: actually um and most patients have a heart that is 204 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,079 Speaker 1: indeed two sizes too small. And this effects about five 205 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: hundred thousand Americans, primarily young women. So again, this is 206 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: something that is really taken into consideration when you are 207 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: looking at donors. So if this were the case, Uh, 208 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 1: you could imagine that in all that junk up there 209 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: in the mountain, on the top of Mount Crumpet. Uh, 210 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 1: perhaps the Grinch has some sort of automated surgical theater 211 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,320 Speaker 1: that performed this procedure once upon a time. And why not, 212 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 1: I mean, he has a sewing machine. It's true. It's true. 213 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 1: Perhaps Max has has a skill set that we were 214 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,439 Speaker 1: just not privy to in the book or in the film, 215 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 1: or or perhaps the Who's did it themselves before they 216 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: shunned him and pushed him up to the top of 217 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: a mountain. In any case, you put someone up there 218 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: with a heart that's much too small for that altitude. 219 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: You're gonna get some dizziness, You're gonna get some very 220 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 1: unclear thinking, You're gonna get a lot of crappiness. Yeah, 221 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: it's going to definitely, I think contribute to his his 222 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 1: ill demeanor. Indeed, now not laud is known about his 223 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: actual ears. Um. Perhaps they're situated underneath all of that 224 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: that for the cladding his body. But it could be 225 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: that he's just highly sensitive to noise. And we know 226 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 1: that the human ear canal actually amplifies noises in the 227 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 1: range of two thousand to five thousand hurts um. So 228 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: that's why I like things like knives, scraping plates, or 229 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: nails on a chalkboard are so terrible sounding, because they 230 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 1: inhabit that range and they kind of ricochet around in 231 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 1: the ear canal. So could it be that all that merriment, 232 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: all all of that singing is occupying that same space. 233 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: It could be it's hitting the sweet spot for him, 234 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: or the spot as it were. Well, the noise, noise, noise, 235 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,199 Speaker 1: that's the one thing he hated. Yeah, yeah, and that's ultimately, 236 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: I mean, that's that's what makes him decide, Hey, I'm 237 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:52,839 Speaker 1: gonna go down there and I'm going to cut this 238 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: noise out, all those fancy bells and whistles they get 239 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: Christmas morning, I'm going to take rid of to take 240 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 1: care of that. And that's ing may do. There's gonna 241 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 1: be no cause for that either, because I'm stealing everything 242 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: that's right. Because when I am perched atop my mountain, 243 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: particularly on the edge, and I'm really like leaning down 244 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: to here, I know that sound is reflecting off of 245 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: really hard surfaces like rock, water, or ice. And I'm 246 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: that grinch and I'm mad about this. And that's to 247 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,680 Speaker 1: say nothing about what's going on inside that cave. Indeed, 248 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: if you think of the ear canal as as amplifying sound, 249 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: essentially the cave that the that the Grinch is in 250 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 1: is another ear canal. It is, I mean, because if 251 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: you you look at it, there's hard surfaces that are 252 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 1: surrounding the Grinch, perfect for amplifying sounds, since any noise 253 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: that would appear to enter the cave or that was 254 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 1: made inside of it would bounce off the cave walls 255 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: and it would be picked up by the ears. And 256 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: in this sense, there's a twin to each noise a 257 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 1: kind of shadow noise, and this gets into a really 258 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: interesting area of research called arco acoustics. UM. One of 259 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: the main guys behind all of this is a US researchers, 260 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: Steven Waller, Uh, and he's looked extensively at at Lascaux 261 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: caves in France, these ancient caves, cave art on the sides, 262 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: you know, animals, that that kind of thing, and he 263 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: believes that the echoes of ritual clapping outside of those 264 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: caves would have sounded like hundreds of hoofs drumming on 265 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: the ground. So he thinks that the the the design 266 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: of the caves, the positioning of the art, all of that, 267 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: um is orchestrated with the sound amplification in mind. Yeah, 268 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 1: these kind of sound illusions that come from it. And 269 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: we were talking earlier, You think that perhaps the hooves 270 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: might be behind this. Yes, yeah, it does make me 271 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: think that. Um. You know, Weller pointed out quote ancient 272 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: mythology explains echoes from the mouths of caves as replies 273 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: from spirits. Our ancestors may have made cave paintings in 274 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: response to these echoes and their belief that echo spirits 275 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: inhabited rocky places such as caves or canyons. Uh. So, 276 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: taking this thinking about the Grinch, thinking about the Grinch 277 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: is a creature that has been shunned and even placed 278 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: there by the Who's Perhaps they also created this cave 279 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 1: so that whoever's occupying that create that cave, whoever is 280 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: the Grinch, will steadily be driven mad by the amplified 281 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: sounds of merriment far below. Um and and i'll and i'll, 282 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: I'll talk more about this as we we progress, but 283 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: it's all part of my theory that the grinch um 284 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 1: has an important, crucial even role to play, uh annual 285 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: role to play in the culture of the Who's Well. 286 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: And in this sense, he's kind of like the cramp 287 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: Us that the anti clause, right, So we'll talk about 288 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: this a little bit more in the epiphanes Um discussion. 289 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: But what I think is interesting is here he is 290 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: sequestered away, completely isolated. Perhaps um he is experiencing these 291 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: sound illusions and going a little bit mad from it. Now, 292 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: the isolation aspect of this, I think is a really 293 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: big deal. Um, we should take a quick break, and 294 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: when we get back, we're going to talk about Grinch 295 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:06,640 Speaker 1: on his only mountain top. All right, we're back. So 296 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: there's the Grinch up in his cave up the mount Crumpet, 297 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: far far, far from the who civilization down below. Um, 298 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 1: it would seem that he isn't you know, he would 299 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: be in a very splendid uh area of isolation, that 300 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: he would be far from from any of the sounds 301 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: that might bother him. No, not at all. We we 302 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:27,400 Speaker 1: tend to think that we talked about this in our 303 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:30,719 Speaker 1: episode Splendid Isolation, this idea that if you could just 304 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 1: get some quiet and isolation, and maybe you could even 305 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,840 Speaker 1: live like one year completely isolated, that you could finally 306 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: sort of unwind and let you the flowers of your 307 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:46,920 Speaker 1: brain bloom. But no, what happens is that those flowers 308 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: get all sort of choked together and die off because 309 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: you're not having those sort of connections with people and 310 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: associations that you need that your brain craves. Yeah, I mean, 311 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: you end up talking to a dog, dressing like Santa 312 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:03,440 Speaker 1: Claus and and breaking into houses. Indeed, according to researcher 313 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: John Caciopo at the University of Chicago, of all people 314 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: are unhappy because of social isolation at any given moment. 315 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 1: So he wanted to know, Hey, what's going on in 316 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:20,119 Speaker 1: the minds of these folks who are isolated and they're unhappy, 317 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: And he recruited volunteers to look at some photos while 318 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,680 Speaker 1: undergoing f m R I. Now this is this has 319 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: such an interesting twist to it. Um Some of the 320 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,479 Speaker 1: participants have been identified as having an acute sense of 321 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 1: social isolation and some were just you know, healthy volunteers 322 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 1: that they had screened. Now, both groups viewed a series 323 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: of images, some with positive connotations like happy couple doing 324 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,119 Speaker 1: funhappy things, and others with negative associations, such as scenes 325 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: of human conflict. Now, when the two groups watched pleasant imagery, 326 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: the area of the brain that recognizes rewards showed a 327 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:03,119 Speaker 1: significantly greater response non lonely people than in lonely people. Similarly, 328 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: the visual cortex of lonely subjects responded much more strongly 329 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:13,119 Speaker 1: to unpleasant images of people than to unpleasant images of objects. 330 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 1: This suggests that the intention of lonely people maybe especially 331 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:23,919 Speaker 1: drawn to human conflict, and that what's interesting about this 332 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: is that the nominally subject showed no difference here, So 333 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: it was the lonely subjects who were particularly taken with 334 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:34,920 Speaker 1: these scenes of conflict, and this this instantly brings to 335 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: mind an image of someone who's isolated themselves inside of 336 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: their apartment and they're just watching nothing but but cable 337 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,199 Speaker 1: news over and over again and yelling at it yea, 338 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: and yelling at it, just glutting themselves on conflict and 339 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 1: engaging with the conflict and really feeling a lot of stress. Um. 340 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: There's a two thousand seven study from the University of 341 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 1: Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, and they reported that 342 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,040 Speaker 1: the anxiety and aggression that results from social isol a 343 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: trace to altered levels of an enzyme that controls the 344 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: production of a brain hormone. The in the two enzymes 345 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 1: in this case are needed for the production of allo pregnantoline, 346 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: a brain hormone that acts to reduce stress through regulation 347 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 1: of gabba uh, an important neuro transmitter. So the suggestion 348 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: here is that increased levels of isolation, it's going to 349 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:26,199 Speaker 1: impact your ability to roll with stress and regulate your 350 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,439 Speaker 1: own stress on a on a on a on a 351 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,960 Speaker 1: neurological scale. Right, and um, one of the ways that 352 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: you might deal with stress is to communicate with others. Right, 353 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: to unburden yourself. And again he does not have that luxury. 354 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 1: Yes Max, Yes, Max, But Max seems and and and 355 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:47,639 Speaker 1: rightly so a bit reserved. Yes, Max does not speak 356 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: despite being a cartoon storybook dog. He merely just rolls 357 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: with the punches. Yeah. And you know, we talked about 358 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: the dysfunctional families. Just would be the lost child, right, 359 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,359 Speaker 1: and one that receives to the shadows because he's like, 360 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 1: forget it. I don't want to raise the hackles of 361 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,440 Speaker 1: the Grinch, but you know, I think the stage is 362 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 1: pretty well set here that you have this, this creature 363 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 1: who is tormented UM, auditorially fermented UM and psychologically tormented 364 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:23,400 Speaker 1: and as a result, perhaps having a mental breakdown. Now, 365 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: in the BBC documentary alone The Brain Century, Deprivation and Isolation, 366 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:31,760 Speaker 1: six people were deprived of sensory input. They were essentially 367 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: put in solitary confinement for about forty eight hours, and 368 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,400 Speaker 1: one of the findings is that at around our thirty 369 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,680 Speaker 1: people began to pace back and forth, and a lot 370 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,480 Speaker 1: of people who were looking at the footage said, this 371 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 1: is a lot like animals in captivity. And perhaps one 372 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 1: of the reasons why they're doing this is that they're 373 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: trying to create some sort of sensory input for their brains. 374 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: Because we've talked about this before. This is one of 375 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,360 Speaker 1: the reasons why you can't be isolated for a long time. 376 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: Your brain needs something to a non it needs a bone, 377 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: and a lot of time other people are those bones. 378 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: And again, if you if you have someone who has 379 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: sequestered themselves in your brain, isn't getting this sort of 380 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:15,920 Speaker 1: input that it would normally get. The unconscious has very 381 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:20,359 Speaker 1: little information to play with and to mold into a story. 382 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: And that story of I. You know, we've talked about this, 383 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: the me, the who I am, And that's when you 384 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: begin to see some some aspects of mental breakdown sometimes 385 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 1: because there isn't that cohesive, uh, sense of self that's 386 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: bolstered by others or even mirrored by other people around you. 387 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: All Right, So the Grinch, this uh, this miserable creature, 388 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: driven half mad by the merriment of the who's, finally breaks, 389 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: finally snaps stresses up like Santa Claus descends down on 390 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 1: Christmas night while the Who's are asleep in their beds, 391 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: steals just about everything, even raid the refrigerator packs it 392 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 1: all up on the sleigh, he takes it up and 393 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: he's about to dump it, right, He's about to just 394 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: throw it into the abyss and u and wish him 395 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: a merry Christ. But he's waiting, Remember, he's waiting on 396 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 1: that ledge. He's waiting for them to wake up and 397 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 1: realize that all of their little goodies have been stolen 398 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 1: from them. Right, that's the ultimate reward, more so than 399 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 1: just the material theft involved here. He wants to break them, 400 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 1: to break who culture itself, and just send them into despair. 401 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,640 Speaker 1: The problem is, of course, is that when he's he's 402 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: got his hand up to his ear and he's listening 403 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 1: really hard, he doesn't hear sobbing. He doesn't hear this 404 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 1: is terrible wretching noises of broken Who's he hears his 405 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:47,959 Speaker 1: unified chorus, this beautiful lilting song that that comes up 406 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 1: to him and makes him realize that all of his 407 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:58,360 Speaker 1: expectations have been violated. And this is what allows him, 408 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: at this very moment to go in one of two ways. 409 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: Either he can have this sort of cognitive dissonance right 410 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:12,640 Speaker 1: in which his violations or his expectations are violated, and 411 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: he doesn't know what to do with that, and so 412 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:18,239 Speaker 1: he doubles down on a sort of cognitive bias and 413 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 1: tries to explain it away and say, oh no, they're 414 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: still materialists, they're still terrible. Or he can accept that 415 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,600 Speaker 1: there's cognitive dissonance and he can accept that there's an 416 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:35,639 Speaker 1: alternate take to the Who's and to Christmas that is 417 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 1: not just about materialism but perhaps something more m and 418 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: that makes all the difference. He has this change of heart. 419 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: He brings everything back to them, He celebrates with him, He's, He's, 420 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:51,399 Speaker 1: He's brought into who culture. He's no longer an outsider, 421 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: or at least for this one night, he's not an outsider, 422 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: and he joins in the feast. He cuts the roast 423 00:24:56,280 --> 00:25:00,159 Speaker 1: beast for crying out loud. He does. And again, this, this, 424 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,439 Speaker 1: this sort of see change is all predicated on his 425 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: epiphany moment that it's connections with people that matter, and 426 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 1: that's what the Who's, uh we're celebrating when it came 427 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:16,080 Speaker 1: to Christmas. Not necessarily their stuff, but these guys Who's 428 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:19,359 Speaker 1: do not get out of this unscathed. Right, It's easy 429 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,159 Speaker 1: to look at the story and say, oh, well, the 430 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:24,479 Speaker 1: Who's are such a noble people that even though all 431 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: their presence and their food was gone, they still went 432 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: out there, and we're happy because they're ultimately happy and 433 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: good at heart. But we would argue that they felt this, 434 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,439 Speaker 1: they made this. This is a realization for the Who's 435 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,639 Speaker 1: because the Grinch told all their stuff, because the Grinch 436 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,440 Speaker 1: took away all the material possessions, of which they had 437 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: way too many to begin with. Yeah. According to Chad 438 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: or Zell in his article on Science Blogs, how strong 439 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 1: was the Grinch each of the thirty three who's in Whoville? 440 00:25:54,800 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 1: We're getting about three thousand or about six thousand pounds 441 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:04,520 Speaker 1: of stuff on Christmas and Orizel basis calculations on pixels 442 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: and what they might represent in terms of real world 443 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,679 Speaker 1: dimensions and mass, including that that slayh um. So that 444 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 1: would lead us to believe that maybe those who's we're 445 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: just empty husks trying to stuff themselves with things before 446 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:24,280 Speaker 1: the Grinch came along and delivered uh an epiphany to them. Yeah, 447 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:26,920 Speaker 1: I think so. I mean it, you know, clearly their 448 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,919 Speaker 1: way over doing it. They're indulging in just rampant materialism, 449 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,440 Speaker 1: and then the Grinch comes takes it away and gives 450 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:38,160 Speaker 1: them the space to realize what's important. Most So in 451 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:40,639 Speaker 1: this I would I would argue that the Grinch plays 452 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,439 Speaker 1: a crucial role in the Who's if not for that 453 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:48,960 Speaker 1: that Christmas, but perhaps every Christmas. Perhaps the Grinch comes 454 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,400 Speaker 1: every Christmas to the Who's and it's part of their 455 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: their winter festival, you know, the great green god on 456 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,240 Speaker 1: the mountain that it comes down and takes away your 457 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 1: your your material possessions so that you may see what's 458 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:03,879 Speaker 1: most important. So this is like the passion play for 459 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,640 Speaker 1: the Who's. Yeah, like maybe, yeah, And I think so 460 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:08,679 Speaker 1: if the if the Grinch doesn't come, then you end 461 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: up just drowning in your own materialism and you're you know, 462 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 1: freezing through the winter. And the Grinch himself might say, yes, 463 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 1: I will participate in these festivities and pretend to be 464 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 1: terrible and awful and and and I can recreate that 465 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: epiphany that or or you take a creature and you 466 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:25,920 Speaker 1: replace its heart and you stick it into a specially 467 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: designed cave on the top of the mountain so that 468 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 1: it will play a role in your your necessary festival 469 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: year after year after year. Wow, maybe the Grinch isn't 470 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: even real, Like maybe that's a Grinch costume that one 471 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: of the Who's has to wear as sort of like 472 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:43,679 Speaker 1: the sacrificial Grinch for the year. Yeah, it's just kind 473 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,439 Speaker 1: of the supernatural entity that everyone believes in and you 474 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,000 Speaker 1: sort of you partake in the passion play of the 475 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:54,200 Speaker 1: thing that is somehow more believable than um. Then positing 476 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: that the whose heart grew two sizes that day when 477 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: you have the epiphany simply be has some sort of 478 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: genetic switch went off between the who's and the what. Yeah. 479 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,920 Speaker 1: I have no explanation for why his heart would literally 480 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,440 Speaker 1: grow two sizes and allow you know, better sourcing of oxygen, 481 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:14,360 Speaker 1: but that just reminded me too. Uh. Now, he's more 482 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: of a who and than a what, which is sort 483 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,200 Speaker 1: of a whole underlying basis of what we were talking 484 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: about earlier, like how how terrible to be a what 485 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,040 Speaker 1: instead of a who? And he made his way back 486 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:29,680 Speaker 1: to his unness by connecting with his fellow species. Now 487 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 1: that's that's some rich stuff there. That's sus you really 488 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: knows who knew what he was doing? An intuitive psychologist? 489 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: I think so. Yeah. Alrighty guys, we hope that you 490 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: enjoyed our presentation of the Grinch as well as Scrooge. 491 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 1: And if you want to check out more of what 492 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,479 Speaker 1: we're doing, you can do so stuff to blow your 493 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:50,360 Speaker 1: mind dot com. That's right. You'll find all the podcast episodes, 494 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 1: including various holiday episodes we've done over the years. Right there, 495 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 1: you'll find blog post videos and some of those are holiday. 496 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: Orient will try and promote those on the front page 497 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 1: there for you to check out. And also you'll find 498 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: links out to the various social media accounts we use 499 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: in case we will follow us on Facebook or Twitter 500 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 1: or Tumbler or what have you. And if you have 501 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 1: any sarakrat sandwiches with a side of Arsenic sauces thoughts 502 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,200 Speaker 1: that you want to send to us, you can do 503 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 1: so by emailing us below the mind at how stuff 504 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: works dot com for more on this and thousands of 505 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: other topics, is it how stuff works dot com.