Angry Nature

Twice this morning on ABC I heard the storm referred to as having emotions. “The ire of Irene,” (OK, I see the alliterary appeal) and “the wrath of the storm.”

Folks, don’t anthropomorphize rotational fluid dynamics. The storm didn’t really have it in for anyone, honest. Besides, it hates when you do that.

16 thoughts on “Angry Nature”

  1. People will always be superstitious. Remember Niels Bohr and the horseshoe: “Oh, I don’t believe in it. But I am told it works even if you don’t believe in it.”

  2. It’s possible it wasn’t just alliteration. “Irene” means “peaceful”, so the writer may have been trying for irony as well.

  3. I’m from Pensacola, Florida, and I still remember walking around in the eye of Ivan the Terrible.

    And yes, that’s what we call it around here. It was a monster of a storm.

  4. Back in the 80’s I saw an eco-doom book titled “Our Angry Earth”. That was good for a brief laugh.

  5. Anthropomorphizing mother nature? That’s almost as bad as when people make up words like “alliterary”.

    The word for which you are looking is “alliterative”.

  6. That’s almost as bad as when people make up words like “alliterary”.

    No, it’s quite a bit worse.

    The word for which you are looking is “alliterative”.

    I wasn’t “looking for a word.” I was creating a neologism. And the period should be inside the quote, Mr. Pedant.

  7. Did you see how Glenn Reynolds worded his link to this half-baked article?

    “RAND SIMBERG: It’s not nice to anthropomorphize Mother Nature.”

    “Mother” Nature?? Looks like ol’ Glenn didn’t get the message.

    Anyway, people have been referring to the “wrath” of storms for about 10,000 years, Rand, so get off your high horse. What’s next, no more referring to boats as “she”?

  8. What do you call a woman with one leg? Eilene.

    What do you call a Japanese woman with one leg? Irene.

  9. Dr. Mercury, you come from Instapundit and complain about “half-baked” articles? Maybe you shouldn’t read blogs or get on the internet, if this is a problem for you. OTOH, Transterrestrial always has room for another condescending, self-important idiot.

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