From: swbaker@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Texas Bob/Eddie Froman depending on th'moon)
Subject: New article: Watermelons
Summary: Hello again, folks...
Organization: Oakland University, Rochester MI.
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 18:52:31 GMT


Here's a new article for all you roving hitch-hikers...  This article
has been added to the WORKING.NEW file at the Vela FTP, and this file's
been updated in tg101.zip and tg101.zip.UU.

Anyway, on with the article:

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%t Watermelons
%n 2S11
%s Ritualistic uses for watermelons on two planets
%a Travis J.I. Corcoran  (tcorcora@sunlab.cit.cornell.edu)
%d 19921214
%f SEMI-REAL
%i Cornell University
%i Sagan
%i Carl Sagan
%i Zylo XII
%x Religion
%e
First, let's define what a watermelon is.  Er..no, let's first define
what a watermelon is not.  It is not water, nor is it a mellon.
Well, actually, it *is* a mellon, but admitting that would screw up
the parallel structure... so let's just agree that its not water or a
mellon, OK?  From there, let's talk about what it is... it's
well... now, I can't say it's a mellon, can I?  I just told you that
it's not, and we can't have a watermelon being both a mellon and a
non-mellon, can we?  Hmm.  OK, a watermelon is this big green
egg-shaped sort of thing, you see?  No?  OK, picture a dry, red,
dusty rock about the size of you eyeball.  A watermelon is almost,
but not quite, exactly unlike that rock.

Interestingly enough, watermelons are known to exist on only two
planets in the known universe: Zylo XII, and, er... Earth.  Even
more oddly, members of the dominant species of each planet have been
observed participating in the same ritualistic use of watermelons.

First, let's highlight the similarities between the two rituals:
The rite involves "liberating" a watermelon, climbing to a high
place, saying some words, then throwing the watermelon off the
high place.

Some have raised the objection that these are merely superficial
resemblances, and that the rituals are actually totally different and
unrelated.  These specific (O)bjections are (R)efuted below:

O1.  Zylo XII watermelons are totally unlike Earth watermelons.
R1.  While it may be true that Zylo XII watermelons are
     actually eggs of carnivorous treeworms, and Earth watermelons
     are a kind of fruit, there remains many other similarities that
     conclusively prove that they are more or less the same thing.

O2.  On Zylo XII, the natives steal the watermelons from the nest of
     treeworms; on Earth there are no treeworms.  What gives?
R2.  While, technically speaking, there are no treeworms on
     Earth, this is hardly the fault of the Earth natives, is it?
     Under the unfortunate circumstances, they do the best they can
     and liberate their watermelons from the basements of college
     dining halls. Given the context, it's really more or less the
     same thing.

O3.  On Zylo XII, the watermelon is thrown from the summit
     of the Mountain of the Arrogant Sky Watcher.  There's no such
     mountain on Earth; explain that one away!
R3.  True, there is no MotASW on Earth.  Once again, it is a
     matter of understanding the context, and adjusting
     accordingly.  On Earth, the watermelons are thrown from Cornell
     University's Space Sciences building (alleged home of alleged
     astronomer Carl Sagan).  Follow?

O4.  On Zylo XII, the natives chant for three days, celebrating
     the hunting prowess of their ancestors before they hurl the
     watermelon, after which they are declared full adult members
     of the tribe.  Surely this doesn't happen on Earth?
R4.  Um...yes, that's how it works on Earth too.
%e
*EOA*

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Well, that's it for now (but rumour has it that two more will be
approved by either Paul or myself sometime tonite or tomorrow)...

Go Stick Your Head In A Pig,

Steve
swbaker@vela.acs.oakland.edu
"Gravity Brings Me Down"


Newsgroups: alt.galactic-guide