Why knuckledragger?

[JohnnyFive]

The word knuckledragger brings to my mind a lack of grace, untuned strength, innefficiency, and moroseness. I wondered why this term is used when surely Circular Strength is the opposite of these aims? Also knuckledragger conjures up a certain primal simplicity, when I thought that your philosphy was one of ever increasing sophistication? I am sure this has been explained in a book I am yet to read, and perhaps I am missing the point entirely, but I shall ask it anyway.

[Scott Sonnon]

Johnny,
The nickname was initially intended by someone to derogate me, but the primal innocence and feral tenacity of it all appealed rather than appalled me, so it stuck over the years. Check out the article in the "Musings" section entitled, The Sophisticated Knuckledragger's Manifesto (http://circularstrengthmag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30).
We can only begin to sophisticate ourselves when we realize we're just very sly monkeys. :wink:

[Ken Harper]

I stumbled on this post and it was a bit of serendipity. Back in April I was working through a death in my family and missed this Musing.

I too had always had problems with the term "knuckledragger" -- in fact, I've seen it used as a label for thugs, oafs, and such, but as I read through Scott's Musing, I kept thinking of the orangutans I'd recently seen in the Portland (OR)Zoo, who are indeed natural knuckledraggers.

Orangutans are reportedly among the strongest mammals and the most nimble, mobile, etc. -- and they're also apparently very compassionate and look after one another as well as human beings large and small. There recent stories in the media of a zookeeper "trapped" by an orangutan until hugs were exchanged as well as a little girl who fell into a "primate pit" -- the wall separating the ape house from the human visitors -- and was "coddled" by an organgutan (or was it a gorilla?) until she could be "rescued" from her rescuer.

Orangutans are also an extremely endangered species because of the destruction of their habitat(s).

So I'm all for "knuckledraggers" as a word and whatever primate form they take!

Ken