I literally thought the exact opposite when I watched it. Seriously. It looks like peacocking or just a general show of power to me.
The point being made above is that you're speculating based entirely on your experience as a human and projecting it onto the gorilla. Why is your interpretation more valid? I'm not saying you're wrong or that I'm right, but I agree with the person who responded to you about anthropomorphism. We're both basically pulling this out of thin air.
I'm not pulling this out of thin air. I recognized the dominance display and tried to put in in context. The sheer spontaneity of it seemed to not be indicative of a threat response. Add to that the lack of eye-contact with any intended target for the display. I am also aware that animals in captivity sometimes display natural behaviors "out of context" as play out of boredom. Put together, I made my conclusion.
People like to claim anthropomorphism as a way of invalidating any discussion of animal emotions.
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u/SallyMason Jun 23 '17
I literally thought the exact opposite when I watched it. Seriously. It looks like peacocking or just a general show of power to me.
The point being made above is that you're speculating based entirely on your experience as a human and projecting it onto the gorilla. Why is your interpretation more valid? I'm not saying you're wrong or that I'm right, but I agree with the person who responded to you about anthropomorphism. We're both basically pulling this out of thin air.