NationStates Jolt Archive

Disney made a documentry/show in the 70s/80s, they had footage of lemmings leaping off cliffs. This inspired the rumours and the game but really the production company threw almost 30 of lemmings off the cliff and to a horrible death. It is not true at all that lemmings commit mass sucide and I believe that someone should be punished for this.

Meh?

Yep. I remember that. I went most of my childhood believing that lemmings actually do that too.

Wha? But they do that. I mean, not all the time, every day, but every so many years they just get together and jump into the sea, or something. No-one knows why. They just do it.

The ideal Nike animal, lemmings.

JUST DO IT.

They don't??? :eek:
Now seriously, I didn't know that. Disney is deliberately miseducating us!? I have to admit that it always seemed strange to me that animals voluntarily commited mass suicide.

Meh - so Disney does another stupid thing

We all know of the corporation's stupidity, that's why I don't watch Disney cartoons - too many subliminal messages. At least the philosophy in the cartoons/anime I still watch (Gundam, Mark Fiore flash cartoons) is at least not some "secret message"

Wha? But they do that. I mean, not all the time, every day, but every so many years they just get together and jump into the sea, or something. No-one knows why. They just do it.

The ideal Nike animal, lemmings.

JUST DO IT.

Thats funny but they don't commit mass sucide anymore than humans do.

Wha? But they do that. I mean, not all the time, every day, but every so many years they just get together and jump into the sea, or something. No-one knows why. They just do it.

The ideal Nike animal, lemmings.

JUST DO IT.
That's exactly the point of the thread... lemmings DON'T do that. Disney made it all up, and slaughtered a bunch of lemmings to fabricate the story, or so I've been informed.

That's exactly the point of the thread... lemmings DON'T do that. Disney made it all up, and slaughtered a bunch of lemmings to fabricate the story, or so I've been informed.
Source?

Source?
http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.htm
http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlife_news.view_article&articles_id=56&issue_id=6

The above two talk about Disney's manufacturing of teh fateful events. Below are links to articles about the reasons they now believe the population plummets every now and then:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_979473.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1074699,00.html

Lemmings are real creatures? ...wow...

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.htm
http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlife_news.view_article&articles_id=56&issue_id=6

The above two talk about Disney's manufacturing of teh fateful events. Below are links to articles about the reasons they now believe the population plummets every now and then:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_979473.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1074699,00.html
Thanks. Pretty interesting, and I don't see why the filmmakers would fake something like that, but frankly, I'm not too concerned about the death of a dozen lemmings 50 years ago.

Whatever...I'm gonna go sign off and go watch Steamboat Willie

Disney made a documentry/show in the 70s/80s, they had footage of lemmings leaping off cliffs. This inspired the rumours and the game but really the production company threw almost 30 of lemmings off the cliff and to a horrible death. It is not true at all that lemmings commit mass sucide and I believe that someone should be punished for this.


http://snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.htm

This is true in the main, except that you are incorrect on your dates; it happened in 1958. Anyone associated with this film is likely no longer with the Disney company, as you're speaking of an incident that happened forty-six years ago.

Well, it is a little late to get pissed at Disney for a documentary made in 1958.
Guess what? I wasn't even born then. For that matter, neither was anyone else here. So who cares? This is old news...


EDIT: Just now saw that someone mentioned the actual date of the documentary while I was formulating my reply. Sorry for the repeat.

Well, it is a little late to get pissed at Disney for a documentary made in 1958.
Guess what? I wasn't even born then. For that matter, neither was anyone else here. So who cares? This is old news...


EDIT: Just now saw that someone mentioned the actual date of the documentary while I was formulating my reply. Sorry for the repeat.
I'm sure there are people here who were born before (or in) 1958. That would only make you 46+ years old.

Lemmings are real creatures? ...wow...

I thought it was just a old computer game! :eek: j/k :D

Well according to the snopes article, even though lemmings don't actually commit ritual suicide they do kill themselves by going off cliffs, drowning in rivers, lakes etc by accident.

The use of the term lemmings as an "insult" to me refers to someone who blindly follows something else. As in following the one in front of you off a cliff. Or as in blindly following party line without any thought on your part.

Still seems appropriate to me.

Them lemmings have sharp teeth and bite HARD!

Them lemmings have sharp teeth and bite HARD!
Hey, maybe that's why they were throwing them off the cliff! Little bastards attacked the perfectly innocent film crew!

Well according to the snopes article, even though lemmings don't actually commit ritual suicide they do kill themselves by going off cliffs, drowning in rivers, lakes etc by accident.

The use of the term lemmings as an "insult" to me refers to someone who blindly follows something else. As in following the one in front of you off a cliff. Or as in blindly following party line without any thought on your part.

Still seems appropriate to me.

Lemming have accidents??? :eek: Disney is vindicated!!! (fucking fascists!)

What? They dont? I read that they jumped off cliffs from a childrens book!

What? They dont? I read that they jumped off cliffs from a childrens book!

Nope, they don't. I don't think Disney invented the story, though: they just fell for it like everyone else and wanted to get footage of it. It's quite common even today for wildlife documentaries to "prompt" certain behaviours for the camera. All Disney did was to prompt a behaviour which was an urban (or rather, rural) myth. A trifle rough on the lemmings involved, though.

Many supposedly "factual" books, particularly for children, are filled with nonsense. I remember one from Primary school that insisted that Columbus was special because he believed the world to be round, and everyone else thought it was flat. The only thing special about Columbus's world-view was that his calculations were lousy and he thought the planet was two-thirds its actual circumference, making a direct western voyage to China possible with 15th-century ships.

Nope, they don't. I don't think Disney invented the story, though: they just fell for it like everyone else and wanted to get footage of it. It's quite common even today for wildlife documentaries to "prompt" certain behaviours for the camera. All Disney did was to prompt a behaviour which was an urban (or rather, rural) myth. A trifle rough on the lemmings involved, though.

Many supposedly "factual" books, particularly for children, are filled with nonsense. I remember one from Primary school that insisted that Columbus was special because he believed the world to be round, and everyone else thought it was flat. The only thing special about Columbus's world-view was that his calculations were lousy and he thought the planet was two-thirds its actual circumference, making a direct western voyage to China possible with 15th-century ships.

Pfh, Columbus didn't do anything that the vikings didn't do. Plus the vikings did it earlier, AND they at least had the brains to know that it was a NEW land.

Seriously, Columbus day is shit. He didn't do crap :p

I think it is interesting how people can be misinformed. Many people actually believe that Lemmings commit mass-suicide because of that movie. I wonder how many things in history that we think are facts, are really just propaganda that everyone believed.

Wha? But they do that. I mean, not all the time, every day, but every so many years they just get together and jump into the sea, or something. No-one knows why. They just do it.

The ideal Nike animal, lemmings.

JUST DO IT.

no they travel in a large group near a cliff and some of them fall off the cliff. they don't all jump en masse. i mean, i'm sure the same thing would happen at the grand canyon if they didn't have safety rails up.

Thats funny but they don't commit mass sucide anymore than humans do.
Maybe they have been indoctrinated to think that they will get 72 virgins after running off a cliff?

Many supposedly "factual" books, particularly for children, are filled with nonsense. I remember one from Primary school that insisted that Columbus was special because he believed the world to be round, and everyone else thought it was flat.
Yep, they hammered that one into our heads until about the 4th grade, then suddenly we were all idiots for thinking that anyone still believed the world was flat in 1492. Gotta love that public education!