this post was submitted on 23 May 2025
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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You don't hit the donkey with the stick silly! 😂🤣
You sit on the donkey and use the stick like a fishing pole. Dangle the carrot in front of the donkey's face with a string, and the donkey will walk in whichever direction you guide it.
While this is definitely a thing from cartoons, the carrot/stick thing is absolutely referring to hitting the donkey. The whole point is punishment vs reward...
Well, seeing as how I grew up on a horse ranch, I can totally confirm the 'cartoon logic' you speak of is absolutely real, and is used to help train at least some donkeys and horses.
It's more like teasing them to go after something they can never have.
Yeah, again, I'm not saying that's not a thing, man. Just that's not what carrot vs stick metaphor is about
Can you provide me a couple older references to this? Preferably before the year 2000, or at least before the AI and enshittification era?
It's pretty intuitive from the saying. It's the carrot OR the stick, not the carrot ON the stick. The carrot is the reward for doing the thing, the stick is the punishment for not doing it. Just google it.
Read OP's post again, it literally says "carrot and stick".
I'm not about to nitpick or argue my life experience with someone that's probably never rode a horse or donkey in their life, doesn't know how to read, and goes to Google for all their information.
Dude no one's arguing about your life experience, it's just irrelevant. The carrot and stick metaphor isn't even about donkeys or horses.
Here’s a wiki link for you
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_and_stick
I asked for before the enshittification era.
I'm not about to trust a controversial article that could have been manipulated by almost anyone these days.
Dude the Wikipedia article proves that both metaphors are correct
Ok, nice. 👍
Have a good day.
You can just go look at the sources of the article man.
I don't need to look at the articles, I literally grew up on a horse/donkey/goat ranch. Besides, why would I look into articles suggesting to abuse the farm animals?
I bet most everyone, including the Wikipedia article writers, and even the references they mention, most of them have probably never even rode a horse or donkey before. I have though.
There are proper ways of training large farm animals, and beating them with a stick isn't one. That's straight up animal abuse. And such large animals will quickly remind you who is in charge by stomping your skull in.
I learned how to peacefully and safely train animals. Dangle a carrot in front of a donkey, you can guide it around all day, until the work shift is over and you guide it to the food trough.
Why is everyone sharing links on how to beat animals with sticks, when I'm literally explaining from experience that there are much better ways to train farm animals?
You're approaching this from the wrong direction. No one is saying this is the correct way to raise animals, everyone is just saying this is LITERALLY what the phrase means.
For wha it's worth I have ridden both a horse and a donkey, though I am unsure why this is a sticking point for you on a language question
OK, cool? Your experience doesn't mean this doesn't happen though, and no one is saying this is any kind of proper way to train an animal.