Scientists attributed this unusual rock carving as part of a fertility ritual, but perhaps it just proves that juvenile humor has been part of mankind since, well, forever.
Neatoramanauts, meet "Little Horny Man" of the Lapa do Santo cave in Brazil:
The engraving is also depicted with a relatively oversized phallus about 2 inches (5 cm) long, or about as long as the man's left arm.
"We named the figure 'the little horny man,'" Neves said.
"The figure is probably linked to some kind of fertility ritual," Neves told LiveScience. "There is another site in the same region where you find paintings with men with oversized phalluses, and also pregnant women, and even a parturition (childbirth) scene."
Carbon dating and other tests of the sediment covering the petroglyph suggest the engraving dates between 9,000 and 12,000 years old. This makes it the oldest reliably dated instance of such rock art found yet in the Americas.
LiveScience has the story: Link
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Is the world more intolerant to each other, or are we just connected more for debate to become more heated and seen by everyone else? Nothing has changed, it's just that awareness has increased greatly.
And I don't think we're dumbed down, because for those with inquisitive minds, google and wikipedia are heaven.
I think I can confidently say that this generation isn't afraid of writing. I once had an old employer write me a letter of recommendation. He was so reluctant and never did it, so I just had him sign the bottom of a paper and I wrote the letter myself. The same idea with my parents, too. I don't think older generations are as confident as we are (this does not apply to you, Miss Cellania ;D )
Everybody wants to talk - nobody wants to READ.
This is the crunch. Literacy levels are declining in my country, Canada. About half of Canucks can't manage a simple magazine article or novel, despite their spewing of ever greater volumes of broken english on the internet.
So, in this broader respect, i guess it is, at best, a wash, not a net gain.
I'll have to disagree with this to a large extent. Most people who add their voices to the Internet are writing for themselves, not for others, otherwise they would make more of an effort to be coherent. Too much anymore, the responsibility of understanding is shifted to the reader, rather than remaining with the writer.
However, I believe Lynn has a good point in that the stupid didn't have as great a voice before the popularization of the Internet. And they seem to be the ones more apt to open their mouths without thought.
Still, if we're referring to literacy in the sense of reading comprehension, then yes, I wholeheartedly believe we are currently in a state of decline. I do, however, blame this on the schools, not the Internet.
Just saying.