I've written books like Skeleton Keys and The Last Days of the Dinosaurs. Riley: I'm a science journalist and author. Riley Black: I'm 38, so going backwards that would be. Join me on this chopper to Isla Nublar?Īmory: When did you first become interested in dinosaurs? WHAT the meaning of these dinos tells us about how we use symbols.īen: So, to understand this dinosaur emoji story, we thought we should start with a little dinosaur knowledge. And … from WBUR, Boston’s NPR Station … you’re listening to Endless Thread.īen: And we’re gonna start with this one: The saga of those innocent little dinosaur emoji that ended up getting used for something not so innocent.Īmory: And what the tug-of-war over the meaning of these dinos … the tiny-armed green tyrannosaurus … and their goose-necked sidekick and prey, the blue brachiosaurus … or brontosaurus … or apatosaurus. rex and brachiosaurus emoji.īen: I’m Ben Brachiosaurus Johnson.
![gay flag emoji transparebt gay flag emoji transparebt](https://64.media.tumblr.com/fd78b4fddd0332896b30e15b2cd86a35/e85a699968ac712c-1b/s1280x1920/8549ab6f4038eb38410dac832445cf28c823e5b6.png)
Not the hot and bothered emoji, or cleaning out your garage.īut I want to talk about the T. This specific thing that is happening with this specific set of emoji that's really become this heated debate involving who gets to own the meaning of symbols, specifically the symbols that we all use to make meaning on our phones.īen: And the specific emoji that I want to talk about today, Amory, is not the eggplant emoji. Like, so do you know the hot and sweaty, red-faced emoji with its tongue out?Īmory: That, to me, is it's a it's a hot day and you're cleaning out the garage and you're like, Oh, this sucks, I'm so hot and I hate this so much.īen: I'm pretty sure that's not how the kids use it.īen: I think the kids used that emoji as in like “this makes me horny.”Īmory: What?! It's not the way we did it in my day.īen: So I want us to explore this. And what’s interesting here is that they actually translated some of the same words differently in emoji. And the book was translated by people all over the world. Because it is an incredible piece of literature.Īmory: Well, the first line of it looks like Moby Dick.Īmory: First line says, “got a bad phone call, I got to get on a boat and go see about a whale.”īen: So this is what you are looking at right now, Amory, is an excerpt of a translation, an emoji translation of the Herman Melville classic Moby Dick or The Whale.īen: This was admittedly years ago. And.īen: Just just for the record, just for the record, I'm not asking you to literally repeat the emoji. music, sound effects, tone) are harder to translate to text.īen Brock Johnson: All right, so Amory, can you read this incredible piece of literature?Īmory Siverston: We've got a telephone little dude making some kind of expression with his mouth open, but I can't really see what the eyes are doing. The transcript has been edited from our original script for clarity. This content was originally created for audio. Everyone who makes a monthly donation will get access to exclusive bonus content.
![gay flag emoji transparebt gay flag emoji transparebt](https://emojipedia-us.s3.dualstack.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/socialmedia/samsung/93/rainbow-flag_1f3f3-fe0f-200d-1f308.png)
If you want that too, we would deeply appreciate your contribution to our work in any amount. We love making Endless Thread, and we want to be able to keep making it far into the future.
![gay flag emoji transparebt gay flag emoji transparebt](https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.605865318.2921/st,small,507x507-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.u3.jpg)
![gay flag emoji transparebt gay flag emoji transparebt](https://images.emojiterra.com/google/android-10/512px/1f3f3-1f308.png)
Mixer, sound designer and music creator: Matt ReedĪdditional production: Nora Saks, Kristin Torres, Quincy Walters, and Rachel Carlson Show producers: Dean Russell, Nora Saks, Kristin Torres and Quincy Walters Credits:Įpisode producers: Dean Russell and Ben Brock JohnsonĬo-hosts: Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson You can find more of their work on Instagram or Redbubble. Thanks to Dane Grey for this week's artwork. What happens when one symbol is used for conflicting reasons? And can the dinosaur emoji avoid redefinition - or extinction? Join Ben and Amory as they explore the history of dinosaur emoji in LGBTQ+ communities and their more recent use as an online dog-whistle for anti-trans activists. You can find more of their work on Instagram or on their Redbubble page (Dane Rex).Įmoji might not be 66 million years old, but they are pretty much everywhere.