Koko The Gorilla

“It’s interesting that we became enthusiastic about ASL in the process of teaching it to a population that couldn’t benefit from it.”

Mike tells Sarah about a very special ape and the very problematic humans around her. Digressions include video dating, "Biography" and the terrible terrible inventor of the telephone. We start with a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT about the future of the show. Both co-hosts understand the difference between chimps, monkeys and apes but occasionally misspeak.

For a transcript of this episode (Thanks Andrea!), click here or copy-paste:
https://rottenindenmark.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/YWA-Koko-the-Gorilla-Transcript.pdf

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Where else to find us:
Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads
Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase

Links!

• Marcus Perlman, the researcher Mike interviewed!
• "Human and Animal Cognition: Continuity and Discontinuity"
• "In Memorium: Koko, A Remarkable Gorilla"
• "What Do Talking Apes Really Tell Us?"
•  “Monkey Business”
• “Talk to the Animals,” the 1980 Omni article
• “Animal Bodies, Human Minds: Ape, Dolphin, and Parrot Language Skills”
• 1979 New York Magazine article on Herb Terrace
• “The Last Distinction?”
• “The Sad Twilight of Koko The Gorilla and Her 'Mother'”
• “Why Koko Can’t Talk”
• “The Other Side of Silence: Sign Language and the Deaf Community in America”
• “The Education of Koko”