For instance, in explaining what leukemia was to someone who was just diagnosed with it, I first had to teach about red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The more we grow in experiences and want to convey information with accuracy, the more we need that vocabulary.īut specificity does not have to be incomprehensible. Remember when you last talked to a two or three year-old and everything with four legs was 'dog,' everything that flew was a 'bird' and every time someone cried they must be 'sad?' When we are just beginning to understand words represent things and concepts, simple language suffices, but as we grow in age and sophistication, we learn words can be more specific in representing object and idea. Generally, more complex ideas require more specific words to convey meaning. I understand that it was supposed to be funny, but I was hoping for informative as well. Schulz Characters and instead found cartoon explanations of things I still don't understand, such as how all the parts of a car work together. from Snails to People!: Based on the Charles M. I went into it hoping for the grown-up version of Charlie Brown's Super Book of Questions and Answers about All Kinds of Animals. Thing Explainer fails on so many levels for me, it was shocking. That about sums up my experience with Thing Explainer.Įvery time I picked it up intending to read a few 'cartoons' explaining concepts like helicopters, the cell, elevators or the auto engine, I'd end up either generally annoyed or quite specifically angry.

We all have one, that person we'd prefer to get along with, but every time they open their mouth, so much stupid erupts that low-level irritation shifts into rage (there's a certain political figure that I react to every time).

Thing explainer by randall munroe