Human brains are, first and foremost, kinship engines. In senile dementia, gradually all knowledge and ability drops out—including names of your children. But you still remember who’s related to whom. That’s the last thing to go.
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Me: Why are anthropologists obsessed with kinship? Anthropologist girlfriend: Because anthropologists study PEOPLE and PEOPLE are obsessed with kinship. It’s all the native informants want to talk aboutpic.twitter.com/yzBxMhJ0MN
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Replying to @Meaningness
I'm an only child who was close to Dad. But by the end, he cdn't say whether I was related to him; only tht I was his pride & joy or prized "pet" BUT w/ only a couple of letters up on the board, he cd discern the ans "moisturizing body lotion" when the nursing home director cdn't
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Replying to @LeniDiamond @Meaningness
Also, when he WAS capable of recognizing that I was a relative, he most often confused me with his beloved sister Janet, who he hadn't seen in years but who was almost 90 at the time. (I was 56).
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This seems to be common… My mother confuses me and my brother-in-law (but we’re about the same age). I’ve heard lots of accounts of confusing one’s children with late spouse or even parent.
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