| Revision as of 15:35, 22 July 2010 view source24.101.216.241 (talk) →Myth and reality← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:46, 22 July 2010 view source Ohnoitsjamie (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Autopatrolled, Administrators261,204 editsm Reverted edits by 24.101.216.241 (talk) to last version by QwyrxianNext edit → | ||
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| The British media outlet Times Online has posted a detailed illustration of the force necessary to push over a cow.<ref> at the Time Online.</ref> | The British media outlet Times Online has posted a detailed illustration of the force necessary to push over a cow.<ref> at the Time Online.</ref> | ||
| Not a myth: | |||
| Cow tipping was popular in Rural areas in America after the great depression as a form of youthful entertainment. Generally a minimum of 3 or 4 young men would sneek into a pasture and push cows over until the farmer heard the cows screaming in terror and came out with his shot gun. Cows panic when they go down, their legs not in the position to get back up. They require assistance to get their legs back under them to stand. A cows milk production generally stops for at least 24 hours after the trauma. | |||
| Note: In North West Pennsylvania it was a common practice in the 50's. One cow tipper, Tom Guthrie of Meadville Pennsylvania said of the experience "it was horrible, the cow just laid there and screamed. I never did it again." f you ask around in farming areas, you will still find people that have done it or at least tried. It is considered a crime and punishable under trespass laws, animal cruelty, and other local ordinances. | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
Revision as of 15:46, 22 July 2010
Cow tipping or cow pushing is the purported activity of sneaking up on a sleeping, upright cow and pushing it over for fun. As cattle do not sleep standing up, cow tipping is a myth.
Myth and reality
According to popular belief, cattle can easily be pushed over without much force because they are slow-moving, slow-witted and weak-legged, have a high center of gravity and sleep standing up. Numerous publications have debunked cow-tipping as a myth. Cattle only doze instead of sleeping while standing up, and they are easily disturbed. A variety of calculations have been performed to determine if cow tipping is physically possible. A study led by Margo Lillie, a doctor of zoology at the University of British Columbia, concludes that cow tipping by a single person is impossible. Her calculations found that it would take at least two people to apply enough force to push over a cow if the cow does not react and reorient its footing. If the cow does react, it would take at least four people to push it over. Professor Lillie noted that, contrary to the myth, cattle are well aware of their surroundings (they have excellent senses of smell and hearing) and are very difficult to sneak up on.
The British media outlet Times Online has posted a detailed illustration of the force necessary to push over a cow.
History
A similar belief was held about elephants in medieval Europe: in 1255, Louis IX of France gave an elephant to Henry III of England for his menagerie in the Tower of London. Drawn from life by the historian Matthew Paris for his Chronica Majora, it can be seen in his bestiary at Parker Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, with an accompanying text revealing that at the time, Europeans believed that elephants did not have knees and so were unable to get up if they fell over. The bestiary contains a drawing depicting an elephant on its back being dragged along the ground by another elephant, with a caption stating that elephants lacked knees.
In the news
In April 2008, four men in Naples, Florida, who were arrested for damaging a gate to a communications tower in an open field, told police deputies that they had gone into the field and tipped over a cow. However, police stated this was impossible because there were no cattle within several miles of the field.
In January 2009, a cow reportedly knocked a woman off her bike and stepped on her legs in Boulder, Colorado. The Associated Press wrote that, "It's not another instance of cow-tipping. In this case, it was the cow that did the tipping." The woman was not seriously injured. Other news sources cited the incident as the result of a "Cow engaging in people-tipping"; compare "man bites dog".
In popular culture
Cow-tipping has appeared in a variety of media and entertainment. In the popular computer role-playing games Fallout 3 and Asheron's Call, players can push over cattle. In the 2006 animated movie Barnyard, a group of tough talking cattle from New Jersey go "boy-tipping" in response to similar behavior against cattle. In another 2006 animation movie, Cars, characters go "tractor-tippin'". In a 1994 episode of the popular animated television series Beavis and Butt-head, the two titular characters, after watching a milk ad on television, set out to tip over a cow. Cow-tipping is also featured in the 1989 black comedy Heathers as well as the 1995 Chris Farley-David Spade comedy film Tommy Boy.
The Maryland Lottery/Bovines Unite, Famous Dave's restaurants ("Angus with attitude") and Coffee Mate television ads have all featured cows engaged in people-tipping.
See also
References
- ^ Malvern, Jack (November 5, 2005). "Cow-tipping myth hasn't got a leg to stand on". London: Times Online. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
- Semke, Matt. "The Statics of Cow Tipping". UNL College of Engineering and Mechanics Course Project. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
- Colebourn, John (November 9, 2005). "Debunking rural myth of cow tipping: It's udder nonsense, academics contend". Montreal Gazette. pp. A10.
- Cow-tipping a mooo-yth? by Ian Denomme, The Gazette (Western Daily Student Newspaper), November 9, 2005. (retrieved on January 12, 2009)
- Cow-tipping: Myth or reality? by Eddie Glenn, Tahlequah Daily Press, December 15, 2006. (retrieved on January 12, 2009).
- Happy Torque - Force Required to Tip over a cow at the Time Online.
- 'Cow tipping' excuse doesn't fly; 4 arrested, Naples Daily News, April 22, 2008 (retrieved on January 12, 2009).
- Cow Tips Woman, Associated Press (reprinted by NBC15.com), January 21, 2009.
- Cow engaging in people tipping, Associated Press (reprinted by ColoradoConnection (FOX21), January 21, 2009.
- AOL Video Home >Barnyard: The Original Party Animals - Cow Tipping at AOL.com.
- IMDB Memorable quotes for Cars (2006)
- Beavis and Butthead, Season 4, episode 2, Cow Tipping, first aired March 15, 1994.
- Cow-Tipping is a Load of Bull | The Harvard Crimson
- AdFreak: Cows tip college student for Maryland lottery
- Bovine Blog
- YouTube - Famous Dave's TV Ad- People Tipping
- Cows Tipping People - Funny Video Clips
External links
- The Register article debunking the myth of cow tipping while drunk by Lester Haines
- Template:Dmoz
- The Straight Dope on Cow Tipping
- The Cow Tipping Myth Debunked by a Veterinarian