Infallible Logic

[oloriel]

A conversation that Felix had with me just now:

Felix: Der Erfolg ist das Ergebnis. ("Success is the result.")
Moi: .......?!
Felix: Das hat die Ziege gesagt! ("That's what the goat said!")
Moi: Die Ziege? Kann die Ziege denn sprechen? ("The goat? The goat can talk?")
Felix: Dafür hat die Ziege ja einen Mund! ("That's why the goat has a mouth!")

... Of course.
Seriously, I have no clue where that came from. Every explanation I can come up with is terribly constructed. For instance, Ziege is not only the German word for goat, but also used as an insult for a "bleating" woman, but it's not particularly likely he picked that up since we really only use the dialectal version, Zicke (short i, hard k as opposed to long i, soft g), if at all. It's really more likely that he means one of the actual goats who live up the street, but I very much doubt they bleat business manager formulae!
I wonder whether it's something he dreamed?

Comments

[hhimring]

Weird and wonderful! Sounds a bit like Animal Farm.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

When he first began to mutter "Der Erfolg..." I really had to think of Brave New World and hypnopaedia! The talking goats would be better suited for Animal Farm, though

[cowboy-r.livejournal.com]

Television?

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Yes, I suspect he may have heard the "success" line in some commercial or otherwise. But we haven't watched anything with goats in it, let alone talking goats, and he doesn't watch the telly on his own.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

I just finished watching the latest episodes of Legend of Korra before logging onto LJ, and given the topic in those, this is smack in the deepest part of the uncanny valley.

But still profoundly awesome. And awesomely profound, in a way. :D

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Even without Legend of Korra, it was kind of creepy. Two-year-olds shouldn't sound like motivational trainers or managers! XD

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Maybe you have a philosopher in training? Alternately, he might have ideas for a new tv show or movie you can sell and make money on. How about a tv series where an obnoxious manager is seen as a goat by the workers?

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Tempting idea! :D

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Delightfully surreal!

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a TV commercial. I don't know how it is in your country, but here we've got any number of stupid talking-animal commercials, like a recurring gecko who sells car insurance, bears selling soda pop, cats and dogs singing about their food. I could well imagine a goat saying "Success is the result" on a commercial, and a toddler being intrigued enough to repeat the phrase.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

It's certainly the most logical explanation! I just don't recall seeing any commercial with goats in it (nor does Jörg), and Felix isn't watching TV on his own yet. He may have caught the phrase somewhere and somehow connected it with goats, I guess!