Encyclopedia of Inscrutables Studies
Proximity-Activated Othering
| Abbreviation | PAO |
|---|---|
| First proposed | WP49 |
| Status | Established Institute principle |
Proximity-Activated Othering holds that an Inscrutables panel may derive humor from characters who are objectively, structurally, or culturally very similar but invest disproportionate meaning in a comparatively small categorical distinction.
The crocodilian case (WP49) is almost laboratory-pure. Sal and his periodontist share kingdom, phylum, class, and order; they diverge at family. Yet family membership is sufficient to generate surprise, and the narrator's defensive "Sal just wasn't expecting it is all" transforms taxonomy into social observation.
The absurdity resembles many human systems of prejudice, in which enormous commonality can coexist with intense attention to comparatively narrow markers of difference. The Institute records the clinical recommendation of WP49: evaluate the periodontist by the quality of the graft, not the width of the snout.
Observed In
- WP49 — Right Up Until He Tasted the Saltwater Rinse