bbc1 'repilian nature' mentioned,

20 Nov 2008 23:40 BBC One
I know its not much but this was on main stream tv ken livingstone just briefly mentioned that gordon brown is doing things of a 'reptilian nature', then later the presenter goes on to mention arrmagedon. I know this program is tongue in cheek but just thought it is interesting that some people are coming out & saying things. i also wasnt listening very clearly to what the presenter said so i will check it when its up. But sorry if i have it wrong.

Originally posted by cosmiccat
20 Nov 2008 23:40 BBC One
I know its not much but this was on main stream tv ken livingstone just briefly mentioned that gordon brown is doing things of a 'reptilian nature'

Like what? I'm not from the UK, but I'd like to know what this guy was talking about.

reply to post by cosmiccat


There is a part of the human brain that is primitive and called the reptillian brain, responsible for self preservation and aggression.

Maybe he was referring to that.

The term "reptilian" when used to describe human actions, refers to the "reptilian brain" or "reptilian complex" which is a psychological term that describes the base, instinctual aspects of the human mind such as fear and anger. It is often used in a derogatory sense as an example of less evolved behavior.

Err are you talking about “This Week”? If so Livingstone was asked about, IIRC, the split between the Tories and Labour on government spending. After answering Michael Portillo pointed out that he seemed to be contradicting himself and said something along the lines of “you’re slithering from one position to another” to which Livingstone said “must be my reptilian nature”. A perfectly innocent, off hand remark and absolutely nothing to do crack pot theories about evil shape shifting alien geckos.

This thread reminds me of something, I was just watching Hard Ball and they were going over ballots that were hard to read for the Franken-Coleman race and one came up and in the write-in area someone had wrote "lizard people". weird, huh?

Yes, it's simply a descriptive metaphor, sometimes used to softly allude to someone as a snake. There are many nice people on ATS who interpret words literally without applying context in order to make a point. Perhaps a "sign" of the times?

Thank you all for those explanations, as i said i was only listening to it in back ground so didnt get the real gist, but i am very grateful for the info on the part of the brain etc.didnt know that untill now, i close this thread now then as there is nothing to see here then.