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Showerthoughts_Mod t1_jcrohp5 wrote

This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.

Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"

(For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)

Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.

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Harvey_Rabbit330 t1_jcsflxz wrote

In 4 states, you can make love to your horse if you want to prove you really care.

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leBigTuner22 t1_jcsfmuc wrote

….but the implication of the phrase is that you started beating the horse while living, it died, and you’re still beating it

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horsetooth_mcgee t1_jcsl23b wrote

But the first horse has died under your care due to outright abuse.

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RailAurai t1_jcsltg0 wrote

But beating off a horse is frowned upon regardless of if it's alive or not.

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KevInTheHood t1_jctes41 wrote

No beating a live horse is more human, you should stop the race if the horse dies and hold a funeral. Why would you even race a dead horse that's messed up, but racing a live horse is just a normal race.

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IIIhateusernames t1_jcthhh7 wrote

Replying to JamesR624 (#2,269,914)

It's both. The rider rides the horse to death and is still hitting it with the riding crop to try and get something else out of the horse, but it's dead.

The phrase is used to say that you've covered all the potential material of a conversation and that continuing is pointless.... like beating a dead horse to get more work out of it.

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alkonium t1_jctw6kt wrote

That's not the point. Beating a dead horse accomplishes nothing because no matter how much you beat it, it's still dead.

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Piod1 t1_jctxd56 wrote

I used to be into necrophilia, beastiality and sadism, but that was just flogging a dead horse :)

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WutWhoSaidDat t1_jcty3hs wrote

Replying to leBigTuner22 (#2,268,430)

That is not at all the implication of the phrase. Stop making shit up.

Edit: You’re beating a dead horse. Where the fuck is the implication you were beating it before it died? I’ll wait for the downvoters to fill me in.

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OSRS_Rising t1_jcu90wk wrote

Replying to WutWhoSaidDat (#2,271,298)

No need to be rude, I don’t recall being rude to you. If I came across that way, I apologize. 🙂

The opposite of beating a dead horse is beating a live horse.

The phrase, “beating a dead horse” means doing something that is accomplishing nothing.

So, beating a live horse means doing something that is accomplishing something.

The phrase has meaning because it’s implied the beater (or flogger) has just been doing something over and over again long passed the point of it being useful.

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12kdaysinthefire t1_jculsuf wrote

I think the meaning behind the phrase is that you’ve already beaten the horse to death, but you’re still beating it even though it’s dead. I mean it’s not a phrase to be taken literally but it came from somewhere.

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kharjou t1_jcuqiz3 wrote

So you're saying that if you beat it hard enough you become more humane. Hmmm

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EvilChefReturns t1_jcuwnpz wrote

So I should continue to drive home the point of one mistake, instead of constantly getting angry about a variety things…. Interesting

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his_dudeness_223 t1_jcv456x wrote

The only thing worse than beating a dead horse is betting on one.

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Jeanboyx3 t1_jcv88mi wrote

Wouldn’t beating something already dead make you even more sick since you find continuous pleasure inflicting imaginary pain on something already lifeless? (Making the assumption that you already killed the horse, while it was still alive of course, but i feel like it can apply even if it’s still dead)

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rhymes_with_chicken t1_jcwhc8b wrote

It was never meant to imply inhumane behavior—it’s a statement of futility.

You beat a horse to make it go faster/work harder.

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Icantblametheshame t1_jcx32fe wrote

Replying to Harvey_Rabbit330 (#2,268,533)

Another horrible fact, many states in America children can get married, and it happens thousands of times per year. Places like Idaho are bastions for old men marrying little girls. The democrats tried to pass a bill making a mandatory minimum age of 18 for marriage, and the Republicans wholesale rejected it stating they didn't want it to be easier to get an abortion than it is to take a child bride.

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JewLion81 t1_jcygz8x wrote

I thought the implication from beating a dead horse is that you already beat it to death

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