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Subject:RED and GREEN should not be seen ... From:scot <scot -at- HCI -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Thu, 11 Apr 1996 15:55:00 +1000
>I suspect this may be built into human biology by millenia of life, where
>seeing red blood might indicate life-threatening injury of self or another
>member of the tribe, or weakening of potential prey. And green might indicate
>plant life offering a place of concealment. I've heard it hypothesized that
>humans original developed their carnivorous practices as hunters that chased
>prey until it was too exhausted to run or fight ...
My whole point was it is a cultural construction, not 'in-built' or
biological. Yes I've heard the red=blood explanation before, but without
some anthropological or scientific evidence that all humans regard RED as a
sign of immanent danger it just doesn't wash. In fact there is evidence to
suggest OTHERWISE. For instance, RED to the Chinese usually means Good Luck,
not Danger, so if your Nuclear Plant control program turned bright red a
Chinese user could be forgiven for thinking this was a GOOD sign, and keep
draining the coolant ...