# A scenario... \[universal beauty of Niagara Falls\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507 "2018-12-21T22:11:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/21 "2018-12-22T19:27:44Z")
My reaction to people that point and say “Look! Water falls!” is “Of course it does-You just now realized this?” ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/22 "2018-12-22T19:46:14Z")
I guess OP noticed his hands, and got distracted from Niagara Falls. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/23 "2018-12-22T20:00:55Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > Please do not use vague thread titles. > > I took my best guess at making the thread title more descriptive. If it needs to be corrected or updated, let me know. You misspelled Niagara Falls. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/24 "2018-12-22T21:14:09Z")
_¿Qué?_ ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/25 "2018-12-22T22:22:12Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > _¿Qué?_ It would be a cruel prank to give a Bong-ese composition like this to an advanced ESL class. Perfect spelling, nicely laid out in complete paragraphs, every word and phrase seems to make sense taken in isolation… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/26 "2018-12-23T05:09:21Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > You misspelled Niagara Falls. _ **Niagara Falls?!?!?!?** _ _Slowly I turned…_ ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/27 "2018-12-23T15:39:18Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > You misspelled Niagara Falls. I’m an engineer. I’m not expected to have good spelling skills. (I fixed it - I think) ---
**Author:** ![SantaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@SantaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SantaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/28 "2018-12-23T16:52:34Z")
I interpreted the question differently. It reminded me of the Hawaiian locals who get “Rock Fever”. “Dang, another dreary day in this natural paradise that I see day after day” I understand that their favorite vacation destinations are Alaska and Las Vegas. “I’m tired of lush vegetation. Gimme Ice or Bright Lights” Would the falls still be attractive if it was always there all the time instead of being a far away exotic locale? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/29 "2018-12-23T16:55:27Z")
> [@derleth](#): > > _ **Niagara Falls?!?!?!?** _ > > _Slowly I turned…_ 😃 > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I’m an engineer. I’m not expected to have good spelling skills. > > (I fixed it - II think) 😃 x ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/30 "2018-12-23T18:27:24Z")
You expect us to explain beauty? Man… No short answer can truly do it justice, but I would say beauty has something to do with a balance of essential elements. I don’t know if it’s subjective in the sense of unexplainable, probably more in the sense of contextual. One of those elements is novelty, but in the absence of novelty there are plenty of other attributes which might do. The main thing though is that beauty is a relationship or experience, so it blurs the lines of causality between subject and object. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/31 "2018-12-23T22:41:48Z")
> [@SantaMan](#): > > I interpreted the question differently. It reminded me of the Hawaiian locals who get “Rock Fever”. > “Dang, another dreary day in this natural paradise that I see day after day” > I understand that their favorite vacation destinations are Alaska and Las Vegas. > “I’m tired of lush vegetation. Gimme Ice or Bright Lights” > Would the falls still be attractive if it was always there all the time instead of being a far away exotic locale? Hawaii local here. Alaska for vacation? No, For work? Maybe Las Vegas? Yes And you can count me in as the someone who doesn’t find Niagara Falls beautiful or breathtaking. Too wide and short (no double entendre intended). I prefer the spontaneous falls down the Koolau’s after a really heavy rain. Especially when you get to drive through a bit of it when driving through the tunnels to or from the Windward side of Oahu. As for views, I have blackout curtains on my windows and never open them. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/32 "2018-12-24T03:27:56Z")
What about when they turn Niagara Falls off next year? > **[Niagara Falls Will Temporarily Stop Gushing in 2019](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/niagara-falls-stop-gushing-2019.htm)** > > The formidable gusher could stop flowing for a few months in 2019 in order to repair some bridges in dire need. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/33 "2018-12-24T04:33:31Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > What about when they turn Niagara Falls off next year? > > [Niagara Falls Will Temporarily Stop Gushing in 2019 | HowStuffWorks](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/niagara-falls-stop-gushing-2019.htm) Now _there’s_ something I’d go to see. I’d also make a trip to to see Liberty Island if they removed the statue for cleaning, or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon if they were temporarily lowered to the ground to overhaul the irrigation system. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/34 "2018-12-24T13:45:54Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I’m fluent in Bong-ese. > > I think what the OP is asking is: “If everyone on the entire planet thinks NFs is beautiful, is it a FACT the NF is beautiful? Or is it still _subjectively_ beautiful?” > > I’ve pondered this myself actually. That’s pretty much what I think he’s trying, REALLY AWKWARDLY, to express, and I too have pondered it. It usually comes up when discussing if a person is “universally attractive”. Think of a celebrity that is widely touted for their beauty and even if they don’t appeal to you personally, you can’t pinpoint anything physically wrong with them. Kind of the opposite of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Sorry, I didn’t express that any better than the OP. Perhaps I’ve gotten a cyber contact high. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507/35 "2018-12-24T17:29:56Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > . . . And you can count me in as the someone who doesn’t find Niagara Falls beautiful or breathtaking. Too wide and short (no double entendre intended). I prefer the spontaneous falls down the Koolau’s after a really heavy rain. Especially when you get to drive through a bit of it when driving through the tunnels to or from the Windward side of Oahu. . . . I agree. The point about Niagara Falls isn’t its beauty, it’s its majesty. That is, it’s huge and makes people think “damn, that’s a lot of water”, and “boy, I wouldn’t like to be under that”. There are many waterfalls that are more beautiful. As to universality, a perception of beauty says more about humans than about whatever is being perceived as beautiful. So there’s always going to be folks out on the thin tail of the bell curve going “meh”, even for things that we’re strongly programmed to respond to. It will always be a subjective response although it may also be a fact that X% of people have a similar response. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scenario-universal-beauty-of-niagara-falls/826507.md?page=1)