I have identical twin cousins (from Minneapolis, as a matter of fact). As adults, one is quite a bit more slender than the other. As small children they were nearly indistiguishable, though their parents and siblings could always tell them apart if they got a good look. As they got older, they began to differ more in appearance. Still, if one of them went running past, she would be addressed as “Twin” since there was no way to be sure which one it was without stopping her. But even then you could see the difference in photos. Seeing them only a couple of times a year, I often couldn’t tell which one was which, but they did not look identical.
Our standard answer when we go out to eat when visiting:
“Are you guys twins?!”
“Huh? What? Oh, no no, ha ha, we’re just friends from college. Why?”
or she’ll say “Eh,” jerking her thumb my direction, “Spare organs.”
Married a twin and have twins, so I feel I can contribute a little.
There is a group a little sillier than those who don’t know identical twins have to be same sex. I was routinely puzzled by those asking if my (clearly) not identical twin girls were identical. I couldn’t figure it out, until one said, “But there both girls, don’t they have to be identical?” (My favorite was the woman who looked at my girls and said, “They are sooo cute. They must take after their mother.” Really, she thought that because my girls had blue eyes and I have greenish/blue/can’t make up their minds eyes. Of course, my wife has brown, but she hadn’t met her.)
My boys, who are “merely” siblings, look way more alike than my girls. Boy does that confuse strangers. (Stranger, looking at minions, “which ones are twins?” Me: “The girls.” Stranger: “Wha…”)
Many consider cloning people immoral not because you are playing God, or producing weird mutants. It is because the death rate for cloned embryos, little 'uns, and adults is much higher than with the old fashioned way. That is because the current process itself might inherently damage DNA. Frankly, if you are opposed to animal research, you should probably oppose cloning.
[anecdote] I have a brother who’s three years older, a foot taller, and differently complected than I. When we went to the same college I used to tell teachers we were twins. “The way to tell us apart, see, is he’s left-handed and I’m right-handed.” [/anecdote]
Actually I do know a set of ITs who are dating one of the Bin Laden boys. Very kinky.
Best thing to say upon meeting ITs? “Look identical strangers!”
Interestingly enough, the topic of twins has come up several times in my life recently. I am not a twin and I don’t know any twins very well, though I’ve known a few sets and a few more people who had twins that I didn’t know.
Anyway, a girl I know was dating a guy I know who is a twin. He ended up sort of cheating on her (they never really confirmed that they were a couple). I happened to be there after she discovered this and many of her ideas for revenge involved sleeping with his twin. She didn’t actually indulge her revenge fantasies, but I found it interesting that they involved his twin.
Although I cannot currently find the article, Cecil did write a column about twins being born several days apart, with the record (IIRC) being around 30 days apart. What happens is that labor can stop after one twin is born, and start up again a short time later to deliver the other twin.
A couple of blocks from my childhood home there was one big happy household made up of identical twin brothers married to identical twin sisters…with a pair of identical twin children…didn’t seem creepy to me at the time, but looking back, yeah, I think you right.
Complaints from my childhood:
Mom. Matching clothes are cute. Stop it before it’s nauseating. Age 4 will suffice.
“What’s it like being a twin” is a really stupid question, and I will reply “What’s it like being a single”. I have no other frame of reference to work from. I have always been a twin.
Buy a birthday gift for each of us, not one to share, you cheap bastards.
Same goes for Christmas.
If you can tell us apart just fine, until you find out we’re twins, then you fuck up our names, you need brain surgery.
I want my own bedroom.
My twin brother and I don’t look a damn thing alike, and never have. Well, some people claim we have similar noses or mouths, but we’re different heights, different weights, have different shaped faces, and the big give away, he has much darker curlier hair than I do. Hell, I was blond when I was younger. So how come even some of my teachers growing up couldn’t be bothered to learn which was which? It’s like just because we were twins they felt they had an excuse not to bother learning our names.
But I do have some fun with it. People are always asking me if we can ever hear each other’s thoughts, and I usually respond by pausing for a few moments and then answering “He doesn’t think so.”
Another peeve: I have a fraternal twin. When you meet both of us and find we are twins, you don’t have to say “Oh you two look just alike!” This happened especially when we were in elementary school. We don’t look (and never looked) much alike at all. Shut up.
This is not exclusive to twins. Happened to me and my sister all the time, and I’m sure we got just as tired of it as you did.
Again, this is not exclusive to twins. That same sister and I had similar (though not rhyming) names. People called us the wrong name all the time. I never though it was because they couldn’t be “bothered” - it’s just a very common and understandable mistake.
Once again, it is implied on this board that people with certain brands of convictions are better off not even stating those ideas, and between the lines, they’re kind of immoral to vote according to their convictions, too, as others might not have them.
My problem with cloning is the idea that there could be quite a lot of mistakes made in getting the process right, and you wouldn’t really know if you got it right until you’d done it thousands of times and it was about 80 years later. We have enough birth defects without creating any more, it seems to me.
- Many twins do
- Many twins do
- Many twins do
- Many twins do. I happen to know a pair that did.
4.b. Same set. But the 2nd twin eventually married the guy. - Many twins do
- You could just say you’re the smart twin. Who’d know??
I’m fascinated by twin studies. Just so’s you know…it is a very interesting and mysterious thing to the rest of us.
Kalhoun,
You seriously honest-to-God believe that there are twins out there with spooky psychic powers, like the Corsican brothers or the Constantine movie? The others-- sure, I’m sure that there are anecdotal examples of, oh, six-foot-tall twin Swedish stewardesses who romped around with your frat brother from college. I mean, hell, there must be THOUSANDS-- at least 85% of twins must do this, and I’m one of the few exceptions. But psychic powers? Really, now.
Cite?
Cite?
Cuz if any of those are true, then James Randi owes someone some money.
Father of 10 month old twins. Don’t know if they are identical or not - only genetic testing can confirm. I can say that up until 8 months neither twin would even acknowledge the presence of the other. Certainly knew the big people in their lives and to a certain extent their 5 year old sister. Twin link - all Ican say in our case is bwahahahahaha.
Since there are a lot of twins on the board, help out a father not make easily avoidable and stupid twin mistakes.
BTW, Names are not linked in any obvious way between them or elder sister (Audrey, Jacqueline & Serena). They often have matching clothes and just as often don’t. We generally bought 2 of everything in clothes because it was easier. I can tell 'em apart by looks, feel, sound. Although the faces look very close, they are the same height but one is a hulk and the other thin.
Besides which, God created us. That includes our brains and abilities. So if our abilities lead to the technological advances which make cloning possible, I can’t see how that’s an any way against any religion that has to do with God and creation etc.
But then, a huge percentage of my fellow so-called Christians have so bastardized the original intent of God, that I’m not surprised they would make that into some sort of witch hunt type offense against God too.
On the psychic thing, I thing some twins mistake familiarity with mind powers. I can look at my brother and know what he’s thinking in some situations, not because I have creepy mind powers, but that I know him so well that I can read his body language. I also can use my creepy mind powers to know when my 5 year old has to pee, when my wife is going to suggest we go shopping, and when my best friend is up to something mischevious. It’s the familiarity, silly.
…or maybe not. send me money. send me lots and lots of money…
I’m not sure what you’re saying. Did I say ALL TWINS DO THIS? Of course not. I said “many” do. I’ve known a few sets of identical twins that I cited who tricked teachers and boyfriends. Did I say this is a natural trait amongst twins? No. Re-read the post.
As for the psychic stuff. All I’m saying is that I’ve seen numerous programs on TV regarding twins who knew just by a “vibe” when their twin was in trouble or ill. No, I don’t have the exact channel or date of broadcast, but you’d pretty much have to be a non-tv watcher to not know of the existence of people who claim to have an unexplainable connection to their twin, or that there are scientific studies to try to learn if it actually exists. Could they be lying? Certainly! Do I find the subject fascinating? Absolutely.