Well, there were castrati, so I can see that “they” were in the habit of occasionally altering children to become entertainers.
Have you seen a dead one?
That’s an interesting thought. For anyone that doesn’t know, the “uncanny valley” refers to the phenomena where human-like things (robots etc.) begin to make us uncomfortable as they get closer and closer to exact copies.
The idea is that a clearly non-human robot with some human features(or alternatively, a talking animal) will be seen as cool or cute, because we see them as a robot(or animal) plus some human characteristics. When they become too human-like, however, we instead see them as a human minus whatever features are still imperfect. This causes a feeling of aversion and disgust.
I can see how this could apply to mimes, in the same way it applies to zombies(or corpses in general). They’re humans that lack something inherently human, namely vocal communication.
And yes, this was mentioned in 30 rock as a reason why it’s impossible to create a successful porn video game.
Lord Havelock Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series got it right.
From Wiki:
“Despite being technically a dictator, Lord Vetinari does not exercise the despotic rule that characterised some of his predecessors. He is, in fact, the archetype of a benevolent dictator, in a chilly, inscrutable way. In The Truth, he permits the emergence of a free press, and has rarely, if ever, been known to drag innocent people off to dungeons without trial. The notable exception to this rule are mimes, whom Vetinari despises. Vetinari banned all mime performances from Ankh-Morpork shortly after taking power. Mimes who violate the ban usually find themselves trying to climb invisible ladders out of Vetinari’s scorpion pit whilst reading a sign saying ‘learn the words.’”
Urban legend much?
I love mimes. I especially love the way they thrash and soundlessly scream after you shoot them in the knees. The way their corpses burst into flames after you crush the relatively fragile skulls with a ballpeen hammer is cool too.
Mmmm. Hmmm umph errrr grkkk #$%%%!
Krrrg?
It’s just a cultural thing, like throwing dwarves or dead baby jokes.