For some odd reason, groups of living creatures are identified by unique collective nouns — a practice that began more than 500 years ago.  The believed source stems from “The Book of St Albans,” published in 1486, by Julia Barnes, a nun.  Not much is known of her, but the collective names were believed to in existence before she collected them.  (The Book of St Albans, wikipedia.)

We may be familiar with many, of course, like a “herd” of cattle, or a “pack” of dogs, but we would never say a herd of turtles, or a pack of cats, as they have a unique group name of their own: namely, a bale of turtles and a clowder of cats, the latter not rising to the level of a “pride” of lions, though also cats.  How many cats make a clowder?  Well, two is a pair, more is a clowder.  

As I found that amusing and strange, I looked up the common noun names for other groups, and uncovered other unusual and humorous names.  Though long, the below list is merely a sampling:   

Mammals:

Troop of apes;
Sleuth of bears:
Coalition of cheetahs;
Rag of colts;
Pace of donkeys;
Leash of foxes
Thunder of hippopotamuses
Cackle of hyenas
Prowl of jaguars
Leap of leopards
Labor of moles
Raft of otters
Embarrassment of pandas
Drift of pigs
Prickle of porcupines
Turmoil of porpoises
Gaze of raccoons
Crash of rhinoceroses
Harem of seals
Bed of sloths
Scurry of squirrels
Gam of whales.

Birds, Reptiles, Insects:

Clutch of chickens
Murder of crows
Charm of finches
Gaggle of geese
Scold of jays
Parliament of owls
Squabble of seagulls
Quiver of cobras
Slaughter of iguanas
Rhumba of rattlesnakes
Shiver of sharks
Fever of stingrays
Knot of toads
Kaleidoscope of butterflies
Intrusion of cockroaches
Rout of snails
Cluster of spiders

Not to worry, if you cannot remember the proper collective group name, just say “group of ‘whatever’,”  lest folks look at you strangely.   

As a child, my mother always cautioned me against “discussing religion or politics in polite company.”  I suppose raising those topics in impolite company was acceptable.  In other words, by polite company, she meant to avoid potential discord with people I did not know well, as they may hold different views than mine.  For a time, I followed her rules, but once I grew older — and supposingly “wiser,” I took on all comers, which did not always turn out too well.  Mom was right!.

My mother’s cautionary advice is even more relevant today.  A generation ago, an average American citizen’s views used to be somewhere near the center, either center left or center right, with sufficient overlap to permit reasonable discussion and meaningful compromise on contentious issues. Today, that center is gone.   Many folks hold fast to their positions and refuse to discuss or even consider variant views.  When one side disagrees with the other side, arguments and fights irrupt, marriages fail and friendships dissolve.  No political or religious issue can be raised, unless the people involved have similar, or at least tolerant views.  It’s an all or nothing environment.  What a shame!

An American journalist, Robert Quillen (1887—1948) approached these verboten topics in a much different way:

— “Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument, an exchange of ignorance.” 

Polarized people display a lot of ignorance today, when they should be able to take a few deep breaths, and calmly discuss a potentially volatile issue, so they may better understand the alternative view.  When each side explains their view calmly, then each may accept some valid points to the other side’s view, and vice versa, reaching a place that achieves acceptance of some and rejection of others, with both sides ultimately walking away with more knowledge of the issue than before coming into the discussion.

The internet and social media platforms build groups who think alike, or else the group “unfriends” anyone who thinks differently.  So participation in “group think”  becomes more important  to individuals than seeking knowledge about another group’s views.  If you do not understand why someone thinks as they do, you gain knowledge by listening, even if you disagree.