--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We Pfliegmans, however, are incapable of…" description: "\"“We Pfliegmans, however, are incapable of imagining anything. From the get-go, Pliegmans were outcasts in a country of outcasts. We were then, and prob..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jessica-anthony-43394_backwardness_we-pfliegmans-however-are-incapable-of-i_2453347.jpg" --- # We Pfliegmans, however, are incapable of imagining… ![“We Pfliegmans, however, are incapable of imagining anything. From the get-go, Pliegmans were outcasts in a country of outcasts. We were then, and probably always have been, whole ages behind the progress of the company we kept. When men were bashing rocks together to make tools, Pliegmans were…” quote by Jessica Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jessica-anthony-43394_backwardness_we-pfliegmans-however-are-incapable-of-i_2453347.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jessica-anthony-43394_backwardness_we-pfliegmans-however-are-incapable-of-i_2453347.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jessica-anthony-43394_backwardness_we-pfliegmans-however-are-incapable-of-i_2453347.jpg) > ““We Pfliegmans, however, are incapable of imagining anything. From the get-go, Pliegmans were outcasts in a country of outcasts. We were then, and probably always have been, whole ages behind the progress of the company we kept. When men were bashing rocks together to make tools, Pliegmans were slithering from the ocean, coated in a greenish much; when men were grunting, sneezing, and lighting fire, hirsute Pfliegmans lay recluse in a dark musty corner of a cave, hissing; when men began wearing pelts and eating meat and painting walls, Pliegmans were stealing pelts to make fun of the pelt-wearers and would return to a cold cave hungry again, goddamnit; when men began forming languages and speaking in recognizable tongues, Pliegmans snorted and threw their heads in the mud in protest; when men began eating with forks, Pliegmans licked their dirty nails; when men were building factories to work in and homes for themselves to live in, Pliegmans rolled in the gross, deliciously; when Edison illuminated the world, Pliegmans squealed and covered their eyes; when Ford made the world go faster, Pliegmas stood at the curb, fearing for their lives, gaping at the shiny wheels, which explains why my father, János Pliegman, who, one Christmas morning in 1984, after receiving a VCR as a Christmas present from my mother, spent four minutes examining the buttons and one minute examining the manual before bashing it in the face with an elbow -- But I digress.”” [Jessica Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-anthony/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker uses exaggerated, humorous comparisons to highlight feeling out of place and resistant to progress. **In simple terms:** Feeling out of sync with modern advances. Key Takeaway Recognize personal resistance to change. Themes identity progress humor alienation generational gap Mood reflective humorous critical Type personal satirical observational When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - social commentary - family storytelling Key Concepts Social evolution cultural lag self-awareness family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - In what ways do you feel like a 'Pliegman' today? - How can humor help process feelings of alienation? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper frustration or critique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backwardness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwardness/) [Christmas morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-morning/) [Christmas present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-present/) [Eating meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-meat/) ## Related quotes > [The backwardness of our religious and social developments is undoubtedly holding back the development of the intellectual and political levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-quigley/the-backwardness-of-our-religious-and-social-developments-is/) [Carroll Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-quigley/) > [“The transmogrification of Islam into Islamism is bad news not only for the West but also for the majority of Muslims who have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-r-reilly/the-transmogrification-of-islam-into-islamism-is-bad-news-not-only/) [Robert R. 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