The crucial distinction between humanity and drinking vessels

Daniel wanted a drink of milk at bedtime - actually considerably after bedtime - and he asked for it in a particular cup, which was missing from the shelf. As a runner-up, I held up a "Cars" plastic cup and asked him, "Do you want it in this guy."

Daniel immediately recognized the sloppiness of my metaphor, and set the record straight:

"It's not alive, so it's not a human. It's a cup."

(September 30, 2009)