Whenever I watch classic cartoons, I've often seen the foolish characters are often compared as "donkeys". Why would that be?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
There is a cultural stereotype that donkeys are stupid and stubborn. This actually stems from a classic behavioral characteristic of donkeys, which is their strong sense of danger self-preservation. If they are unsure of a situation, they will stop and prevent themselves from going further, which is where the image of being stubborn comes from. Additionally, donkeys are descended from the African wild ass, which is related to the word "jackass" (slang word meaning a "stupid person").