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by MelindaWarren on March 15th, 2007

MelindaWarren

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What is a knee jerk reaction? Someone explain please.

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  • by branciforte3241 on March 15th, 2007

    branciforte3241

    It means that you react to something without giving it any conscious thought. Like when you go to the doctor and he hits you in the knee with that little rubber mallet. Your leg twitches without you willing it to move.

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  • by Old School on March 15th, 2007

    Old School

    There is a reflex reaction that your body does when the kneecap is tapped, your leg automatically kicks out. Doctors test this as an indication of normal nervous system operation.

    This has been adapted as a speech metaphor. In colloquial usage, a knee-jerk reaction is any emotional state or thought that comes to you as an immediate reaction to a situation, before you have a chance to think analytically.

    Usually, it is used as a pejorative, indicating that a person (or group) should have not used a "knee-jerk reaction" as the basis of a particular action.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knee_jerk

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  • by FLYxNIGHT on March 15th, 2007

    FLYxNIGHT

    A knee-jerk reaction is an automatic response to something. A good example would be dropping something on your foot, and saying "Ow!" even though it didn't hurt.

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  • by pigeonpower on March 15th, 2007

    pigeonpower

    Say you're a bloke, and someone aims a kick at your groin, you'd bring you're knee up to protect yourself without thinking.
    When the term is used in politics, it's usually a criticism of a policy or law which has been brought in quickly because there's some public or media outrage over something. The implication is that the government have just brought it in to protect their reputation and haven't really thought about it in particular depth. For example, if a child gets mauled by a particular breed of dog, there is public outrage and the government respond by outlawing the keeping of that breed of dog. This is a knee jerk reaction because the government are just trying to protect themselves from people saying "you don't care about little susie-may" or whatever and they haven't really put detailed thought into the reasons why that dog attacked or how the law will be implemented.

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  • by CoachMJ on March 15th, 2007

    CoachMJ

    When a doctor checks your reaction, he hits your knee with that little rubber hammer. You can not control your reaction. The "knee Jerk" reaction is how someone reacts to a given situation without any thought to what is going on.

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  • by American idle on March 15th, 2007

    American idle

    When a guy puts his hand on your knee, and you puch him in the nuts?..ok, maybe not....

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  • by CSWarn on April 7th, 2007

    CSWarn

    automatic. responding without thinking or considering options or consequences.

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  • by Anonymous on January 20th, 2010

    Anonymous

    A knee jerk reaction is the difference between a reaction and a response. It is usually a irrational reaction, as a result of ones defensive nature.

    for example: we are in ICU at the hospital and your cell phone goes off.
    you are asked to turn off your cell phone and your reaction is," Im not going to turn off my cell phone my husband is in the hospital someone might be trying to call"!

    First, you fail to see the sign that said not to bring cell phones into the ICU and you are standing right by your husband in the hospital and the doctors are there if they need to reach you, you are there too. Yet your simply right and everyone else is wrong. your pissed, defensive, irrational, basically CRAZY! hope that helps...

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