A little bit of knowledge

DoctorWorm222 · July 2014

One of my favorite podcasts re-aired one of my favorite episodes today:

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/293/a-little-bit-of-knowledge

Being an expert is great, and knowing nothing is also ok. Its the grey area in between that often gets us into trouble.

The first story is about childhood misconceptions. On man thought the TV Neilson families were actually named Neilson. Another woman thought the "X-ing" in the crossing signs (as in school crossing) was actually a word pronounced "zing". Yet another thought unicorns were real. All these people carried their childhood misconceptions embarrassingly far into adulthood.

Care to share any of your embarrassing misconceptions today?

DoctorWorm222 · July 2014

Here's mine:

Do you know the Michael Jackson song "Man in the Mirror"? I was totally convinced that he was singing "I'm starting with the man by the river. I'm asking him to change his ways." Made perfect sense that he would go after some indigent living in a van down by the river, right?

Cheekers2010 · July 2014

Just have to comment that I am obsessed with TAL. We listen to old episodes anytime we are in the car for an hour.

beachy6 · July 2014

I thought Rhode Island was an actual island until I was 19. We were playing a game after Thanksgiving dinner and the question basically asked which state is the only island. Yep. I blurted out Rhode Island. I tired to play it off. Didn't work.

I really should have listened better in school. Now I teach geography so other kids don't embarrass themselves after Thanksgiving dinner.

ETA: I swear I'm not a huge idiot all the time!

marriedinaugust · July 2014

For the longest time I thought honey was spelled "hunny" because that is what it says on Pooh's honey pot. One of my biggest pet peeves is intentional misspellings in things geared toward children, a z replacing an s, backwards letters, etc. Drives me insane!

leoandethansmom · July 2014

So this is going to make me sound EXTREMELY stupid but hey, I'll share anyways. Until I was about 22, I thought Alaska was an island. My rationality was that it is always shown on the US map off to the west of Washington and I just assumed my whole life that's where it really was. The day I found out I was mortified. Hey, I might have a BA but it's not in Geography...

Edit: apparently grammar isn't my strong suit either

GradSchoolPrincess · July 2014

In the nineties Primus had a song called "Winona had a Big Brown Beaver". I was watching the music video for it, I think I was 10yo or so. My dad came in the room and said "that song is so rude!" I asked him why, since I saw nothing rude about Winona having a pet beaver. He told me that "beaver" is slang for a woman's butt. Fast forward to college and a raunchy, talkative roomate, I was very confused.

Also I thought there were 52 states until I was 20.

SereJane · July 2014

leosmom25 said:
So this is going to make me sound EXTREMELY stupid but hey, I'll share anyways. Until I was about 22, I thought Alaska was an island. My rationality was that it is always shown on the US map off to the west of Washington and I just assumed my whole life that's where it really was. The day I found out I was mortified. Hey, I might have a BA but it's not in Geography...

Edit: apparently grammar isn't my strong suit either

You are not alone!

Mine was that I thought sex was illegal because I saw a movie while my uncle was babysitting me where the cops broke in on a couple and arrested them. I was very concerned that my parents would be getting in trouble whenever their door was locked.

ThePregosaurus · July 2014

I thought narwhals were made up animals like unicorns until a few years ago when I saw them on the cover of a magazine for some special nature issue. I remember standing in line at the grocery store and said out loud, "I didn't know they were real!" DH still makes fun of me. To be fair, look at these things!

Saintelizabeth · July 2014

I LOVE TAL!!

BrideLinds · July 2014

ThePregosaurus said:
I thought narwhals were made up animals like unicorns until a few years ago when I saw them on the cover of a magazine for some special nature issue. I remember standing in line at the grocery store and said out loud, "I didn't know they were real!" DH still makes fun of me. To be fair, look at these things!

I thought the same thing until about a year and a half ago while watching an episode of the Octonauts! I found out the truth from a Disney Jr show. So embarrassing.

spennewill · July 2014

Up until some time in college I thought the term was "lactose and tolerant" instead of "lactose intolerant". Thank goodness I never had any reason to talk about this topic or else I would have made an ass of myself.

agsgrrl · July 2014

My parents didn't tell me the real name for my girl bits but instead of all things called it a Snoopy. Effing Snoopy... I of course embarrassed myself to my neighbors as a kid and I still feel awkward reading Peanuts or watching Charlie Brown.

nesenotes · July 2014

I'm another geography dunce that thought Alaska was right above Washington. Sadly I completely embarrassed myself in front of a girl from Canada. She was laughed about it at least. Seriously so embarrassing lol.

bibliophiletory · July 2014

You know that distinct smell outside right after it stops raining? I thought that was the smell of worms until I was legitimately an adult. I feel like my dad probably told me that in jest at some point in my childhood and I just never questioned it. Like, "of course it's the smell of worms! You can see all these worms out on the sidewalk!" Derp.

agsgrrl · July 2014

The Alaska ones reminded me my dad was/is a total smart ass and has a good friend who worked for a company that makes big rollout maps used in schools and such. He sent me to show & tell with a big one of Alaska. He'd been telling me the whole day before that the Capitol was You-know instead of Juneau. I, of course proudly told the class when my teacher asked. It couldn't have been past 3rd grade but still! I was so embarrassed.

ZAP12 · July 2014

bibliophiletory said:
You know that distinct smell outside right after it stops raining? I thought that was the smell of worms until I was legitimately an adult. I feel like my dad probably told me that in jest at some point in my childhood and I just never questioned it. Like, "of course it's the smell of worms! You can see all these worms out on the sidewalk!" Derp.

Are you from Michigan? We always said that it was worms.

leoandethansmom · July 2014

nesenotes said:

I'm another geography dunce that thought Alaska was right above Washington. Sadly I completely embarrassed myself in front of a girl from Canada. She was laughed about it at least. Seriously so embarrassing lol.

It is honestly refreshing to find out I am not the only one!

AliMags · July 2014

I thought that "point blank range" was a place, like a park. On the news they would talk about people getting shot at point blank range and I thought "people should stop going to that range, they get shot all the time"

marriedinaugust · July 2014

bibliophiletory said:
You know that distinct smell outside right after it stops raining? I thought that was the smell of worms until I was legitimately an adult. I feel like my dad probably told me that in jest at some point in my childhood and I just never questioned it. Like, "of course it's the smell of worms! You can see all these worms out on the sidewalk!" Derp.

I totally call it the worm smell too!

Want a personalized experience?

A little bit of knowledge

Re: A little bit of knowledge

Choose Another Board

Search Boards