I got this comment on my last post from Karenna:
My husband, bless his sheltered childhood, honestly believed until recently that dogs who wear those [cones] are "retarded." Not that it makes them that way, but that it's a precaution -- akin to the stereotype of a child who must wear protective headgear.
This comment not only made me laugh out loud, but reminded me of a great segment I heard on This American Life this past summer, which is described as:
"Small Thoughts in Big Brains. This American Life producer Alex Blumberg investigates a little-studied phenomenon: Children who get a mistaken idea in their heads about how something works or what something means, and then don't figure out until well into adulthood that they were wrong. Includes the tale of a girl who received a tissue box for Christmas, alledgedly painted by trained monkeys."
It was a great piece that I, and probably Karenna's husband, could relate to. The thing I believed, well into my teenage years, was that crossing signs had a word pronounced "Zing!" (Xing). There was the railroad zing, the pedestrian zing, etc. Someone that was profiled on the show had the same issue and was embarrased when she said it outloud to another adult friend. Another person believed unicorns were real and only learned of their imaginary status when discussing extinct animals with a group of college buddies.
So, anyone have one they'd like to share? It is fun to sometimes laugh at others, but I think we only deserve to if we laugh at ourselves as well.
1/12/2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Well, I'm glad I could come up with something interesting to say SOMEWHERE, 'cause lord knows it's not on my page. (Don't go there, people -- it's crap! C-RAP!)
I'm trying to think of other small thoughts, but am drawing a performance anxiety blank at the moment.
And hubby's not talking. :-)
When I was little I remember seeing exhaust coming out of car's tailpipes on the road and thinking that was what pushed car... like jet engines.
Also, I remember my brother making a call and the Operator asking him to deposit more change. I wondered how she knew the amount he put in? And I guess someone was working on the phonelines somewhere because the line coming out of the phonebooth (remember those?) was shaking and It occured to me that the coins were going up through the phonelines.
I have some really bad ones too, but I better not share here out in the open.
I don't remember if I've left a comment here before but I found you through JustJenn.
That was too funny! As a kid I thought that a carpool was those limosines that have swimming pools.
Dogs wear those collars because they can't hear very well, right...?
my mommy thought (1) she got appendicitis when she was 4 because she bit her nails. she believed this till she was a teenager. also, (2) that her father rode a camel to school. granted he DID grow up in egypt, but still. she won't tell me how long she believed that one. these were things told to her by her parents and they just "forget" to correct the thought. i bet we can think of more.
There's a little girl in my wife's village that still won't come around if I'm there or if she she's my wife. The first time I went there her mom told her to be quiet or the farang (foreigner) would eat her. I made a goofy face and she thought it was real. She still thinks it's true and even gets scared if she thinks Sow's on the phone.
Despite all of this, she still wants to see the farang baby. I think she plans to eat it!?
My boyfriend thought rabbits made noises like a chicken, like, "bock, bock, bock, bock-OCK!", because of the old Cadbury egg commercial where they showed a bunny laying chocolate crème-filled eggs and clucking like a chicken.
We were on the phone and talking about rabbits for some reason and he started making that "bock" noise. When I realized what he was doing and that he was sincere about it, I thought I was going to give myself an aneurysm from trying to stifle my laughter (which wasn't a complete success).
Post a Comment