A Little Bit of Knowledge

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.