Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[Twik]

The trouble with expecting online readers to recognize tongue-in-cheek postings is that no matter how over the top they are, there's someone, somewhere, who would say the same thing for real.

I once ran into a clerk in a bookstore who suggested looking for an autobiography under "Fiction". I thought she was being funny. Then I realized she wasn't, as she dragged me through the fiction section for half an hour trying to find it.

[lowspark]

The trouble with expecting online readers to recognize tongue-in-cheek postings is that no matter how over the top they are, there's someone, somewhere, who would say the same thing for real.

I once ran into a clerk in a bookstore who suggested looking for an autobiography under "Fiction". I thought she was being funny. Then I realized she wasn't, as she dragged me through the fiction section for half an hour trying to find it.

I have no idea if the following is true or just a joke but someone told me that a public library in Australia moved all the books about a certain bicycle rider who quite recently admitted to doping from the non-fiction section to fiction.

[Thipu1]

I heard this too and I think it could be true.  After all, 'The Amityville Horror' was moved from non-fiction to fiction. 

[BabyMama]

My friend was telling me this one. She and her husband had seen The Hobbit on a date night. I'd seen it twice already so we started talking about it.

She said her brother had seen it too. He told her all about it in a rant about how they had just "ripped off LOTR" and how it was the "exact same story" and "how could they get away with blatant copyright." Apparently the fact that some of the same actors were in it and all the hinting toward the events of LOTR wasn't enough to clue him. She gently explained to him that the books had the same author and that The Hobbit was something of a prequel to LOTR. "Ohhhhh...." 

[Hillia]

The trouble with expecting online readers to recognize tongue-in-cheek postings is that no matter how over the top they are, there's someone, somewhere, who would say the same thing for real.

True, there probably is someone, somewhere who believes all this stuff (hint: it's my MIL and she forwards EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM to me).  That doesn't mean the rest of the world has to censor their jokes to the lowest common denominator of understanding.

Now, if it was something potentially harmful...like 'Don't bother seeing a doctor for persistent chest pains...just eat onions!' then yes, that wouldn't be good.  But silly jokes like vestigial wings on buffalo I think are fine.

Now I have to tell one on myself: years ago, the Energizer battery company ran a series of commercials.  Each one started out looking like a regular commercial, although if you paid attention you could see it was a parody.  Midway through, the bunny (the Energizer mascot at the time) would come on thumping his drum and the 'real' battery commercial started.

I  was completely taken in by a parody commercial for a foreign film called 'Dance With Your Feet', to the point that I mentioned to my husband that I'd have to watch for it in the theater.  Then came the bunny...

[Twik]

My friend was telling me this one. She and her husband had seen The Hobbit on a date night. I'd seen it twice already so we started talking about it.

She said her brother had seen it too. He told her all about it in a rant about how they had just "ripped off LOTR" and how it was the "exact same story" and "how could they get away with blatant copyright." Apparently the fact that some of the same actors were in it and all the hinting toward the events of LOTR wasn't enough to clue him. She gently explained to him that the books had the same author and that The Hobbit was something of a prequel to LOTR. "Ohhhhh...." 

I remember coming out of Fellowship of the Ring and hearing a girl behind me ranting about the "lousy ending". When her companion explained it was a trilogy, she snorted, "So, they're trying to rip off Star Wars, are they?"

[TootsNYC]

So if I came in and said Head Cheese is made from human Heads. It's something the Mohawks used to make and sell to the settlers. But nowadays it's made from pig meat. That would be ok because this is a humorous thread? 

Not everyone who read the above would take the time to find out the truth.  Throwing in a name like "Well, and I heard that John Smith really liked the taste." wouldn't show it was a joke.

Sorry if I sound cranky but the sheer amount of misinformation and urban legends that get passed around as the truth gets irritating after a while.

And it gets really irritating when people don't apply their basic common sense. C'mon--vestigial WINGS on buffalos? They're a mammal.

The only flying mammal is a bat, and his "wings" are really his arms.

[Amava]

So if I came in and said Head Cheese is made from human Heads. It's something the Mohawks used to make and sell to the settlers. But nowadays it's made from pig meat. That would be ok because this is a humorous thread? 

Not everyone who read the above would take the time to find out the truth.  Throwing in a name like "Well, and I heard that John Smith really liked the taste." wouldn't show it was a joke.

Sorry if I sound cranky but the sheer amount of misinformation and urban legends that get passed around as the truth gets irritating after a while.

And it gets really irritating when people don't apply their basic common sense. C'mon--vestigial WINGS on buffalos? They're a mammal.

The only flying mammal is a bat, and his "wings" are really his arms.

Winged unicorns are mammals, though.

[BabyMama]

My friend was telling me this one. She and her husband had seen The Hobbit on a date night. I'd seen it twice already so we started talking about it.

She said her brother had seen it too. He told her all about it in a rant about how they had just "ripped off LOTR" and how it was the "exact same story" and "how could they get away with blatant copyright." Apparently the fact that some of the same actors were in it and all the hinting toward the events of LOTR wasn't enough to clue him. She gently explained to him that the books had the same author and that The Hobbit was something of a prequel to LOTR. "Ohhhhh...." 

I remember coming out of Fellowship of the Ring and hearing a girl behind me ranting about the "lousy ending". When her companion explained it was a trilogy, she snorted, "So, they're trying to rip off Star Wars, are they?"

I heard someone rant after Return of the King that they just "copied the spider from Harry Potter. LAME!"

[snowflake]

My friend was telling me this one. She and her husband had seen The Hobbit on a date night. I'd seen it twice already so we started talking about it.

She said her brother had seen it too. He told her all about it in a rant about how they had just "ripped off LOTR" and how it was the "exact same story" and "how could they get away with blatant copyright." Apparently the fact that some of the same actors were in it and all the hinting toward the events of LOTR wasn't enough to clue him. She gently explained to him that the books had the same author and that The Hobbit was something of a prequel to LOTR. "Ohhhhh...." 

I remember coming out of Fellowship of the Ring and hearing a girl behind me ranting about the "lousy ending". When her companion explained it was a trilogy, she snorted, "So, they're trying to rip off Star Wars, are they?"

I heard someone rant after Return of the King that they just "copied the spider from Harry Potter. LAME!"

After I watched "The Hobbit" I really wasn't sure where they ripped it off from.  Certainly not the book...   

[Virg]

TootsNYC wrote:

"C'mon--vestigial WINGS on buffalos? They're a mammal."

Paul McCartney is a mammal.  QED.  HA!

Virg

[Piratelvr1121]

My friend was telling me this one. She and her husband had seen The Hobbit on a date night. I'd seen it twice already so we started talking about it.

She said her brother had seen it too. He told her all about it in a rant about how they had just "ripped off LOTR" and how it was the "exact same story" and "how could they get away with blatant copyright." Apparently the fact that some of the same actors were in it and all the hinting toward the events of LOTR wasn't enough to clue him. She gently explained to him that the books had the same author and that The Hobbit was something of a prequel to LOTR. "Ohhhhh...." 

That reminds me of one. A college buddy told me this one. He was in a music store where they were playing on a tv screen Jimmy Page and another guy playing Stairway to Heaven.  A kid near him says "Man they're ripping off Led Zepplin!" college buddy said "Dude, Jimmy Page was part of Led Zepplin."

And oh, I learned by watching the Nostalgia Chick's review of the LOTR movies that there was a stink at the time Two Towers came out because people thought it was insensitive to the tragedy that occurred at the twin towers. 

Nevermind that the title of the book published back in the 50's was then Two Towers.

[zyrs]

My friend was telling me this one. She and her husband had seen The Hobbit on a date night. I'd seen it twice already so we started talking about it.

She said her brother had seen it too. He told her all about it in a rant about how they had just "ripped off LOTR" and how it was the "exact same story" and "how could they get away with blatant copyright." Apparently the fact that some of the same actors were in it and all the hinting toward the events of LOTR wasn't enough to clue him. She gently explained to him that the books had the same author and that The Hobbit was something of a prequel to LOTR. "Ohhhhh...." 

That reminds me of one. A college buddy told me this one. He was in a music store where they were playing on a tv screen Jimmy Page and another guy playing Stairway to Heaven.  A kid near him says "Man they're ripping off Led Zepplin!" college buddy said "Dude, Jimmy Page was part of Led Zepplin."

And oh, I learned by watching the Nostalgia Chick's review of the LOTR movies that there was a stink at the time Two Towers came out because people thought it was insensitive to the tragedy that occurred at the twin towers. 

Nevermind that the title of the book published back in the 50's was then Two Towers.

Or the (possibly untrue) story of two teenage girls at a record store.  One holds up a Beatles album and exclaims to the other; " Look, Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings!"

[P12663]

Speaking of untrue 'facts'...I was playing a puzzle game where, after you solved the puzzles in a category you got a Fun Fact pertaining to that category.  The Fun Fact for politics:  The word 'Politics' comes from the Latin Poli meaning many and Tics meaning blood-sucking creatures.

Besides, Poli is Greek.  Made me decide that 'Fun Fact' equals 'Made Up'.

(I tried doing Poli with an 'y' but the filter wouldn't let me.)

[Yvaine]

Speaking of untrue 'facts'...I was playing a puzzle game where, after you solved the puzzles in a category you got a Fun Fact pertaining to that category.  The Fun Fact for politics:  The word 'Politics' comes from the Latin Poli meaning many and Tics meaning blood-sucking creatures.

Facepalm! That's an old joke and I've told it many times, but it's not an actual historical fact!