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[–]IshotAbeLincoln 735 points736 points ago

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Same thing with authors. When I heard the concept of ghost writers I nearly lost it.

[–]sendenten 184 points185 points ago

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As a kid, I grew up reading the Babysitter's Club series. They promised a new book every month, and I always wondered how the fuck the author was able to write that much. Then my dad explained the concept of ghostwriting, and my world was shattered.

[–]mysticRight 320 points321 points ago

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I don't think this sort of deception should be legal.

[–]worzrgk 1400 points1401 points ago

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Stonehenge. I always assumed that Stonehenge had survived from prehistory in it's current configuration. It was actually restored in 1901.

Here is a photo from 1887.

And here are photos of the rebuilding in progress.

[–]gandi800 532 points533 points ago

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Now I'm sad :(

[–]IMakeBadMemes 774 points775 points ago

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Learning what Photoshop is capable of...

[–]TheCodexx 501 points502 points ago

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Then getting good at it and making something that fools yourself. Until you see someone who's a god with Photoshop and he makes yours look fake and crappy.

I'm at the stage where newbies think my stuff is magic. Which is cool, but looking at the people who can make stuff from scratch in Photoshop still makes me envious.

[–]new-socks 187 points188 points ago

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Show me a truly amazing picture compared to one of your best and I'll give you my honest opinion. I'm super curious about this.

[–]mrreggaeambassador 221 points222 points ago

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This is something I did in about an hour and a half for a storyboard at work, not my best or most creative work but I'm content. Would love feedback from anyone?

http://imgur.com/a/VXuiZ

Edit: Thanks to everyone for the input! This was just for a storyboard so it was going to print about 2 inches wide, which is the main reason I didn't get into the little details, but I appreciate all the constructive criticism. The other reason is that I'm an art director, not studio, so it's someone else's job to get it perfect... :)

[–]new-socks 246 points247 points ago

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I don't know anything about photoshopping but I think this is excellent work. I must say, however, your subjects hold their coffee cups like assholes. ;)

[–]unclebigbadd 470 points471 points ago

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Watching roadies fill empty whiskey bottles with tea for use onstage.

[–]NoOneOfConsequence 215 points216 points ago

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Relevant: fake wall of amps onstage.

[–]Sherlock--Holmes 921 points922 points ago

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Morning radio talk shows are FAKE. I was once listening to Paul & Ron in Miami for a week argue about which is better, BBQ or Sauce-pan food. Paul said BBQ could never be as good as his dishes, and Ron said he could make a BBQ that was equally good or better, so they waged a cook-off. It went on and on and on, and they asked the listeners for a place to have the cook-off. Naturally restaurants and people with big back yards called in and offered up their locales. Finally a culinary school called in and offered their place, they even had grandstands. So Paul & Ron accepted and they had a cook off. Turns out, BBQ won, and Paul was PISSED OFF and complaining that Ron had too much help from the culinary students. So this went on for about 3 weeks and they kept arguing about it. Fast forward a couple months, I was at a bar and sitting right next to me was Ron. I told him that I had called into the station after the cook off and tried to set Paul straight about how the cook-off was about whether BBQ could be as good as sauce-pan and not who was a better cook, Paul or Ron.

Ron looked at me and said, "that was all just an ad for the culinary school."

My jaw dropped and he walked away.

[–][deleted] 241 points242 points ago

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That's a hell of an elaborate ad! Sometimes it's mindblowing how much money influences everything. And just how much influence it has. Money makes the world go round.

[–]tiredofregistering 563 points564 points ago

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Subliminal Ron Paul.

[–]makubesu 143 points144 points ago

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You mean this whole post was just an ad for Ron Paul?

[–]blackmetallic 29 points30 points ago

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this is called a "live read" and it's a very important part of sponsorship in radio, especially morning radio. there are also sponsored events and contests, in which live reads are involved. they are meant to sound real, and the more really they sound, the better the personality.

[–]Bad_Fruit 1417 points1418 points ago

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I'm dating myself here, but as a little kid---probably age 4--- I used to watch "Combat" with my brothers. Every week, a bunch of guys got killed in some major WW2 battle. I would think it was weird that they would kill people just to make a show. Then one time, I cried really hard because my favorite guy got killed. That's when my brothers laughed at me and said that it was all fake. That shocked me more than thinking that they were really killing people.

[–]naturalflyweight 663 points664 points ago

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I'm dating myself here

Combat? You're carbon dating yourself.

[–]schlafshane 1461 points1462 points ago

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I'm shocked to find out you can date yourself. This changes everything.

[–]westsyed 1367 points1368 points ago

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I used to think that when you grow up you get an adult name. Like, that at a certain age all the Ashleys and Katies of the world became Suzans and Helens and such. I was super excited to get my adult name and kept thinking that I'd want to become ''Rick''.

Then I grew up.

[–]HopeImNotAStalker 1222 points1223 points ago

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Man, I'm really sorry about that, Braiden.

[–]tomatopotatotomato 850 points851 points ago

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This is what I imagine in nursing home in 70 years- a bunch of Braidens and Harpers and Paytons. Listening to old timey music like Jason Miraz.

[–]TronCorleone 82 points83 points ago

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One name that has always gotten me is Kyle. No grandpa can be named Kyle! That's a radical teenagers name!

"Okay kids now come on, time to go to Grandpa Kyle's house."

It doesn't work!!!

[–]ivankovich 57 points58 points ago

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I'm a Kyle and I feel the same way. There just aren't any adult Kyles.

[–]Brentagon 278 points279 points ago

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... that actually makes a lot of sense. I can't picture a young "Bob". Or an elderly retired woman living in a nursing home called "Katie"...

[–]sydaustralia 427 points428 points ago

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My older brother's name is Bob, and my parents would tell me that when they would introduce people to their baby Bob, people didn't believe that anyone would name a baby Bob. His teachers wouldn't believe him that he went by Bob, either. One year, I remember my parents getting a phone call from my brother's 3rd grade teacher telling my parents that she was frustrated because he wouldn't write "Robert" on his homework, and my dad just said "well that's because his name is Bob."

[–]SirTheBob 295 points296 points ago

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My name IS Bob. Once, walking home from a buddy's house, a car pulled up and stopped. I was apprehensive, not know quite what to do. The driver's side window rolled down, and a cute blonde chick yelled out "Hey! What's your name?"

I replied, "Bob."

She yelled "Well, I WAS going to give you a ride but if you won't even tell me your real name..." and sped off.

I was flabbergasted.

This disbelief in the name Bob is astoundingly common.

[–]CherrySlurpee 1081 points1082 points ago

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The Atlanta Olympic bombing.

The media tore that poor guy apart. The security guard, who was completely innocent, got put through the ringer on so much bullshit because the media thought he was guilty.

And I never saw an apology from anyone.

[–]USxMARINE 345 points346 points ago

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NBC stood by their story, but later agreed to a reported settlement of $500,000 in December 1997. They issued a statement saying they agreed on the settlement to protect confidential sources.

[–]captshady 223 points224 points ago

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They also let him do a cameo on SNL, where he punched Janet Reno (Will Farrell) in the stomach.

[–]CherrySlurpee 236 points237 points ago

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Thats actually pretty cool.

But the point is that they never made an effort to clear his name. I never once saw a special on how he was innocent. The guy got (well deserved) money, but never a proper "we fucked up, we're sorry"

[–]rockstaticx 110 points111 points ago

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I don't think NBC settling the case is anything to be impressed about. Generally, when defendants settle, it's because they were worried they would spend more (legal expenses + judgment) at a trial. Not because they were overwhelmed with regret.

[–]CherrySlurpee 62 points63 points ago

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no, I mean...that guy deserved some money. That the cool part.

[–]deckman 742 points743 points ago

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"Apology? Haha!! That's hilarious!"

-media

[–][deleted] 218 points219 points ago

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Whenever the media does apologize, it's always much too late and the damage was already done. And the apology is so brief it's easy to miss it.

Imagine infecting someone with AIDS and saying "Oh, sorry. That was wrong of me." And two weeks later you go infect someone else. That's the media for you.

[–]rockstaticx 933 points934 points ago

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I thought literally everyone found magical, true love when I was growing up. Eventually I realized that lots of people were just making a go at it as best they could, with some people finding true love, some people trying to convince themselves, and some people in downright awful situations. It just made me depressed.

[–]MyWifesBusty 412 points413 points ago

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I never believed that, I've been a cynic for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized how god damn sad most peoples lives are.

99% of the people I know seem to have just bumped into somebody and said "Well, you seem alright, I guess we should get married and, I dunno, get a mortgage and a kid or something."

That's no way to live.

[–]black27696 297 points298 points ago

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Hey we just met

And this is crazy

But I'm tired of trying to find something that just doesn't exist. Why don't we get married and stop trying to kid ourselves.

[–]wobwobwob42 227 points228 points ago

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When I started working in radio in the 90's I was CRUSHED to find out how scripted it is. I thought it was going to be like the TV show WKRP...I was SO wrong...

That they record every song request and save them so when there are no requests for songs they will play them at a later date to make it sound like they are getting lots of calls.

Songs are edited and sped up so they can play "10 songs in a row" in the time span of 8 songs to fit more ads in.

That you have to have something wrong with you to sound excited in a closet by yourself at 3am. The best DJ's are all very strange people... Any many other things...

[–]jihadaze 2105 points2106 points ago

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When I realized that most parents are in fact making it up as they go along, and don't really have much of an idea what they're doing.

[–]RandomHigh 1669 points1670 points ago

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Nobody knows what they're doing, not just parents. We're all winging it one way or another.

[–]Askeee 1110 points1111 points ago

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Life is just one big "Fuck it! We'll do it live!" moment.

[–]worzrgk 827 points828 points ago

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I'm using this fact like a sledgehammer on my poor 18 year old daughter. She planted her own garden this summer, keeps asking my advice. You know what? I don't actually know, and now that she is an adult, the research responsibility has passed to her shoulders.

I tell her I don't know squat, and welcome to adulthood. All I do before changing a faucet or stripping wallpaper is google it and watch a few youtube videos. When she was a baby, before the internet, I used the library a lot. Learned to cook from a book. Learned to use cloth diapers from a book. Learned about natural childbirth from a book.

I don't actually have any reserves of wisdom to draw on, I just look it up as I go, then fake confidence while stumbling through it. (But at least I look it up.)

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]624 962 points963 points ago

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That's the thing with tennis. You hear tons of stories about kids who start playing football/basketball at age 16-17 and become professional. In tennis, if you aren't having world-class training by age 8 you're already too far behind to ever go pro.

[–]lacewingfly 798 points799 points ago

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Same with ballet and gymnastics.

[–]lost2darkness 573 points574 points ago

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Gymnastics requires that at like age 4

[–]Lost_in_BC 535 points536 points ago

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Gymnastics: the sport where the Chinese cheat by using kids younger than the allowed age.

[–]Naberius 1697 points1698 points ago

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Actually it's worth noting that the very idea that singers should write their own songs is a relatively recent one. It pretty much was created during the 1960s by folk and pop "singer-songwriters" as part of a countercultural embrace of 'authenticity.'

Prior to that, at least during the American Songbook era in the first half of the century, there were great singers, but nobody ever expected them to write their own music, and probably would have been a little dubious if they'd tried. They were singers, and there was a world of material out there from which they chose songs and sang them.

The songs were written by great songwriters or songwriting duos, many of whom were famous in their own right. People like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Rogers and Hart, and Irving Berlin were celebrated for the songs they wrote, but nobody ever expected them to actually sing them or even to be able to. That's what great singers like Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney were for.

Basically, until the 60s generation changed their ideas of what music was for and the role it played in the culture, singing and songwriting were seen as separate skills and people weren't expected to do both.

[–]PlatonicTroglodyte 1078 points1079 points ago

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The difference was, back then songwriters at least got credit. Nowadays, it is only the singers who do, and if you find out they write their songs its like a special bonus.

[–]Anglach3l 97 points98 points ago

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Yeah, but songwriters make all the money. Seriously. All the royalties you make off of everything a song ever does gets split 50-50 between the writer, and the publisher. It's considered really bad form for a company to ask for any of the writer's share. No smart writer would ever give up any part of that. So straight up, if you write a song that gets performed by 4 different artists and remixed 8 different times, you will be getting royalties for all of the radioplay, albums printed, if any of those are ever used for TV or movies or played in a bar or restaurant or store, if the song is covered by other bands in public, etc... So. It's a solid gig if you can do it.

Good songwriters have all the credit they need behind the scenes. People in the industry know who is writing hits, and in the end that's going to matter a lot more than all the fans knowing.

[–]bi_xx_bibliophile 836 points837 points ago

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That most wildlife shows are set up and fake. I love watching nature documentaries and this ruined it for me for awhile.

Edit: Hey guys, don't be sad! Nature is so fucking awesome that no dubbed over sound effects or set up camera shots could ever ruin it.

[–]piwikiwi 810 points811 points ago

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Planet earth is mostly real

[–]g-dragon 1074 points1075 points ago

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yeah didn't the crew spend like a whole year trying to find that goddamn snow leopard and the camera men cried when they finally saw it?

[–]Stevehops 680 points681 points ago

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And they have this awesome telephoto camera with anti-shake tech, so they can get amazing shots from a moving helicopter so far away the animals can't hear it and get spooked. Great series. Looks great on an HD TV.

[–]johnnytightlips2 73 points74 points ago

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The use of sound effects, whilst blindly obvious, broke my heart a bit when I found out.

[–]Craigellachie 305 points306 points ago

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So wait... These guys were faking it...?

Wow, right in the childhood.

Edit: I'm talking Krat's Creatures not this zaboombafu stuff. The one where'd they go on safari and had all the cutaways to talk about specific animals.

[–]shokker 486 points487 points ago

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Shut up, Zoboomafoo could totally talk.

[–]cornholio12 285 points286 points ago

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Just don't bring up Disney throwing lemmings off a cliff.

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.asp

Claim: During the filming of the 1958 Disney nature documentary White Wilderness, the film crew induced lemmings into jumping off a cliff and into the sea in order to document their supposedly suicidal behavior.

Status: True

[–]JT_Francis 1715 points1716 points ago

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Not all of the village people were gay

[–]michaelmorr 1562 points1563 points ago

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THE FUCK

[–][deleted] 52 points53 points ago

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In fact Victor Willis (the cop) left the group in 1979 because of its popular affiliation with gay culture.

So to put it in other words; the gay cop from the village people left because the village people was too gay even for him...

[–]johnnytightlips2 840 points841 points ago

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Next thing you'll be telling me they weren't real Indians and policemen! Lies I tell you!

[–]the_juggla 579 points580 points ago

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That was a real construction worker though.

[–]johnnytightlips2 377 points378 points ago

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Well, that's a relief

[–]icypops 223 points224 points ago

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Wait, seriously?

[–]modest_mckenzie 335 points336 points ago

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That the Hibachi grill in town wasn't special and unique, but rather a type of restaurant, found in most areas of America.

[–]abdizzle 1254 points1255 points ago

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When I figured my parents and teachers didn't know everything in the world.

[–]my_clock_is_wrong 683 points684 points ago

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in addition to this, adults in general.

most people just fumble their way through the world.

[–]BillieMadison 235 points236 points ago

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As both a teacher and an adult, I can confirm this. At least I know that I don't know!

[–]stayfi 349 points350 points ago

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Nice try, Socrates!!

[–]WoollyManmoth 72 points73 points ago

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I didn't have the slightest clue until I became one of these fumbling people.

[–]Redsox933 1711 points1712 points ago

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When I learned the term plausible deniability. Which basically means that advisors and leaders in the government purposely do not give the president all the information possible so later on the president can deny he knew what was happening. What still scares the shit out of me, is who decides what the president should or should not know.

[–]welljustmy[S] 1184 points1185 points ago

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Mr. President, would you mind pressing this red button over there? Yeah that one. What's it for? Oh, you don't wanna know...

[–]Xendel 1895 points1896 points ago

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I was elected to lead, not to read!

[–]iBleeedorange 395 points396 points ago

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Don't need to take an IQ test to be president

[–]Genetic_Design86 374 points375 points ago

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Best presidential saying ever

[–]Hyper1on 482 points483 points ago

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There's a great moment about this in the old British comedy Yes Minister:

Minister: "Why didn't anyone tell me about this before!"

Advisor: "You didn't ask."

[–]groupthinking 59 points60 points ago

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Isn't that every episode? (Not criticizing--it's one of my favorite shows.)

[–]Konrad4th 1797 points1798 points ago

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No one cares that I was a Boy Scout, even when there are knots to be tied.

[–]Grlmm 997 points998 points ago

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Stop your whining and go help that old lady across the street.

[–]Cheehu 545 points546 points ago

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Go get your Eagle dammit

[–]Konrad4th 608 points609 points ago

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I did.

[–]pissuoff 493 points494 points ago

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People respect it. Put it on applications and put it on your resume. If you are being interviewed by someone who is also an eagle scout, or who grew up in boy scouts, or even around the boy scouts, then he/she will respect you for the dedication required for the accomplishment. At least, that's how it is in the south.

[–]AeonCatalyst 232 points233 points ago

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Exactly. That's why alumni associations and fraternities exist. No one outside those groups cares, but everyone INSIDE those groups will recognize it

[–]IshotAbeLincoln 147 points148 points ago

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Me too, fist bump

[–]Draptor 1036 points1037 points ago

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When I was 7 I finally learned that professional sports teams can recruit from outside their own city. Every sport lost a lot of charm after that. What was the point of rooting for any particular team when they could just get the best guys from around the world? That could be the reason I barely care about manly things like football, aside from watching the local game with friends by chance.

[–]awelldesignedavocado 29 points30 points ago

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You wouldn't believe it, but the Qatari national football team has Brazilians in it. The government issues them Qatari citizenships.

[–]LesterAmod 1377 points1378 points ago

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That most of the time people get jobs/friendships/ETC from who they know not what they know.

[–]VonSchplintah 1015 points1016 points ago

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Also, nobody gets fired for consistent poor work performance. People get fired for violating personnel policies, questioning authority, or not assimilating into the culture of the workplace.

[–]allthatsalsa 668 points669 points ago

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I have pretty poor work performance, and I can verify this.

[–]VonSchplintah 296 points297 points ago

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Ahh, hence the redditing.

[–]allthatsalsa 272 points273 points ago

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Now you're getting it.

[–]Zerba 137 points138 points ago

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This is so true. I've got into one, hopefully two places (I'll find out in the next few days), by who I knew getting me information about a position and putting in a good word for me. I have had other jobs that I got on my own, and moved up by my own hard work (and getting recruited by another company when they saw how good I was at what I was doing). It is much easier if you have someone on the inside though.

[–]Obieousmaximus 204 points205 points ago

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I ordered sea monkeys and they didn't look like the picture in the back of the magazine. I was expecting little smiling creatures that played together and sang happy songs. Instead I got cloudy water that smelled like sewage and fish sticks. Damn you sea monkey marketing department!

[–]I_Am_Reaper 314 points315 points ago

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When I learned teachers didn't live at school

[–]netsuo 1901 points1902 points ago

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As a kid, I thought that the more you work, the more you are paid. Turns out it's not completely true.

[–]dgreenheck 1406 points1407 points ago

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Work smarter, not harder.

[–]sweetgreggo 674 points675 points ago

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Get other people to do the work, skim off the top.

[–]anomalous 461 points462 points ago

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Rob banks.

[–]drweezyfbaby 354 points355 points ago

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When I realized that stand up comedians have routines. I always thought they were just really funny people who got up on stage and made up jokes.

[–]Tunnelofpain 77 points78 points ago

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There are improv comics who are genuinely good at joking and talking off the top of their head. They basically have a skeleton of a set and can work with the audience quite well.

[–]psshjess 130 points131 points ago

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My parents after every birthday I've had: "here honey, let us take your birthday money and put it in your account to save money for college."

[–]drtide4 611 points612 points ago

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DARE

[–][deleted] 794 points795 points ago

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A kid in my DARE class "dared" to write his final essay on why DARE is not good, and they wouldn't let him graduate from the program, even though they told us we could write whatever we wanted.

From then on, I never trusted authority.

[–]Jesus_Faction 484 points485 points ago

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"Didn't graduate DARE" talk about a black mark on the old permanent record.

[–]tmeowbs 202 points203 points ago

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Maybe it was just because of that one episode of Hey Arnold, but I grew up thinking a mark on your permanent record would DESTROY YOUR LIFE.

[–]imsometueventhisUN 65 points66 points ago

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As a British Redditor - I'm vaguely aware that DARE is some kind of anti-drugs program in schools, but I'd be interested to hear your opinions on a) what it actually is and b) how effective it is. To be honest, I was under the impression that it had been phased out years ago.

[–]b_tight 66 points67 points ago

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DARE is used as a scare tactic for kids. Rather than teach the truth that drugs are a cheap thrill and time suck, they teach that all drugs will cause you to become instantly addicted and ruin your life forever.

The cool thing about it was a field trip to see an air show at the end of the DARE program. Unfortunately, the air show was cancelled after a pilot crashed his plane and died in front of thousands of elementary school kids..

Edit: Article about crash

[–]HotLunch 130 points131 points ago

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It started in the 80's under Reagan. It was a program that basically tried to scare kids out of using drugs. They told us stories of the most extreme cases of drug use and made them sound like the norm - i.e. if you take a hit of pot you will end up flunking out of school.

As I got into jr high I found out some of the kids I knew smoked pot or did LSD. I waited and watched for them to completely fall apart. When they never did, and on the contrary, were completely fine. I realized that we had all been lied to in an effort to behave like they wanted us to. I never trusted teachers or the government after that.

[–]blahkbox 329 points330 points ago

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That was the worst part about the Reagan administration. When you tell kids weed or other recreational drugs are harmful and dangerous, like the harder drugs, it basically scares them from informing themselves. Then, a few years later they decide to try weed and find that it is harmless they're gonna wonder if they were lied to about Heroin, Meth, etc. as well. Weed wasn't a gateway drug until Nancy Reagan installed the fucking gate.

[–]thorneedsahaircut 95 points96 points ago

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That last sentence needs to be on shirts.

[–]thephotoman 60 points61 points ago

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I'm learning that my DARE experiences were rather unique: yes, the drug propaganda was there, but it got compressed and usually turned into "I am a cop. Ask me anything."

[–]OldBillBatter 339 points340 points ago

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Right? Remember when they told you how scary it would be if someone offered you drugs? Shit, it's practically a compliment.

[–]new-socks 358 points359 points ago

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And what if those drugs are laced with marijuana and you have an overdose?! Welllll?

[–]thecw 24 points25 points ago

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Or what if that marijuana you take at a concert is laced with heroin and you instantly become addicted and selling your possessions on the street within a few hours

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]1have2much3time 731 points732 points ago

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I worked at Applebee's and Chilis. Chilis wasn't all that bad honestly, but at Applebee's the microwave was used more than the flattop.

I couldn't take it there more than a few weeks and haven't been back since. I still frequent Chilis.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]ChrisAshtear 436 points437 points ago

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yea, applebees is just AWFUL.

[–]shawnbunch 381 points382 points ago

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I went to TGIFridays a while back and remember ordering something that had one ingredient that I wasn't a fan of (probably olives or mushrooms) and requested they take it out, and she mentioned that it was in a bag and it would be difficult to take out each piece one by one...

[–]AUkSIG 334 points335 points ago

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As someone who cooked at Chilis that is only half true. We breaded our own chicken fingers and wings came raw just like any other place. Dressings were made from powder, mayonnaise and water. Soups did come condensed in a bag. Burgers were not preseasoned but they were pattied out. Cooking at Chilies is as difficult as cooking at home, except instead of 4 people it's closer to 400.

Edit: all the steaks and chicken are raw just like they are at the grocery store, and all seasoned upon order. The cedar plank talapia is cooked on a cedar plank over the grill

[–]mynameispeter 124 points125 points ago

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(As silly as it sounds it really blew my mind). That "role-models" were regular schmucks behind the scenes. Teachers and politicians etc. swore, drank, did drugs and such. So began my life as a cynic.

[–]meatgazer 636 points637 points ago

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Pickles were once cucumbers.

[–]kenfused11 668 points669 points ago

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That most actors don't do their own stunts...

[–]Cheehu 1048 points1049 points ago

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Enter: Jackie Chan.

[–]notamustache 1161 points1162 points ago

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Enter through the window: Jackie Chan.

[–]downneck 419 points420 points ago

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Enter through the rungs of a ladder and kick a blowdryer into the face of a bad guy: Jackie Chan.

[–]Insert-Cat-Here 213 points214 points ago

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[–]under_the_raedar 219 points220 points ago

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This is going to be so lame but...

I thought Star Trek The Next Generation was a documentary until we watched an episode of Reading Rainbow in second grade on the 'behind the scenes look' at the show. I was mortified. I had wanted to grow up to serve on the U.S.S. Enterprise. My dreams were shattered that day. Never forget.

Damn you, LeVar Burton.

[–]patch35 262 points263 points ago

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When I recently found out that House Hunters is fake.

EDIT: More info here http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/06/14/house_hunters_is_fake_here_s_why_it_matters.html

[–]crownstreet 93 points94 points ago

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Oh god, I just heard about this... so distressing.

I mean, of course I knew deep down that it was staged, but I didn't realize just how fake it was. I figured they find a photogenic couple in Toronto, set them up with an HGTV-approved realtor, and then go by some HGTV-approved houses, that the couple is actually choosing between. And of course their reactions would be a little bit staged for the purposes of filming, but to actually go back and do all of the filming after they've made their purchase!? That's low, HGTV.

Next thing you're going to tell me is that Mike Holmes ain't Canadian.

[–]Hanzimaundrell 649 points650 points ago

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The Daleks have human operators on tricycles. I thought they were kick ass, giant remote controlled toys...

Edit: I'm so sorry, i had no idea this would be so controversial..

[–][deleted] 113 points114 points ago

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They... They what? Tricycles? Say it ain't so!

[–]tristramcandy 208 points209 points ago

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WHAT?!

[–]HackRT 134 points135 points ago

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so, the scenes with tons of daleks are really just weirdos on baby bikes? 0_0

[–]sisforsue 235 points236 points ago

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I watched a "behind the scenes" thing of a movie when i was about 12... i was just in shock, i counldn't believe these people were not jumping off buildings and using real guns and that massive scar is make up!

[–]MartiPanda 226 points227 points ago

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Planned Obsolescence - A policy of planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, that is, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time.

-Wiki Linky-

[–]MrJeef 963 points964 points ago

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As a kid, those WWF wrestlers

As an adult, attainable happiness

[–]scruffy01 725 points726 points ago

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I remember the whole WWF thing for me.

I was super excited about some pay per view thing that I was about to watch.

My Uncle casually walks by and goes "You know this stuff is fake right?"

I go "What?"

He says "Yes all of the winners are determined before hand and all of the scenes are scripted".

I just say "yeah, haha, I know that".

After the show I went back to my room and cried for hours.

[–]rockstaticx 445 points446 points ago

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I always love people who are condescending about pro wrestling being fake. My response is "you know Mad Men is fake too, right?" I like scripted shows; sorry.

(P.S. I also like Mad Men.)

[–]zombifyre 23 points24 points ago

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I like to think of wrestling as an interpretative dance. The wrestlers are actually trying To tell you a story. Albeit a sweaty stretchy pant story

[–]Realistic42 86 points87 points ago

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I couldn't for the life of me figure out why WCW and WWF highlights weren't on Sportscenter when I was a kid. Then Dad metaphorically bitchslapped me with the stone cold truth.

[–]merwaan123 76 points77 points ago

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Stone cold truth

I see what you did there

[–]HeyGirlsItsPete 587 points588 points ago

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Every time I go into a topic like this where they talk about the biggest lie or let down the top voted comment is either how college was a massive scam for them or how they'll never be happy.

Do you all seriously believe you aren't able to obtain happiness? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person here not suffering from crippling depression. My life is pretty good and even if I don't have a million friends or whatever doesn't mean I will never be happy. Happiness comes from being at peace with who you are, where you are, and where you want to be.

I don't know, it just seems kind of odd and makes me feel weird posting on Reddit sometimes. I try not to wallow in sadness anymore because that doesn't change anything.

As an aside, I don't see how college is a scam either since most higher paying jobs won't even look at you without some kind of degree on your resume. But that's neither here nor there.

[–]IWannaBeAlone 972 points973 points ago

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I think it's because for a lot of kids, especially the kind of nerdy kids here, they actually listen when grownups tell them school is important and they have to take it seriously and it influences everything, so they pass on a lot of the social experiences and fun things that make life worht living, expecting that in the end, it'll all be worth it. They take school seriously, but take it TOO seriously, to the point that they strut around like their GPA matters. They do what everyone tells them and, diploma in hand, expect to receive the keys to The Good Life that is their just reward for doing what everyone told them.

Only they get out of school and discover nobody really cares what their GPA is and getting a job is more about who you know than what you know and because they focused on school instead of friends, they lack in social skills and friends, especially because once you're outside of school, there's no forced interaction where you can easily make friends because you're around each other all day.

And so they try something but because they've been able to breeze through school up to that point, they are totally unequipped to deal with failing. So they go "Well obviously everything I believed is a lie and I won't succeed or be happy ever because the world is a cruel and uncaring place" and retreat into video games and movies and the stuff they liked when they were a kid because that kind of cotton candy culture is the last thing they can remember that made them happy.

[–]raisedbyrobots 203 points204 points ago

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You really hit the nail on this one. Wow.

[–]nebboh 180 points181 points ago

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The fact that grown-ups don't get recess during school.

[–]jakrojan 215 points216 points ago

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That when I grow up, everything will be better, no school, no homework, lots of friends and money.

That wasn't the case.

[–]schrute_buck 489 points490 points ago

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I saw an article a few years back about a religious group in Florida trying to run "BangBus" out of their town.

The article mentioned that they were a professional company, using professional "talent" who had been screened/tested, and got permits to film and did so in out of the way places with window tint that protected them from public view. So there was nothing the law could do.

I was 24 at the time, and on some level I already knew all of this, but finally seeing it spelled out in undeniable truth, devastated me.

[–]gambledandlost 217 points218 points ago

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CollegeHumor did a video about this. here

[–]derphoenix 177 points178 points ago

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As a kid: people actually do not get killed in movies. I never understood why anbody would want to do it/ why being a movie star was so popular.

[–]jimmi24 214 points215 points ago

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That Bart Simpson's voice is done by a woman

[–]Head_to_toe_legit 200 points201 points ago

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That sex stories you read in magazines didn't actually happen...

[–]Macdatho 73 points74 points ago

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What do you mean?

[–]Head_to_toe_legit 142 points143 points ago

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Umm.. Nothing! I was totally lying, that guy totally did it with his cute, 18-yr-old neighbour who caught him playing with himself.. It happened to a friend of a friend of mine...

[–]Macdatho 121 points122 points ago

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Just as well. I was about to call you a liar.

[–][deleted] 169 points170 points ago

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Only child of a single mom here...

I only saw my dad once or twice as a kid, he was in a band, and one time I saw him, he played at a bar.

For two or three years, whenever I heard the song I remember him playing (Eagles- heartache tonight. He was prolly trying to get in mom's pants in hindsight), I thought that it was my dad's song, that he was a famous musician. One day, the song came on, my mom was there, I said "it's my dad's song". She said that it wasn't his song, he just played it. Mind-blown.

[–]Writteninsanity 813 points814 points ago

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I found out that people occasionally lie on AskReddit. What the hell people?!

[–]Mr_A 445 points446 points ago

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That's not true.

[–]poopsmgee 734 points735 points ago

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^ Exhibit A.

[–]AdamBombTV 132 points133 points ago

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Thats "Mr. A" to you.

[–]oniony 85 points86 points ago

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For me it was when I found out that the large dinosaurs skeletons in London's Natural History Museum are made of plaster of paris. I still think most people think that complete dinosaurs in museums around the world are actually made of fossilized dinosaur bones

[–]nickiter 192 points193 points ago

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The US debt is larger than all the positive money (i.e. cash reserves) in the world. That little factoid completely broke my ability to view money as a real thing... It's no more than what people decide it is.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]dirtygremlin 64 points65 points ago

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you should check out Bigger, Stronger, Faster*. It's a documentary about steroid use, and it made me more forgiving in general of sport use. Not to say that it's alright, but at least forgivable.

[–]katieeeeee 43 points44 points ago

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When I realized you didn't have to like everyone you're related too.

[–]Sterculius 357 points358 points ago

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nearly every celebrity looks worse IRL

[–]menomenaa 62 points63 points ago

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And they rely so, so, so much on make-up but it's applied by very, very, very talented make-up artists that don't make it look like they're are literally COVERED in the stuff. Girls that wear a lot of make-up in person often get called out for being shallow or too insecure to go natural, but literally every woman who has been in a magazine, sat for a talk show or been in a movie basically went swimming in a pool of foundation, mascara and eyeshadow beforehand.

[–]Norrbotten 996 points997 points ago

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Those girls living in my town that wanted to have sex with me didn't actually live here. :(

[–]Zerba 550 points551 points ago

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Nor did they actually want to have sex with you...

[–]sp468732 368 points369 points ago

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Experts. Most so-called experts are normal people who made a career out of studying what interests them. Sure, they may know more than the average person about their topic, but they often don't fully know what they are talking about, and they are by no means infallible. This is especially true for any expert that is called in to give their opinion on television.

[–]IEatPierogiesForever 221 points222 points ago

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I flippin wish more people came to this realization. It's embarrassing to see people hang on the words of a man who happens to have the word "expert" in a subtitle under his image on television. Granted, there ARE experts in fields, but how often do we find that the experts who are on television/news the most are Lockharts rather than Dumbledores?

[–]elerner 82 points83 points ago

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most are Lockharts rather than Dumbledores?

This is an amazingly beautiful analogy. Unless you work in academia, you probably don't even know how perfectly you nailed this. If you are a successful academic, there are disincentives to speaking to the public in this way, so you can end up in a situation where journalists turn to experts who are most willing to speak, rather than who are the best at what they do.

[–]ljgibbs 263 points264 points ago

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When I realized that 99% of politicians are douches.

[–]i_right_good 557 points558 points ago

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"99%"
We have an optimist over here!

[–]theofficialposter 31 points32 points ago

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Everyone masturbates. I couldn't believe everyone wasn't honest about it until later on. Pissed me the hell off.

[–]Dizzydubby 373 points374 points ago

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The princesses I met in Disney World were NOT real princesses. And Ninja Turtles are not a real thing.

[–]angleshank 251 points252 points ago

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Nope, they're actually aliens.

[–]Furen 333 points334 points ago

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A curse upon the house of Bay!

[–][deleted] 331 points332 points ago

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That everyone is a child. And redditors are not really as smart as they make them out to be.

[–]RandomHigh 403 points404 points ago

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You're only as smart as your ability to google the problem.

[–]FreeWirry 194 points195 points ago

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That most celebrities use "stage names" instead of their actual names.

[–][deleted] 335 points336 points ago

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nope he was born Jay - Z

[–]Cubeface 217 points218 points ago

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When I learned that a bunch of adults are worse at spelling than I am. Discovered mostly from Reddit and Facebook.

[–]pandabear_pants 114 points115 points ago

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That if I talked in the car while my dad was driving we wouldn't crash and die. I have to admit it worked well keeping me quiet as a kid.

[–]captshady 288 points289 points ago

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Politics. People seem to pick a party, and then justify, justify, justify. I realized a pattern a few years back, where the arguments stay the same, just the party making the excuse, flip flops back and forth.

President of your party doesn't do something: Congress' fault. President of your party does something f'd up: Assistant's fault. President, Congressman, Senator of your party breaks the law: Justify it.

I realized that few people actually care about issues, they care about their party being, and staying in office. Like cheering on a favorite sports team.

[–]Aethne 66 points67 points ago

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At some point in my life I was a Democrat. Later on I considered myself more of a Republican. Then I realized that both parties annoy the shit out of me. Same tired excuses from both sides of the aisle.

[–]douglasmacarthur 28 points29 points ago

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It's way more hilarious when it's political science and legal issues.

My party has fewer senators? Fillibuster = necesaary part of republican government. Other party has fewer? Fillibuster = affront to democracy.

Legislation I like overturned? Courts are undemocratic. Legislation I dislike overturned? Thank god the rule of law protected us from the unwashed masses.

The truly bizarre thing is that they each accuse the other side of contradicting themselves on that issue while failing to see they've contradicted themselves in the perfectly inverse way. They're hypocritical in their accusations of hypocrisy. They're recursively hypocritical. One day their hypocrisy is going to become so complex and layered it becomes sentient and becomes the new dominant life form on Earth.

[–]THE_PUN_STOPS_NOW 288 points289 points ago

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My girlfriend went to fashion school for Fashion Merchandising in L.A. As part of her schoolwork, she worked a lot of fashion shows backstage helping the models in and out of the dresses.

She tells me that in order to avoid staining the clothes in any sort of way the models are definitely NOT allowed to wear deodorant. Long story short; those models you see in the TV shows, those gorgeous women that are our society's peak of human beauty and ideal physical fitness and form. Yeah, they all fucking reek. They smell like burnt dog ass hair and sewage. No joke.

[–]nobody2000 190 points191 points ago

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This just makes the world seem a little bit more alright.

[–]Iamfriendswithasloth 205 points206 points ago

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That chocolate milk doesn't come from brown cows:(

[–]Michealxfoo 53 points54 points ago

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Baby carrots.. If you don't know, i'm sorry they're really just real carrots cut up into smaller little bites

[–]blinkerfluid13 271 points272 points ago

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You really can't be anything you want to be. There's is no princess in my future.

Edit: There is no being a princess in my future. I worded this poorly.

[–]Mr_A 492 points493 points ago

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Keep dreaming, son. You can be a princess if you want to be.

[–]Genetic_Design86 70 points71 points ago

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I used to believe that it was butter. Only later to find out that it was in fact, not butter.

[–]rooooony 48 points49 points ago

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Pawn Stars is mostly fake. Saddest day of my life. Heres a link with some examples... http://centraltendencies.com/2011/03/pawn-stars-is-fake/

[–]ZeeroAkari 23 points24 points ago

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Found out 4 years ago that Shamu at sea world has been replaced at least 4 times. I was 21 and in so much disbelief.