3 Cultural Facts That You Hate When People Get Wrong

Post by **BlueChair** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 4:16 pm

1. When people call Shakespeare's works "old English." Have any of them SEEN Old English? It's barely recognizable as being our language. Shakespeare isn't even Middle English. It's a lot closer to Modern English.

2. When people think Motown is a genre and start mentioning how much they love Motown, especially Aretha Franklin, Al Green, etc. Motown is a record label, folks, and while yes, they had a very distinct sound, it's much more specific than simply 1960s R&B.

3. When people think Guns 'n' Roses wrote "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Live And Let Die." What the hell, people?

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 4:59 pm

I think I just hate Guns'n'Roses full stop.

Frankenstein is the monster not the creator... that's an oft quoted error, but it doesn't annoy me. In fact, I think it's worse if someone points that out. I mean, who doesn't call that thing Frankenstein.

It always gets me down when kids think that 'whoever' did the original of a song...classic example is the GnR thing, but worse is when a boy band covers anything....

I find it frustrating when people don't/won't accept evolution, preferring to believe religous explanations (even though the catholic church, of all dinosaurs, have accepted it's validity). My best mate researched people's views on this last year, and I sat in on a few interviews...needless to say, the anti-evolutionists had closed minds to reason. Thinking faith and Darwinism are mutually exclusive annoys me then I suppose....but I don't want to offend anyone on here.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 5:39 pm

Crow, three of my four kids are in catholic school and they just finished a study about creation. I was noticing how much they were pushing that the Bible is not to be looked at as a scientific source for stories like how the world was formed, etc. as well as what you mentioned.

And, living in the southern US, I find it funny - and irritating - when people think that the King James version of the Bible is the original copy of the bible, and that was the way Jesus really spoke. It was only a translation - hence the word VERSION.

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 5:46 pm

You mean that God really isn't a big bloke with a white beard and a booming voice?

I come from a catholic background myself, so have experienced the propoganda first hand (like horrible videos of abortion we were made to watch, that noone let alone a kid should see). I'm pretty impressed by the way they're accepting more and more things now, especially at your kids school. I don't know if any of you guys in the US know, but there's been a big furore here because the Anglican church have appointed an openly gay bishop (no jokes please), and they are having a debate as to whether they will allow it...it looks like they are going to stand by their decision, which I find extremely open minded of them.

Maybe we are going in the right direction after all.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:05 pm

"Sometimes you confuse me with Santa Claus
It's the big white beard I suppose"

I say let the bishop be gay. I had this discussion recently with a friend of mine. We both agreed.

And my kids have never had to watch abortion videos. Of course, we're in a more laid back catholic order, so the one nun at the school only wears regular street clothes and the priest tells the kids at the school mass that he hopes one day the girls can grow up to be priests too.

Post by **BlueChair** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:06 pm

Speaking of Santa Claus, I think it says a lot that our image of Santa Claus (with the red outfit) was created by Coca-Cola.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:11 pm

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:21 pm

BlueChair said:

Speaking of Santa Claus, I think it says a lot that our image of Santa Claus (with the red outfit) was created by Coca-Cola.

You're right Blue...the original looks like this...

Holidays are coming! Holidays are coming!

(you can tell Im having fun with google image search tonight can't you

!)

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:22 pm

Damn, that oughta scare my kids into being good until Christmas!

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 6:31 pm

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be on his 'naughty list'...

Talk about getting way off thread

almost as bad a distraction as Thomas the tank engine!

tokyo vogue · Post by **tokyo vogue** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 8:23 pm

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

1. When people label bands like Saves the Day or Dashboard Confessional 'emo' or 'emocore.' It's an obscure complaint, yes, but it's so blatantly wrong that you just KNOW these people heard the word last week and made no effort whatsoever to learn anything about it. Bleh. Major rock crit magazines do it, too. It makes me want to cry sometimes.

2. When people say EC hasn't produced any excellent records/songs since Get Happy or Imperial Bedroom. And yes, it IS a cultural fact that he has.

3. When people think it's cool to wear white belts and stand dead still at rock shows. Eh, so that's more of an opinion.

On an unrelated note, I hate it when people use this emoticon: XD. It makes me want to slap them.

King_of_Spain · Post by **King_of_Spain** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 8:30 pm

1) When "guiris" (this is the way we call nerd tourists with sandals and socks here in Spain) think Spain is only sun, "fiesta", bullfighting and paella (the real paella has nothing to do, in fact, with what they eat at spanish restaurants). But I have no intention to spare a single second of my time explaining guiris what it is really about.

2) People who write at Forums trying to demonstrate the rest of the world they are the only ones who know the TRUTH about the one the Forum is about.

3) Ballads, in general.

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 7:57 am

I hate it when people don't check facts, like the one about Coke being responsible for Santa...

(it's not true!!!)

http://snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

DrJ

ReadyToHearTheWorst · Post by **ReadyToHearTheWorst** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 6:34 pm

There are images of Father Christmas on Victorian Christmas cards which show a Bachanalean figure, who dresses very like the modern Santa, but is shown drinking beer or wine (not Coke).

So, Dr J is correct - Coca Cola are not to blame![/i]

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 6:48 pm

So....you're saying Father Christmas isn't real?

You guys are living in a dream world!

Post by **BlueChair** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 6:51 pm

I'm more of a Hannukah Harry kind of guy anyway

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 6:53 pm

If Father Christmas isn't real, then who did the Kinks write this song about?

"Father Christmas, give us some money
We got no time for your silly toys
We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over
Give all the toys to the little rich boys"

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 6:55 pm

I always liked the idea of Baboushka!

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 2:18 pm

Hanukkah Harry never came to my house...he took one look at very proud, very Chrismassy non-Hanukkah Bush, the ham in the refrigerator (next to the bagels and lox) and he figured St. Nick could hack this one!

Here's my list:

1. Critics who use the term "comic book dialogue" to describe stitled or poorly written dialogue. If they actually ever read a comic book by Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Will Eisner and countless others, they'd know it was just as accurate (or more accurate) to deride comic book dialogue as "movie dialogue."

2. People who assume that genre material is inherently inferior to non-genre material. (Is "Twelve Angry Men" better than "Stagecoach"????)

3. People who assume that foreign language films are somehow inherently superior to American movies -- leading to countless rentals of bad Italian comedies and melodramas which the same renters would completely ignore if they were in English. (This is the only explanation I know of for the success of "Cinema Paradiso.") Hey, I don't mind people enjoy sappy movies, it's that people who do this also feel like they've gotten some real culture, when it's just a sappy movie with subtitles!

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 4:27 am

laughingcrow wrote:You mean that God really isn't a big bloke with a white beard and a booming voice?

God's really a woman who sits and watches Sex and the City etc etc. DO keep up LC

I really hate it when people say "Cheap at half the price" instead of "Cheap at twice the price". Of course it would be cheap at half the price. Jeez!

Also when people say "Can I lend you a fiver" instead of "Can I borrow a fiver". You can lend me what you like mate!
And lastly when people on this board imply that Santa Claus is not real.

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 8:13 am

Gods a woman? Oh...that explains why Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock are famous then.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 8:29 am

laughingcrow wrote:Gods a woman? Oh...that explains why Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock are famous then.

But it doesn't quite explain Carmen Electra, now, does it?

I used to be a copy editor for my college's paper. Our mascot was the Sagehen (yes, really), and the thing that used to drive me up a wall was when the sportswriters (who were overwhelmingly male), writing about the women's teams, would call them the "Lady Sagehens." Just thinking about it makes me wince.

I also hate it when I say "Elvis" and people who should know better (because they know me) think I'm talking about the dead one.

The third one has to do with spelling. I'll leave it at that.

I also don't like it when people use the words "orientate" and "comfortability."

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 8:30 am

Miss BA, I heard someone say "orientated" a few days ago. It was horrible!

Copenhagen Fan · Post by **Copenhagen Fan** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:18 am

Miss BA..what IS your sexual "orientation" by the way?

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:12 am

Coca Cola did not invent Santa Claus, nor did they come up with the idea for the red suit. The way Santa Claus is typically rendered predates the Coca Cola cans by a considerable time. What is true is that Coca Cola popularized the image with its cans. But it's an urban legend that they invented Santa. Take a look at http://www.snopes.com. CLick the "Cokeology" link and see for yourself.

About Motown. I think it's a bit more than just a distinct sound. The same group of musicians played on every one of those songs. While they get very little credit, this geoup of top notch musicians (called The Funk Brothers) are the ones you hear when listening to The Temptations, Smoky Robinson, The Supremes, early Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, and every other Motown artist from in inception as a label until 1971, when they moved their base of operations from Detroit to LA. So when people say they like the Motown sound and separate it from the rest of 60's R&B, that's as accurate as saying they like the Beatles sound and separate it from the rest of 60's British Invasion rock. It's really more of a genre than the Beatles sound, since the Funk Brothers recorded more number one hits than the Beatles, The Stones, The Beach Boys and Elvis Presley combined.

Respectfully, I submit that Motown deserves recognition as a genre. And if other 60's R&B is cut from the same cloth, it's only because Atlantic and other companies went to great lengths to copy thae Funk Brothers sound (even going so far as to hire the Funk Brothers themselves in violation of their Motown contracts). The whole story is quite brilliantly told in a documentary called In the Shadows of Motown, which I highly recommend.