# Aren't you shocked by what some people DON'T know? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2000, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431 "2000-11-30T20:34:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/481 "2003-01-20T23:32:33Z")
ls, I’ve had virtually the same conversation about Salem (I grew up in Beverly.) Also, a lot of visitors to the area seem to think that the witch trials were “cool.” ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/482 "2003-01-20T23:36:39Z")
I remember in ninth grade, we were going over _The Odyssey_ in our English class. The teacher asked what the moral of the Cyclops part of it was, and a friend suggested, in all seriousness, that it was to teach Greek kids to stay away from Cyclopes. He actually thought Cyclopes existed back then. ---
**Author:** ![Beatlez674](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@Beatlez674](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beatlez674)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/483 "2003-01-21T00:37:32Z")
Dear AETBOND417 -Forte is pronounced “fort” (Yes, it can be “for-tay” also, but that just shows the power of the masses of idiots to popularize and legitimize a mispronunciation.) Um, hello? Forte is not in any way shape or form pronounced “fort!” Duhhh!!! I’m surprised a mass of angry musicians hasn’t come to your doorstep yet…:mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/484 "2003-01-21T01:24:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoggie \* > \*\*Sunshine- good one! 🙂 > > My mom didn’t know “duck duck goose.” (no not the SD member, but the game.) > > \*\* Well I never heard of “duck duck goose, either”. Since encountering our own **DDG** I have once or twice seen “duck duck goose” referred to in print, but I still have no idea what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/485 "2003-01-21T01:59:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dinahmoe \* > \*\*ls, I’ve had virtually the same conversation about Salem (I grew up in Beverly.) Also, a lot of visitors to the area seem to think that the witch trials were “cool.” \*\* Hey, BHS class of '99 here. ---
**Author:** ![Tsubaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/486 "2003-01-21T03:09:36Z")
Before coming to Japan when I was 17, I thought women would still be wearing kimonos regularly, and there would still be some samurai. I was very disappointed to see a McDonalds a mere 100m away from my host family’s house. and when I was 20, I knew a guy the same age (who was born and grew up in Australia) who knew nothing about menstruation, despite having a sister only two years younger than him. And thought that people could only have sex in the missionary position. For an Aussie male, I find that shocking. ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/487 "2003-01-21T03:29:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beatlez674 \* > \*\*Um, hello? Forte is not in any way shape or form pronounced “fort!” Duhhh!!! I’m surprised a mass of angry musicians hasn’t come to your doorstep yet…:mad: :mad: \*\* “Fort” in French, “fortay” in Italian. Well, about. Read the [usage notes](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=forte) and calm down. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/488 "2003-01-21T06:12:33Z")
In discussion the other night, I had a student who did not know that it was legal to own guns in the US. She thought that all guns were illegal, no matter what. How do you get into college without having studied the Bill of Rights? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/489 "2003-01-21T10:50:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Leaper \* > \*\*Something from long ago… > > Wait… She actually said that her BOYFRIEND was a member of a SORORITY? Have I been wooshed, or was that part of her, uh, charm? \*\* That particular girl was quite lovely, very affectionate, and dumber than a box of clams. Her boyfriend enjoyed telling her outrageous things which she believed without reservation—if her boyfriend said it was true, then it was true and that was that. She did indeed claim that he had been a member of a sorority while in college. I expect that he told her that, knowing she would spread it around to the amusement of her more enlightened friends. I’ve never been entirely sure of his motives. ---
**Author:** ![The\_MacDairmuid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_MacDairmuid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_MacDairmuid)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/490 "2003-01-21T20:36:25Z")
People I encounter at gas-stations, in parking lots, etc. frequently ask me what kind of car I’m driving. Their reactions vary when I tell them that it’s an Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce. Some will say, without missing a beat, “Oh yeah, I had one of those in high school. Same model, too.” (Did you forget what it looked like?) Others ask, “Alfa Romeo. Isn’t that made by \_\_\_\_\_ (insert other car manufacturer)?” The worst one was, “Ah, Alfa Romeo. Isn’t that a European Ferrari?” A friend had a coworker who would argue vehemently that Arizona is a West Coast state. My friend even brought in a map and asked her to point out Arizona’s coastline. She couldn’t, but still insisted it’s a West Coast state. Another friend’s wife, talking about a woman she thought had given an infant a bottle that was too hot, “… but she’s Vietnamese, she has no idea what she was doing.” (I gather she thinks the Vietnamese either don’t have children, or just don’t know how to care for them. Funny, I thought they’d been around for a long time.) ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/491 "2003-01-22T09:01:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by javaman \* > Well I never heard of “duck duck goose, either”. This reminds me of an episode of _Millionaire_ where I think the $200 question was “In the popular children’s game, what comes after ‘Duck Duck’? Is it… Duck, Goose, Chicken, or Monkey?” “Hmmm…” Says the contestant, “I can’t remember if it’s ‘Duck Duck Goose’ or ‘Duck Duck _Duck_ Goose’. I’d like to poll the audience.” The results were about 96% Goose, 3% Duck, 1% Monkey. I don’t know why they ask about nursery rhymes for the easy questions instead of common knowledge; I can understand someone not knowing this, but this guy knew what it was and still needed help. He acted all serious about it too, as if he was saying, “Now I can’t remember if it’s the strong nuclear force that violates quantum CP conservation or the weak…” ---
**Author:** ![Beatlez674](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@Beatlez674](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beatlez674)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/492 "2003-01-22T13:08:06Z")
Oh poo… I hate it when people use logic… fogive my madness:o But still, I have to admit, I have never heard it pronounced fort… ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/493 "2003-01-22T16:39:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flymaster \* > \*\*Hey, BHS class of '99 here. \*\* Class of 88’🙂 My mom’s still on the faculty. PANTHER POWER!! My landlord doesn’t understand that installing gutters would prevent icicles from forming on the inside of my screen door. ---
**Author:** ![TwungTister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TwungTister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwungTister)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/494 "2003-01-22T17:15:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LouisB \* > > And the confession? I haven’t the faintest idea of what is meant by “Duck Duck Goose.” And my family played it as “Duck, Duck, _GRAY_ Duck!” ---
**Author:** ![TwungTister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TwungTister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwungTister)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/495 "2003-01-22T17:57:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WonTon Sean \* > Several times, I have had to tell people that, while I do live in South Arkansas, I am not a “hillbilly” and I have indoor plumbing. Some people also talk to me as they would a three year old when referring to things like “electricity” and “computers,” as if they were unheard of where I am from. And lots of people pronounce it incorrectly as Are-can-saz, like Kansas. This is why I’m beginning to be annoyed by _Whose Line Is It Anyway._ The Hillbilly jokes. Don’t you just hate this - especially when you’ve just used electrical terms in conversation or introduced yourself as an electrician? What would hurt is if you had a legitimate question on a complicated problem and they proceeded to tell you the basics. Not only are you insulted, but you don’t get your appliance fixed. I got this treatment for car problems. I asked a man for rust remover and he gave me a boy. I told a man the engine was grinding and - INSTEAD of looking, and returning w/ the SPECIFIC THING wrong - he told me that using something eventually wears it out. A few people think that “MINN nuh SOH tuh” is the way to talk to a Minnesota-billy. Hmm. If she’s really from Minnesota, her pronunciation of “Minnesota” is the correct one. It might occur to them to count the number of actual Minnesotans who pronounce it their way. Zero. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/496 "2003-01-23T01:14:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranmaru \* > \*\*Had a student in my Sex Ed class (Back in HS) who brought up the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard someone say. He was completely scared of this. Alright. He was masterbating, and it shot off in his eye (I did not ask him how he accomplished this, and personally I don’t want to know). He was completely scared that he might have gotten AIDs from that (Well, HIV but he called it AIDs in general). Now then, aside from the obvious jokes thrown his way by all the kind classmates (I threw a very harsh one myself, which was in reply to another joke, anyways), my teacher commented that it was impossable for him to get HIV from himself. Well, then the fool proceeded to ask something along the lines of ‘Why’ to the teacher. Amusing at how he did not know anything about how STDs are given (High School, my senior year too). \*\* I have a promiscuous friend who wouldn’t wear protection. When I asked “aren’t you afraid of getting HIV or an STD?” he said something like “I don’t go in them”. He thought he’d avoid STDs if he just pulled out early. My jaw dropped, how could someone ever come to that conclusion? ---
**Author:** ![Sqube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/497 "2003-01-23T01:22:09Z")
Well… this probably won’t shock too many people, but I have a friend who didn’t know who Notorious BIG aka Biggie Smalls was (she’d heard of both names, thought it was two people, didn’t know what either of them did). I found that shocking, especially seeing as she was 18 or 19. But maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Virgowitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9fc348/32.png) [@Virgowitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Virgowitch)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/498 "2003-01-23T02:29:41Z")
who the hell is that? ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/499 "2003-01-23T05:14:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > \*\*Super-twins?!? > > “I’ll form an ice ladder!” > > “I’ll form a gorilla!” > > Oh, wait. That’s _Wonder_-twins. Sorry… \*\* Supertwins are triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, octuplets, nonuplets… hopefully you get the idea. Go here for more information. (or here) If you want more sites, go [here](http://www.google.ca/search?q=supertwins&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&meta=). > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sqube \* > **Well… this probably won’t shock too many people, but I have a friend who didn’t know who Notorious BIG aka Biggie Smalls was (she’d heard of both names, thought it was two people, didn’t know what either of them did). I found that shocking, especially seeing as she was 18 or 19. But maybe that’s just me.** > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Virgowitch \* > **who the hell is that?** Basically, he was a rap artist who got shot to death a few years back. I’m not sure whether the murder’s ever been solved. Go to the sites outlined [here](http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=notorious+big&meta=) and see if they help. Couldn’t pick just one site… sorry! 🙂 F\_X ---
**Author:** ![The\_MacDairmuid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_MacDairmuid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_MacDairmuid)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431/500 "2003-01-23T10:55:41Z")
**Beatlez674** and **typhoon** ; you are both right. In Beatlez’ musical world, **forte** is pronounced **for’ tay**. In typhoon’s non-musical world (you did not specify your own forte) the word is pronounced **fort**. The [Usage Notes](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=forte) show both. One word, two meanings. How incredibly versatile is this bastard tongue we call English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-you-shocked-by-what-some-people-dont-know/43431.md?page=26)