# Cultural Idiocy That's Amazed You **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2000, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974 "2000-02-15T21:25:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![frolix8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@frolix8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frolix8)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/141 "2000-02-18T22:28:00Z")
Hey Allikat, you do know that’s a classic UL, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/142 "2000-02-19T05:09:00Z")
My dad was in Britain in the '70s doing graduate and postdoctoral work at Sussex and Edinburough, where he met my mom. At one point before meeting my mom, he went to a fruit market with a girl he was dating. They stopped at a stand to buy some oranges. Being politically minded, they asked the lady if the oranges she was selling were grown in South Africa. “Yes, I think they are,” she said. “In that case, we won’t buy them.” “I don’t blame you,” she responded. “I don’t like the thought of those nasty black hands all over my food either.” ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2000, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/143 "2000-02-19T06:32:00Z")
**Polycarp** : > [@](#): > > The chief honcho of the Dutch Republic was the Stadtholder, which became hereditary in the House of Orange. After Napoleon, the southern half was united to the north and the whole thing made a kingdom under the House of Orange. About 20 years later, the Belgians revolted and set up their own kingdom. Regarding Belgium, close, but not quite. After Napoleon, The Spanish/Hapsburg region of Flanders and the most northeastern region of France, Wallony, were forcibly joined to the Netherlands (along with Luxembourg). Wallony, to reduce the extent of French influence, Flanders because it was between Wallony and Holland and the Hapsburgs weren’t using it any more. The Flemish had been separated from any direct contact with Holland for almost 300 years and both the Flemings and the Walloons were Catholic while the Netherlands had a number of (not too strictly enforced) anti-Catholic laws. Flanders and Wallony made common cause to break with the Netherlands, dug up a minor nobleman to import as king, and created Belgium. As the Industrial Revolution got going, coal was discovered in the less populous French region and the money and power gravitated to that area. In the midst of the general world dissatisfaction that occurred in the 1960’s, the Flemings demanded a better slice of the pie. 170 years after its founding, it is still a marriage of convenience that both sides grumble about. On the other hand, **Be** lgium, the **Ne** therlands, and **Lux** embourg had no difficulty setting aside their differences long enough to create the Benelux trade region so that they could combine their power to fight off the overwhelming size of Germany or France. * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2000, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/144 "2000-02-19T17:09:00Z")
When we were in high school, my older brother and a group from the Spanish (language) Club raised money and took a trip to Mexico. Among them was a guy who was really quite smart and one of the more worldly of our school. But his upbringing had had no religion whatsoever. On the trip, they visited many churches and heard lots of stories about the Catholic events in Mexican history. At one point they were going to one place that had a rare painting of the Virgin Mary while she was carrying the as-yet-unborn Crist. The actual conversation between my brother and this friend: “Well, I can’t wait to hear how they explain a pregnant virgin.” (My brother, incredulously)“It was a miracle.” “There are too many miracles in this country.” (My brother, even more amazed)“It didn’t happen in Mexico!” ---
**Author:** ![spankboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@spankboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spankboy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2000, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/145 "2000-02-20T06:29:00Z")
I’m not sure if this counts, but… A few years back, the Pope was going to swing through the Caribbean and Florida doing the world tour thing. Some Florida guy saw an opportunity to make some dough, so made up some shirts celebrating the visit from ‘La Papa’. Problem is, the Pope is ‘El Papa’. ‘La Papa’ is ‘the potato’. -sb * * * They say the Lord loves drunks, fools and little children. Two out of three ain’t bad. ---
**Author:** ![brooklyn44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@brooklyn44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brooklyn44)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/146 "2000-02-19T19:57:00Z")
I, for one, am glad that SwimmingRiddles is part of the Teeming Millions. It’s disheartening to come across generation Xers who have no clue about contemporary culture that’s more than a decade old. I know, you might think the “contemporary” is an inapt phrase…but anyway. \>\>\>Yesterday at Trader Joe’s, while on the checkout line being rung up, I commented to the checker (young man in early 20s) about the reggae CD being piped into the store. At the moment a cover of a Dead hit was being played and I said something like I thought Jerry Garcia would have been pleased…kid didn’t know what the hell I was talking about. A copy editor at my newspaper ((early fifties) has asked reporters such questions as: “Roll Over, Beethoven,” that’s the movie about a dog, right? and: What is Sacco and Vanzetti? and: Where the Beatles popular in the sixites? renee ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2000, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/147 "2000-02-19T21:46:00Z")
Not sure if this is cultural idiocy, but. . . I was on a field trip to Gatlinburg TN my junior year of high school. We passed a field with a bunch of Black Angus cows standing in it. A girl who was with us yells “Look, buffalo!” So we all laugh and the chaperone explains to her, “No, honey, those are cows.” The girl turns red as a beet and snaps “Well, I don’t know anything about poultry!” * * * “There are more things you don’t know than there are things that I do know. I despair of the imbalance.” – Dr. Morgenes, _The Dragonbone Chair_ ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2000, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974/148 "2000-02-19T22:17:00Z")
In July 1982 I went to the big Wax Museum on the wharf in San Francisco. In one section was a display of Disney characters–and Walt Disney himself. A young woman said–and I am not kidding–“I didn’t know he [Walt Disney] was a real person!” (!!!) Where did she come from? I was a high school senior when Disney died in December 1966. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultural-idiocy-thats-amazed-you/13974.md?page=7)