# Misconceptions people have **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844 "2011-03-15T22:35:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/41 "2011-03-16T23:04:39Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Many things we take at face value, but looking beneath the surface there is more to it. My example: > > People commenting on homeless people having cell phones. Pre- paid cell phones are pretty affordable. Having a cell phone is extremely useful in an era of dwindling pay phones. I see many homeless people using cell phones to schedule appts and stuff, then take the bus to their destination. People seem to assume a hobo w a phone is a moocher, but given how cheap they are I see it differently. Damn, tha’ts actually brilliant. Used to be that homelessness made getting a job almost impossible because you didn’t have a phone. This is great. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/42 "2011-03-16T23:11:42Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m always surprised to find out that people don’t know that peanuts grow in the ground. (Well, that and the pineapple thing.) Not only do they grow in the ground,both ends of the plant grow the ground! Comes up like any normal plant will do, then it keels over and the peanut itself grows down into the ground. I’ve grown them. Its weird. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/43 "2011-03-17T02:11:21Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > The misconception that people lacking teeth are rednecks. Many non-redneck Americans don’t have dental insurance, or health insurance. (it sounds like you’re maybe talking about Canada, since you said province not state, but just saying) I have a fully-functional location field. 😃 > [@Sampiro](#): > > That one’s very prevalent among some Dopers who would never make sweeping generalizations about a racial group or religion but will totally do so for “red staters”. I have a feeling I have unintentionally stepped wrong talking about rednecks - I’ve learned on the internet that it is a much more loaded term in the US than it is in Canada. It has an emotional value of about 2 out of 10 for us (generalizing again), and from what I’ve seen, it’s closer to about a 6 for US Americans. I did not mean to insult anybody by using the term as I did. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/44 "2011-03-17T02:19:57Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I have a fully-functional location field. 😃 > > I have a feeling I have unintentionally stepped wrong talking about rednecks - I’ve learned on the internet that it is a much more loaded term in the US than it is in Canada. It has an emotional value of about 2 out of 10 for us (generalizing again), and from what I’ve seen, it’s closer to about a 6 for US Americans. I did not mean to insult anybody by using the term as I did. Redneck is a descriptor for a person who has a certain set of personality characteristics. Its only insulting if you don’t actually have those characteristics. Because if you have them, presumably they are ok with you. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/45 "2011-03-17T02:35:01Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I have a fully-functional location field. 😃 > > I have a feeling I have unintentionally stepped wrong talking about rednecks - I’ve learned on the internet that it is a much more loaded term in the US than it is in Canada. It has an emotional value of about 2 out of 10 for us (generalizing again), and from what I’ve seen, it’s closer to about a 6 for US Americans. I did not mean to insult anybody by using the term as I did. Actually it’s really not that offensive a term, or didn’t used to be. It used to mean “blue collar rural/smalltown/flyover state whites”- those whose necks would be red from working in the sun. (There are other theories as to its origin but this one is the most likely.) Kind of like the words ‘Holy-roller’ or ‘ghetto’ (when used to describe a person), it could be an insult or it could be just a descriptor people even used to describe themselves. _Redneck_ didn’t really have moral overtones, it basically meant blue collar whites (though I’ve known blacks who self-identified as rednecks) who tended to like beer, football, NASCAR, hunting and country music- there were good 'uns, bad 'uns, but mostly people you wouldn’t mind having as neighbors even if you didn’t share their views and tastes. Jeff Foxworthy (who grew up in a white collar suburb of Atlanta) is what really ruined that word. His “You might be a redneck” spiel, which was admittedly hugely popular with rednecks, includes many jokes that really were about “white trash”, which has always been a loaded term but does have moral and really insulting connotations: women who have kids by 3 dads by the time they’re 21, disability defrauders, no taste, illiterate, druggies, criminal records, etc.- basically, “poor whites _you wouldn’t want as neighbors_”. Many of the jokes he told would have worked just as well if he was a black comedian saying “You might be ghetto”, which has moved from “somebody who grew up inner city poor” to “somebody who grew up inner city and poor and has no education/taste/morals/intelligence/etc.”. Sorry, way too long to say “redneck is what it is because the definition and connotations vary”, which is probably still too long.😃 ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/46 "2011-03-17T02:46:30Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Maybe not all, but some have reportedly been better off than one may think. [Cite](http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20020312/ctvnews850696/). [http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20020312/ctvnews850696/](http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20020312/ctvnews850696/) $50/day Canadian? That’s like, what, minimum wage? You want to live on minimum wage in Tronna today? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/47 "2011-03-17T07:01:22Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Redneck is a descriptor for a person who has a certain set of personality characteristics. Its only insulting if you don’t actually have those characteristics. Because if you have them, presumably they are ok with you. That’s a bit simplified. It started out as a derogatory term, but we embraced it to the point where it’s similar to queer or gay. Yes, I consider myself a redneck. Although I avoid most the stereotypes, I can’t deny my heritage. Everything Jeff Foxworthy jokes about is something I’ve directly experienced or even participated in. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/48 "2011-03-17T15:47:52Z")
I have to share this amusing little hijack about rednecks. When my niece was little, she met a girl named Raxanne. “You mean Roxanne?”, my niece asked. Turns out it was spelled Racsan. Her father was big into racing. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/49 "2011-03-17T16:20:10Z")
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unity, I will post a few misconceptions about Italy: [ul] [li] Italians are not more lazy than any other nation in the world.[/li][li] Italians are not all in the Mafia, nor does the criminal world control the economy.[/li][li] Italian cinema is not limited to Federico Fellini.[/li][li] We do not all play the mandolin.[/li][li] We do not all love momma more than our own wives.[/li][li] We don’t treat women like we live in the Middle Ages any more. [/li][li] The most important Italian export is not fashion, nor wine, nor food, nor fabric. It’s high-tech machinery. Although with the current economical crisis, the main Italian export is soon going to become Italians.[/li][li] Alfredo sauce is not typical Italian. That was something an Italian cook improvised to make some American customers happy. It’s too fatty for our taste. The original recipe consisted of just a little grated cheese and butter, possibly with some black pepper.[/li][li] And no, we don’t all vote Berlusconi, just like not all Americans voted for Bush.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/50 "2011-03-17T16:32:48Z")
But you all wear striped shirts when you sing “O Sole Mio”, right? ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/51 "2011-03-17T16:44:21Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But you all wear striped shirts when you sing “O Sole Mio”, right? Crap! I missed that one! No, and we don’t go to work on gondolas all the time! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/52 "2011-03-17T16:45:04Z")
And are somehow affiliated with the concrete business, right? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/53 "2011-03-17T16:47:07Z")
> [@Lars\_Aruns](#): > > The most important Italian export is not fashion, nor wine, nor food, nor fabric. It’s high-tech machinery. Of course! Who could forget Lamborghinis! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/54 "2011-03-17T20:20:55Z")
Speaking of offensive terms, while I never really had occasion to use either of them I didn’t realize that _Slumdog_ (for poor Indians) and _Bohunk_ (for Eastern Europeans) were very offensive. Slumdog is kind of obvious I suppose- an Indian friend says it’s on par with “White Trash”- but Bohunk is one I’ve read that I thought was just a regionalism; here of course it brings images of [John Schneider](http://www.reelcollectibles.co.nz/images/autographs/john_schneider2_wm.jpg). I’ve been asked before if I consider _queer_ offensive. It depends completely on how it’s used and who is using it: rule of thumb is don’t use it if you don’t have the person on your speed dial unless you’re referring to _Queer Theory_ or _Queer as Folk_ or otherwise a well known entity. I thought that the term desi (for people of Indian ancestry who didn’t grow up there) _was_ considered offensive, but apparently not at all. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/55 "2011-03-17T20:27:54Z")
Isn’t bohunk where the term honky came from? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/56 "2011-03-17T20:54:07Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Isn’t bohunk where the term honky came from? I’ve read that and I’ve read it’s because of nasal “honking” accents. ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/57 "2011-03-17T21:36:39Z")
@Munch regarding Gary Oldman: You watch [Tiptoes](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316768/) and tell me that he plays the same character over and over. That shows range! ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/58 "2011-03-17T23:55:43Z")
Everyone with Tourette’s Syndrome swears uncontrollably. It’s a small percentage (1 in 7 or so). ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/59 "2011-03-18T00:05:00Z")
> [@Lars\_Aruns](#): > > [ul] > [li] Alfredo sauce is not typical Italian. That was something an Italian cook improvised to make some American customers happy.[/li][/ul] I’ve heard this is also the case with egg foo young, invented when the chinese were working on the railroads. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844/60 "2011-03-18T00:34:12Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > [http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20020312/ctvnews850696/](http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20020312/ctvnews850696/) > $50/day Canadian? That’s like, what, minimum wage? You want to live on minimum wage in Tronna today? That brings up another common misconception - the[Canadian and US dollars have been dancing around par for quite a while now.](http://www.bank-banque-canada.ca/en/rates/exchange.html) (And then there was some span of time fairly recently when the Canadian dollar was well over the US dollar.) 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-people-have/574844.md?page=4)