# My roommate knows (and doesn't know) the weirdest things **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496 "2009-05-06T01:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/41 "2009-05-06T17:25:12Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > He thinks Rand Al’Thor is as famous as Ayn Rand. Yeah, that’s odd. I’m a science fiction/fantasy fan who owns a bookstore, and I just had to look up who Rand Al’Thor was. Ayn Rand’s _Atlas Shrugged_ just went back on the indy bestseller lists. > [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > He thinks that the Lord of the Rings being an allegory of WWII is an enormous stretch I agree with him, although Tolkien did say that his experiences in WW _one_ influenced the story development. I’ve never been able to see the argument that the story was an allegory for WWII. The major factors just don’t line up. Sauron was defeated because an important artifact of his was destroyed. At the time he went down, he had superior force _and_ superior air power (mounted Nazgul). Hitler was defeated because he fought on too many fronts and didn’t have the resources to keep up. He lost air superiority. Hirohito went down because of the nuclear bombs, of which there’s no parallel in LotR. Where’s the parallel for Aragorn’s ghost army? The palantir? > [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > He didn’t know who Strom Thurmond was until I showed him a picture. Here’s something that just shows how our brains all work differently. I wouldn’t recognize Strom Thurmond if he walked up to me on the street and did the hokey-pokey. Pictures do nothing for me. But if you give me his name I know a fair amount about him. Maybe your roomie’s brain is just more cued into pictures than names. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/42 "2009-05-06T17:29:43Z")
You’re absolutely wrong about Virginia being in the North. It’s south of the Mason-Dixon line. It is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as being in the “South” region. And historically, it’s definitely southern. Virginia fought fiercely in the Civil War. It was not a “border state.” The world has existed for a lot longer than your two decades of life. You can legitimately argue that it has become more “northern” culturally in recent years. But no matter how you slice it, it is _in_ “the South.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/43 "2009-05-06T17:32:50Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > My husband and my sister saw a commercial for **Little House on the Prairie** and both agreed that when they used to see the opening credits roll, that was their cue to change the channel. The following conversation ensue: > > Sister: What was that show about anyway? Just some people on a fucking prairie? > Husband: Yeah, I guess so. Hence the title. > Sister: That sounds really boring. > Me: Um, guys. What are you talking about? You know that’s based on the book, right? **acsenray** : Yeah, that boring book about some people on a fucking prairie. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/44 "2009-05-06T17:39:08Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > “Hey, I’ve just spent years tinkering with this story to fit a series of historical parallels, and now I’m going to tell everyone I didn’t to make sure I don’t get any credit.” 1. Some people might perceive an allegorical work to be of lesser artistic merit than a work of pure fiction. 2. Some people might perceive the act of creating something purely fictional as a greater demonstration of creative power than of merely constructing an allegory. 3. An author might object to conclusions being drawn about the meaning and significance of a work based on its perception as allegory. Re: Virginia, north or south. It’s debatable and it’s all about perception; it’s not really a factual issue. Nobody I know living in northern Virginia feels like they are “in the South.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/45 "2009-05-06T17:44:54Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Here’s something that just shows how our brains all work differently. I wouldn’t recognize Strom Thurmond if he walked up to me on the street and did the hokey-pokey. Pictures do nothing for me. But if you give me his name I know a fair amount about him. Maybe your roomie’s brain is just more cued into pictures than names. I doubt anyone would recognize ol’ Strom if he walked up and did the hokey-pokey these days since he’s been dead for a few years now. > [@acsenray](#): > > 1. Some people might perceive an allegorical work to be of lesser artistic merit than a work of pure fiction. > > 2. Some people might perceive the act of creating something purely fictional as a greater demonstration of creative power than of merely constructing an allegory. > > 3. An author might object to conclusions being drawn about the meaning and significance of a work based on its perception as allegory. All excellent points- but if you felt that way, or were worried about people feeling that way, you wouldn’t write an allegory in the first place, would you? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/46 "2009-05-06T17:52:51Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > You’re absolutely wrong about Virginia being in the North. It’s south of the Mason-Dixon line. It is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as being in the “South” region. And historically, it’s definitely southern. Virginia fought fiercely in the Civil War. It was not a “border state.” The world has existed for a lot longer than your two decades of life. I am fully aware of that. But regions change over the years. Kentucky was a border state in the Civil War, and today it’s highly conservative, > [@Green Bean](#): > > You can legitimately argue that it has become more “northern” culturally in recent years. But no matter how you slice it, it is _in_ “the South.” No. It isn’t. Northern Virginia isn’t like the rest of Virginia at all. Most of Virginia is the South, but not Northern Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/47 "2009-05-06T17:55:38Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I doubt anyone would recognize ol’ Strom if he walked up and did the hokey-pokey these days since he’s been dead for a few years now. Dead man dancing! 🙂 My point was that there are quite a few celebrities I’m familiar with, but I wouldn’t recognize a picture of them. I’m exposed to enough news to know far too much about Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, for example, but if you showed me pictures of the two I wouldn’t know which is which. I couldn’t pick Stephen Harper, Gordon Brown, Felipe Calderón, Newt Gingrich, or the Craig’s List Killer out of a lineup, either, but I recognize their names. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/48 "2009-05-06T18:14:43Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Most Americans don’t know the difference between WWI and WWII, really; they just think they do. I, for one, object! I have no idea how you’ve reached that conclusion. I think studying it for 3 years (at least) throughout my standard education qualifies me as “knowing the difference”. Re: politics. I think it’s time we political buffs got over the fact that most people don’t care about politics at all. There is no reason Nancy Pelosi or Strom Thurmond would be important to any layman outside their districts. Moreso for the latter, since he’s been out of the picture for some time now. Re: book and movies. It happens so often that people haven’t seen movies that “everyone’s seen” and never heard of books “everyone’s read” that I cease to be surprised by it. I’d never heard of these LHotP books until now. My gf hadn’t seen Star Wars until last year and I’d never seen Indiana Jones or Casablanca. I’ve still never seen Mary Poppins, Schindler’s List, The Shining, etc. Our perspectives on the ubiquity of art is so out of whack, no one’s can be trusted. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/49 "2009-05-06T18:26:23Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > No. It isn’t. Northern Virginia isn’t like the rest of Virginia at all. Most of Virginia is the South, but not Northern Virginia. The classification of Northern Virginia is not a matter of your opinion. All of Virginia is, in fact, a southern state. If you want to argue otherwise, please support your position with facts and cites. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/50 "2009-05-06T18:27:52Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Re: politics. I think it’s time we political buffs got over the fact that most people don’t care about politics at all. There is no reason Nancy Pelosi or Strom Thurmond would be important to any layman outside their districts. Moreso for the latter, since he’s been out of the picture for some time now. Pelosi has been in the news constantly since the 2006 elections, and Thurmond was in there for a while also. He had no idea who she was when I mentioned her name. He’d never even heard of her. This goes beyond not being a political buff, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/51 "2009-05-06T18:30:44Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > The classification of Northern Virginia is not a matter of your opinion. All of Virginia is, in fact, a southern state. No, it isn’t. Most of Virginia is Southern, but several of the counties in the north are extremely cosmopolitan and liberal, in addition to being on the border with Maryland, which at that point is to a large extent simply a narrow strip of land between Virginia and Pennsylvania. > [@UncleRojelio](#): > > If you want to argue otherwise, please support your position with facts and cites. What sorts of things would you accept? ---
**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:** [May 6, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/52 "2009-05-06T18:34:14Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > I am fully aware of that. But regions change over the years. Kentucky was a border state in the Civil War, and today it’s highly conservative, You do know that conservative does not equal southern, right? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/53 "2009-05-06T18:34:29Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > The classification of Northern Virginia is not a matter of your opinion. All of Virginia is, in fact, a southern state. If you want to argue otherwise, please support your position with facts and cites. Now, come on. “The South” is not an official jurisdiction. There’s no government of the South or officials representing the South. It’s a cultural concept and, as such, _is_ subject to opinion and shifting social perceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/54 "2009-05-06T18:36:32Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > You do know that conservative does not equal southern, right? Southern usually means conservative. States like Georgia and Alabama were represented by conservative Democrats from the end of the Civil War to the mid-20th century, and then voted in conservative Republicans from the 50s/60s to now. I bet most Kentuckians self-identify as Southern. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/55 "2009-05-06T18:37:46Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I, for one, object! I have no idea how you’ve reached that conclusion. I think studying it for 3 years (at least) throughout my standard education qualifies me as “knowing the difference”. While I appreciate your willingness to step forward as the representative of “most Americans”, learning about something in school and knowing the difference aren’t the same thing. Most American students learn about the New Deal in history too, but I bet if you asked a random sampling of them what the Tennessee Valley Authority was half of them would think it was a college football conference. > [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > No, it isn’t. Most of Virginia is Southern, but several of the counties in the north are extremely cosmopolitan and liberal, in addition to being on the border with Maryland, which at that point is to a large extent simply a narrow strip of land between Virginia and Pennsylvania. Yes, because there are no cosmopolitan and/or liberal places in the South whatsoever. :rolleyes: No wonder **Ogre** is always getting his panties bunched over this stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/56 "2009-05-06T18:39:35Z")
I, too, grew up in Northern Virginia. Of course it’s part of the South. The correct conclusion to be drawn from its existence is that the South is a large and diverse region which cannot easily be defined by a narrow set of cultural stereotypes (most of which apply specifically to _rural_ areas; if you’re going to exclude NoVa from the South on the grounds of culture, you’re also going to have to draw doughnut-shaped holes around Raleigh, Atlanta, Charlotte, and any number of other large cities). ---
**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:** [May 6, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/57 "2009-05-06T18:39:45Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Southern usually means conservative. States like Georgia and Alabama were represented by conservative Democrats from the end of the Civil War to the mid-20th century, and then voted in conservative Republicans from the 50s/60s to now. I bet most Kentuckians self-identify as Southern. They may. Large numbers of urban liberals in Atlanta do as well. The real question, regarding Virgina’s region, is what do they eat? Are there Waffle Houses in N. VA? Is sweet tea the default tea option? Grits or cream of wheat? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/58 "2009-05-06T18:40:03Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yes, because there are no cosmopolitan and/or liberal places in the South whatsoever. :rolleyes: No wonder **Ogre** is always getting his panties bunched over this stuff… It’s certainly more characteristic of Southern areas than of Northern. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/59 "2009-05-06T18:41:53Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > What sorts of things would you accept? Even Wikipedia would do. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496/60 "2009-05-06T18:49:43Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > It’s certainly more characteristic of Southern areas than of Northern. Liberal, perhaps- but are you really suggesting that Cleveland is more cosmopolitan than Savannah? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-knows-and-doesnt-know-the-weirdest-things/495496.md?page=4)