# Plot holes in reality **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2014, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533 "2014-02-17T08:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/121 "2014-02-25T15:57:04Z")
> [@mythoughts](#): > > Barak Hussein Obama > Have everyone mad at (well, it was an inside job) Osama Bin Laden No. > [@](#): > > And a connection to very unpopular religion (Muslim), No. > [@](#): > > even IF he was, Born in the US which is debatable. No. > [@](#): > > Also there were two women in England who both started essentially identical businesses with same or almost same name, the business was something sexy or sleazy but I forget the details. Uh, gee wow. That sure is weird. It’s so unique for similar businesses to have similar names. Thanks for sharing that exciting tidbit. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/122 "2014-02-25T19:12:04Z")
> [@mythoughts](#): > > US Politics: > > Bush - A comedian as president, a totally comical dunce that if you saw it in a movie you would thing were too obviously dumb to be real as a Gardner, despite that my opinion of him was lower than low, when David Letterman said straight faced his Segway crash was caused by him not turning it on I still found it hard to believe, As did Paul, he had to say it several times to be clear it wasn’t a joke, real disbelief. Bushism are as funny (and sad) to read as any comedy material you will find. > > So how can the next president be even more unlikely? > > Barak Hussein Obama > Have everyone mad at (well, it was an inside job) Osama Bin Laden and the other bad guy, Saddam Hussein. And a connection to very unpopular religion (Muslim), And a race that has recently and even currently faced discrimination African (Black) but not even fully American (Kenyan father) even IF he was, Born in the US which is debatable. > > So, who will be the democratic candidate? The wife of one of the US’s most successful presidents ever, the most financially positive president ever just after the last dunce tanked everything? Oh, sure he cheated not her, but that should have worked in her favour. Closest thing to a replay. Nope. > Also there were two women in England who both started essentially identical businesses with same or almost same name, the business was something sexy or sleazy but I forget the details. > I also think that scientists have accepted a totally impossible theory for 109 year that is obviously flawed is pretty astounding, despite being true (in my light speed threads). Could you share your theory about the president not being born in America? I don’t think we’re heard that one before. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/123 "2014-02-27T15:04:30Z")
Editor’s note: You can’t have all your characters smoking in every office, elevator, theater, plane, store, restaurant, etc. in 1975 and by 1990. It’s unrealistic. So, what, every car made must have a cigarette lighter built in and then suddenly NO cars have them? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/124 "2014-02-27T15:21:56Z")
To be fair if you went back in time to 1988 and told people the president’s name would be Barack Hussein Obama they probably would have said WTF?! ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/125 "2014-02-27T15:29:20Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > A similar thing is true with the Great Sphinx in Egypt. Most people think it was built around the same time as the Pyramids but that is not true. It is several thousand years older and nobody knows who built it or why. The cultures that built the Sphinx are more remote to Egyptians that built the Pyramids than any existing culture is to us. Note that this is very much a minority view held by very few (if any) professional academics specializing in Ancient Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/126 "2014-02-27T15:42:36Z")
the Law, which is a set or rules and guidelines to protect people regardless of money, wealth and power; is so convoluted that it requires specialists who have devoted their lives to it to make sense of, so that only those with money, wealth and power can take full advantage of it. the Police, whose job is to enforce the Law, is able to flaunt it and get away relatively scot-free. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/127 "2014-02-27T16:37:17Z")
Against all expectations, levitation is impossible except in a limited way involving magnets. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/128 "2014-02-27T16:59:22Z")
> [@grude](#): > > To be fair if you went back in time to 1988 and told people the president’s name would be Barack Hussein Obama they probably would have said WTF?! “Back To The Future” already did this bit, when Marty went to see Doc Brown in 1955: “Who’s president in 1985?” “Ronald Reagan!” “Ronald Reagan!? _The actor!?!?_” ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/129 "2014-02-27T18:32:29Z")
[The story of Thomas Midgley, Jr.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley,_Jr.) Rather than using ethanol blends to combat engine “knock”, this guy figures out that adding _lead_ to fuel will give the desired result. Even after dozens die from lead poisoning at refineries, and he gets poisoned enough to seek treatment, he continues to advocate for it. Atmospheric lead concentrations soar. For Act II, he switches divisions at GM and invents Freon. The ozone layer (eventually) crumbles. Act III, debilitated by polio, he invents a contraption of ropes and pulleys to get himself out of bed. He gets entangled by the system and suffocates to death. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/130 "2014-02-27T20:28:30Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > “Back To The Future” already did this bit, when Marty went to see Doc Brown in 1955: > > “Who’s president in 1985?” > > “Ronald Reagan!” > > “Ronald Reagan!? _The actor!?!?_” Not exactly the same thing. Say it’s 1992 and somebody tells you that in 20 years the two major party nominees would be a Mormon and a black guy. “Yeah, right, that’s gonna happen.” ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/131 "2014-02-28T17:50:28Z")
The USA joins The Great War, over the Zimmermann Telegram. Even without the Zimmermann telegram, the Mexicans could have inferred by themselves that: A – If Mexico sided with Germany, and B – If the USA entered the war on the side of the Allies, and C – If Germany won the war, then D – Territory captured by the USA from Mexico would have been ceded back to Mexico as a spoil Furthermore, if Mexico has sided with the Allies and the USA with Germany, and if the Allies had won, guess what would have happened? The Southwestern USA would have been restored to the victorious Mexicans. The Zimmermann telegram merely underlined the obvious, but happened to state it from the perspective of German optimism. For all we know, a British telegram reminded Mexico of the reverse scenario but Wilson just did not happen to have that intercepted message. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/132 "2014-02-28T19:00:24Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The USA joins The Great War, over the Zimmermann Telegram. Even without the Zimmermann telegram, the Mexicans could have inferred by themselves that: > > A – If Mexico sided with Germany, and > B – If the USA entered the war on the side of the Allies, and > C – If Germany won the war, then > D – Territory captured by the USA from Mexico would have been ceded back to Mexico as a spoil > > Furthermore, if Mexico has sided with the Allies and the USA with Germany, and if the Allies had won, guess what would have happened? The Southwestern USA would have been restored to the victorious Mexicans. > > The Zimmermann telegram merely underlined the obvious, but happened to state it from the perspective of German optimism. For all we know, a British telegram reminded Mexico of the reverse scenario but Wilson just did not happen to have that intercepted message. Er… I’m not following this. A German “victory” would have at most meant France and Britain agree to peace with Germany and abandon Russia. And if the USA joined the Allies, the most a German victory would have meant was that the USA couldn’t help France and Britain win. There is no conceivable way that an American “defeat” would have meant being forced to cede territory. Additionally, Mexico was in a civil war at the time, with the central government having no effective control over vast swaths of territory controlled by revolutionaries/bandits like Zapata. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/133 "2014-02-28T19:58:59Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Note that this is very much a minority view held by very few (if any) professional academics specializing in Ancient Egypt. Yeah, that’s up there with “Aliens built the pyramids.” The legitimate debate over the age of the Sphinx is pretty much limited to, “2500 BC versus 2600 BC.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/134 "2014-02-28T20:10:25Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Quantum mechanics makes no fucking sense! (And the whole universe is supposed to be based on it.) To be fair, quantum physics plot holes are _really_ tiny. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/135 "2014-02-28T20:52:03Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Yeah, that’s up there with “Aliens built the pyramids.” The legitimate debate over the age of the Sphinx is pretty much limited to, “2500 BC versus 2600 BC.” Sorry, I must have gotten sucked into some bad articles on it back in the 90’s. They seemed convincing at the time but maybe I should have been more skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/136 "2014-02-28T21:30:47Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > Could you share your theory about the president not being born in America? I don’t think we’re heard that one before. He was born in Hawaii which had only been a state for 3 years and therefore wasn’t of legal state age something something BENGHAZI! ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/137 "2014-03-02T01:20:33Z")
Picture this…a cartoonist, a typical west coast liberal in most respects and unlucky in most of his early life, goes on to produce three major works: 1. An astoundingly cynical, bitter, scathing black-and-white comic, occupying a large square area but otherwise following no consistent format, employing a lot of strong language and outright profanity. Featuring, among other things, a shameless, eternally dysfunctional homosexual couple, rambling diatribes against everything from workplace politics to dating, and blistering indictments of no fewer than three Presidents. Groundbreaking, hailed as a masterpiece, tons of rave reviews, huge, huge hit among the Bloom County crowd, and is THE benchmark for alternative comics for an entire generation. 2. A cheap, crude, film school-quality cartoon used as throwaway filler in an obscure cable sketch show, featuring characters the cartoonist literally drew up in 15 minutes who have paper-thin personalities on the show and barely even look human, eventually developed into its own show and pushed as a cheap slam against established, successful sitcoms. 3. A second cartoon series, this one carefully planned from the ground up and backed by a seasoned staff of writers, artists, voice actors, and producers, and with characters far more in line with successful mainstream American shows. The dumb but good-hearted kid, the jerk who gets away with everything, the high-strung straight woman, the weirdo scientist, the perky Asian. It’s tight, focused, and loaded from day one, all but guaranteed to be a monumental success. Develops a massive, fanatical cult following almost immediately. So what happens? #1, though loved by its alt-comic fans, never gains any mainstream recognition. The decline of print media all but kills it, and it fails to catch on with a new generation of readers (most of whom don’t even know it exists). #2 becomes a national icon. The cartoon itself has gone well past 20 seasons with no end in sight, and the related merchandise…which include a theme park ride, replica convenience stores, video games on every console from the NES onward, _two_ pinball machines, and dozens of books, is absolutely ubiquitous. #3 struggles to find its footing, gets shuffled around, and has annoying schedule gaps, and despite its cult following never becomes all that big. Eventually peters out to little fanfare. Berke Breathed only _wishes_ his career arc was this outlandish. 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 2, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/138 "2014-03-02T01:29:42Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Picture this…a cartoonist, a typical west coast liberal in most respects and unlucky in most of his early life, goes on to produce three major works: > > 1. An astoundingly cynical, bitter, scathing black-and-white comic, occupying a large square area but otherwise following no consistent format, employing a lot of strong language and outright profanity. Featuring, among other things, a shameless, eternally dysfunctional homosexual couple, rambling diatribes against everything from workplace politics to dating, and blistering indictments of no fewer than three Presidents. Groundbreaking, hailed as a masterpiece, tons of rave reviews, huge, huge hit among the Bloom County crowd, and is THE benchmark for alternative comics for an entire generation. > > … > > #1, though loved by its alt-comic fans, never gains any mainstream recognition. The decline of print media all but kills it, and it fails to catch on with a new generation of readers (most of whom don’t even know it exists). What comic are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/139 "2014-03-02T01:36:19Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > What comic are you talking about? Took me a minute, but I’m pretty sure **DKW** meant _[Life in Hell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_in_Hell)_. I don’t remember there being much in the way of strong language or profanity in it when I was reading it, though. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533/140 "2014-03-02T01:41:05Z")
Ah, okay. I enjoyed Life in Hell—never saw it in a newspaper; my cousin had the collections—but I can see how it wouldn’t get mainstream popularity. So far as satire is concerned, Simpsons became much better at it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plot-holes-in-reality/681533.md?page=8)