# Real life stuff you actually learned from television **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271 "2009-06-28T18:11:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/41 "2009-07-02T16:12:24Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > This would have been before I was five…god, a dearth of original network programming could pay off, back then. What does the Disney Channel run _now_? Wall to wall singing tweens. Humbug. There’s some entertaining animation alongside the dearth of singing tweens. I learned what the word “procrastination” means from _Garfield and Friends_. I think I also might have learned what “deja vu” means from that show, too. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/42 "2009-07-02T16:22:25Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > I learned what the word “procrastination” means from _Garfield and Friends_. I think I also might have learned what “deja vu” means from that show, too. “Garfield and Friends” also taught me the immortal phrase “If you see it on TV, IT MUST BE TRUE!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/43 "2009-07-02T16:45:42Z")
That’s like the Homer Simpson phrase “TV won’t harm the kids. We grew up on TV and we’re TV” ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/44 "2009-07-02T19:17:37Z")
I learned a frightening amount from TV (and Mad magazine and looking through D&D rulebooks - oh, and Penthouse forum). What I heard but didn’t understand often inspired me to research the topic (usually to understand a joke). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/45 "2009-07-02T20:30:48Z")
I learned that the sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side. Good think I learned that from TV. Somehow that property never made it into any of my math/trig/calculus classes.And for good reason! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/46 "2009-07-03T00:56:59Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I’ve learned so many things from “Burn Notice”. It turns out that when shooting a target with your sniper rifle, pros do it from **inside** the room, not from the window. > > Boy, was my face red. Yes, and one thing you never want to skimp on is bulletproof windows for your car. Or, when in a gun battle involving moving cars, you don’t want to shoot directly into the car’s grill. It’s much easier to disable the car if you ricochet the bullet off the pavement and up into the undercarriage. I learned from CSI that smiling can help suppress the urge to vomit. And from Law and Order, I learned you must never ever ever cremate your loved ones. You know, just in case the coroner needs to exhume the body and run more tests. My daughter had to memorize the preamble to the Constitution. I Youtubed it and she was able to sing along while she read the preamble in the book. All together now…“We the People, in order to form a more perfect union…” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/47 "2009-07-03T01:39:44Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > There’s some entertaining animation alongside the\*\*[…]\*\*singing tweens. Yeah, but it doesn’t have nearly enough of [Donald Duck learning about the Pythagorean Cult](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_ssR7M5Px0). It just ain’t the same. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/48 "2009-07-03T06:50:54Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I learned that the sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side. > > Good think I learned that from TV. Somehow that property never made it into any of my math/trig/calculus classes.And for good reason! “That’s a right triangle, you idiot!” “D’oh!” > [@ivylass](#): > > All together now…“We the People, in order to form a more perfect union…” And there’s a mistake here, too (not to say anything negative about Lynn Ahrens and her awesome songwriting)- the Constitution actually begins “We the People **of the United States** ”. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/49 "2009-07-03T16:37:38Z")
_Sesame Street_ and _Electric Company_ taught me to read before my parents knew I could read. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/50 "2009-07-03T16:40:54Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Your terrain is mostly mountainous, > And your major export is chrome! > > Yeah - that actually came up last week. People give you a serious :dubious: when you quickly claim Albania is on the Adriatic, and then when you show them a map, think you’re some sort of savant. Nope, just a fan of \*Cheers \*growing up. Yeah, that’s stuck in my head as well. I also know all the states and capitals from Wakko’s 50 States song. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/51 "2009-07-03T16:42:18Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Words mostly (and even good ones!) > > I learned Hypothetical from “Hey Arnold”. Although you would probably have learned that anyway, had you lived in a world without television. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/52 "2009-07-03T18:11:01Z")
From _Mythbusters_ I learned that I can chill a can of soda almost instantly by soaking it in a solution of ice, water, and salt. To this day, Mrs. Homie and I refer to the process as _Mythbuster_ing a soda. ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sealemon2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/53 "2009-07-03T22:45:28Z")
Thanks to Schoolhouse Rock I learned what conjunctions are (Before I was taught abotu them in class), I memorized the Declaration Of Independance, and I learned what a bill is and how it becomes law. I’m sure there’s plenty of other things I’ve learned from Tv (Sesame Street comes to mind as a good learning source) but I’m having memory blockage at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/54 "2009-07-03T23:18:23Z")
I learned how to count to 20 in Spanish from Sesame Street. And I know Schoolhouse Rock didn’t get the Preamble _quite_ right, but they got the bulk of it and my daughter was able to fill in the missing part easily. ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/55 "2009-07-04T17:01:24Z")
I use the Schoolhouse Rock DVD at school still to back up grammar/science lessons. In college, Astronomy 101, the prof was asking some question about measuring space, and no one was answering. I popped up with “parsecs”. He wanted to know what page that answer was on in the book, to go over something. I said I had no idea…I’d learned it from ‘Star Trek’. The prof was not happy with me. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/56 "2009-07-04T17:19:31Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Albania > Albania > You border on the Adriatic Of course, the second verse of that song (or at least what we hear of it) is no longer accurate: “You’re a communist country, you’re a red regime…” ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/57 "2009-07-04T21:52:22Z")
I learned the homemade popsicle bit from “Time for Timer” also. That knowledge came in really handy one day when my mother decided to punish me for something by throwing out all the popsicles in the house to I couldn’t have a treat. I just waited till she wasn’t paying attention, poured fruit juice in the ice tray, and stuck in a few toothpicks. By the time she returned I was eating a popsicle, which prompted her to say she wished she’d named me Tricky Dick. I learned about him from TV too. ---
**Author:** ![sherrycherie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@sherrycherie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sherrycherie)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/58 "2009-07-05T19:22:19Z")
Vanna told Pat (?) about the little icon of a gas pump on our dashboard… the handle is always on the same side of the vehicle as our gas tank. Cool!! Pat never knew that, and neither did I! So helpful when driving different vehicles. But…but…this isn’t the case on my husband’s truck…?? ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/59 "2009-07-05T19:33:45Z")
> [@sherrycherie](#): > > Vanna told Pat (?) about the little icon of a gas pump on our dashboard… the handle is always on the same side of the vehicle as our gas tank. > Cool!! > Pat never knew that, and neither did I! > So helpful when driving different vehicles. > > But..but..this isn’t the case on my husband’s truck…?? The side that the handle is on in the little icon isn’t the indicator. Most cars have a small arrow (a triangle, really) just under or beside the gas pump icon pointing left or right to indicate which side the tank access is on. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271/60 "2009-07-05T23:07:32Z")
I learned how to spell encyclopedia and Massachusetts from Magic Drawing Board on (the old) **Captain Kangaroo**. I still sing both of them when I spell them. I did it just now, composing this post. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-stuff-you-actually-learned-from-television/501271.md?page=2)