# The Berenstein Bears Controversy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165 "2015-08-28T12:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/21 "2015-08-28T15:57:49Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > šŸ˜ƒ Thereā€™s like, six people in the world that know that joke. Iā€™ve only met two and one was the guy that told it to me. And here it is- [spoiler] A Chinese man and his Jewish friend were walking along one day when the Jewish man whirled and slugged the Chinese man and knocked him down. ā€œWhat was that for?ā€ the Chinese man asked. ā€œThat was for Pearl Harbor!ā€ the Jewish man said. ā€œPearl Harbor? That was the Japanese. Iā€™m Chinese.ā€ ā€œChinese, Japanese, you are all the same!ā€ ā€œOh!ā€ They continued walking and after a while the Chinese man whirled and knocked the Jewish man to the ground. ā€œWhat was that for?ā€ the Jewish man asked. ā€œThat was for the Titanic!ā€ ā€œThe Titanic? That was an iceberg.ā€ ā€œIceberg, Goldberg, you are all the same.ā€[/spoiler] Right?šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/22 "2015-08-28T16:21:44Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > šŸ˜ƒ Thereā€™s like, six people in the world that know that joke. Iā€™ve only met two and one was the guy that told it to me. Me! Me! I know it! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/23 "2015-08-28T16:26:38Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > šŸ˜ƒ Thereā€™s like, six people in the world that know that joke. Iā€™ve only met two and one was the guy that told it to me. Nonsense, itā€™s an old joke thatā€™s pretty well known, especially among Jews. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/24 "2015-08-28T17:55:35Z")
> [@DadWagonDriver](#): > > I grew up in the -stein universe, pronounced ā€œBear-en-steen,ā€ so Iā€™m also flummoxed by this shift. I guess when I moved from Michigan to Arizona, or when I moved back to Michigan, I missed a turn at Albuquerque and went through a wormhole. Looks like some remnants of the -stein universe may still exist here in this current, -stain universe. [http://ptl.stparchive.com/page\_image.php?paper=PTL&year=1985&month=09&day=12&page=5&mode=F&base=PTL09121985P06&title=The%20Ponchatoula%20Times%20&logo=http://ptl.stparchive.com//images/logo/4561741102011.10.14publogoPTL.jpg](http://ptl.stparchive.com/page_image.php?paper=PTL&year=1985&month=09&day=12&page=5&mode=F&base=PTL09121985P06&title=The%20Ponchatoula%20Times%20&logo=http://ptl.stparchive.com//images/logo/4561741102011.10.14publogoPTL.jpg) Look at the TV listings for Saturday at 7:00. So perhaps there indeed was a glitch in space-timeā€¦ or a typo, or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/25 "2015-08-28T18:08:02Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > Looks like some remnants of the -stein universe may still exist here in this current, -stain universe. > [http://ptl.stparchive.com/page\_image.php?paper=PTL&year=1985&month=09&day=12&page=5&mode=F&base=PTL09121985P06&title=The%20Ponchatoula%20Times%20&logo=http://ptl.stparchive.com//images/logo/4561741102011.10.14publogoPTL.jpg](http://ptl.stparchive.com/page_image.php?paper=PTL&year=1985&month=09&day=12&page=5&mode=F&base=PTL09121985P06&title=The%20Ponchatoula%20Times%20&logo=http://ptl.stparchive.com//images/logo/4561741102011.10.14publogoPTL.jpg) > > Look at the TV listings for Saturday at 7:00. So perhaps there indeed was a glitch in space-timeā€¦ or a typo, or something like that. [Mandela Effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandela_Effect) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/26 "2015-08-28T18:11:33Z")
This thread may be best suited to Cafe Society. Iā€™ll relocate it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/27 "2015-08-28T18:16:00Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > This thread may be best suited to Cafe Society. Iā€™ll relocate it. Noooooooo!! Donā€™t disappear the thread, people will forget about it in this timestream!!! ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/28 "2015-08-28T18:25:02Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Noooooooo!! Donā€™t disappear the thread, people will forget about it in this timestream!!! Cafe Society is the most frequented forum in the alternate universe, Iā€™m told. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/29 "2015-08-28T18:45:36Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Cafe Society is the most frequented forum in the alternate universe, Iā€™m told. I thought it was called the Coffee Society. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/30 "2015-08-28T18:46:36Z")
Not my era. But I know that every time I hear the name, I think it sounds like something left on the sheets. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/31 "2015-08-28T18:51:29Z")
Bears canā€™t spell, so what does it matter? ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/32 "2015-08-28T18:58:08Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I thought it was called the Coffee Society. Thisā€¦ this is _marvelous_! Thatā€™s the first time Iā€™ve laughed out loud at something here in a long time. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/33 "2015-08-28T19:29:14Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I thought it was called the Coffee Society. No, itā€™s _Coffee Talk_. You have coffee, you talk. No big woop. The Bernstain Bear is neither a stain nor a bear. Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/34 "2015-08-28T19:39:33Z")
Like some others, I always thought it was -stain. When I saw the thread title, I thought ā€œI think that name is spelled wrong.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/35 "2015-08-28T19:40:44Z")
That wave during their vacation still haunts my dreams. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/36 "2015-08-28T20:02:26Z")
No matter how you spell it, Mama Bear was a condescending know-it-all jerk who treated her husband like shit. Iā€™ve read a few too many of these to my kids in recent years. Papa Bear was the prototypical idiot husband who couldnā€™t feed himself without his wife to take care of him. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/37 "2015-08-28T20:02:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I searched. Hard. If that condition lasts more than 4 hours, consult your doctor. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/38 "2015-08-28T20:25:12Z")
I would have bet money that it was Berenstein, I recall myself remarking about the spelling and wondering how to pronounce it. I would not have wondered about that if it was Berenstain. We are living in an alternate universe people! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/39 "2015-08-28T20:37:00Z")
When I was a kid, spelling the names in childrenā€™s books was so much easier. It was Babar and George, Curious. ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/40 "2015-08-28T20:42:40Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > Looks like some remnants of the -stein universe may still exist here in this current, -stain universe. > [http://ptl.stparchive.com/page\_image.php?paper=PTL&year=1985&month=09&day=12&page=5&mode=F&base=PTL09121985P06&title=The%20Ponchatoula%20Times%20&logo=http://ptl.stparchive.com//images/logo/4561741102011.10.14publogoPTL.jpg](http://ptl.stparchive.com/page_image.php?paper=PTL&year=1985&month=09&day=12&page=5&mode=F&base=PTL09121985P06&title=The%20Ponchatoula%20Times%20&logo=http://ptl.stparchive.com//images/logo/4561741102011.10.14publogoPTL.jpg) > > Look at the TV listings for Saturday at 7:00. So perhaps there indeed was a glitch in space-timeā€¦ or a typo, or something like that. Series premiere of Gummi Bears! That is far more exciting. (Also channel 12 showed a lot of Child Sexual Abuse later in the day. Worrisome.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165.md?page=3)