# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/61 "2015-08-31T16:57:01Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > Yes. > > There are people, and I am one, who are convinced we were taught to spell the word dilemna that way. As in, mn, not “dilemma”. > > I am pretty sure at some point, the spelling was changed. Or there is some grade school spelling book out there that 1) had a typo, and 2) was widely used. > > Anyone with me? Do you also have a dile **mn** a? I am so totally with you on this. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/62 "2015-08-31T19:40:31Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > I am so totally with you on this. Not me. It was always “dilemma.” I always thought it had something to do with two lemmas (which is a concept I learned, and promptly forgot the meaning of, in math class sometime back when dinosaurs roamed the earth). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/63 "2015-08-31T22:13:01Z")
When I pointed this thread out to my roommate, he said, ‘Do I know you?’ ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/64 "2015-08-31T22:18:52Z")
Do you remember the Thunderbird photo? > **[SEEKING THE MISSING THUNDERBIRD PHOTOGRAPH - ONE OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY'S MOST...](https://karlshuker.blogspot.com/2014/11/seeking-missing-thunderbird-photograph.html)** > > ShukerNature explores cryptozoology & animal mythology - bigfoot, chupacabras, yeti, vampires, sea monsters, Nessie, sasquatch, dragons, mystery cats. [http://www.prairieghosts.com/tbirdaz.html](http://www.prairieghosts.com/tbirdaz.html) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/65 "2015-10-12T02:15:45Z")
Younger son (15) just came upon the conspiracy thing. When I said he could just look for some of the old books (which belonged to much older cousins) he claimed there weren’t any. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/66 "2015-10-12T03:29:47Z")
Somewhat OT but not really given where this has gone, I’d swear that I’d once read an obit for actor George Kennedy but he’s still alive. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2015, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/67 "2015-10-12T05:24:31Z")
I wonder how many mis-readings we came up with (presumably as children) for Goofus and Gallant. Me: When I first saw that, I immediately read it as Galoofus and Gallant, which I pronounced as Ga-LOOF-us and Ga-LANT. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2015, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/68 "2015-10-12T11:39:04Z")
Goofus and Gallant served to mess up my pronunciation of “gallant” for a long, long time. I remember being told that “guh-LAWNT” was correct, but now everything I read says it’s “GAL-unht.” I also am pretty sure my parents told me the opposite directions for how a turn signal works. I was wrong about that for probably 10 years. I think I learned it correctly before driver’s ed, but not long before. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2015, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/69 "2015-10-12T11:47:15Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I also am pretty sure my parents told me the opposite directions for how a turn signal works. I was wrong about that for probably 10 years. I think I learned it correctly before driver’s ed, but not long before. Your folks were messin with you? Have you seen **Dogtooth**? ---
**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:** [October 13, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/70 "2015-10-13T12:53:22Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Your folks were messin with you? Have you seen **Dogtooth**? I think it’s more likely that either I or they misunderstood the question. Or even that I remembered incorrectly. Just like, right now, I had a memory of seeing it spelled Berenstain but hearing it pronounced Berensteen, and noting the pronunciation is weird. I have no idea if that’s a real memory or a confabulated one from all this talk about this stuff lately. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/71 "2015-10-13T16:19:25Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Goldberg, Iceberg… what’s the difference?.. > [@G0sp3l](#): > > 😃 There’s like, six people in the world that know that joke. I’ve only met two and one was the guy that told it to me. We could all fit in one of the Titanic’s lifeboats. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165/72 "2015-10-13T16:24:23Z")
[Wikipedia on ‘dilemna’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilemma#Related_terms): > [@](#): > > The errant spelling **dilemna** is often seen in common usage. It appears to have been taught in many areas of the United States and all over the world, including (but not limited to) France, England, Jamaica and Australia.[1][2][3] There is no prima facie reason for this substitution error and there is no erroneous parallel to be found with the word **lemma** , from which dilemma derives. I remember seeing the ‘dilemna’ spelling in books I read when I was a kid, but not since. Until looking it up just now, I’d assumed it was a correct but archaic spelling, but apparently it’s a somewhat dated _mis_spelling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-berenstein-bears-controversy/729165.md?page=3)