# Things people in the US are absolutely sure of but are completely unproven. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353 "2002-04-24T15:05:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/41 "2002-04-25T10:54:27Z")
That more us get our news from ABC News than from any other source. That God is on our side. That Velveeta is a cheese. ---
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/42 "2002-04-25T11:26:21Z")
“The American way of life in not negotiable” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/43 "2002-04-25T12:01:00Z")
I’m certain that… _If you ever travel West. Travel my way, Take the Highway, that’s the best… Get your kicks On Route 66_ 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/44 "2002-04-25T12:18:30Z")
Spelling. American dictionaries have a discriminatory policy against zed’s and u’s. (Yes, it IS ZED and not ZEE you know!!) For most of us it is victimiZe/rationaliZe and coloUr/favoUr. But youse buggers have screwed it all up with victimiSe and colOr. Now Word tries to correct me every time I use the Queens English! Die Yankee Dogmatism ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/45 "2002-04-25T12:40:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kambuckta \* > Spelling. > > American dictionaries have a discriminatory policy against zed’s and u’s. (Yes, it IS ZED and not ZEE you know!!) > > For most of us it is victimiZe/rationaliZe and coloUr/favoUr. But youse buggers have screwed it all up with victimiSe and colOr. Now Word tries to correct me every time I use the Queens English! > > \*\*Die Yankee Dogmatism \*\* Americans spell victimize v-i-c-t-i-m-i-z-e and we spell rationalize r-a-t-i-o-n-a-l-i-z-e. You must be thinking of another country? We do omit the U from color, honor, flavor, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/46 "2002-04-25T13:13:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kambuckta \* > **Now Word tries to correct me every time I use the Queens English!** You _do_ know you can change your language settings to use the Queen’s English, don’t you…? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/47 "2002-04-25T13:14:24Z")
The average person thinks that TV advertising has no effect on them. This thread has sure shown that to be a fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/48 "2002-04-25T13:29:39Z")
Myth One: Anyone, if they work hard enough, can become rich and famous in America. Myth Two: Rich and famous people would give it all away in a second to enjoy the true happiness of the poor. ---
**Author:** ![WavyDavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3da27b/32.png) [@WavyDavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WavyDavy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/49 "2002-04-25T14:01:58Z")
Aliens Muskrat love ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/50 "2002-04-25T14:21:58Z")
> [@](#): > > For most of us it is victimiZe/rationaliZe and coloUr/favoUr. But youse buggers have screwed it all up with victimiSe and colOr. Now Word tries to correct me every time I use the Queens English! That’s the Brits who prefer s to z. Americans like ZEEs just fine. Remember, Zed’s dead baby, Zed’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/51 "2002-04-25T14:29:30Z")
“You’re in good hands with Allstate” (unless you happen to lose your home in a hurricane in Florida, in which case, you’re on your own.) ---
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/52 "2002-04-25T14:33:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Wandering vaguely back in the general direction of the OP: Well-more like the direction in which I nudged the thread until **galen** could come back and reclaim his thread. Alas, he never did, so who knows what the hell the OP actually said? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/53 "2002-04-25T17:52:19Z")
If you build it, they will come… ---
**Author:** ![MachV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@MachV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachV)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/54 "2002-04-25T18:51:40Z")
What the world really needs is another Friday the 13th sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/55 "2002-04-25T19:21:22Z")
I think that Jesus is widely assumed to be an American. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/56 "2002-04-25T20:08:17Z")
Having more prisoners than any other country in the world is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/57 "2002-04-25T20:30:22Z")
> [@](#): > > so who knows what the hell the OP actually said? That we know what the hell the OP actually said. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/58 "2002-04-25T21:52:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Robb \* > \*\* > That’s the Brits who prefer s to z. Americans like ZEEs just fine. Remember, Zed’s dead baby, Zed’s dead. \*\* Not only is “zed” dead, but it actually comes from French. From taking this French linguistics course, I wonder if English originally had any words of its own. Half it’s vocabulary came from French, the rest from German! ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/59 "2002-04-25T21:58:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShibbOleth \* > \*\*We do omit the U from color, honor, flavor, etc. \*\* As well we should. For do you know what the Latin (nominative) word for color is? Why it’s color. What’s the Latin (nominative) word for honor? Why it’s honor. Of course now this post doesn’t fit in this thread. We spell relief R-O-L-A-I-D-S. And our hotdogs have both first and last names. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353/60 "2002-04-25T21:59:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mandielise \* > \*\*the rest from German! \*\* Of course English and German are very closely related and many words though they may sound the same have the same origin in pre-500 times. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-people-in-the-us-are-absolutely-sure-of-but-are-completely-unproven/105353.md?page=4)