# Wait, that's real? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103 "2012-01-02T01:59:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/121 "2012-01-04T15:06:13Z")
I know that Regis Filbin has been in entertainment for decades, but I had never actually seen him until fairly recently. So whenever they used to talk about him in some comedy skit I figured that it was just a name they made up. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/122 "2012-01-04T15:54:04Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > [Mystery Date for bears](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89V0jyGCPZw&feature=colike) Thank you for that. You just made my day start with a good laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/123 "2012-01-04T16:29:06Z")
From A Christmas Story: > [@](#): > > I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle! I only realized recently that these things actually existed and that there was a comic strip with Red Ryder in it. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/124 "2012-01-04T16:46:46Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > The outcry about the title change of the first Harry Potter book/movie only made sense to me when I figured out years later that [Nicolas Flamel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Flamel) was a real person, not someone made up for the story and therefore there actually was (thought to be) something called a philosopher’s stone. Years ago I was teaching history and the subject of alchemy vs. chemistry came up. I started to make a point illustrating the difference, using Flamel as my example. A girl immediately shot her hand up, saying “That’s from Harry Potter!” I finished the story, but I think the impact was dulled somewhat. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/125 "2012-01-04T17:11:15Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > FYI, the terms “idiot,” “moron,” and “imbecile” were actual classifications used by the medical profession to designate the degree of mental disability. Idiots had a mental age of less than a three-year-old, imbeciles had a mental age of three to seven-year-old, and morons had a mental age of a seven to ten-year-old. It’s easy to see how those terms could make into the common usage as epithets. That’s one of my favorite trivia questions: Who’s smarter, an idiot, an imbecile, or a moron? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/126 "2012-01-04T18:45:58Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I was stunned to learn that _Jack and Jill_ (with Adam Sandler playing both the fraternal-twin title roles) was a real movie and not just something Parker and Stone had made up for an episode of _South Park_ about (among other things) the dumbing-down of the culture. The AWESOM-O episode of South Park was from 2004. Parker and Stone _did_ make it up. I think that make it even worse for culture. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/127 "2012-01-04T18:56:04Z")
I thought “Wolf 359” was a code-word designation for the rendez-vous point for Starfleet when they battled the Borg. I found out later that it’s an actual star. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/128 "2012-01-04T19:23:10Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > From A Christmas Story: > > I only realized recently that these things actually existed and that there was a comic strip with Red Ryder in it. I bought one for my son about 20 years ago and hid it behind the tree and pulled it out as the last present. We had been watching the movie that Christmas and it was a real special ‘holy shit’ moment for him. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/129 "2012-01-04T19:25:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That’s one of my favorite trivia questions: Who’s smarter, an idiot, an imbecile, or a moron? Easy mnemonic : [“Duh… you can’t fool me, because I’m a _moron!_”](http://cdn.follw.it/episodeimages/originals/19731/506984.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/130 "2012-01-04T19:27:01Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > that’s exactly how I remember Poindexter. I think Mystery Date predates Barbie Queen of the Prom by 10 years or so. No, Barbie, Queen of the Prom came out in 1960, Mystery Date in 1965. The original Mystery Date did not include names for the dates, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/131 "2012-01-04T19:28:53Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Thank you for that. You just made my day start with a good laugh. Mine too. Though I was picturing something more ursine. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![coffinjumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@coffinjumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffinjumper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/132 "2012-01-04T19:39:22Z")
The first time I saw a commercial for The Social Network I thought it was a joke. The very idea was so ridiculous I was sure it was a parody trailer like something on SNL. The next few months with all the jokes online which followed the premise only helped me to spend the entire time not sure whether it was real or not, but suspecting joke. It wasn’t until it started showing up one people’s best of the year list that I fully realized it was indeed a real movie. My mind still balks at the idea and I think I’m going to just keep going with my initial interpretation and refusing to believe it. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/133 "2012-01-04T20:10:43Z")
My Dad used to tell us all sorts of “trivia” that was bullshit - things like giant catfish live at the bottom the dam in Crab Orchard Lake, two NFL owners in the 50’s traded franchises in a poker game, “tip” and “golf” are acronyms, etc. One of his favorites was that the “carrots are great for your eyesight” thing was bullshit invented by the British as misinformation to mess with German pilots. I was plenty surprised to find out that one was [real](http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/carrots.asp), lemme tell you. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/134 "2012-01-04T20:29:03Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The AWESOM-O episode of South Park was from 2004. Parker and Stone _did_ make it up. I think that make it even worse for culture. I remember that episode and among other things, there was a scene of Cartman (dressed as a robot) pitching multiple Adam Sandler movies to a group of Hollywood execs, but I was talking about the very specific reference to _Jack and Jill_ that was included in the 15th season episode “You’re Getting Old”, first broadcast on June 8, 2011. The boys are at a theater and watching trailers for upcoming films, one of which is _Jack and Jill_. Another is [a Jim Carrey film about him dealing with a flock of penguins](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396218/), and a third is a movie about a duck who becomes president. The Sandler and Carrey movies were real, I would later find out to my amazement. The duck president one might also be, but I can’t find a specific film. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/135 "2012-01-04T20:58:21Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > If you need a word for non-US English speakers, try “Commonwealth”, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, South Africa, and (as far as I know) all of the native English-speaking countries except the USA. Ireland hasn’t been a part of the Commonwealth since 1949 and we’re (mostly) native English-speaking. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/136 "2012-01-04T21:00:40Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > From A Christmas Story: > > I only realized recently that these things actually existed and that there was a comic strip with Red Ryder in it. Well the actual gun as described in the film didn’t exist as I found out recently when I tried to buy one. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/137 "2012-01-04T21:11:58Z")
Was anyone else taken in by Von Daniken when they were a kid? I really thought all of that stuff had some basis in science growing up. I realize it doesn’t count towards the OP, since there are still folks who take it seriously, but finding out that and all the Devil’s Triangle stuff was bunk was a watershed moment in my own life. -XT ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/138 "2012-01-04T21:15:27Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Was anyone else taken in by Von Daniken when they were a kid? I really thought all of that stuff had some basis in science growing up. I realize it doesn’t count towards the OP, since there are still folks who take it seriously, but finding out that and all the Devil’s Triangle stuff was bunk was a watershed moment in my own life. > > -XT Crushing disappointment wasn’t it? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/139 "2012-01-04T21:18:19Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] Crushing disappointment wasn’t it? [/QUOTE] It really was. I was just a teen, and it seemed all the mystery had gone out of the world when I discovered this stuff was bullshit. It wasn’t until I got to college that I started to find out that real life was plenty mysterious enough, and that reality was weirder than any made up bullshit or hokey psudo-scientific claptrap. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103/140 "2012-01-04T21:28:27Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Other than the last letter is a scheche, how does it not spell smersh? Even in the original book after bond gets a scheche carved on the back of one of his hands necessitating plastic surgery to fix it, he refers to it as a scheche representing smersh. [i am not going to putz around with unicode or copy and paste, I feel like crap, I have the second cold in 2 months after 3 years without one:(] I think Joe was being facetious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-thats-real/608103.md?page=8)