What commonly known thing did you learn at an embarrassingly older age?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That “this little piggy went to market” meant it was going to be sold as meat. I thought it was going to the grocery store.

I never realized that either until just now. 48 y.o.

Same. I didn't know that until I read this post. Now I'm feeling a bit sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That “this little piggy went to market” meant it was going to be sold as meat. I thought it was going to the grocery store.

I never realized that either until just now. 48 y.o.

Same. I didn't know that until I read this post. Now I'm feeling a bit sad.

This is news to me, too! Is the piggy crying “wee wee wee” all the way home an escaped pig from the butcher? Heading home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That headphones had a Right and Left ear. I’d didn’t know it mattered until I was 30.

Wait. What? Is this true? How do you know which is which? Why would it matter?

Well, you would know because they are labeled that way with a R and L. Plus, they are typically economically designed to fit one side or the other.

You mean ergonomically designed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That headphones had a Right and Left ear. I’d didn’t know it mattered until I was 30.

Wait. What? Is this true? How do you know which is which? Why would it matter?

Well, you would know because they are labeled that way with a R and L. Plus, they are typically economically designed to fit one side or the other.

You mean ergonomically designed?

Weird. Yes. That is what I thought I typed. They fit the specific sides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The meaning of the lyrics of most of my favorite songs from the 70s...and 80's for that matter!

Me too! I just learned today oddly enough that "The Year of the Cat" is set in Viet Nam. Also that "The Hotel California" is about drug addiction. Never realized.

it is??

Ok. I thought it was about Hollywood lifestyle.

I thought it was about Anton Lavey and his cult.

[Anonymous]

I read about hotel California and Don Henley was insisting it could mean all things to all people, they made it super vague on purpose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That headphones had a Right and Left ear. I’d didn’t know it mattered until I was 30.

Wait. What? Is this true? How do you know which is which? Why would it matter?

Well, you would know because they are labeled that way with a R and L. Plus, they are typically economically designed to fit one side or the other.

I just looked at the headphones I am wearing and they are not labeled R and L. Both sides look exactly the same. Maybe it only matters with some headphones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The strings sewn into dresses and sweaters (hanger strings)

https://www.dailyedge.ie/hanger-strings-are-so-annoying-2865909-Jul2016/

I didn’t know that you were supposed to cut the thread out of a new coat pocket. For years I worse an expense coat with flaps and no pockets. I just didn’t want to rip it.

I see this in DC all the time and this drives me crazy!!! Also on women skirt's slits, or fabric label on the sleeve of coat or jacket. I always feel like to approach that persona and to cut it off. I grew up in a third world country and everyone knew this. It is mind blowing how this self identified "educated" elite liberals don't know such a thing!

I did not know this either until I was in my 20s, but a lot of people keep the pockets stitched on purpose so they lay flat and look better. See, now you learned something today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That headphones had a Right and Left ear. I’d didn’t know it mattered until I was 30.

Wait. What? Is this true? How do you know which is which? Why would it matter?

Well, you would know because they are labeled that way with a R and L. Plus, they are typically economically designed to fit one side or the other.

I just looked at the headphones I am wearing and they are not labeled R and L. Both sides look exactly the same. Maybe it only matters with some headphones.

Never mind, I found it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That a "yamaka" and a yarmulke are the same thing. I just thought I had never seen "yamaka" written out.

Dh thought “epitome” was pronounced ep-ih-tohm, and didn’t realize it was the same word that we all pronounce as ee-pit-oh-me.

I had an English teacher who would praise us for mispronouncing words like that. She said it was a sign that we were reading lots of challenging books

That is such a sweet and face-saving correction I will remember.

You know that's .... not how you pronounce epitome?....

It's not ee- pit- oh- me

it's uh- pi- tuh- Mee

You are correct for most of the US. In the Northeast, however, it is pronounced the way it is pronounced in the UK: eh-pi-toh-mee. Most of the country tends to have their vowels sound fairly similar, while the Northeast has more distinct vowel sounds. This is why, in most of the country, "epitome" has two schwa sounds in it, and why the vowel sounds in "Mary", "marry", and "merry" are the same, which is not the case in the Northeast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t realize until learning on DCUM in my late 30s that you are not supposed to flush tampons. Oops!

At least you learned on DCUM, not when you were writing a $700 check to the plumber.

OMG, this is news to me?! Are you serious? I thought it’s just plastic applicators, wrappers, and pads that you’re not supposed to flush?

DP. I actually don’t flush tampons Bc I didn’t think it was a good idea but I was actually under the impression that they were designed for flushing if I was so inclined. Weird! I wonder if that has changed from the 90s.

No, it has not changed. I was told this as a young teenager in the mid 90s. Pads too. Have you never noticed the signs in school or public restrooms that say not to flush anything down the toilet except toilet paper? My school even had signs that specifically said not to flush tampons or pads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That Jews are not considered white. I was born in the hood and actually never knew anyone Jewish or at least no one that said “I’m Jewish” until I was about 38 years old. I wasn’t educated on the anything about Jewish culture or even the Holocaust. I never understood why Jews would say they were discriminated against, because to me they looked white. I was really ignorant to all things Jewish until my then 7 year old DD starting learning about it the Holocaust in school. I felt pretty stupid. But it was never anything I was taught about.

Jewish people are white, or can be. Who knows, maybe I am still ignorant of this but I don't think so.

I think this is one of the ways in which race is a social construct in the US. A Black/Hispanic person from “the hood,” as OP puts it, probably sees Jews as white. The same as she’d see white people of other religions and/or ethnic backgrounds. On the other hand, a white Christian person from a Midwestern small town might not see Jews as white.

I'm a white protestant from the deep south, and I have never heard anything in regards to Jews not being white. They might be seen as "ethnic", but they are certainly considered white.

Jews are considered white now. We didn't used to be. Just like Italians and Irish used to be considered of lower status. Can't tell you how many books from the early 1900s I've read that described Italians as "swarthy" and not in a good way.

A lot changed after about 1960.

[Anonymous]

It blows my mind that grown women go this long without knowing you aren’t supposed to flush tampons when signs EVERYWHERE tell you not to flush anything but toilet paper. Hospitals, schools, movies, libraries, malls, etc. all places where I’ve seen these signs. Are you just not paying attention?

[Anonymous]

My DH thought lamb was a type of sheep. He didn’t realize it was a baby sheep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How to pump gas but in my defense I am from NJ

This comment reminded me of something I recently learned:

That there is a little arrow by your gas gauge on your dashboard that tells you what side of the car the gas tank is on. Who knew!

Hmmmm, did not know this. I'll have to check.