Which misconseption annoys you more?

[CM156_v1legacy]

The state laws thing is the worst one. Or the fact that some people think that the First Amendment is carte blanche to say or do whatever you damn well please, anywhere and everywhere.

But what annoys me more is that people think there are some Libertarians that are 100% sane. Here's the thing: we're not. We are each one or more kinds of crazy.

(^The above is a joke. I wouldn't have to disclaim this is people online could understand humor)

 

[Camaranth]

I was out to dinner with a few mates from France when one of them started on the whole Europe thing...
"What do you mean you're going to Europe, where in Europe do they think it's a country? What is the capitol of Europe?!"
My deadpan serious response "Brussels"

It took me about 10 minutes to assure her that I wasn't serious because that annoys me too and when people talk about Africa like a country.

The law thing can be annoying but I can understand people getting confused between what is federal and what is state law, I sure as hell do at times. so long as they look sheepish when corrected.

 

[xedi]

- Last and by no means least, the idea that all Asians have small penises. I hate people that ask me about that directly at parties. Makes me wanna take it out and slap the fake tan out of them.

Well, not all, but the average size is smaller, so it is not really a misconception. But yeah, asking about it directly is kinda weird.

 

[mionic]

The Europe one, really, thinking it is one big country really proves that people are so stupid they should not live...

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

The Europe one, really, thinking it is one big country really proves that people are so stupid they should not live...

Can you imagine the civil wars.

Oh good grief.

The Eurovision Song contest was on and I said to my sis 'Is there any country in Europe that doesn't have a vendetta against another.'

We couldn't come up with anything. Maybe Switzerland but even they got harrassed in WW2.

 

[subtlefuge]

I know more people than I should that don't know that Africa is not a country.

 

[WanderingFool]

What gets on my nerves more is when Americans don't know that the laws vary from state to state.

Its your own fucking country. Learn about it a little. You're the reason that the rest of the world hates us.

Oh God this...

It terrifies me just how stupid some a person can be about their own country...

*Edit*

Also, how people seem to think that because I was a history major, I have an encyclopedia of historic knowledge at my disposal. I study history to do research and expand the knowledge of the past for future generations, not to spout out facts for you entertainment!

 

[QUINTIX]

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/01/david-charles-koch-jobs/
>People who confuse net worth with disposable income

Americans on average make 2 million over their working lives. If I am lucky I will make 7 million in my entire working life. 7 million goes into 42 billion 6,000 times.

Yet there are people who honestly believe that these two men, who are in their 70's, have all that money in liquid cash that they are hoarding all to themselves. The Koch borthers are responsible for an enterprise that brings in $100 billion in revenue, yearly.

Edit: Some proofread fails

 

[Pingieking]

What gets on my nerves more is when Americans don't know that the laws vary from state to state.

Its your own fucking country. Learn about it a little. You're the reason that the rest of the world hates us.

Oh God this...

It terrifies me just how stupid some a person can be about their own country...

This. And apply it to Canada as well.

2.) All Philosophy students are just lazy and need to do a 'real subject'. Sorry, by 'real' do you just mean 'harder'? I don't see how taking analytical chemistry will blow open the world of opportunity for you...

The odd thing is that people say similar things to physics students too, which is seen as a difficult discipline. It's more like "Wow, physics is really hard, you must be really smart. Why don't you stop with that science nonsense and do something actually useful, like cure cancer?"

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I know more people than I should that don't know that Africa is not a country.

How could you even get through school or watch the news or ANYTHING without learning that at some point. Really it's an amazing feat.

I actually had an argument with my sixth form, geography teacher once who didn't allow her children to watch TV. I think she was very religious. I was curious if she knew exactly how much general knowledge they were missing out on. I think I actually swayed her a bit, which was nice.

 

[Rayne870]

The thing is there are many countries that make up Europe, and that there really isn't a good reason for states to have such variation in laws. So by that the Europe thing bugs me much more.

 

[Baneat]

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/01/david-charles-koch-jobs/
>People who confuse net worth with disposable income

Americans on average make 2 million over there working lives. If I am lucky I will make 7 million in my entire working life. 7 million goes into 42 billion 6,000 times.

Yet there are people who honestly believe that these two men, who are in their 60's, have all that money in liquid cash that they are hoarding all to themselves. The Koch borthers are responsible for an enterprise that brings in $100 billion in revenue, yearly.

So when people say X is worth Y, do they mean over their life they'll have made Y?

 

[rokkolpo]

I find it more annoying when British people call the European mainland just 'Europe', as if they aren't part of it. Sure they may be an island but that really doesn't make them any less European.

Probably a mixture of British self infatuation coupled with the fact that most European countries hate us, we're kind of the America of Europe in that sense.

Ow come on that's just not true, all European countries hate each other equally.
Spoken by a Dutchman.

 

[The Funslinger]

I don't feel like adding a poll, just starting a discussion.

Anyhow, which misconception annoys you more, the fact that some people think Europe is all one big country or the that some people think or don't realize laws vary state to state in America?

Both get on my nerves when I am having a discussion where those are relevant. And they are somewhat connected and usually are in conversations about why are Americans/Europeans like this or that.

Well the America thing is why I tell people I want to live in TEXAS, AMERICA, as I know the laws there. As for the Europe thing, I don't encounter that, as I live in England, and nobody here thinks that.

 

[kayisking]

I don't feel like adding a poll, just starting a discussion.

Anyhow, which misconception annoys you more, the fact that some people think Europe is all one big country or the that some people think or don't realize laws vary state to state in America?

Both get on my nerves when I am having a discussion where those are relevant. And they are somewhat connected and usually are in conversations about why are Americans/Europeans like this or that.

Speaking as an European, I really don't mind people seeing us as one country. I think that might in fact be the way to go in the future. I never really talk much about the American law so I can't really anwser the second bit.

 

[undeserving]

I always feel like we have more in common with the USA than Mainland Europe which is ironic considering the makeup of the USA and our colonial history. That's probably due to language, our culture mixes and transfers easily.

Mainland Europeans just seems so different to us. It might be to do with the Empire aswell which someone else brought up.

Maybe if the rest of the continent starts to understand sarcasm and fish and chips.

Also Eurovision Song Contest...do not want.

yeh, you're spot on with the cultural similarities... i guess you're right, it does mostly come from the common language.

I speak fluent(ish) german and sometimes things are just not worth translating.

Dark humour and fish and chips are indeed, terribly-terribly British and seem to have travelled better over the atlantic ocean than they did over the channel.

 

[Axelhander]

What gets on my nerves more is when Americans don't know that the laws vary from state to state.

Its your own fucking country. Learn about it a little. You're the reason that the rest of the world hates us.

What annoys me: when it's always someone else's fault.

 

[dex-dex]

That canadians say about "aboot" I have been all over Canada and I have never heard a Canadian say "aboot"

THANK YOU!
there is nothing more annoying then when I go to the states and one idiot asks why I am not saying about as aboot.

 

[dex-dex]

DAMN YOU GLITCHES!!!!!

 

[DanDeFool]

I'm not innocent of this though, as a kid I used to think Russia and Germany was the same Country.

Well, depending on when you were a kid, you might be forgiven for being half-right. After all, post-WWII, half of Germany (East Germany) and Russia were both part of the USSR.

duuuuuude, are you serious? east germany was never part of the ussr. never. ever. didn't even border it. it was a state of the warsaw pact, but that's like saying that france was part of the u.s., since they both are in the nato.

that made me cringe..

Well, I guess that's another annoying misconception to add to the thread.

Bummer. I thought I was knowledgeable... but I guess not.