What were some misconceptions you had about the world when you were a child?

[angus]

I thought everything was black and white and grey in the old days.  Cars, houses, streets, people, buildings, everything.  It was always shades of grey.  No color.  At some point I started to understand that this had to do with technological limitations of filming.  Still, it's deeply ingrained.  I still imagine soldiers fighting each other in all the wars prior to Viet Nam as fighting enemies in various shades of grey, and people who made love prior to about 1950 doing it in shades of grey.

[Napoleon]

I thought everything was black and white and grey in the old days.  Cars, houses, streets, people, buildings, everything.  It was always shades of grey.  No color.  At some point I started to understand that this had to do with technological limitations of filming.  Still, it's deeply ingrained.  I still imagine soldiers fighting each other in all the wars prior to Viet Nam as fighting enemies in various shades of grey, and people who made love prior to about 1950 doing it in shades of grey.

I don't know if I ever actually thought that way but the concept has always popped into my mind from time tk time.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I thought bisexual people where girls who acted like boys or boys who acted like girls.

I thought they were intersex.

[TJ in Oregon]

The only thing that pops into my mind, is stuff involving Santa Claus. I was disappointed when my older brother filled me in on that one, at about age 5.

When I was 5, some kid on the bus told me Santa Clause wasn't real and it was my parents. I went home and told my mom that and she replied, "Do you really think we would spend all that money on you?".

That convinced me Santa had to be real for a few more years.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

1. Pedestrians were a type of doctor
2. The world didn't start until at least 1 AD (or 1500/1600)
3. The word "governor" was always immediately followed by "Engler" (I thought Governor Radcliffe in Pocahontas was named "Governor Engler")
4. The Statue of Liberty was a man

I thought everything was black and white and grey in the old days.  Cars, houses, streets, people, buildings, everything.  It was always shades of grey.  No color.  At some point I started to understand that this had to do with technological limitations of filming.  Still, it's deeply ingrained.  I still imagine soldiers fighting each other in all the wars prior to Viet Nam as fighting enemies in various shades of grey, and people who made love prior to about 1950 doing it in shades of grey.

A lot of people said that.  It reminds me of a Calvin & Hobbes comic I saw once:

[Mordecai]

I remember when I was five or six years old not understanding the concept of a credit card and why people complained about not having enough money if they had a credit card.

I also thought Bush was a good President because he had a funny accent and acted goofy.

[Redalgo]

Oh I had a great many misconceptions as a child, and probably still do today without realizing it.

Some examples include, at different stages of childhood:

- The word "robber" is spelled beginning with a silent "w."
- Stuffed animals and some toys have feelings, souls, etc.
- Covering oneself with a quilt wards off monsters at night.
- Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was quality television programming.
- If I was kind to animals they would never try to hurt me.
- Streaking and wallowing in pools of mud are cool weekend activities.
- Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, ghosts, and souls exist.
- Killing trees, wetland reeds, chipmunks, etc. is harmless fun.
- Daycare providers are allowed to force-feed soap or pepper corns as a punishment for kids.

- The word "gazebo" is properly pronounced "gaes-bow."
- Tapioca is a fish egg product.
- Most children are evil and corrupt, rotten to their cores.
- People can be neatly categorized as either good or evil.
- The forces of evil are much stronger than those of good in our world.
- God can be bargained with in conversation or in prayer.
- God will make me to suffer eternally in Hell for not being unquestioningly obedient.
- English, literature, art, math, P.E., and foreign language classes are a waste of time.
- Fishing is completely humane so long as it is catch-and-release.
- It is not important to have any friends.

- Education is about becoming smart and work is about doing something good with ones time.
- Religion has nothing positive to contribute to society.
- Imperialism is necessary to civilize the People, both locally and abroad.
- Executing oppressors and killing those who ever assisted them is just.
- I'd be denied work, jailed, shot, or involuntarily committed if the state learned I am socialist.
- I'd be involuntarily committed and subjected to extreme treatments for being depressed if others knew.
- The United States is an evil empire that must be destroyed for the good of humanity.
- People would be far better off if the Soviets had taken over the world.
- My political opponents are delusional, ignorant, stupid, and/or vicious.
- Most truth claims and moral judgements can be objectively proven to be either correct or false.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Oh I had a great many misconceptions as a child, and probably still do today without realizing it.

Some examples include, at different stages of childhood:

- The word "robber" is spelled beginning with a silent "w."
- Stuffed animals and some toys have feelings, souls, etc.
- Covering oneself with a quilt wards off monsters at night.
- Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was quality television programming.
- If I was kind to animals they would never try to hurt me.
- Streaking and wallowing in pools of mud are cool weekend activities.
- Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, ghosts, and souls exist.
- Killing trees, wetland reeds, chipmunks, etc. is harmless fun.
- Daycare providers are allowed to force-feed soap or pepper corns as a punishment for kids.

- The word "gazebo" is properly pronounced "gaes-bow."
- Tapioca is a fish egg product.
- Most children are evil and corrupt, rotten to their cores.
- People can be neatly categorized as either good or evil.
- The forces of evil are much stronger than those of good in our world.
- God can be bargained with in conversation or in prayer.
- God will make me to suffer eternally in Hell for not being unquestioningly obedient.
- English, literature, art, math, P.E., and foreign language classes are a waste of time.
- Fishing is completely humane so long as it is catch-and-release.
- It is not important to have any friends.

- Education is about becoming smart and work is about doing something good with ones time.
- Religion has nothing positive to contribute to society.
- Imperialism is necessary to civilize the People, both locally and abroad.
- Executing oppressors and killing those who ever assisted them is just.
- I'd be denied work, jailed, shot, or involuntarily committed if the state learned I am socialist.
- I'd be involuntarily committed and subjected to extreme treatments for being depressed if others knew.
- The United States is an evil empire that must be destroyed for the good of humanity.
- People would be far better off if the Soviets had taken over the world.
- My political opponents are delusional, ignorant, stupid, and/or vicious.
- Most truth claims and moral judgements can be objectively proven to be either correct or false.

Dude, do you just write this stuff down as you go through life?

[Redalgo]

Na, my memory is just kind of weird. I am good at remembering traumatic events, things associated with high levels of stress, and the things I enjoyed doing at an early age. I also started contemplating religious and political questions prior to high school, so I've had a lot of time to mull over things and undergo more than a couple transformations in worldview.

Nowadays I keep logs of my forum posts through in case I ever have a reason to go back and figure out when I thought differently about certain issues and, if so, why.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

- God can be bargained with in conversation or in prayer.
- God will make me to suffer eternally in Hell for not being unquestioningly obedient.

I presume those two were not held at the same time.

[The Dowager Mod]

When you arrive at the airport the lady puts your luggage on a conveyer belt which dissapears, when you arrive at your destination your luggage comes up from underground on a conveyer belt, to my 5 yo mind this meant your luggage didn't go on the plane with you, it stayed on the incredibly fast conveyer belt and followed the plane underground all the way.

O_0

[afleitch]

When you arrive at the airport the lady puts your luggage on a conveyer belt which dissapears, when you arrive at your destination your luggage comes up from underground on a conveyer belt, to my 5 yo mind this meant your luggage didn't go on the plane with you, it stayed on the incredibly fast conveyer belt and followed the plane underground all the way.

O_0

I thought that too. I wondered why people weren't putting two and two together and taking the conveyor belt

[MurrayBannerman]

Democrats are the good guys.

Boy, was I wrong.

[Redalgo]

I presume those two were not held at the same time.

And you are correct, yes.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Democrats are the good guys.

Boy, was I wrong.

[BaconBacon96]

That God cared about me.

[Del Tachi]

I didn't realize that pickles were made from cucumbers until age 6 or 7. 

When I was younger I also thought college was some sort of marvelous intellectual experience and that the best way to ensure one was going to be successful was to become extremely intelligent. 

I also thought that habitual drug users, alcoholics and homosexuals would be obvious to anyone walking down the street.   

[Flake]

I didn't realize that pickles were made from cucumbers until age 6 or 7. 

When I was younger I also thought college was some sort of marvelous intellectual experience and that the best way to ensure one was going to be successful was to become extremely intelligent. 

I also thought that habitual drug users, alcoholics and homosexuals would be obvious to anyone walking down the street.   

Them damn homosexuals

[Simfan34]

When you arrive at the airport the lady puts your luggage on a conveyer belt which dissapears, when you arrive at your destination your luggage comes up from underground on a conveyer belt, to my 5 yo mind this meant your luggage didn't go on the plane with you, it stayed on the incredibly fast conveyer belt and followed the plane underground all the way.

O_0

I thought that too. I wondered why people weren't putting two and two together and taking the conveyor belt

That actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it (from the limited knowledge of a child, that is). I wonder if I thought that.

I didn't realize that pickles were made from cucumbers until age 6 or 7. 

More like 16-17 for me, if not later.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I thought that swaztikas were designs people in Eastern Europe sometimes wore that Americans just didn't like out of prejudice.   I also thought Scottish people always wear kilts.

I read in an encyclopedia that Al Capone was a Neapolitan and I thought that meant he was descended from Napoleon.  I also wondered why they named an ice cream after him.

I thought that most men become mean bikers for a few years in their late teens/twenties.

I thought that smoking and/or watching MTV meant you were a terrible person.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

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This... absence... is not discussed enough.

[Zanas]

To me, for a time, there were only three historical eras : prehistory with dinosaurs and cavemen, then the "past" which was ca. 1900 as seen on Quality Street candy boxes (must have had those boxes at home), then the present. I didn't fill in the gaps for a while.

I also learnt to my horror that Earth was spinning, and I felt dizzy for the rest of that day.

[TDAS04]

I thought that people developed gray hair and wrinkles the instant they turned 50.

I also once thought that honesty was a prerequisite to becoming a president (after hearing about George Washington and the cherry tree).

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I also once thought that honesty was a prerequisite to becoming a president (after hearing about George Washington and the cherry tree).

Which makes me wonder why things are said to be as American as apple pie rather than as cherry pie.

[angus]

Which makes me wonder why things are said to be as American as apple pie rather than as cherry pie.

Clearly, you have never talked to this guy: