Things You Were Wrong About

I thought I lived in a democracy.

I know nothing.

I thought I could fit into that parking space.

What r1 said

I thought Nikki Minaj would fade after like 3 years. I was wrong.

I thought my schools tuition wouldn’t increase 5K a year

I used to think that vitamins and other diet supplements had to be FDA-approved, and that pasteurized juice and milk sold in stores contain natural vitamins.

I thought we’d be able to survive the trump administration

The spelling of "Wednesday".

Much of left wing ideology.

Turns out my parents weren't completely wrong...

I was an idealistic child of the sixties. It truly seemed as if things were changing and we were going to enter a new Golden Age. In some very important ways, things have changed for the better, eg the rights of minorities and the vulnerable, including women, children, blacks, the disabled, and of course gays. It never occurred to me that in 50 years, things could go so far backwards in other ways, so that now it feels like we have returned to the Dark Ages - terrorism, mass shootings, stabbings, acid attacks, self-interest, selfishness....

That “Forrest Gump” would go down in history as one of the worst films with a mega-budget ever made, ending up on the midnight circuit with audiences mocking the dialogue and yelling obscenities at the characters. Ditto for “Titanic.”

That there was an inherent point to existence, rather than the fact the universe is simply chaos.

I was wrong about my extended family growing up thinking they were decent people. I just realize I had nothing to compare them to as I had not experienced anything else. As I slowly became an adult, I realized they weren't just uneducated rural bumpkins, they were bad people.

To go along with r12,

I, too, thought Titanic was going to be an epic failure. I remember reading somewhere during filming that it was way over budget and the studio was thinking of pulling the plug and silently laughing to myself.

My thinking was everybody knows how the story ends, the ship sinks; there’s already been at least three movies made about it; and nobody cares anymore. If it was the 1980s when they located it, maybe, but not now.

I was wrong.

That world events like a Depression, world war or a pandemic were relegated to the past and would never occur again.

I thought electronic voting machines would be more secure than paper and would lead to less election fraud. I was so wrong.

The whole world was wrong about me!

I was a gay Republican when Bloomberg was mayor of NYC.

I thought that fat, midget Kim Jong Un really was dead.

I thought John Edwards was a decent guy (for a politician) and would be one of our greatest Democratic presidents.

I'm embarrassed that I supported Jesse Jackson for President in 1988. I was 30 year old

Everytime I judged anyone I regret, judging is wrong.

Thinking “it won’t happen to me”

That higher education was synonymous with intelligence, common sense, perspective and discernment.

R18 And to think that Vaclav Havel refused a 1991 nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and proposed her for the honour instead.

That Iron Eyes Cody was Native American.

That Bill Cosby was the ideal father.

That oil labeled as “olive” was 100% olive oil.

That we had learned lessons about totalitarian, fascist-like leaders. It's a thing again in many countries around the world - US, UK, Brazil, Phillipines, Hungary, etc.

That it was a fine idea to torpedo American manufacturing and transfer it all to China, thus creating a new Chinese affluent class and a rust belt in the US.

That it was a great idea to become economically dependent on China, a country notorious for barbaric practices and negligible hygiene.

Actually, I didn't have these thoughts at all.

[quote] It never occurred to me that in 50 years, things could go so far backwards in other ways, so that now it feels like we have returned to the Dark Ages - terrorism, mass shootings, stabbings, acid attacks, self-interest, selfishness....

It's strange. Like you said, we have more freedom and rights than 60 years ago but something has been lost. I do think that we Americans as a whole have lost our sense of morality. I'm not talking about morality in the "moral majority" sense. I think the breakdown in trust of the government, the social liberation that took off in the 60s (both good and bad), the moral majority and the "greed is good" mentality of the 80s all have a part to play in that. Most Americans seem to be well aware of this though.68% of Americans feel we are selfish, with 28% thinking that selfishness describes Americans "very well"! Maybe the millennial generation will be the one to lead reform in our institutions and make our society less selfish.

Dat eye woold be rich if I marry fat orange retard.

[quote] That it was a fine idea to torpedo American manufacturing and transfer it all to China, thus creating a new Chinese affluent class and a rust belt in the US.

American manufacturing in it's former state was bound to go away anyway. Manufacturing is more profitable now that in the past, actually. First, it shifted to the sunbelt and then to China. Even China is too expensive for some manufacturers and many jobs have shifted to places like Vietnam which are much cheaper. What America needs is more advanced manufacturing/advanced industry jobs. We lag behind many European countries in this regard. Part of the problem is a comparatively lower amount of R&D.

I thought all uncut meat was disgusting.

I thought I wanted a career. Instead I just wanted a paycheck.

That gay marriage would never happen in America.

That the American people would have more sense than to elect a con man with weird orange skin and fucked up hair President.

That Russia would become (almost) as big of a threat as it was in the Cold War era.

I thought Madonna would age gracefully.

I didn’t think Trumpism was contagious.

R32 why the change? Did your foreskin grow back?

That human brains would evolve along with technology.

That the “average” person is competent and responsible enough to drive a motor vehicle, handle a firearm, and manage their finances.

That having an IQ of100 meant more than just being able to eat, sleep, and fuck without accidentally killing ourselves.

[quote] American manufacturing in it's former state was bound to go away anyway.

Oh, dear!

I just assumed life in the 21st century would be pretty much as shown on The Jetsons...

Whaddaya mean, r42? No black people?