Forums » Smalltalk » Misunderstood Pop Culture

Have you ever heard references to something popular from all of your friends but had no idea what they were referring to because you hadn't read/watched/seen The Thing That Is So Awesome?

I feel like we've all been there.

I don't know about all of you, but there have been times where I assumed something wildly different than the reality of what was being referenced.

For example, for a long time as a young'un I thought that a Phoenix Down was like chucking a phoenix at a body and having them somehow absorb it and resurrect.
Picture that for a moment.
Straight up yeeting a phoenix at a corpse.
..
Anyway..

What are some references that you were wrong about?
I feel like this could be hilarious, share with me!

**goes off to google what the heck a Phoenix Down is**


Me, no, I never miss pop culture references.

I know I definitely have, but remembering an incident that stands out isn't working at the moment...

I tend to describe myself as a "low level" or "baby" nerd. I have a baseline interest in many things, but don't really get into anything. I love hearing people talk about it and seeing how excited they get, but I often have no clue what any of it is really about. I go to conventions to work, because otherwise I'm just a confused wallflower for a couple hours and then leave. Within the realm of media, I can only recall one nerd rage: watching the Hobbit movies I felt like I finally understood why Star Wars fans were so angry about the Star Wars prequels.

And yeah, the idea of throwing the whole pheonix is pretty great.

That's an issue I often have when talking to people online, mostly because I'm homeschooled and new to all this "pop culture" stuff. It is annoying, but every time it happens I see it as an opportunity for me to learn more about it.

Back in my high school days, the term "camel toe" was very new. High school Tasha relied on context clues to understand to understand all these fun, new terms but camel toe wasn't one I could figure out. A friend had to explain it it to me after they said someone had gross camel toe and I, in my infinite teenage wisdom, said she had really nice toes. Yup.

I get so confused with all the new dance crazes. I think my generation has so many good things about it, but also so many bad things. Like, there’s a reason older people judge us and say stuff like “back in my day”

I don't have a TV (well - I do but it's not tuned to any stations. Video gaming only) nor do I use any streaming services like Netflix. Generally my free time is fairly limited and I'm always desparate for more to spend on creative / social pursuits. As such I always comes off as an absolute buffoon when it comes to a lot of super-popular TV series. On one hand it feels kind of alienating to just stand of the fringe of a lot of conversations, but on the other
1) I never have to worry about spoilers I don't care if I find out x does y in a series I don't, and never will watch.
2) TV series are a massive investment of time. If I started watching, I think I'd get addicted. I'd rather just not start.

I'm just mostly confused by all the new terms that are used in place of "cool" or "awesome" and things like that.

I had no clue what "yeet" or "lit" meant for like ages.

That happens every generation.

To be honest, I had no idea what Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia was until a close comrade mentioned it to me; I also didn't realize until much, much later that those two names were referencing the exact same anime.

Ask me about the Fate series, and I know more than enough to hold a lot of conversations with people! Ask about any other anime (especially more recent ones), and it will show that I am an old-school nerd with no interest in the new stuff.

Overall, I'm in Claine's general situation (one TV for gaming use only, has never used streaming services and never will for the most part). However, I'm not really alienated when other people talk about new shows and stuff because I just don't care about anything new coming out unless it's a game I've had my eye on for a while. Basically:

Also, the image of a phoenix being yeeted at a dead person should not be so funny to me. And I know what Phoenix Down is.

This is a little embarrassing, and I turned red when I realized how wrong I was (which made sense to no one in light of it's true meaning)

But.....

I used to think selfie was a....dirty term. Something NSFW as it were, and so I was afraid to ask about it for the longest time. Imagine some of the things I heard in reference to an innocent selfie that I thought were very untoward which in reality were perfectly normal conversations lol

Ah, me.....

What's embarrassing is I have played several FF games and still didn't know what a Phoenix Down was until just now...

I don't really get the yeet thing still despite it being explained several times.

I didn't understand gangnam style for several years when it was new.

I also have never watched Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, or Harry Potter so many of the pop culture references from those completely escape me.

Same for me with that yeet thing, and I have no idea what Gangnam style is either, but I'm getting the same impression from it that I did with selfie

It took me a long time to understand 'yeet' too, until I found this:

Yeet is an exclamation of excitement, approval, surprise, or all-around energy, often as issued when doing a dance move or throwing something.

Hope that's helpful

Also, Lucree, when I think about it now I definitely cry from laughing so hard so it's fine

My TV is used just for DVDs, so I feel all of you on that. I think I absorb most pop culture from YouTube, which is a dangerous way to do it, but oh well. Here's another one of mine:

I thought Pickle Rick was the name of a pornstar.
I still think it is a fantastic name for one, too.

You know, it took me a while to understand who Pickle Rick was too. Rick and Morty (if that's where it's from) references always eluded me to no end.

@Voldarian: Ah, Gangnam Style? It's a dance and song from South Korea by someone named PSY. The song's in Korean, but it's supposed to be satire on the district of Gangnam in Seoul, South Korea. The main parts of the dance, however, is akin to the general movements of someone riding a horse like a cowboy. I hope that helped a bit!

I was told that "yeet" was "throw," especially an enthusiastic throw.