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| Top:Tennessee Ernie Ford. Bottom: Tennessee Williams |
We all sometimes get confused about general knowledge items, don't we? Especially as children.
An unfortunate context, a distraction, a little daydream - and a couple neurons pass in the night.
I have a strong 5th grade memory of having great difficulty separating Oscar Wilde from Cornel Wilde. About that same time, I was also confused between Tennessee Ernie Ford and Tennessee Williams. Ford periodically showed up on classic TV shows like I Love Lucy, and Williams often appeared in TV credits (A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). They also bear a passing resemblance.
As late as 11th grade, I didn't realize "Great Britain" and "England" were being used interchangeably in WWII history. I thought they were different Allied countries. I also couldn't figure out if the French were on our side or not (but I think that was a problem everyone had for a while).
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| Wrongway Feldman |
I'm not good with directions. I'm no Wrongway Feldman, but I have a poor inner compass. It always bothered me when someone would tell me where something was on a side of town I rarely visited. I'd ask for landmarks or a map, and they'd say, "How long have you lived here?"
And as long as were on the topic, why in the world would anyone name two intersecting interstates "I-96" and "I-196"?
Even worse: We have a main drag here called "Burton" running East-West and another called "Breton" running North-South, and yes, they intersect. I remember telling someone (back before the days of GPS) that I got completely lost on the wrong street. He nodded politely but skeptically. I think the bottle of Liebfraumilch I brought lessened the disappointment.
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"How could you not know that?" is just a prideful euphemism for "I'm smarter than you and that makes me better."
[2015-01-04]
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