We've all consumed a lot of media in our time. TV shows, movies, books, songs... And in these things, there are sometimes stories including everyday things. Or at least, everyday to some. Today's blog post is about common things, or supposedly common, that not everyone has actually experienced.
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| You mean, you don't have weird beaver-duck hybrids with venomous spurs where you live? Inconceivable! |
Cliches and Stuff
Because
I went to small high schools, there
wasn't the drama of "Oh my gosh, that cute boy doesn't know I exist!
I'm just another face in a sea of teenagers." I don't think we really
had cliches, or popular and unpopular kids. I mean, we had our different
friend groups, but there wasn't this thing of "Here are the jocks, here
are the nerds, here are the cheerleaders," and all that other
stereotypical teen movie stuff.
...Of course, we had other drama, but we won't go into that.
Ice Cream Trucks
You see it time and time again. A musical chime sounds in the distance, and the children gleefully mug their parents to they can get a popsicle from the ice cream truck. Happens all the time in the comic strip world.
But growing up, I didn't have much exposure to this sort of thing. Most of my childhood was spent in a rural area The ice cream truck was a fabled thing I only dreamed of experiencing. The closest I ever came was when Schwan's came by so we could order stuff from them. Technically, it was a truck with ice cream in it, though, so...
High School Reunions
The theme of many a TV episode, high school reunions are usually a mixture of enthusiasm about seeing old friends and beloved teachers, and displeasure at seeing that stupid bully and your sewer rat of an ex-boyfriend.
Now, my high school experience consisted of charter schools, and one public high school the size of a thimble. Did I mention it was the middle of nowhere squared? A lot of teenagers in the area went to high schools in bigger towns. I'm not sure any of my high schools even have reunions. And even if they did, I don't know if I'd want to go. I live in another state now, so it would be a long way to get there. And although there's a few people I wouldn't mind seeing, there's others I'm not interested in encountering again.
Seriously, though. How many high schools actually do reunions? I'm not sure it's as common as television makes it out to be.
The Magical Friend Group
A common thing in sitcoms like 'Friends' and 'The Big Bang Theory' is tight-knit friend groups where people are always hanging out, always going to each other's houses or apartments, and half of the friend group happen to be neighbors. People just pop in and out as they see fit. The major characters rarely even lock their doors. And no matter what happens, no matter how people's lives change, how busy they get, none of the core members ever drift apart or disappear altogether.
Honestly, the kind of super-close friend groups portrayed in some media
are kind of rare, more fantasy than reality. People grow apart, people
move away, people get busy with work or school or family stuff. And
while you might occasionally have a friend live right next door, or
become close with someone who moves into the apartment across the hall,
it's not a common occurrence. And in a big city, which is usually the
setting of these stories, even less so.
Sims Logic
Anyone who's played Sims has seen it. Your sim says 'hi' to a random person in town. Nothing more. But somehow, they can call or text this stranger now, or send them an e-mail, or a letter.
And if you think about it, this sometimes occurs in things like TV shows, too. Realistically, how often do you have the contact info of a co-worker you barely know? Especially one you don't even get along with. But somehow, the angry character can send a text to that obnoxious person who constantly criticizes them.
Really, I could go on forever about this subject. Playing in the snow during winter (I didn't get to do this much, because I was in California), or having to fight deranged mutant killer monster snow goons.
...Wait, maybe that last one was only in 'Calvin and Hobbes'. Anyway, do you have any examples of things that are portrayed as way more common than they actually are? Let me know in the comments below.
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