Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share What They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life

People Share What They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life

It's not that you're a slow learner, you just haven't been exposed to something sometimes. The trouble––if you can call it that, though degrees of embarrassment vary––starts when you seem to have missed the boat on something entirely, leaving you seemingly the only person out of the loop.


Such were the stories people were willingly to share so candidly after Redditor LightningCole asked their online cohort "What did you learn embarrassingly late?"

"When I was 20..."

Giphy

When I was 20, I was presented with a really wonderful promotion. It required me to fly to a nearby state for a week of training. I was super ecstatic about the whole thing... until I remembered a friend of mine complaining about her struggles with getting a passport. So, I promptly declined the promotion. My superiors were really stumped as to why I turned down the promotion.

Me: Unfortunately, I don't have a passport.

Manager: Boringberry... you've never flown before, have you?

Me: No. I have not.

Manager: You don't need a passport to fly within the country.

And then it hit me- my friend was going to Mexico. I was just going to a neighboring state. Once the realization hit, my superiors all erupted in laughter.

The story itself followed me when I went to training. My trainer personally greeted me and asked me if I had any difficulties getting a passport before laughing.

boringberry

"You know when the doctor..."

You know when the doctor hits your knee to check your reflexes? I honestly thought you were supposed to kick your leg up high. Like you felt it and you kick. It wasn't until I was 23 and moved to another country and had to do a physical that the doctor was like what are you doing?!

rainiejane2

"White meat and dark meat..."

Giphy

Didn't learn until I was 20.

White meat and dark meat come from the same chicken.

IamTinyJoe

"Gave an entire speech to my class..."

Thought an orgasm and an organism were the same thing.

Gave an entire speech to my class at 13 years old, first month at a new school, about how I wanted to be a marine biologist and work with marine orgasms. Everyone was laughing and I didn't know why. The teacher didn't say anything just laughed along as well. A girl I'd just made friends with had to fill me in after class.

Turns out, they are definitely not the same thing.

JKell18

"I was convinced..."

I was convinced cheese grew on bushes till 12-13 years old. My brother is really proud of this.

livenow44

"Martha's Vineyard..."

Giphy

Martha's Vineyard isn't just some land that rich people went to that was owned by Martha Stewart.

ughdrunkatvogue

"That you can actually perform..."

That you can actually perform maintenance on a lawnmower (i.e. oil changes) and not just buy a new one every few years. I moved a lot growing up and as a result we didn't always hang on to larger appliances so I was like 21 before I learned lawnmowers aren't basically disposable.

ablondedude

"Glass objects..."

Glass objects should not be put on the stove. Guess how I learned that.

yarrowsparrow

"I never knew..."

Giphy

I was circumcised. I never knew I was circumcised until I went to the pediatrician and my mom told the pediatrician that I was circumcised.

ImVeryUnimaginative

"It was my favorite subject..."

The proper way to say mythology. It was my favorite subject and I talked about it all the time & not one person told me it wasn't MYthology. Found out when my teacher corrected something I read out loud in English class as a senior in HS. I still cringe...

Katnith

More from People

HER dating app logo; content creator @melisa.suzan
@hersocialapp/Instagram; @melisa.suzan/Instagram

Lesbian Dating App Leaves The Internet Hilariously Shocked With Suggestive Bowling Ball Ad

For advertising to be successful it has to make a splash, and that's exactly what lesbian dating app HER has done with its latest very unsubtle ad.

The company, said to be the world's largest lesbian dating app, is going viral because of a hilarious ad likening a bowling ball to... well, just watch the ad and you'll see.

Keep Reading Show less
Meghan McCain; Fred Rogers
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Fotos International/Courtesy of Getty Images

Meghan McCain Gets Blunt Reality Check After Claiming Mister Rogers Wasn't 'Political' On His Show

Meghan McCain gained attention as a spokesperson for conservatives while constantly mentioning her father was Senator John McCain. After being fired by The View, she's remained mostly out of the public eye.

But every now and then she resurfaces to try to recapture the attention she once had. Her most recent attempt was on X with a vastly ill-informed hot take on public television icon Fred Rogers.

Keep Reading Show less
Michael Fanone; Troy Nehls
Evelyn Hockstein-Pool/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Beaten DC Cop Coughs NSFW Message At MAGA Rep. For Blaming Jan. 6 On Capitol Leadership

Michael Fanone—who worked for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for 20 years until he sustained serious and life-threatening injuries during the January 6 insurrection—didn't take kindly to Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls trying to blame the attack on the "U.S. Capitol leadership team" instead of President Donald Trump.

Nehls spoke during a hearing where Jack Smith, the former special prosecutor who led two failed prosecutions against Trump for inciting the insurrection, defended the integrity of his investigation.

Keep Reading Show less
Vice President JD Vance
Photo by Jim Watson - Pool/Getty Images

Vance Urges Minnesotans To Help ICE 'Find A Sex Offender'—And Everyone's Thinking The Same Thing

Vice President JD Vance had everyone thinking the same thing after urging Minneapolis residents to cooperate with ICE and Border Patrol officers and help them "find a sex offender."

Vance called for greater cooperation from the local community as protests against the Trump administration's nationwide immigration crackdown and hostilities flare since ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed resident Renee Nicole Good in her vehicle.

Keep Reading Show less
Downward shot of a book titled "DAMN GOOD ADVICE" with a plate of food and glass for water next to it. It all sits on a wooden table.
Photo by frame harirak on Unsplash

Advice People Ignored At First That Turned Out To Be 100% Correct

I firmly believe that most humans only ever truly learn in hindsight.

We can't help it.

Keep Reading Show less