Faux Life: Things That Happen On TV But Not In Reality

[Blergh]

One thing that rarely if ever happens in real life, folks constantly having their colleagues, significant others, besties and neighbors ALL not only knowing each other but constantly interacting with each other both at work and casual settings.

[joelene]

This was more common in the days of yore (80s-90s), but I don't know anyone IRL who found out their SO/neighbor/weird new friend was a psychopath through finding old news paper clippings hidden away in the drawers of their dwellings. 

[DangerousMinds]

12 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

It probably has been mentioned before, but TV characters never taking off their street shoes when they're at home and actually putting their shoes up on their beds and couches. That would never happen in real life unless you're a messy person. No way, I'd put my dirty sneakers up on the bed.

I think quite a few people actually do this.

[vibeology]

15 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

It probably has been mentioned before, but TV characters never taking off their street shoes when they're at home and actually putting their shoes up on their beds and couches. That would never happen in real life unless you're a messy person. No way, I'd put my dirty sneakers up on the bed.

Shoes seem to be a regional thing. Living in Canada (Ontario specifically so who knows about the rest of the country), I don't know anyone who wears shoes indoors because taking them off is a norm due to snow during the winter but I've seen people talk about how wearing shoes is the norm where they're from and they think its strange to take shoes off inside the house.

[FormerMod-a1]

But even the people that I know that do wear shoes in the house wouldn't put their feet up on the bed or other furniture (except a footstool/ottoman) without taking them off.

[Anela]

28 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

But even the people that I know that do wear shoes in the house wouldn't put their feet up on the bed or other furniture (except a footstool/ottoman) without taking them off.

I have, at times. 

[kili]

Quote

Shoes seem to be a regional thing. Living in Canada (Ontario specifically so who knows about the rest of the country), I don't know anyone who wears shoes indoors because taking them off is a norm due to snow during the winter

I agree that it is a regional thing. I remember reading an advice (Ann Landers?)  column when I was a child and somebody was lamenting that their new relative was requesting they take their shoes off in the house. The advice columnist thought that was bizarre and rude of the new relative because wearing shoes in the house is the norm. I had never heard of not taking your shoes off in the house (I remember my surprise to this day).  It seems like it would track dirt through the house plus be uncomfortable.

I live on the other side of Canada where we don't get much if any snow and the only person I know who wears shoes in a house is an elderly relative who says she must wear shoes for balance. She always apologizes and brings a pair of "inside shoes" she switches into when she arrives at your house (nobody minds, but she feels the need to apologize for breaking normal social conventions - she is a stickler for ettiquette).

[shapeshifter]

I wonder if shoes in the house is partly generational in that housewives or maids in the 50s, 60s, etc. mopped or vacuumed floors daily anyway. Also, having a long haired pet — especially an indoor-and-outdoor pet — might mean floors would be expected to get dirty.

FWIW, my family growing up in the 50s-70s left shoes on, but my own family — including 3 kids — took them off most of the time, and it definitely was a rule when I was working full time and we didn't have pets anymore.

[paulvdb]

Maybe it's more about personal preference. My mother always wears shoes, but my father usually takes them off when he is at home.

[DangerousMinds]

I agree. And I'm not someone to judge others on theirs.

[Chaos Theory]

When I take a nap on someone else's couch I will take my shoes off I don't always when I take a nap on my own.

[kassygreene]

Back in my contractor days, I was a lowly grunt on a very very large gummint contract which was funded across all four military branches plus DLA, and which affected software on about 20 or so different funding groups.  So the contract had a manager overseer from each of these groups, three or so of whom lived in this town.  Twice a year the managers would throw a nice (really, it was always nice) big party for all the grunts (attendance mandatory, but the food was good, the booze was free, and the parking actually existed).  So this one party is at the (very nice) home of one of the managers, and the recent rains after a dry spell had brought up the oily sheen on the streets (as happens with asphalt), so I'm very conscious of the crud on the bottom of my shoes.  I'm one of the first ones there, I step in the door, and yep, white carpeting.  

I'm at a party hosted by 20 people, any one of whom can fire me.  I kicked off my shoes and attended in socks.

And so did every single person who came in after me.

My best (only) trend-setting experience.

[legaleagle53]

On 1/11/2017 at 8:28 AM, vibeology said:

Shoes seem to be a regional thing. Living in Canada (Ontario specifically so who knows about the rest of the country), I don't know anyone who wears shoes indoors because taking them off is a norm due to snow during the winter but I've seen people talk about how wearing shoes is the norm where they're from and they think its strange to take shoes off inside the house.

Also a cultural thing.  Wearing shoes in the house is a well-known no-no in Japan, and even gaijin (foreigners) are expected to know and observe this rule.

[FormerMod-a1]

I think this has been discussed before, but I just saw it again...  Even in a large crowded city, you will always find a parking spot right in front of wherever you are going.  Unless wacky hi-jinks are needed, of course.

[kiddo82]

Only on TV are the stands for random high school sporting events packed.  I'm not talking about the Friday night lights in Texas either.  I'm talking about Tuesday afternoon swim meets, track meets, soccer games, etc.

Not so much an "only on TV" but an "always on TV" will a person mount a horse from the wrong side.  I was shocked--shocked, I tell you--watching this week's Speechless to see a scene where a novice rider mounted a horse and that gag didn't happen.  Hell, I've never been on a horse in my life and I'd know which foot goes in the stirrup just from all the years of watching people on TV do it the wrong way for laughs.  

[methodwriter85]

On 1/10/2017 at 2:21 AM, NutMeg said:

That's true-ish in real life. Kids get bored with seeing the same people year after year after year. Any novelty is exciting. I've seen it in my days and I still see in now with my son in high school. Doesn't mean it necessarily lasts, but yeah, I'd say new students are more attractive, at least for a while, mostly because of that novelty factor. It's multiplied when the new student comes from a place with a cool aura (for instance New York, Mumbai and Bollywood stars, any Scandinavian country, London... these are just the one I heard of first hand!) 

Yeah. It did happen. If someone was new and at least somewhat cute, people fawned over them for at least a little while. Whether or not it lasted depended on how likeable/cool the new kid was.

If you're driving down a road on a dark night, if you look into your rearview mirror you'll be startled to notice a ghostly figure in your backseat or on the road behind you.

[Joe]

Apparently, no one actually works for the US State Department. Every single person actually works for the CIA. I remember one show where a character was all, "No, I really do work for the state department. I'm not with the CIA." But guess what? In a stunning twist that no one could have predicted, they were CIA too! I found that one particularly annoying.

[Anela]

8 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Yeah. It did happen. If someone was new and at least somewhat cute, people fawned over them for at least a little while. Whether or not it lasted depended on how likeable/cool the new kid was.

If you're driving down a road on a dark night, if you look into your rearview mirror you'll be startled to notice a ghostly figure in your backseat or on the road behind you.

Or looking in the bathroom mirror. 

I actually saw something in the road last night. Like a mist (everything else was clear). My dad saw it, too, because he commented on *something* being there. We didn't hit anything, thank goodness. I was creeped out after that, though. 

[Brooklynista]

Declarations of undying love always seem to happen in the pouring rain.  With no shelter. With no umbrellas. And everybody seems cool with standing around in this downpour.

Listen, if you have a burning desire to state your love to me, make sure its a sunny day.  Or at least lets take it inside.  I hope you'll love me just as much if I'm dry.

[callie lee 29]

On 1/11/2017 at 10:32 AM, aquarian1 said:

But even the people that I know that do wear shoes in the house wouldn't put their feet up on the bed or other furniture (except a footstool/ottoman) without taking them off.

I do. Hell, I'm doing it right now. 

[Quof]

Nah, it's When Harry Met Sally: "When you decide you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

[Raja]

Do you build a robot/android and put its brain in an unprotected head like an animal instead of heavily guarded in the middle of its shielded body

[lucindabelle]

I can relate. I've seen people in newsroom come close to blows about beat wars.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 1/12/2017 at 9:50 PM, kiddo82 said:

Only on TV are the stands for random high school sporting events packed.  I'm not talking about the Friday night lights in Texas either.  I'm talking about Tuesday afternoon swim meets, track meets, soccer games, etc.

 

And only on TV will the game announcer be a play-by-play announcer.  Instead of intoning "Touchdown, Hudson, by Jones" we get "Smith, Hudson High School's celebrated quarterback, is back to pass.....looking for Jones, his primary receiver....throws the ball....Jones has it....he's running..only a couple more yards....touchdown HUDSON!" And all of this over the PA.

[Shannon L.]

Only on tv can you master a difficult skill (karate, for example) in just a few months.

[ganesh]

With a montage, of course.

[meep.meep]

Wouldn't it be great if it was reversed?  I would loooooove some parts of my actual life to be montaged.

[ChromaKelly]

On TV, attorneys handle all kinds of cases, from criminal to divorce to taxes, one attorney can do it all!

[zxy556575]

34 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

I would loooooove some parts of my actual life to be montaged.

I'd go for the next four years of pages flying off the calendar.

[kili]

Quote

 

Quote

I would loooooove some parts of my actual life to be montaged.

I'd go for the next four years of pages flying off the calendar.

 

Try having a kid. It feels like the last 10 years of my life have been montaged. Seriously, where did the time go?

Edited January 20, 2017 by kili

[ParadoxLost]

2 hours ago, Lord Donia said:

I'd go for the next four years of pages flying off the calendar.

Nah.  Just montage the workdays.  Slo-mo the weekends.

[Sandman87]

11 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Only on tv can you master a difficult skill (karate, for example) in just a few months.

On a related note; you can master a foreign language in a few hours with language learning tapes

[GaT]

Since I've watched a couple of Hallmark Mystery Movies lately, only on TV will real police let some person who has nothing to do with law enforcement work with them to solve a crime. And only on TV will suspects actually answer questions that the amatuer detective asks them.

[riley702]

Here's a good collection of them. They say movies, but they apply equally to TV

https://brightside.me/creativity-art/12-myths-that-movies-made-us-believe-189505/

Edited January 28, 2017 by riley702
link

[kiddo82]

Whether you can aim or not, shooting two guns at once does look cool.  

[Blergh]

Only on TV can folks phone  overseas and there be no problems re time zones since evidently the whole world has sunrises/sunsets at the exact same time! LOL

[ChromaKelly]

18 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Only on TV can folks phone  overseas and there be no problems re time zones since evidently the whole world has sunrises/sunsets at the exact same time! LOL

Do phones actually ring differently in Europe? That's another sign that Someone Is Calling Overseas. Also a transitional shot with that European ambulance siren.

[ganesh]

I can only speak for England, Scotland, and France, but yes, they do. 

[paulvdb]

Emergency doors don't all close at the same time. You can get out of the building and each door will close just after you run through it or slide under it.

[supposebly]

1 hour ago, ChromaKelly said:

Do phones actually ring differently in Europe? That's another sign that Someone Is Calling Overseas. Also a transitional shot with that European ambulance siren.

 

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

I can only speak for England, Scotland, and France, but yes, they do. 

Also different in Germany. Different from England and North America, I mean. 

[Shannon L.]

I see a lot of women with long hair on tv who put on jackets without hoods and leave their hair tucked inside it.  I don't think I've ever seen that in real life.

[shapeshifter]

50 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

I see a lot of women with long hair on tv who put on jackets without hoods and leave their hair tucked inside it.  I don't think I've ever seen that in real life.

I used to do that. It keeps it out of the way and keeps cold drafts off your neck. But on TV I assume the directors just don't want the actors to be filmed doing anything irrelevant to the story.

[legaleagle53]

On 1/19/2017 at 1:36 PM, ChromaKelly said:

On TV, attorneys handle all kinds of cases, from criminal to divorce to taxes, one attorney can do it all!

There actually are general practitioners who work in most major areas of law (just as your family doctor handles pretty much everything on a basic level), but you are correct that specialization is far more common, and most attorneys and small law firms will focus on maybe two or three areas of practice at most.

[Haleth]

Only on TV:  You cough into a napkin or a hankie and you will see blood.  (Not that this can't happen in RL, but it is always the case on tv.)

[zxy556575]

11 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Only on TV:  You cough into a napkin or a hankie and you will see blood. (Not that this can't happen in RL, but it is always the case on tv.)

A cough is always the harbinger of doom on TV. Nobody ever has a cold or allergies or a tickle in their throat.

[Calvada]

Only on TV can people be punched in the face and never suffer bruising or broken bones (unless the subsequent black eye is done for comedic effect); only on TV can people suffer blows to the head severe enough to cause unconsciousness and them simply shake it off, never suffering anything other than momentary dizziness; and only on TV can someone fall several stories or down an elevator shaft, and suffer just a temporary limp.  Unless of course it's someone who falls or is pushed down a flight of stairs - they always go head over heels, never try to grab the rail, and inevitably the result is a broken neck. 

[paulvdb]

Only on TV can you be thrown into a wall by a cyborg or a vampire or other supernaturally strong creature and not break any bones or have any other injuries.

[juno]

Only on TV can a person run out of a room upset and emotional and then always have that one person that runs after them to fix all of their problems (before commercial).

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Calvada said:

Only on TV can people be punched in the face and never suffer bruising or broken bones (unless the subsequent black eye is done for comedic effect);

Similarly, only on TV will the person doing the punching suffer no ill effects to their hand.  If the show has a comedic element, the character may dramatically shake their hand and say, "Ow, that hurt," but we won't see any bruised, swollen, or scratched - or worse - knuckles, no difficulty using that hand for a few days, etc.

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

Similarly, only on TV will the person doing the punching suffer no ill effects to their hand.  If the show has a comedic element, the character may dramatically shake their hand and say, "Ow, that hurt," but we won't see any bruised, swollen, or scratched - or worse - knuckles, no difficulty using that hand for a few days, etc.

Arrow actually got that right in its most recent episode.  One of the characters had just decked a villain by punching the villain squarely in the jaw, and she not only hurt her hand in doing so (even though she had used the correct punching technique), but later on, she was shown somewhat painfully immersing her hand into a bowl of ice water and remarking that typing was going to be difficult for at least a couple of days.

Edited January 29, 2017 by legaleagle53