I try to stay away from controversial topics for my blog posts, but I overheard something a few days ago that struck a bad nerve with me. It has to do with the truth, and what people believe are facts versus what the facts really are. I imagine some of you will be offended by what I write here, but I’ve held my tongue for too long. If you don’t like to read the unhinged rantings of someone like me, you might want to stop now.
But if you believe in spreading the truth, read on.
Okay, here goes. The saying is NOT “Mikey eats everything.” The correct phrase from the Life cereal commercial is, “He won’t eat it. He hates everything.” Then, “He likes it! Hey, Mikey!”
There. I said it because I had to. I couldn’t put up with hearing the phrase said incorrectly any longer. My apologies if you decided to keep reading this and got offended. I warned you.
You wouldn’t believe the number of people who say this phrase the wrong way, and have been for years. After a friend of mine said this a few days ago, and after I educated him on the correct phrase and its origin, I began to wonder how many other sayings in pop culture and everyday language are being butchered. So, I did a little research, and I came up with a small list.
Darth Vader never said, “Luke, I am your father.” His actual quote was, “No. I am your father.”
Dorothy didn’t say, “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” She said, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Humphrey Bogart, in “Casablanca,” didn’t say, “Play it again, Sam.” His line was, “You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!”
The voice Kevin Costner heard in "Field Of Dreams" didn’t say, “If you build it, they will come.” It said, “If you build it, he will come.”
Dirty Harry didn’t say, “Do you feel lucky, punk?” His line was, “…you gotta ask yourself, ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”
Manfred Mann’s version of the song “Blinded By The Light” doesn’t have a line that says, “Wrapped up like a douche…” The actual line is, “Revved up like a deuce…”
During the real-life Apollo 13 mission, Jim Lovell didn’t say, “Houston, we have a problem.” The real line was uttered by command module pilot Jack Swigert, who said, “OK, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” Lovell then relayed Swigert’s words when flight control asked for a repeat.
This list could go on and on, but I think you get my point. Please don’t be one of those people who help spread falsehoods and inaccuracies. Do your research. Get your facts from reputable sources.
Remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: “The problem with quotes on the internet is that it is difficult to verify their authenticity.”
Which, by the way, is a totally fake quote. Everybody knows it was actually said by Thomas Jefferson.