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I have never been good at names. Because of growing up with a hearing problem I learned as a child to not ever ask someone what their name is, because I usually couldn't properly hear the reply, and I discovered that while people are happy to repeat their name one time, no one wants to do so three times in a row or more. Therefore I did without the names, and trusted that if it were important I would learn them later.
I also learned to read by taking in the entire shape of a word and translating that to meaning, without thinking about which letters are present, nor how the word would sound if spoken (this has slowed down my ability to communicate fluently in spoken Swedish, even though I could read it in only a couple of years after moving here).
This combination occasionally causes funny incidents. The other day there was a Presidential Inauguration taking place, and some of my friends on the Drachenwald Slack channel watched it, and kept a running commentary of it in the #politics sub-channel. Following this channel has resulted in my knowing far, far more of what is happening in current events than I have ever been aware of at any other part of my life (keep in mind that I don't watch TV, read newspapers, or follow Twitter). One of the people in that channel commented about one of the people present at the Inauguration wearing their mask correctly. I recognised the name, which started with a C, and had around 6 or 7 letters, as that of a former president. Later, when talking to my sisters I, without looking again at the conversation, admitted that while I hadn't seen the Inauguration myself, I did see play by play commentary, so I knew that Carter hadn't worn his mask correctly. Of course my sister, who did see the Inauguration, promptly replied that Carter hadn't been there. So I went back to the conversation and looked. Clinton, Carter. They both start with a C, have a tall letter two from the end, followed by a round vowel, and ends in a shape with a short round-top, straight side letter. They both refer to a former US president. They both refer to short haired men in suits. Clearly, I can't tell one from another.
Then I saw the first of the post-inauguration memes--not sent to the #politcs channel, but to the main Drachenwald Slack channel, because it featured a medieval manuscript illumination, full of nude women frollicing in a pool. In addition to the manuscript itself, someone had photoshopped into it a photo of someone with short white hair, wearing a parka and pattern-knit maroon and white mittens, sitting slouched down in a chair looking rather like he was too cold.
To this I commented "I know jokes are not as funny if they need explanation, but... I need an explanation!"
It was explained that Twitter was full of photos of Bernie being photoshopped into other images, and it still didn't make sense. But from the conversation, I could tell that the photo came from the Inauguration. Of a new president, who has short white hair, and whose name starts with a B and only has around 6 or 7 letters. I also recognized the name Bernie as being related to the election campaign.
Therefore I was thinking that these photos were of the new president. It wasn't till late last night that a friend of mine in Canada cleared up my confusion, and explained that, no, the guy in the memes was the other democrat who had run, and lost in the primaries. I may, slowly, be learning more about world events, but I still can't tell one short haired white guy from another, nor notice minor differences in spelling between two similar names.
Don't even expect me to watch a film from the 1940's--I can't tell any of the men apart in them!
I also learned to read by taking in the entire shape of a word and translating that to meaning, without thinking about which letters are present, nor how the word would sound if spoken (this has slowed down my ability to communicate fluently in spoken Swedish, even though I could read it in only a couple of years after moving here).
This combination occasionally causes funny incidents. The other day there was a Presidential Inauguration taking place, and some of my friends on the Drachenwald Slack channel watched it, and kept a running commentary of it in the #politics sub-channel. Following this channel has resulted in my knowing far, far more of what is happening in current events than I have ever been aware of at any other part of my life (keep in mind that I don't watch TV, read newspapers, or follow Twitter). One of the people in that channel commented about one of the people present at the Inauguration wearing their mask correctly. I recognised the name, which started with a C, and had around 6 or 7 letters, as that of a former president. Later, when talking to my sisters I, without looking again at the conversation, admitted that while I hadn't seen the Inauguration myself, I did see play by play commentary, so I knew that Carter hadn't worn his mask correctly. Of course my sister, who did see the Inauguration, promptly replied that Carter hadn't been there. So I went back to the conversation and looked. Clinton, Carter. They both start with a C, have a tall letter two from the end, followed by a round vowel, and ends in a shape with a short round-top, straight side letter. They both refer to a former US president. They both refer to short haired men in suits. Clearly, I can't tell one from another.
Then I saw the first of the post-inauguration memes--not sent to the #politcs channel, but to the main Drachenwald Slack channel, because it featured a medieval manuscript illumination, full of nude women frollicing in a pool. In addition to the manuscript itself, someone had photoshopped into it a photo of someone with short white hair, wearing a parka and pattern-knit maroon and white mittens, sitting slouched down in a chair looking rather like he was too cold.
To this I commented "I know jokes are not as funny if they need explanation, but... I need an explanation!"
It was explained that Twitter was full of photos of Bernie being photoshopped into other images, and it still didn't make sense. But from the conversation, I could tell that the photo came from the Inauguration. Of a new president, who has short white hair, and whose name starts with a B and only has around 6 or 7 letters. I also recognized the name Bernie as being related to the election campaign.
Therefore I was thinking that these photos were of the new president. It wasn't till late last night that a friend of mine in Canada cleared up my confusion, and explained that, no, the guy in the memes was the other democrat who had run, and lost in the primaries. I may, slowly, be learning more about world events, but I still can't tell one short haired white guy from another, nor notice minor differences in spelling between two similar names.
Don't even expect me to watch a film from the 1940's--I can't tell any of the men apart in them!