Taking things literally care to share a few examples ?

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I thought oral sex was talking dirty.

When I was about 5 in school we were told there was going to be a fire drill the next day I thought it was a big drill that used fire.

I use to think Scientology was based on science and common sense.

I thought a piggy bank was a piggy bank, not that any bank you put coins in is a piggy bank nonetheless no matter what the shape is or what the character is. If it's a Snoopy on his doghouse, it's still a piggy bank. I was an adult when I learned the true meaning of piggy bank.


I also took child pornography literally. I was told when I was a child porn is naked people so when I heard the term child pornography, I thought it was photos of naked kids and I couldn't understand why this was illegal and harmful to minors. My parents had some child porn of my brothers and I from when we were babies and we had them in our family albums which is normal because lot of parents take naked photos of their kids when hey are young so if I posted a naked infant picture of me in the bathtub, I would be busted for child porn. Then when I found out what child porn truly meant, it was disgusting and now I understand why people say it's harmful to minors and why it's illegal. I was also an adult when I learned this and it was not too long ago.

When we were kids our father once said to us, "Today, y'all are going to STARVE!"

We'd never heard the word before. I thought it meant he was going to stab us. Unnecessarily, it put us into a panic.

When I was about 3 I was brought to see Santa.

Well anyway while waiting in line I was in tears because I thought he was a scary man.


SANTA CLAWS

How was that being literal? He said you guys were going to starve so I would think he would mean you won't have food today.

I think I had the same one about oral sex -- I first heard about it by reading about it and I couldn't imagine the "oral" part meaning anything else other than speech, and even that I had to think hard about and was confused while figuring it out. LOL! So I too thought it was must be about talking dirty to each other.

I don't know if this fits, exactly, but one time when my dad was taking us kids for a walk over forest land, we walked across a field that had a huge electrical pylon at one end. I was very young and at that time I'd never seen one that close, and someone made a joke about climbing up it. I didn't get the "joke" part and seriously thought that's what we were about to be made to do. I freaked out, crying and saying I don't want to climb up there. I've done a LOT of that kind of literalness in life: not getting that people are making a joke about something.

Another example of that happened just a couple of years ago. I'm interested in animals and wildlife, and there are centers that rescue injured animals, treat them, and rehabilitate them to go back to live successfully in the wild again following a successful repair of the injury, hence the word "rehabbing" them. I was talking to someone about animals that get "rehabbed" and she said something like "Because animals get nasty booze and drug addictions, hahah!" I know I looked at her completely dumbfounded, and I actually answered "Uh, no rehabbing is getting them used to living wild again after treatment....." It took several "beats" until the penny dropped, in my head, that she was kidding around. I felt stupid. It's part of what makes some people think I'm stupid, people who don't know me better than that.

Lots of people have said to me almost pityingly "Oh....you're so literal, aren't you?...."

.

I've kind of outgrown this.

When I was around ten I started to read the newspaper. First the comics, and then "Dear Ann Landers".

One of Landers's correspondents was a lady with issues about her son's new wife. She concluded her letter by saying "I always knew she was a TRAMP!".

I didnt think that was so bad. So the girl used to be a hobo, and rode around in box cars. So what?

@ League Girl - my bad. I went off topic with the thread.

Last edited by redrobin62 on 25 Feb 2014, 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

What did you think the thread meant?

@ sharkattack --

I wish I could but I find that I still do it at my late age. I'm always getting caught off guard. It's part of that issue with me; I'm a bright person but I'm slow to react appropriately, including "getting" dry humor and sarcasm.

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ASAP. I hate when someone types for me to do something ASAP. I always read ASAP as "NOW" and I get incredible anxiety until whatever is needed of me ASAP is handled. I suppose this could be rooted in literal thinking due to my thinking "well, technically As Soon As Possible could be right now."

Does anyone else notice that although you KNOW something is not meant to be taken literally, you still don't feel sure and you keep questioning it?

I am not sure if this counts but:

A few weeks ago, my boss asked me if I had the papers she asked me to bring for the clients we were meeting. I looked through my bag to make sure I had them, found them, and then told her yes. A couple minutes later, she was like "Well, can you give me the papers."

I had thought she was checking to see if I brought them but she meant that she wanted me to give them to her then. I had no idea until later and I thought she was being rude. Stuff like this happens to me all the time.

I also miss sarcasm a lot but can't think of any specific, easy to explain examples.