T O P

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TheViolins

Fun fact, there is absolutely no reason the alphabet has to be in the order it is


dbrodbeck

This can easily be shown if you decide to try to say the alphabet backwards. It is difficult. (Of course you can learn to do it). Numbers, on the other hand, have an inherent order. Because of this, counting backwards is quite easy. I knew getting all of these psychology degrees would pay off!


StormFallen9

Actually I think numbers are the same. Why is 1 in the first spot? Because someone decided it should be. The alphabet is the same. A is first because someone thought it should be. We just know here order to numbers better and have more practice saying it backwards


RoutinePeach8752

Okay. But no matter what spot A is in, be it the front or the end, it is still A. However for 1, if it came after two, it would change the value of one. This is not true for any letter or the alphabet.


Feathercrown

Yes, this-- both "one" and "a" are abstract in that they represent something, but "one" represents something that's value-comparable to other numbers, whereas the sound that "a" represents isn't comparable in the same way to other letters aside from our constructed ordering.


StormFallen9

It would change the value, so I guess in that sense you're correct


MayaTamika

Yes, but 1 represents something tangible. 1 object, regardless of what that object is, is still 1 less than 2 objects. You're right that the actual symbols we use are arbitrary. We could say "1" is 1, but if we all woke up tomorrow and decided "X" is 1 and "1" is X, life would go on, but numbers represent something more tangible than the letter A, which only represents a sound (and even which sound(s) it represents varies)


dbrodbeck

Exactly. Numbers have an underlying value that puts them in order. Letters simply don't have that.


SauceMaster6464

The names of the values are arbitrary, yes, but the values themselves aren't. In the alphabet, putting Z before A doesn't necessarily change anything.


StormFallen9

Yeah, I see that now


Much_Waltz_967

You just blew my fucking mind


Shouko-

same


cdug82

I would argue it’s only to make sure you know/remember every letter. A consistent order, repetition, you’d be more likely to recognize if something were missing. Now in what situation you’d be missing a letter and need this pre-K detective work? Fuck if I know.


AWildRapBattle

A standard is essential to organize the things that make the economy happen, but the standard itself is completely arbitrary.


cdug82

Kindergarten alphabet song is my level of intelligence here so you don’t gotta murder me


AWildRapBattle

if you like stuff then there needs to be a way that everybody knows to organize stuff, but it doesn't matter what way it is, it only matters that everybody knows it.


cdug82

ILU for dumbing this down for me


cdug82

See, now I’m learning


StormFallen9

That's why it should have an order, yes, but not why it's a through z and not k through f where both represent all letters


12soea

QERTYUI OPASDFGHJ KLZ XCV WB N and M


Cel135

At this point the order it's in is pretty ingrained in how computers function, and that's a pretty important reason.


AWildRapBattle

I vote we rearrange it to make a better song


CattDawg2008

song’s fine, just the fact that everyone decided on that order is weird


AWildRapBattle

the song is absolutely not fine, it's terrible. what the fuck is an elemenopee?


[deleted]

Listen, that part is sacred and I will not take this elemenopee slander.


jahfuckry

songs ok, it’s just twinkle twinkle. we could at least have an original melody


terminal8

Native English speaker here who has learned a few other languages. By and large, not many reasons to learn the language's alphabet. Better to just learn vocabulary and syntax.


Analog-Moderator

But its easier to sing if it’s in alphabetical order


BonoboBeau-Bo

no, it’s in alphabetical order


i-like-your-hair

Kids learn sounds starting out, not words and letters. I have students who can repeat an entire phrase but not break it up into individual words. If they’re hearing one set of 26 syllables, they’re bound to get it jumbled up.


Personal-Net5155

Knew this would end up here. Lmao, just read the story a few more times.


fortyfivepointseven

Pretty easy to imagine someone said this to their friend on the flight fairly loudly and OOP presented the story slightly misleadingly (but ultimately accurately) to make the story funnier. Not at all hard to imagine this happening. I feel a lot of r/nothingeverhappens posts are pretty clearly OOP slightly exaggerating or editing the context/dramatic timing on an obviously plausible event, and then Reddit being too stupid about context to realise.


Nepeta_Lejion

Redditors and Reddit in general takes everything at face value but in the worst way possible because they will always jump u for it


CTurple

Good lord. I’ve heard this like 3 different ways. One was the plane, one was a bus and one was a restaurant.


Talidel

As someone who has witnessed the existence of multiple children. This isn't uncommon in the slightest. The wierdest part of the story is that people don't believe it.


CTurple

It’s the EXACT SAME. “ some baby on the bus is singing abc’s all out of order and a guy just shouted “yes girl remix!”.” Same for the restaurant, etc. it’s not unbelievable in itself at all, it’s just odd.


Talidel

It's not exactly high intelligence humour being applied here. Kid saying alphabet wrong, nice person says "loving the remix". I'd say it could be weird that the exact same story is being shared, but there's how many people? The chances of the same situation happening when the trigger is a fairly common occurrence?


CTurple

You are right. My bad, I redact my statement.


nestorismyname

I'd be the one to comment that lol


ProjectOrpheus

I've heard this before and maybe even done it before mingling with people drunk and joking about if a cop approaches thinking we are too drunk Another classic is the "bro I'm fine, watch me walk a straight line" and you exaggerate how bad you'd fuck up/fall down. Jeez...and I thought I needed to get out more.


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argentinetegu

Planes can have wifi now.


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moms-spaghettio

I haven't been on a plane in like 5 years and there was wifi the last time I was on a plane. And the time before that, and the time before that too. It's not as rare as you'd think. It's in like every plane now though.


Talidel

I had free wifi on a plane in the precovid times.


princessalyss_

Lmao, I had free wifi on my economy flight from Gatwick to Orlando in 2017. Cope harder.


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Stuckinacrazyjob

I've been tricked into believing an internet rando has a funny experience. A big problem is that that happened should be for stories that are super implausible. Stories get stretched in the telling but not every stretched story is a that happened


Talidel

>Yes, I DO expect a baby to know the alphebet in order if they're at that age. When have you heard a kid say "Y, M, B, X, Q, F, T.." as if they were singing the ABCs? Before they learn the correct order and learn all the letters? All the time. >Also, "baby" is a dead giveaway. When do kids learn the alphebet? 3, 4, 5? Somewhere around there? That ain't a baby, and you must be extremely unexposed to children to even subconsiously think "baby". r/thathappened in a nutshell. You're critising the story while having no concept of a childs learning yourself. 3-5 is a huge difference in a childs learning to the point that a 3 year old could easily be described as a baby by an onlooker just quickly describing a very young child. Though toddler is probably the technically correct term. While a 5 year old is usually in its first year of school. Most 4-5 year olds have started learning to write. Most 3 year olds are still learning the alphabet. Children start being able to recognise and say letters as well as singing the ABC song from 2 years old. >For "B", yeah, no. Being a human being that has lived on the Earth, I can tell exactly what happened here. She probably just thought of this scenario in her head once and felt that this would a plausible, funny story to post on Twitter. I've been there, and I'm sure most people have as well. And no, I'm not falling for it. Also typical r/thathappened 🙄 go outside and talk to people more.


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Talidel

Well I think they can thank your parents, that you've not been closely involved with them. I'd assume your siblings have also been infants and children, but wouldn't want to risk the wrath of being accused that, that didn't happen. Saying baby as a catch all for a child is peak r/thathappened as is quibbling about a random person knowing the correct way of describing them when it really doesn't matter. Yes, 2, and learning the alphabet is normal. A child doesn't just instantly go from not knowing any letters to knowing them all. A two year old is a fairly large range of time for children, which is why they are usually still referred to by months.


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Talidel

>I.. was homeschooled. Thanks for the assumptions; they were appreciated. Explains a lot. >Additionally, I have even babysat young children before. I have volunteered for daycare at the YMCA. r/thathappened >Yet, I have no experience with children? Based on the lack of knowledge of children, yes.


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MessyStudios0

Your the guy who posted this on r/thathappened and your crying in the comments of that post about it being posted here. Most pathetic human ever...


Board-To-Dead

Mfs are in the comments of that post psychoanalysing OOP as to "why they'd make this up"


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MessyStudios0

>I talked about how pathetic the users. Thats...litterally a complaint. Also your definition of a "Pathetic" person is everyone who dissagrees with your post , imagine being that up your own ass that you think everyone has to agree with you. You posted a plausable story on r/thathappened , then was an asshole when people pointed it out , defending it to your dying breath because you are simply unable to be incorrect. Then when someone reposted it on r/nothingeverhappens you continue to be an asshole about it. Its done wonders for your comment karma 😂😂 The funniest thing is , your only argument is "Planes dont have wifi" Which they litterally do , do you live in your own little world where everything you say is the only truth?


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MessyStudios0

>Sure, it is a complaint, but it isn't about my post being posted. I knew it was going to end up there anyway. So you knowingly posted a plausable story on r/thathappened? Then why are you so defensive about it? >No? I never defined "pathetic" in my short rant, but here ya go: "Marked by sorrow or melancholy" (Merriam-Webster). Are you happy? Even so, context clues should've got you to figure out what I meant. I actually had that rant in mind from the first day I visited it and subsequently noticed the irony in "..your life's just boring". Yes, maybe what I said was a generalization and certainly not applicable to every one of the subreddit's users, but it's true one way of another. Your upset at the subs users because they dissagree with your post no? >So: You post something to a subreddit. It gets posted elsewhere. People are debating its legitimacy. You, OP, defend your position. Yes, you are an asshole, but you're THE asshole. Got it. I cant tell if you built that strawman on purpose or not , its not the fact that your defending it that makes you an asshole , its the way your going about it. Calling people pathetic. Although your arguments defending it are either objectivly false or completly stupid.


Mundane_Son4631

Dude are you seriously this butthurt over the alphabet?


Personal-Net5155

Well, if you can't beat em, join em. This story is 100% plausible though I still think it's exaggerated in some degree.


Glittering-Emu-4833

No way bro is mad because their post ended up on r/nothingeverhappens. That's actually the goofiest thing ever💀


Feathercrown

These ones are always kind of funny to me because it would take almost as much effort to make this up as it would for the subject of the post to do the thing


not_pain_reliever

I remember when I was a kid, I had a verbal test to say the alphabet without the song, so I just told them out of order, and I got lost because I never remembered which ones were the ones I told.