this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 134 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

Posts like this always make me wonder how many people are telling stories of deadpan jokes I made in their presence, that they didn’t realize were jokes.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 62 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Same. Like 80% of what comes out of my mouth is sarcastically saying dumb shit because it's funny to me. Every now and then I get a response from someone that makes me wonder who else isn't getting that I'm joking.

[–] Randelung@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago

I have a colleague who knows and told me she doesn't get sarcasm. The first few weeks were brutal.

[–] cuerdo@lemmy.world 37 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Just yesterday I asked some guy where he was from, he said

"Between South Africa and England"

I said

"That was a long birth"

He looked at me as if I eat marbles and walked away.

[–] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You did have marbles in your mouth th, did you?

[–] cuerdo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

That is not the point, why do people keep fixating on that.

[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 27 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I had a teacher who asked me in front of the class if I would mind if he shared with the class a big accolade I had achieved. He was teasing me, as he took away my choice to say no in that moment. I was immensely proud and excited for that to be shared with the class, but also chose to take a jab back at him. I stated flatly "no, I don't want that shared with the class." Before I could say "just joking" or whatever, the awkward silence I had created made me panic and shut down. And after a few more awkward moments we moved on to something else. 20 years later my stomach still churns.

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 20 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If it’s any consolation I can guarantee that nobody will remember that.

[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 months ago

I kind of hope they do remember. There's still a 20 year reunion to find one of them and ask if they remember. I'm able to mostly just laugh now. But my god, the torture of being a teenager.

[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 16 points 2 months ago

It was high school physics and I had aced the final exam, which was the same exam used in the equivalent college course.

[–] Randelung@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I'm pretty sure some girls I only met once at the end of high school think I took performance enhancing drugs to pass so easily. I was interrupted after I made the joke, so I never got the chance to explain to their shocked expressions.

[–] BenchpressMuyDebil@szmer.info 114 points 2 months ago (3 children)

⚠️ 🇵🇱 You have alerted the horde

[–] shneancy@lemmy.world 95 points 2 months ago (1 children)

hi hello it's me, part of the horde, a polish person has been mentioned so we need to do the ritual:

POLSKA MOUNTAIN RAAAAA 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🦅🔥

(also folks, don't forget to include her Polish surname there as well! It's Maria Skłodowska-Curie. when she was alive Poland wasn't recognised as a nation, it wasn't even on the maps for most of her life, so her choice to keep her polish name after marriage is a deliberate action to honour her Polish heritage and keep the national spirit of Poland strong despite there being no official country Poles could call home at the time)

[–] MissJinx@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

I see Poland Flag, I invade

[–] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago

I thought that we were talking about the french woman Marie Curie? 🇲🇫

[–] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 4 points 2 months ago

TORILLE 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮

no wait

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 78 points 2 months ago (6 children)

I don't know if she kept her polish last name after marriage but in Poland it's always Maria Skłodowska-Curie. I think it's some kind of Polish curse that the most famous poles are not known by polish names so people don't realize they were Polish. Curie, Chopin, Copernicus, John Paul II. Or, even worse, they are known by polish name by no one can pronounce it. The highest peak in Australia is Mt Kościuszko but Australians don't know it's named after polish General because they can't even say it.

[–] gnutrino@programming.dev 35 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Good ol' Mt Cozy Costco. To be fair, no one forced the Poles to make their language unpronounceable by anyone without a lifetime's practice or severe sinus issues.

[–] _skj@lemmy.world 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Looks like she continued to use her maiden name throughout her life. American schools seem to always use her French name, including using Marie instead of Maria. Partially because Americans can't pronounce Polish names. And likely a significant cultural bias towards associating scientific advancement with Western Europe.

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've never seen a "Maria Skłodowska-Curie street" outside of Poland. It's always Marie Curie. It's definitely not just USA, it's the same in Europe.

[–] Zwiebel@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago

Damn first I've ever heard of that.
German Wikipedia calls her "Marie Skłodowska Curie, born Maria Salomea Skłodowska"
Apparently she enrolled in a Paris uni as Marie

[–] betanumerus@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

She became famous while in France, married to a Curie, having daughters named Curie, winning Nobel prizes with her husband while there, and spending the rest of her life there. I don't think it's about a Polish curse, it's about which name was more practical and natural for her to use, and being famous well beyond Poland. Curie is indeed easier to pronounce and more memorable in both French and English, and it's common for famous people to go by their easiest name by choice (Bill vs William, John vs Jonathan, etc.). This in no way reduces her original name. Famous actors even look to have a stage (public) name to help them be more famous. She just got one naturally.

My Polish aunt took her husband's Canadian name only because it was people did back then.

As for John Paul II, "Karol" just happens to rhyme with feminine name "Carol(e)" in English and French. He possibly wanted to avoid that himself.

Also, Norm MacDonald's Polish joke is worth a listen. Look it up!

[–] sqgl@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

The highest peak in Australia is Mt Kościuszko but Australians don't know it's named after polish General because they can't even say it.

They pronounce it their own way and they do know it is a pole. Are you suggesting they think it is an Anglo-Saxon name? Like Jonno Kościuszko?

[–] Slovene@feddit.nl 6 points 2 months ago

But it's NOT a pole, it's a whole mountain, dumdum.

[–] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 months ago

I think in Ukraine she's also more known under the full name, from what I can remember from my school years

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 62 points 2 months ago
[–] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 42 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

🎶 All I want for Christmas is uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuranium baby🎶

[–] alexcleac@szmer.info 37 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If only she new how Maria Skłodowska-Curie died, she wouldn't be as happy for the resemblance...

[–] sepiroth154@feddit.nl 129 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If she knows she has 2 Nobel prizes I think she might know how she died

[–] dumbass@leminal.space 14 points 2 months ago

Mariah Carey is an alchemist.

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 14 points 2 months ago

Not only does she have 2 nobel prices, but she is the first woman to receive a nobel price in 1903. She is also the only person that ever got two novel prices in two different areas of expertise.

[–] nectar45@lemmy.zip 11 points 2 months ago

I mean she has a point

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

Marie Curie could also hit that A12.

[–] ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Both of them spread cancer in different ways.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago

Like butter.

[–] BoxedFenders@hexbear.net 8 points 2 months ago

What a banger of a tweet. This is pretty much the perfect reply.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 6 points 2 months ago

Took me a second, but my god... that guy is a douche!

[–] TrueStalinistPatriot@hexbear.net 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's Maria Skłodowska-Curie Hope this helps 🤗

[–] Apocalypteroid@lemmy.org 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Not really. Now I can't pronounce it.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 3 points 2 months ago

I can't even type it!

[–] Wakmrow@hexbear.net 3 points 2 months ago

Dutch detected