Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with anecdotes

The Greatest Story Ever Told

jasondigitized — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:21:05 -0800

I want to be a better storyteller. What qualities do good storytellers universally exhibit? How much does embellishment play a role? Lyndon Johnson was a great storyteller who was also known to pepper his stories with a lot of bullsh*t. Most importantly, where do storytellers get their stories? Have they led lives of extraordinary experience, or have they read a book full of awesome anecdotes? Help me spin some yarn at a party or at the water-cooler.

How to keep kids from falling asleep during an assembly...

ms.v. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:04:11 -0800

I am looking for motivational anecdotes or stories that would appeal to students in Grades 6-8. I am looking specifically for a story that would be read to the entire student body during an assembly during which awards are given to students who have achieved a specific level of achievement. (We call it an honours assembly.) Traditionally the principal speaks at the beginning of the assembly to celebrate the accomplishments of the entire student body and to highlight the importance of putting in 100% effort at all times. It is during this section of the assembly that the story would be read. I've tried google but keep getting pithy and often Christian stories (this is a secular school) that adolescents would find trite and boring.

Stories/anecdotes about the importance of effort are the most needed, but I'll take anything that would make kids think about their actions! Bonus points for stories involving celebrities or sports stars appealing to this age range.

Uninsured leading to the mortgage crisis

woolylambkin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:40:33 -0800

I'm looking for anecdotes of the uninsured facing financial crisis, such as losing their houses, due to medical bills. I'm writing an essay on health insurance and would like to start with an anecdote of someone losing their house or something similar due to lack of health insurance. I want to say that I heard Obama use a similar story in one of his speeches but can't seem to find it again. I'm also sure that I've heard similar stories on NPR but again I can't find any transcripts. I know there are stories like this out there but I can't seem to find any. It'd also be nice if the story was from a source that I can cite for my paper.

Storyteller

kaizen — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:56:32 -0800

What are your favorite anecdotes? I am hosting a party this weekend with a diverse group of people and wouldn't mind adding a few interesting or humorous stories to the evening. I am not looking for jokes. Anecdotes I like are the bench-pressing snowman, Cialdini's mispriced jewelry, and Benjamin Franklin's chess game.

Or forever hold your peace...

fingo — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:42:39 -0800

Looking for any anecdotes about what actually happens when someone tries to stop a wedding. Think of the classic romantic comedy scene: the love interest is marrying her fiance. The wedding ceremony is about to be completed, when suddenly, the protagonist rushes in and stops the wedding with undeniable proof that the groom is a major douche. The groom tries to fight him, the protagonist wins, and everyone in the audience claps as the love interest and the protagonist embrace.

Has anyone ever been to a wedding that someone tried to stop? What happened? Has there ever been a real wedding where the the people in attendance took the side of someone else against the groom?

Thanks

I need stories for my speech!

skjønn — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:57:39 -0800

I need anecdotes/ideas/something for a speech I will be giving at an antiwar protest this Saturday. Please help! This Saturday I'll be speaking at an antiwar protest. I'll likely be in front of a crowd of at least nine hundred and maybe a lot more.

I'm definitely not the main speaker, and I don't want to spend the ten minutes I've been allotted "preaching to the choir", as they say. I'm going to go ahead with the assumption that the people who turn out in sincerity already know why the Iraq war is bad.

So I guess I'd to include maybe a story/news item/anecdote/fable/proverb that will hopefully be new to most of the crowd that will be appropriate for an antiwar rally. It can be thought provoking, touching, or hopefully both.

Any other ideas or suggestions for my speech would be welcome too!

Keep in mind, I'm a 24 year old girl without a college degree yet and I'll be speaking alongside people a lot more important and experienced (including veterans from Iraq and Vietnam) so I don't want to come off as self-important.

Tricky Dick

phrontist — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 21:03:00 -0800

I remember reading an anecdote about Feynman, written by Feynman either in Surely, You're Joking or What Do You Care What Other People Think. He was describing how in his undergraduate years people were really impressed by his ability to do integrals, all because he knew this integration technique that wasn't taught very often. What was that technique?

What's the worst professional mistake youv'e ever made? How did you recover?

universal_qlc — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 18:26:14 -0800

What's the worst professional mistake youv'e ever made? How did you recover? I'm 23, fresh out of school, and rather terrified about my future. I entered a job, and it made me pretty miserable. After speaking with my former academic advisors and internship supervisors about the job, they advised me to quit (and also said they'd gladly act as references in a new job search). So I did. I have a good reference from the job I quit as well, although my exit itself was not the neatest. While I think I have my ducks in a row as far as job searching goes (got the references lined up, some part-time temp work lined up and savings to cushion the financial blow, put out the word that I'm looking again), and have a much better idea of where I'd like my career to go and the steps I need to take to get there, generally I feel pretty awful about myself after this experience.

So, while I'm not specifically looking for advice on my particular situation - I am curious about the other professional mistakes people made when they were my age. What happened? How did you recover? Did you recover? Please tell me that things get better after the age of 23, and not worse. Or, be horribly blunt and tell me that it will be a long, hard slog to put my career back together, and that the real world blows. Either way, your personal stories are appreciated.

Def Con Art Garfunkel

Mach3avelli — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 02:34:57 -0800

I would like to hear personal anecdotes related to scams, scammers, or scamming. I'm always fascinated by the subject of cons, from both the point of view of victim or victimizer. Especially stories where the target gets the better of the scammer (like that infamous ebay iBook story).

I haven't read anything too interesting all week and I need a little pick-me-up, so please indulge everyone with your personal exploits.

Famous Writing Habits?

Gnostic Novelist — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 13:46:38 -0800

Famous Writing Habits? I come across sites dealing with a few here and there but there is no great collection I can find. Common examples: Hemingway's habit/belief of 500 words per day, Faulkner drinking whiskey whilst writing, Balzac drinking 10+ espressos a day, Thomas Wolfe's habit of writing standing up and his prolixity (so much so that Max Perkins had to substantially edit his work). Certain writers lived philosophies on first drafts/revisions, words/hours per day, etc etc. I have no problem locating famous quotes, but I'm more interested in info about actual behaviors. Hope that sounds right. Thank You in advance.

Tales of the origins of now-ubiquitous innovations?

padraigin — Tue, 02 May 2006 09:38:16 -0800

I'd love some help/direction/inspiration finding stories and quotes about inventions and technologies that are now ubiquitous, but were once considered to be unnecessary or impractical. I'm thinking along the lines of the Bill Gates-attributed "640k ought to be enough for anybody", or Henry Ford's quip that customers could have their car in any color they want, as long as it's black.

What I'm looking for are examples that illustrate how a new idea was once considered to be either a luxury, or to have no practical application in everyday life, but eventually came to be a household word--automobiles, washing machines, the television, etc. Specific examples would be most helpful, or general commentary on a certain area of technology or day-to-day life.

I'm already sifting through the various quote repositories, but would love any other sources, online or otherwise, that you can point me toward.

hello hello! twins in art & lit

ibeji — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 17:34:44 -0800

Twins of the world! This is a question for you: what media (books, movies, documentaries, poems, photographs, paintings etc), fiction or non, do you feel best expresses your own experience as a twin? All lengthy anecdotes welcome :-) [Here's your opportunity to deny or confirm the suspicion that all twins love the Polish Brothers.]

As the wise philosoper once said....

jasondigitized — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 08:52:18 -0800

A good majority of the non-fiction books I read are littered with relevant quips, quotes, and interesting anecdotes. An author may start a chapter with a very succinct quote that beautifully summarizes the theme of the chapter, or during the course of explaining a theory, the writer will include a great historical anecdote to reinforce his opinion. Where does all of this wonderful stuff come from? Are non-fiction authors complete bibliomaniacs armed with photographic memories, or is this stuff added through the editorial process? Is there such a thing as a 'aphorism researcher' or a 'andecdote index'?

MatchFilter: match.com success stories!

softlord — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 16:31:58 -0800

MatchFilter: Those of you (and I've seen several mentions, so please don't be shy) who have used match.com in the past, how long did it take you to find someone worthwhile? I recently (two weeks ago) took the plunge and subscribed to match.com, as I finally feel like I'm getting to a place in my life where it'd be better with someone than without.

I was wondering about any particular anecdotes of what works and what doesn't work about the site (it seems to have a habit of recommending people who I'm not really into, and I can't tell if it learns from my behavior on the site), and how you managed to find someone who worked out for you.

Co-Sleeping?

limitedpie — Thu, 13 Jan 2005 09:15:12 -0800

NewParentFilter: To Co-Sleep or not to Co-Sleep, that is the question! The Family Bed versus 'give 'em their own room' is like the proverbial Protestant vs. Catholic thing-- The battle lines are fiercely drawn and both sides are convinced the other is the devil's work. We can easily weigh and analyze all the co-sleeping arguments (pro and con) that affect us (the parents) ie. like love life and worse sleep. But what about for the kid? What is really best for her? Any real research on this? Any anecdotal stuff that might help us decide?

Looking for an anecdote to do with Fahrenheit 9/11's release

Evstar — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 20:32:34 -0800

I'm looking for an anecdote I read around the time of Fahrenheit 9/11's release. It was about a young woman who is confronted in the queue for F9/11 after she lights up her cigarette. I believe it was from a Livejournal, and I think I saw it somewhere on MeFi, but damned if I can find it. [caveated inside] I asked in a certain unnamed irc channel which site this should be posted on, but they're mostly jackasses incapable of giving snark-free responses (you know who you are). Care to curb the trend?

Getting Started with Self-Employment

oissubke — Tue, 09 Dec 2003 22:09:12 -0800

Are you self employed, or a small business owner? If so, what do you do, and how did you get started?