History

Literature teacher: So what the Europeans did was take the description of Jesus from the texts and made their images of him Caucasian so as to be more relatable to those they were teaching to.
Girl of questionable literacy: European Jesus was hot.

Delta Secondary School
Ladner, British Columbia
Canadia

Customer, browsing selection of charm bracelets: Do you have any Nazi charm bracelets? My daughter loves that stuff!
Craft vendor: Uh…no.

Craft Show
San Diego, California

Professor: The French lords were so disbelieving. It was like your favorite puppy going ‘Rawr, rawr, rawr!’ and taking a chunk out of your arm — they were just like, ‘Huh? What?’

Burdine Hall, University of Texas
Austin, Texas

Overheard by: she actually growled

Girl: Wait, who's Hitler?
Guy: Are you serious?
Girl: I don't watch a lot of tv…

Peabody, Massachusetts

Professor: Adams and Jefferson weren’t the only presidents to die on the Fourth of July. Does anyone know the third?
Student #1: Was it Monroe?
Professor: Yes, Monroe also died on the Fourth of July. Quite interesting, isn’t it?
Student #2: Is that why we celebrate the Fourth of July?

Liberal Ed floor, Columbia College
Chicago, Illinois

Overheard by: Ready to graduate

Student #1, viewing political cartoons of Egypt: There's a face on that rock!
Student #2: Because it's the sphynx!

New Hampshire

Film studies professor: Until the 1970s, no one realized that the world was divided into men and women.

Birmingham University
England

Professor, on possible Nazi allusions in animation: Well, it was a German film, and any time you hear German muttering, it’s harsh words and armbands.

Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island

Overheard by: Sandro

Light-skinned black woman: I’m just saying, I’d have been in the home and not in the fields.

Taco Mac
Atlanta, Georgia

Hobo #1: No matter how you look at it, a swastika is still a swastika.
Hobo #2: (nods in agreement)

Tucson, Arizona

Overheard by: Adam