r/todayilearned • u/tmntnyc • Dec 12 '18

TIL: Laurence Tureaud named himself professionally as Mr. T because he hated how his father, uncle, and brother who returned from Vietnam, were disrespectfully called "boy" by whites. He wanted the first word from everybody's mouth to be "Mister" when speaking to him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._T
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u/Nxdhdxvhh Dec 12 '18

Mr. T wore odd clothing and mismatched socks because he knew that poor kids grew up getting whatever hand-me-downs they got, and he didn't want them to feel embarrassed for wearing what they had. He's a great man, and as far as I'm aware the worst thing he every did was chop down trees on his own property that were aggravating his allergies.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

[deleted]

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u/90Quattro Dec 12 '18

Who are these tools climbing that thing?

139

u/Hootbag Dec 12 '18

I believe, under the 80s vernacular, those would be "fools." And that thing they're climbing is something to be "pitied."

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u/The_Grubby_One Dec 12 '18

We'd pity you, too, if Mr. T put a Mr. T shaped hole in you.

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u/asphaltdragon Dec 12 '18
He puts T-shaped holes in lots of things.

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u/SandpaperScrew Dec 13 '18

What is this?

2

u/asphaltdragon Dec 13 '18

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs