# actual stupid questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 1999, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374 "1999-10-11T18:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![\_LiZa\_JaNe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/bbce88/32.png) [@\_LiZa\_JaNe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_LiZa_JaNe)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 1999, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/41 "1999-10-14T02:38:00Z")
Well, I work at a mail order office supply company…and we get some very stupid questions…these are two right off the top of my head…that we get a lot!! “How many pens are in a dozen?” & “What is the difference between white & clear labels?” -LiZa JaNe ---
**Author:** ![Born2Read](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cdc98d/32.png) [@Born2Read](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Born2Read)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 1999, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/42 "1999-10-14T18:29:00Z")
We keep a list of “interesting” questions at our reference desk. Things I personally have been asked: Do you have the book “Jane Eerie”? I need information on the bionic plague. Do you have a copy of “How to Kill a Mockingbird”? Or, my favorite, until someone tops it. This was a high school/college age student. Do you have five books on Shakespeare? I have to do a report on an American author. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/43 "1999-10-15T00:18:00Z")
Not knowing who Shakespeare was - that takes the bacon! ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/44 "1999-10-15T00:45:00Z")
A few favorites of mine- absolutely true, I swear to God (and Satan) How do I type a Roman numeral IV on the computer? The Thinkpad? Is that the one that you “think” what you want it to do and it does it? When I had my spinal surgery. (a complete spinal fusion- two 18 inch rods plus pins and hooks and all sorts of shit) “Did it hurt?” Hmmmmmmm…no- it was like a warm fuzzy holiday! and, no lie…TODAY in class. A woman with a new laptop computer. I’m explaining how to save things to the hard drive. She says “won’t that make my computer a lot heavier to save all that stuff on it?” Wow. That ain’t even the half of it. * * * Some mornings it just doesn’t seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps. [http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/zettecity/index.html](http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/zettecity/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/45 "1999-10-15T00:49:00Z")
Somebody told me this one a while back – College biology class and the discussion was about the make-up of human ejaculate. Young female: “If there are so many sugars in it, how come it tastes salty?” ---
**Author:** ![Merper32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Merper32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merper32)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/46 "1999-10-15T02:12:00Z")
on the teacher mistakes: i once won $10 from a teacher who insisted that pro tempore was right after VP in the order of succession. and i was right ## oh yeah i also had a teacher who couldn’t spell/pronounce catus kakanaroo said mao zedong was pronounced Mayo ZeeDung I was walking down the street when something caught my eye… and dragged it 15 feet.–Emo Phillips Someone said to me, “Make yourself a sandwich.” Well, if I could make myself a sandwich, I wouldn’t make myself a sandwich. I’d make myself a horny 18-year-old billionaire. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/47 "1999-10-15T08:00:00Z")
\*\* WARNING !! URBAN LEGEND ALERT !!! \*\* ChiefScott, You might wanna check out this link: [http://www.snopes.com/college/sex/salty.htm](http://www.snopes.com/college/sex/salty.htm) Funny as it is, true it may be not. Best Regards, The O.S.D.U.L.P. (Official Straight Dope Urban Legend Police - or Unofficial, for that matter: U.S.D.U.L.P.) Presiding Officer: * * * Coldfire * * * “You know how complex women are” - Neil Peart, Rush (1993) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/48 "1999-10-15T10:01:00Z")
My high school geography teacher didn’t know how to pronouce the Hawaiian island of Oahu. I was in 9th grade and I’m pretty sure I knew more about geography than him. Nothing better than a good public school education! ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374/49 "1999-10-15T11:13:00Z")
I figured as much ColdFire – hence my preface. Gotta take a day or two to peruse Snopes, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-stupid-questions/9374.md?page=2)