# Amazingly stupid things overheard
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 28, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599 "2011-12-28T04:33:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 10
### Author:  [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/181 "2012-01-03T00:44:07Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#):
>
> Didn’t happen to me, this was overheard by my cousin while watching the movie Troy. They are rolling the big horse up to the gate and some girl leans over to her friend and says, “I bet there are people inside.”
Also when watching Troy, two teenage girls gasped when Achilles got shot with an arrow. And then one said “oh good, it only hit his heel.”
(I know this sounds made up, but I swear to Og I heard this. And they didn’t seem old enough to be saying it ironically or anything.)
---
### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/182 "2012-01-03T01:06:08Z")
I’ve told this story before, in similar threads.
A friend of mine lived for 3-1/2 years in Fairbanks, Alaska, while her husband was stationed there in the US Air Force. She really loved it. (We were both raised in Kansas\>)
After Fairbanks her husband was posted to San Antonio, Texas. Friend goes to the DMV to get a Texas driver’s license. She was told about the written tests she’d have to take, and the driving instruction and driving tests. When she asked why all this just to get a new license my friend was informed “We don’t accept licenses from foreign countries.”
“Um, Alaska is an American state.” she said. The DMV clerk absolutely refused to believe her, so friend had to call for the supervisor. She said even that worthy seemed suspicious of her claim, but let her have the simple papers for a license because she didn’t want to hassle about it.
---
### Author:  [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/183 "2012-01-03T01:15:15Z")
> [@Sailboat](#):
>
> I find this charming but it does not match my experience. 🙂
I agree with you 100% here. Unfortunately stupid people ask questions quite often, and the questions are usually stupid. The answers are not able to be absorbed by their stupid, and so they remain stupid. Usually they’ll ask a different permutation of the same question later, oblivious to the fact that they should already know the answer…if not for the stupid.
---
### Author:  [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/184 "2012-01-03T01:17:14Z")
I used to live in Hawaii. At one point, I was working the phones for a company that took tourists on an “authentic” Luau. Some of the calls were so bad that I had to put them on hold just so I could roll my eyes and recover.
We used to get lots of calls asking what the weather would be like in 6 months. I got lots of calls asking if we took credit cards and asking about the exchange rates. My favorite one was the lady who asked if I knew if her upper class hotel room would have an inside toilet. I was not a good customer service person for that call, I laughed and told her that we even had dishwashers and indoor showers.
There is a good reason I don’t work customer service anymore.
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/185 "2012-01-03T01:28:54Z")
> [@Baker](#):
>
> “We don’t accept licenses from foreign countries.”
No one is that stupid.
---
### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/186 "2012-01-03T02:15:46Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> No one is that stupid.
Sad to say, they are.
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/187 "2012-01-03T02:29:15Z")
> [@Baker](#):
>
> Sad to say, they are.
No way.
What state or city if you aren’t afraid it will reveal your secret identity as Death Mistress?
I’ll add it to my list of places not to visit, like Lithuania.
🙂
---
### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/188 "2012-01-03T03:17:58Z")
> [@Koxinga](#):
>
> Not so much so was a guy I once worked with: when I told him I had spent a lot of time in Taiwan, his demeanor suddenly become all “wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more,” and asked me a couple of greasy questions about the local night life while I was there. I was puzzled, and only later realized that he was thinking of _Thailand_ . . .
That evens out with all the people who think I live on a Chinese island threatened by the mainland.
---
### Author:  [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/189 "2012-01-03T03:38:16Z")
> [@flatlined](#):
>
> We used to get lots of calls asking what the weather would be like in 6 months.
What’s so stupid about that? Of course you can’t know the day-to-day forecasts 6 months in advance, but you do know what the normal temperature and frequency of rain would be for that time of year.
---
### Author:  [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/190 "2012-01-03T03:47:39Z")
> [@Baker](#):
>
> …After Fairbanks her husband was posted to San Antonio, Texas. Friend goes to the DMV to get a Texas driver’s license…
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> No one is that stupid.
> [@Baker](#):
>
> Sad to say, they are.
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> No way.
> What state or city if you aren’t afraid it will reveal your secret identity as Death Mistress?
> I’ll add it to my list of places not to visit, like Lithuania.
>
> 🙂
_ **San Antonio.** _
---
### Author:  [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/191 "2012-01-03T04:41:11Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> No way.
> What state or city if you aren’t afraid it will reveal your secret identity as Death Mistress?
> I’ll add it to my list of places not to visit, like Lithuania.
>
> 🙂
You should also add Iowa to your list. As I mentioned in post 162 there were apparently people there that don’t know Hawaii is a state.
It makes me wonder how many birthers are people who don’t know that Hawaii was a state when Barack Obama was born there.
Based on the people I know, most people have rather vague notions of geography. Even people who have traveled internationally may only loose ideas and just go where the plane takes them.
---
### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/192 "2012-01-03T04:58:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> That evens out with all the people who think I live on a Chinese island threatened by the mainland.
(To clarify: You’re in Taiwan now, correct?)
Well, in theory the PRC could ‘reassert’ its sovereignty over its wayward province at any moment; why do you think Taiwan and China don’t both have permanent members in the UN right now?
So this doesn’t quite fit, in that it isn’t exactly the kind of _utter, blistering stupidity_ we’re talking about in this thread; it’s more like “OMG missiles always mean war!” stupidity, which is more forgivable.
---
### Author:  [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/193 "2012-01-03T05:05:16Z")
> [@Derleth](#):
>
> (To clarify: You’re in Taiwan now, correct?)
>
> Well, in theory the PRC could ‘reassert’ its sovereignty over its wayward province at any moment; why do you think Taiwan and China don’t both have permanent members in the UN right now?
>
> So this doesn’t quite fit, in that it isn’t exactly the kind of _utter, blistering stupidity_ we’re talking about in this thread; it’s more like “OMG missiles always mean war!” stupidity, which is more forgivable.
Why the hell don’t they leave Siam alone? Somebody ought to bring this to the UN Security Council.
---
### Author:  [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/194 "2012-01-03T05:06:48Z")
“Amazing” post, BTW.
---
### Author:  [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/195 "2012-01-03T05:37:11Z")
> [@Derleth](#):
>
> (To clarify: You’re in Taiwan now, correct?)
>
> Well, in theory the PRC could ‘reassert’ its sovereignty over its wayward province at any moment; why do you think Taiwan and China don’t both have permanent members in the UN right now?
>
> So this doesn’t quite fit, in that it isn’t exactly the kind of _utter, blistering stupidity_ we’re talking about in this thread; it’s more like “OMG missiles always mean war!” stupidity, which is more forgivable.
According to his location, he’s in Thailand. Unless I’m being whooshed.
---
### Author:  [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/196 "2012-01-03T06:40:58Z")
Overheard today in Bloomingdale’s:
Customer: I get a 10% discount off everything today!
Salesperson: Okay…why?
Customer: I applied for a store card.
Salesperson: Ok, can I see your temporary card so I can…
Customer: Oh no, I don’t have it.
Salesperson: Why not?
Customer: I was declined.
---
### Author:  [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/197 "2012-01-03T06:55:44Z")
My husband and I visited Ireland years ago and went to my grandmothers home town and met some of her relatives. They were lovely people and treated us like family, so we invited them to stay with us if they ever traveled to the US. A few years ago, some of them did come to visit so I had a party at my house so all my extended family could meet them. The father who was in his 50s, was particularly charming and in his lovely brogue, he was telling everyone stories about their 3 weeks of traveling across the US, what sights they saw, etc.
My (very dopey) cousin replied “Wow, you’ve only been here for 3 weeks?? Your English is really good!” :smack:
---
### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/198 "2012-01-03T08:23:09Z")
> [@Mosier](#):
>
> According to his location, he’s in Thailand. Unless I’m being whooshed.
I sure as Hell don’t change my location every time I move somewhere new. I was certain he spent some time other than Thailand, at any rate.
---
### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/199 "2012-01-03T11:05:20Z")
A very rural liquor store in the USA refused to accept my USA passport as government ID, no they needed STATE issued ID they insisted.
Then a 50 year old woman at least marvelled at my passport and said it was the first time she had seen one and how long had I been in the USA. URGH
Americans as a whole are very ignorant of immigration and citizenship stuff comparatively I find.
---
### Author:  [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/200 "2012-01-03T12:28:49Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> No one is that stupid.
Wait a minute, you’re telling me there’s a ‘New’ Mexico?
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599.md?page=9)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599.md?page=11)