# 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:** 5
### Author:  [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/81 "2011-12-29T15:43:44Z")
A friend of mine was doing a spinning demonstration (the textile kind, not the stationary bicycle kind). She had just started, so the bobbin was still exposed. Observing, a woman said to her young child, “Look! See how she’s turning the wood into yarn?”
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/82 "2011-12-29T16:28:34Z")
> [@Floater](#):
>
> No, it was walking around together with the bears. I suppose they were quite accustomed to each other.
But I bet the fox slept with one eye open.
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/83 "2011-12-29T16:50:19Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> But I bet the fox slept with one eye open.
Good thing too. At the zoo in our city we had two foxes eaten by the bears, when they were placed in their enclosure. Caused a real scandal it did.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/84 "2011-12-29T16:50:53Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> I suspect the Arctic fox was in the bear enclosure because many zoos are trying to make their exhibits more like “natural” habitats for the benefit of both animals and visitors. That being said, the fox might well have been in its own protected area of the bear exhibit and not at risk of predation.
I’d be surprised if the bear would have considered the fox prey. Except for fish (and the occasional unlucky human) I don’t think bears usually prey on other predators when there are other options available.
**Ferret Herder** has a point too: at the NE Aquarium they have a several thousand gallon tank in the center of the building, filled with sharks and other fish, and according to a guide there are rarely any attacks in front of visitors because they purposely offer the sharks food a lot more often than they’d get in the wild.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/85 "2011-12-29T16:54:33Z")
> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> I’d be surprised if the bear would have considered the fox prey. Except for fish (and the occasional unlucky human) I don’t think bears usually prey on other predators when there are other options available.
Perhaps the little bastards snore. 🙂
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### Author:  [@spotthegerbil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spotthegerbil)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/86 "2011-12-29T17:39:58Z")
I heard both of these at Edinburgh castle from tourists.
“Isn’t it great that they built the castle so close to the shops…”
(pointing north) “I didn’t know we were so close to France. Look, you can see the Eiffel Tower”
[(scroll down) Craigkelly Transmitter, as built by Gustav Eiffel](http://www.aerialsandtv.com/craigkellytx.html)
I will not mentin their nationality…
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### Author:  [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/87 "2011-12-29T17:55:18Z")
In a restaurant, I overheard a woman inquiring, as though she were shopping around: “What do you charge for a bounced check?”
I missed the response because I nearly choked on my food laughing so hard.
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### Author:  [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/88 "2011-12-29T18:05:00Z")
If you look closely, you’ll find lots of small animals in large animal enclosures. They’re there to hunt [rats and other pests](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox#Diet) that have come for the bigger animal’s food scraps.
> [@brittekland](#):
>
> Definitely not stupid: I was on a short leg of a car trip across US with a Buddhist head monk from Asia. He said, “Ah, so that’s where people live!”, seeing a small cluster of houses through some corn fields and woods; he couldn’t figure out why he saw so few houses from interstate highways… he thought people live behind woods hiding.
To be fair, a lot of communities _are_ intentionally hidden behind tree lines, so as to be obscured visually and audibly from the highways. If you’ve ever driven across an unfamiliar state, then there’s probably been a time when you’ve thought yourself in the great wilderness, but you’re actually a stone’s throw from suburbia and five Walmarts.
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### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/89 "2011-12-29T18:10:47Z")
My cousin admitted he asked a Manhattan cop where the Eiffel Tower was, apparently he didn’t miss a beat and said, pointing, “About 3000 miles that way!”
I overheard a college age tourist from the US in a hostel in Galway one time, talking about Connemara, “They’ve got these stone walls and donkeys every where, I mean it’s a bit much.” From the context it seems she thought that the stone walls were built as a tourist attraction.
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### Author:  [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/90 "2011-12-29T18:17:01Z")
My cousin was telling a friend about her plans for college. Her friend asked what she was going to major in and my cousin responded “I don’t know, something in the liberal arts.”
To which her friend responded “You mean like _karate?_”
:smack:
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/91 "2011-12-29T18:34:54Z")
When I was in Vienna I bought a t-shirt with the profile of a kangaroo against a yellow diamond shape, and the words “NO KANGAROOS IN AUSTRIA.” I immediately knew what it meant, so I asked the clerk at my hotel. He confirmed my suspicions.
Apparently, there are people who don’t know that Austria and Australia are two separate countries. They book their flights to Vienna, check into their hotel, and ask the desk clerk how to get to the Outback. Then they get seriously angry when they’re told that they’re several thousand miles away. Usually they just leave and go back home, thinking there’s nothing to see or do in Vienna.
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### Author:  [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/92 "2011-12-29T19:15:14Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> Usually they just leave and go back home, thinking there’s nothing to see or do in Vienna.
I have a strong urge to say that has to BS, but then I have to believe, chances are, there are people that stupid out there.
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### Author:  [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/93 "2011-12-29T19:38:32Z")
Wiretap 1 - Suspect B’s phone is tapped.
Suspect A: I got letter from the phone company saying the feds subpoenaed my phone records.
Suspect B: You got to get one of these thingys I have that you put on your phone and tells you when it is tapped.
Same wire - Suspect B’s courier (a middle aged woman) is having a hard time with the codes he uses when discussing weights of cocaine.
Suspect B - One is just one ok? A 112 is four ones. A whole one is 38 ones. Got it?
We has this stupidly simple code figured out right away but to have him explaining it on the phone when the whole purpose was to confuse anyone who might be listening was priceless. For those of you not in the cocaine business, 1 oz = 28 grams, 112 grams = 4 oz and 38 oz = approx. 1 kilogram
BTW, Suspect B was the subject of an American Gangster episode. But first he did about 20 years as a result of the wiretap.
Wiretap #2 (actually a bug planted in the house)
Suspect - (in an apparent effort to get into pants of a female friend while his wife wasn’t home by impressing her with his smarts) “I write everything down in this book in code and no one knows how to read it but me.” He then goes on to explain code names for various customers and how dates are recorded as x amount of days before or after some significant event (also coded which he explains).
We had second hand information about a ledger but this confirmed it and we probably would never have figured out the names (the dates weren’t so hard) of the people who eventually testified against him. 40 years.
Why do you think they call it dope?
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### Author:  [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/94 "2011-12-29T19:40:08Z")
> [@Crotalus](#):
>
> Doctor Science’s statement is not correct. Snakes have tails. Externally, the tail can be discerned as beginning at the external vent of the cloaca. Internally, the tail vertebrae have no ribs, while body vertebrae have ribs.
> [@Filbert](#):
>
> 😕 :dubious:
> Sorry, but that’s total rubbish.
> If you look closely at a snake, there is a definite noticeable ‘body’ and ‘tail’ section. It’s even more obvious if you look internally; the organs are all found in the main body, encased by ribs, and ending in a cloaca- the genital/anal opening; in pythons and boas the body even ends with mini hips, and what looks very like a single lizardy toe on each side, which are used in mating; the tail is noticeably narrower, tapering, and has a backbone only, no ribs.
Good grief. I know that snakes are not tails.
I guess you guys never listened to Doctor Science. His pontifications were intentionally funny, and usually idiotic, which is why I was reminded of him. Given the context of the thread, my insertion of “correctly” was an attempt to add to the absurdity.
For The Record: I am a High School Graduate, and know that amphibians don’t even have tails.
Sheesh.
😃
.
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### Author:  [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/95 "2011-12-29T19:47:37Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#):
>
> Reminds me of the time someone “asked Doctor Science” if snakes have tails. DS replied (correctly): “Snakes don’t have tails. Snakes are tails.”
> [@Crotalus](#):
>
> Doctor Science’s statement is not correct. Snakes have tails. Externally, the tail can be discerned as beginning at the external vent of the cloaca. Internally, the tail vertebrae have no ribs, while body vertebrae have ribs.
> [@Filbert](#):
>
> 😕 :dubious:
> Sorry, but that’s total rubbish.
> If you look closely at a snake, there is a definite noticeable ‘body’ and ‘tail’ section. It’s even more obvious if you look internally; the organs are all found in the main body, encased by ribs, and ending in a cloaca- the genital/anal opening; in pythons and boas the body even ends with mini hips, and what looks very like a single lizardy toe on each side, which are used in mating; the tail is noticeably narrower, tapering, and has a backbone only, no ribs.
**Crotalus** and **Filbert** , **TreacherousCretin** was referring to _“[Ask Dr. Science](http://drscience.com/wordpress/)”_, which is a parody of shows like _Bill Nye the Science Guy_ (although _Ask Dr. Science_ predated Bill Nye’s show). _Ask Dr. Science_ was produced by Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre and was sort of an anti-Straight Dope.
Example of _Ask Dr. Science_ audio: [Is there a factory in our heads that makes hair?](http://www.drscience.com/recordings/Hair%20Factory.mp3) **Warning: linked mp3**
Notably, Dr. Science has a Master’s Degree… in Science!
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/96 "2011-12-29T20:03:27Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> Perhaps the little bastards snore. 🙂
Exactly; there are other reasons I can see that you might want to beat up the other fauna now and then. 😉
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### Author:  [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/97 "2011-12-29T20:05:43Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#):
>
> Yes, they would. But if someone has already been in a dozen stores that day, s/he perhaps can be forgiven if s/he doesn’t remember just WHICH Big Department Store s/he’s in right now. Especially during the Shopping Season (which some people still claim is a religious holiday), with the attending frantic atmosphere. Even though there are SOME differences between the different stores, for the most part they all sell basically the same stuff. Yeah, some stores sell their own house brands, but you’re going to find Levi’s and Wranglers jeans in just about any store that sells jeans, for instance. It gets to the point where all you care about is ticking off another purchase on the old gift list, and you’re doing good to remember your own damned name, let alone the name of whatever interchangeable store you’re in.
>
> And this, folks, is yet another reason why I do my Xmas shopping early, and online if at all possible.
Thank you, **Lynn**. This is what I was trying to say. Most of the time the customer didn’t really care what store they were in, just which piece of plastic to pull out of their wallets to pay for their purchases.
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### Author:  [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/98 "2011-12-29T21:25:21Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Welcome to the SDMB, **UFC Is Sux**.
>
> I’m sure you have already read the [registration agreement](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=423183)carefully, so let me point you to our [rules](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384736).
>
> We ask that you stay on topic in threads. Dragging in a political attack that you obviously didn’t “overhear” is really inappropriate. If you wish to embark on yet another round of Bush-bashing, please start a new thread in either Great Debates or the Pit.
>
> Again, welcome.
>
> **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator
Gomen nasai. Won’t happen again.
(And, there’s a “topic” in “Mundane and Pointless Stuff I Must Share”? Who knew?)
(And I really did overhear the man say those very words. Really really.)
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### Author:  [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/99 "2011-12-29T21:47:01Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> I suspect the Arctic fox was in the bear enclosure because many zoos are trying to make their exhibits more like “natural” habitats for the benefit of both animals and visitors. That being said, the fox might well have been in its own protected area of the bear exhibit and not at risk of predation.
The bear has to wipe its ass with something.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-stupid-things-overheard/607599/100 "2011-12-29T21:51:51Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#):
>
> The bear has to wipe its ass with something.
“Do you have a problem with shit sticking to your fur?”
😃
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