# Do you respect some areas of "trivia expertise" yet disdain others? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2025, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117 "2025-04-16T21:49:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/41 "2025-04-17T13:26:19Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I have often been described as that pond that is miles across but inches deep. I know a little bit about a lot of things, but not a lot about much of anything. That’s me too! If there’s any trivia I’m better at than the average bear, it’s music trivia (as long as that music was made in the _good_ decades). Yet it isn’t hard to find someone who knows a lot more about it than I. I’m a good couch-Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit player. It impresses people, but they’re assuming I have additional skills or depth, which I do not. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/42 "2025-04-17T16:10:52Z")
I am a Cinephile that cannot name a single Academy Award winner. That knowledge is beneath me. Ask me about a quote, about the cast, about the story. Ask me about the art, not about what the art won. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/43 "2025-04-17T16:51:37Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I find most anything associated with comic books and super heroes to be silly, especially debating pitting this one against that one in a fight. You’re right, it is silly. I say that as someone who once knew a lot of comic book trivia but whose knowledge is now decades out of date. Many years ago, I came to the conclusion that a lot of things I enjoy are silly, but I don’t get the impression you think of someone who knows a lot of trivia about comic books with disdain. I can’t think of any trivia expertise is something I’d like at with disdain. I would look at someone who abrogated their responsibilities with their trivial pursuits with disdain though. If you bought #4 of the limited issue Wolverine run from 1982 by Frank Miller instead of buying diapers for your kid, I’m going to be disdainful. Oh, and we all know Hulk would pound Wolverine into the ground or send him into orbit. No way could Wolverine win that fight. I don’t care about Old Man Logan, so don’t even bring that up. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/44 "2025-04-17T18:04:12Z")
Similar to an above poster, I disdain a lot of sports trivia when it is merely statistical memorization: “Which shortstop has never had a prime number of hits in a season?” But I like it if it is truly novel or distinctive: “What was the first professional sports event that an athlete performed while wearing Crocs?” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/45 "2025-04-17T20:39:56Z")
No, I don’t mock people who like things I don’t like. I can even stifle a yawn when someone shares all their assorted trivia with me. I’m sure others might find my trivia-filled interests silly. Doesn’t mean we have to come to blows! 😊 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/46 "2025-04-17T20:53:45Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I agree. That is knowledge and knowledge most people should know from basic schooling. Up there with 2+2=4. Almost half of those I wouldn’t be able to tell you. > [@](#): > > Is it trivia to know that a meter is a little more than a yard? That F = (9/5)C + 32? That kinetic energy is 0.5mv^2? That gravity is about 9.8 m/s^2? That atmospheric pressure is about 15 psi or 100,000 N/m^2? That V=IR? The kinetic energy one… I don’t even remember what that’s for or what it means. The meter I know, temperature I would have to sit for a minute or so with some paper to remember where the 32 goes and whether it’s 5/9 or 9/5, but to what purpose is there in remembering this? And I don’t know where in my life I’ve ever had to know atmospheric pressure is 15 psi, and certainly not that it’s 100,000 N/m^2. To me, that’s orders of magnitute removed from knowledge like “2+2=4.” I wouldn’t call it “trivia,” though. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/47 "2025-04-17T21:16:56Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Oh, and we all know Hulk would pound Wolverine into the ground or send him into orbit. No way could Wolverine win that fight. Yeah, but the only reason they’d be fighting is because Logan drank all of Dr. Banner’s beer, and he’d consider that a victory. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/48 "2025-04-17T23:05:06Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I have a pretty good vocabulary. I SUCK at Scrabble. It bugs me to no end. My mind just does not work that way for some reason. I suck at jumbles too I too suck at Scrabble despite an extensive vocabulary. You are not alone. And yes, it vexes me. I can do jumbles fairly well; IMO that’s a very different exercise. But I can’t explain how it’s different. Which vexes me. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/49 "2025-04-18T01:01:49Z")
What’s jumbles? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/50 "2025-04-18T01:07:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > And I don’t know where in my life I’ve ever But that’s like asking an illiterate person when they’ve ever needed to read a book. On one hand, it’s true–they’ve survived this long, so sure, it’s not strictly _necessary_. But on the other: how would they possibly know? Basic knowledge like this is needed to make sense of lots of science reporting. Take this random example: > **[Froghoppers produce negative pressure exceeding 1 MPa for sucking xylem from...](https://phys.org/news/2021-07-froghoppers-liquid-vertical-straw-100m.html)** > > A trio of researchers at the University of British Columbia has found that froghoppers have cibarial pumps capable of sucking the xylem from plants by producing negative pressure exceeding 1 megapascal. In their paper published in Proceedings of the... So they can allegedly suck \>1 MPa. Is that a lot? Well, since I know atmospheric pressure is 100 kPa, I know this is 10 atmospheres, which is definitely a lot of suction. So much suction that it makes the entire report somewhat questionable. Normally it’s impossible to suck more than one atmosphere–more than that and you get a vacuum! So either it’s wrong, or there’s something unusual going on that makes this not like ordinary suction. Capillary action? Internal pressure of the xylem? Who knows! Either way, it makes the report much more interesting than a totally out of context number. Oh, and this basic scientific knowledge does mean the article is definitely wrong in one way–this line: > They note the force is strong enough that the little insect could suck the water out of a cup at the base of the Statue of Liberty while perched on its crown. Well, that’s just not possible. The most you can ever suck water (at sea level, and with other minor caveats) is 32 feet. More than that and you just generate a vacuum. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/51 "2025-04-18T01:38:16Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Basic knowledge like this is needed to make sense of lots of science reporting. Take this random example: You’re assuming I’m interested in reading that. I’m not. Your argument really seems to boil down to: “I pity people who have different interests than me.” ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/52 "2025-04-18T02:42:06Z")
You know, I figured out a long time ago that you can’t know everything. So I focus on stuff that interests me. Physics, as a general rule, does not. If I read an article or book and don’t understand something well, there is the internet. Or maybe I know someone. But this whole STEM rules! Humanities drools! reminds me way too much of a dick measuring contest. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/53 "2025-04-18T02:47:53Z")
Look, if it makes you feel better, about 7 billion other people have my pity, so your personal share of it is very small. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/54 "2025-04-18T03:01:53Z")
Nah, doesn’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/55 "2025-04-18T03:21:14Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > But this whole STEM rules! Humanities drools! reminds me way too much of a dick measuring contest. Amazing that within living memory [it was the other way around.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Cultures) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/56 "2025-04-18T03:38:03Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > So they can allegedly suck \>1 MPa. Is that a lot? A big heap of who gives a shit from me. I can’t even get past the first sentence without first looking up three words (froghopper? Sibarial? Xylem? Ok, maybe I’ve seen that one before but I couldn’t tell you what it means out of context), so unlikely for me to care about. If it is, then I look it up. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/57 "2025-04-18T03:48:58Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > What’s jumbles? Where a word’s letters are scrambled (jumbled) and you need to figure out what the word is from a clue and a picture and then find a final word(s). [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Jumble_puzzle.png/330px-Jumble_puzzle.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Jumble_puzzle.png/330px-Jumble_puzzle.png) ---
**Author:** ![Sooner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sooner/32/7875_2.png) [@Sooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sooner)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/58 "2025-04-18T03:52:59Z")
I have respect for factual knowledge: history, geography, sciences, math; economics, physics Much less for pop culture, literature or fantasy. Just how my brain is wired No offense intended ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/59 "2025-04-18T12:31:43Z")
As a middle school math teacher, the most important thing I tried to teach students was that it’s possible to develop an interest in almost anything. I learned a bit about how pencils are made and some details of their design and variation. I feigned an obsession, but just enough to make it clear that I was enjoying knowledge of a sort. I tried to cultivate an acceptance of individual enthusiasms. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117/60 "2025-04-18T17:10:08Z")
I’m another who knows a little bit about “everything.” It almost infuriates my wife that I can whip out a background understanding of almost any topic that comes up at a socal gathering. I’m good at trivia, and I appreciate that sort of knowledge. There’s a point of diminishing returns, though. If you’ve gone past that on a given subject, I’ll still humor you if you can make it interesting. There’s only two areas that I can’t care less. Celebrity “gossip column” stuff and high fashion. Sports trivia is a curious thing. I like and understand statistics, but the trivia is like memorizing how long everything in your house is, when I’m just interested in how a measuring tape works. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-respect-some-areas-of-trivia-expertise-yet-disdain-others/1017117.md?page=4)