# Ever been shocked at what some people don't know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416 "2012-03-10T22:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/221 "2012-03-13T20:39:27Z")
How? I was very suprised to fidn my father had never heard of Hello Kitty. I was sure he must have seen her on something, even if he didn’t know what she was called- but no, I showed him a Google Image search, and he didn’t recognize her. Also in the family, I think my brother still hasn’t gotten over the time I asked, “Wait, video games have plots?” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/222 "2012-03-13T20:51:08Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > How? There are a number of ways, actually. One is if the girl has Turner syndrome. If the zygote is XY (“boy”) and splits into two zygotes, there’s an almost infinitesimally small chance that one of them will drop the Y, resulting in an XY (boy) and X (girl) who came from the same fertilized egg and share all other genes. One infant will bear balls and tackle and the other vagina and (non-functioning) ovaries. It will probably be figured out sooner or later, as Turner’s Syndrome girls often have growth retardation and other health issues. Another possibility would be if the original zygote was XXY (Klinefelter’s) and split unevenly, yielding an XY and and XX. Then you’d have two infants, one genetically and physically male and one female, who came from the same fertilized ovum and share all (but the Y) chromosomes. Very, very rare. These are things that embryologists geek out over because they’re so exceedingly rare. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/223 "2012-03-13T20:52:23Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > Fun fact: Unless the material is actually sterilized, wood is _more_ hygienic than plastic. Some of the chemical components of wood are not particularly beneficial to micro-organisms. That’s in fact the reason for the tree to make them. In addition to this, wood is highly porous microscopically which means that the inevitable small nicks and cuts occuring on cutting boards, kitchen utensils etc. that gather foodstuffs and moisture dry out quickly, whereas cuts on plastic stuff keep the moisture in, promoting bacterial growth. IME, it’s extremely common for people to assume wood _must_ be unhygienic compared to plastic. ---
**Author:** ![Sandra\_Battye](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sandra_battye/32/552_2.png) [@Sandra\_Battye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandra_Battye)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/224 "2012-03-13T20:56:28Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > About 2 years ago, my boyfriend’s (then)roommate told me that he loved dodos because they were so funny. 😕 > I told him that dodos are extinct. He said, adamantly and loudly, that he had just seen a special on them on Discovery channel, and that the way they landed in the water was hilarious. :eek: > I told him again, they are extinct… and were flightless. He never would believe me. The only thing I can figure is that given the connotations of the two words, he had confused dodos with loons. How about [boobies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby)? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/225 "2012-03-13T21:09:00Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:197, topic:615416”] …Many of the things mentioned in this thread (including what I just said) are very culture-specific. Like the Eeyore thing.I am 53 years old, raised in the U.S., but I’ve been to the UK quite a few times. I have never heard the sound a donkey makes described as “eeyore,” and until this thread I had no idea where that donkey’s name came from… [/QUOTE] You’re a bit older than me, but otherwise .. yup, yup, yup, and yup. Also, yup. Had to show a college roommate how to make mashed potatoes. Out of a box. I’m sure I’ll think of more… ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/226 "2012-03-13T21:18:18Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Also in the family, I think my brother still hasn’t gotten over the time I asked, “Wait, video games have plots?” And understandably so. _ **Ms. Pac-Man** _ had a plot. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/227 "2012-03-13T21:23:37Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > About 2 years ago, my boyfriend’s (then)roommate told me that he loved dodos because they were so funny. 😕 > I told him that dodos are extinct. He said, adamantly and loudly, that he had just seen a special on them on Discovery channel, and that the way they landed in the water was hilarious. :eek: > > I told him again, they are extinct… and were flightless. He never would believe me. The only thing I can figure is that given the connotations of the two words, he had confused dodos with loons. > [@Sandra\_Battye](#): > > How about [boobies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby)? Missed it by that much. I’ve seen a lot of documentaries with multiple shots of blue-footed boobies landing. They don’t do it well. The shots are usually of them landing on the ground, though. Try looking for YouTube clips of boobies landing and ask him if that’s what he saw. He might enjoy the clips enough to not mind admitting he shifted the name in a completely understandable way. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/228 "2012-03-13T21:35:42Z")
> [@Sandra\_Battye](#): > > How about [boobies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby)? Ooo, good call. I was going to suggest pelicans, because they are as comical landing in water as they are graceful in the air, but I’ll bet you’ve hit it. > [@WhyNot](#): > > \ > Another possibility would be if the original zygote was XXY (Klinefelter’s) and split unevenly, yielding an XY and and XX. Then you’d have two infants, one genetically and physically male and one female, who came from the same fertilized ovum and share all (but the Y) chromosomes. \ See, this is just weird. My son is studying for his biology test and asked a question about Klinefelter’s Syndrome not 10 minutes ago, which marks the first time I have ever heard that term in my life. I googled it, we exchanged a few comments about it, and then I went back to skimming through the Dope. What on earth are the chances? (This being the Dope and all, I confidently expect someone to be along within the hour to make scholarly observations about probability and math stuff and all.) My contribution comes from a business dinner, in which my husband and his partner, wives included, were entertaining a customer from Israel and his wife. They were a lovely older Jewish couple who have lived on a kibbutz for decades. My husband’s partner’s wife asked if they celebrated Christmas and expressed astonishment when they kindly said no. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/229 "2012-03-13T21:44:35Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I was in St. Petersburg, Russia and a bunch of people just arrived from a cruise ship. A few years ago, I worked in the marketing department of a technology services company. I was on a team that had to come up with a new marketing campaign for our company, which could provide tech services both in the US as well as internationally. I came up with what I thought was a nifty concept that played on the names of famous cities. One of the ideas was: “You need to manage your network in St. Petersburg? No problem. Oh, you mean St. Petersburg, Russia? Still no problem!” Another was, “You need to track your shipments to San Jose? No problem. Wait. San Jose, Costa Rica? Still no problem!” The campaign was shot down, mostly because the other 4 people on the team were arguing over “St. Petersburg”. Only two people had heard of the city in Florida, and only one had heard of the one in Russia. None of the people on the team realized that there were two cities with that name. I didn’t even try with the San Jose one. FWIW, these were college graduates working for a fairly large company in the Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/230 "2012-03-13T21:58:46Z")
> [@Sandra\_Battye](#): > > How about [boobies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby)? I never thought I’d say this, but what pretty feet the boobies have! > [@Yllaria](#): > > Missed it by that much. I’ve seen a lot of documentaries with multiple shots of blue-footed boobies landing. They don’t do it well. The shots are usually of them landing on the ground, though. > > Try looking for YouTube clips of boobies landing and ask him if that’s what he saw. He might enjoy the clips enough to not mind admitting he shifted the name in a completely understandable way. If he hadn’t wound up getting so mad about it, it would be easier. He just kept arguing. I finally had to ask him “Do you want me to get the dictionary?,” and it turned out he did not. Besides, he’s a man. I’m sure he would’ve remembered “boobies”. :rolleyes: (Because they have such pretty feet, of course. ) ---
**Author:** ![Semjaazah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Semjaazah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semjaazah)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/231 "2012-03-13T22:33:27Z")
Nearly every day. It amazes me how ignorant (and indeed proud of said ignorance) some people can be - as if being vapid and vacuous were attractive or positive traits. One risks becoming arrogant after noticing for so long the near constant idiocy within their culture, but I think it’s probably justified. I did a presentation on Religion and it’s contribution to conflict in a sociology seminar for University, no-one could come up with any useful questions to ask our group when prompted by the tutor, and one girl even proudly exclaimed that she hadn’t understood any of it. Since when did stupidity become a boast? I’m almost beyond being shocked by it; more dismayed than anything.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/232 "2012-03-13T23:57:18Z")
> [@Semjaazah](#): > > Nearly every day. It amazes me how ignorant (and indeed proud of said ignorance) some people can be - as if being vapid and vacuous were attractive or positive traits. One risks becoming arrogant after noticing for so long the near constant idiocy within their culture, but I think it’s probably justified. > > I did a presentation on Religion and it’s contribution to conflict in a sociology seminar for University, no-one could come up with any useful questions to ask our group when prompted by the tutor, and one girl even proudly exclaimed that she hadn’t understood any of it. Since when did stupidity become a boast? > > I’m almost beyond being shocked by it; more dismayed than anything.:smack: I don’t think this is quite in the spirit of the rest of the thread. After all, for all we know your presentatoon might truly have been incomprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![Semjaazah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Semjaazah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semjaazah)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/233 "2012-03-14T00:02:04Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I don’t think this is quite in the spirit of the rest of the thread. After all, for all we know your presentatoon might truly have been incomprehensible. It recieved the best grading in the group, was praised by the tutor and it is supposed to be a room-full of people who’ve studied and at least have a semi-useful knowledge of the subject matter. Point taken however, I can see the incongruence in retrospect, apologies. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/234 "2012-03-14T00:55:26Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > I never thought I’d say this, but what pretty feet the boobies have! That you, Rex? > [@](#): > > I’m sure he would’ve remembered “boobies”. GargoyleWB might have it with Grebes. [Grebes on the Water](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2YfOdWp0pk) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/235 "2012-03-14T01:07:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Another possibility would be if the original zygote was XXY (Klinefelter’s) and split unevenly, yielding an XY and and XX. Then you’d have two infants, one genetically and physically male and one female, who came from the same fertilized ovum and share all (but the Y) chromosomes. > > Very, very rare. These are things that embryologists geek out over because they’re so exceedingly rare. Genetically identical except for gender- sounds like SF incest porn! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/236 "2012-03-14T01:34:13Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > You may like this story. > > Years ago my bookclub was reading Dashiell Hammett. I mentioned this at work, where they had no idea who he was. > > I said “you know ‘author of the Maltese Falcon, creator of Sam Spade?’” Blank looks, so I dug myself a deeper grave, “lover of Lillian Hellman?” Blanker looks. “You know, Lillian Hellman, writer of ‘The Children’s Hour’? Didn’t any of you go to college?” I’ve heard of Dashiel Hammett, the Maltese Falcon, and Sam Spade. But they’re not things that come up very often. Certainly I wouldn’t be shocked if people hadn’t heard of them. And I must profess total ignorance concerning Lillian Hellman and The Children’s Hour. And I agree that (8)(4) is confusing to the American mind. It looks more like matrix or array indices to me than multiplication (I mean, I basically instantly realized what he was talking about, but it’s not the way the notation is usually used…) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/237 "2012-03-14T01:36:58Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I disapprove. A 3/4 inch dowel is NOT going to get through that level of ignorance. You’re going to need at least a full inch. And preferably you’re going to need an old fashioned nun to administer the lesson, one of the old girls who have beaten idiots every day for YEARS. You gotta train for that sorta thing. I think maybe you’re forgetting about the whip-like effect of a thinner dowel - if you can get them really singing, they can do a lot of damage. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/238 "2012-03-14T02:00:42Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Genetically identical except for gender- sounds like SF incest porn! 😛 Ursula K. LeGuin wrote a short story about this, though it wasn’t porn. Yes, the clones had sex with each other. I believe it was called Nine Lives, though I’m not sure. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I think maybe you’re forgetting about the whip-like effect of a thinner dowel - if you can get them really singing, they can do a lot of damage. 🙂 You have a point. I still maintain that we’re gonna need an old-fashioned nun to administer the lesson. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/239 "2012-03-14T02:46:32Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > See, this is just weird. My son is studying for his biology test and asked a question about Klinefelter’s Syndrome not 10 minutes ago, which marks the first time I have ever heard that term in my life. I googled it, we exchanged a few comments about it, and then I went back to skimming through the Dope. What on earth are the chances? > > (This being the Dope and all, I confidently expect someone to be along within the hour to make scholarly observations about probability and math stuff and all.) OK, now this is really weird. I hit the wrong button on the XBOX controller tonight, and we ended up watching a 2008 movie in which Klinefelter’s Syndrome guest starred as an Important Plot Device. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/240 "2012-03-14T03:38:38Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I can’t say that I’ve ever heard ‘notions’ used in that context since; but now I’ll know what it is if I do. Well, color me stupid! I’ve been around a few years longer than you, and this is the first I’ve ever heard what “notions” are (although I’ve seen the word used a few times in stores, where it couldn’t possibly have meant “ideas”). ETA: And furthermore, what is “toilet water” (or “terlet water”) anyway, as used a few posts above? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416.md?page=13)