# 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:** 38
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/741 "2012-05-15T16:59:23Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Do you? I was under the impression it was a scientific mystery with no consensus. Please explain what causes thunder. Don’t be obtuse. For the purposes of this discussion, it’s quite clear what she meant: she knows that lightning causes thunder. There is no scientific disagreement about that. The conjecture and debate among scientists is over exactly _how_ the lightning causes thunder. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/742 "2012-05-15T18:06:11Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > An American lady asked me if we had colour tv in the U.K. My first college roommate is from Toronto. We were talking with another guy about some TV show, probably Happy Days. He asked my roomie if he’d ever seen it. Of course, replied the roomie. “Oh, but it’s in French, right?” The guy really had no clue about Canada. He was convinced that Toronto (and all of Canada) had no airports, because of the year-round snow and ice. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/743 "2012-05-15T18:13:46Z")
Ah yes, “Jours Heureux” avec Le Fonz. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/744 "2012-05-15T18:25:35Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Don’t be obtuse. For the purposes of this discussion, it’s quite clear what she meant: she knows that lightning causes thunder. > > There is no scientific disagreement about that. The conjecture and debate among scientists is over exactly _how_ the lightning causes thunder. Actually, I believe the mechanism is fairly well established. > [@](#): > > Thunder is caused by lightning, which is essentially a stream of electrons flowing between or within clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. The air surrounding the electron stream is heated to as hot as 50,000 degrees Farhenheit, which is three times hotter than the surface of the sun. As the superheated air cools it produces a resonating tube of partial vacuum surrounding the lightning’s path. The nearby air rapidly expands and contracts. This causes the column to vibrate like a tubular drum head and produces a tremendous crack. As the vibrations gradually die out, the sound echoes and reverberates, generating the rumbling we call thunder. We can hear the thundering booms 10 miles or more distant from the lightning that caused it. \<[cite](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-causes-thunder)\> ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/745 "2012-05-15T18:27:10Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Actually, I believe the mechanism is fairly well established. > > \<[cite](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-causes-thunder)\> Fair enough; the last time i read anything about this, it seemed that there was still some debate. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/746 "2012-05-15T18:39:50Z")
> [@smokey78](#): > > The culture gap, age cap, income gap, education gap is just going to be wider and wider. > > I’m reminded of Elizabeth Hasselback from the View who is mid-30s and didn’t know who Ric Ocasek is. Or maybe she is not into pop music? I was born in 1961 and liked _the Cars_, but I had to google Ocasek. It may be shocking, but I think there is a wide variation in how much people pay attention to the people who create music. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/747 "2012-05-15T20:02:42Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > That would imply that the Lord God Jehovah is shockingly ignorant, since he made a rule that a new bride who can’t provide a bloody sheet as a “token of her virginity” is to be stoned. Not exactly, no, but there were plenty of rules in Deuteronomy that we’d consider unfair. Even if the young lady’s reputation were saved by such proofs, her reward was to remain married to the man who started the potentially fatal chain of events by declaring that his new bride was not maiden… “for all his days.” And let’s not forget the rule that rape within the city limits means death to the rape victim, since she didn’t cry out… but a rape in the fields means that the rapist must marry the lass and pay her father silver. In short, I’d say there are other problems with trying to harmonize a modern undertsanding of the natural world with the dictates of Deuteronomy. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/748 "2012-05-15T21:09:48Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Ah yes, “Jours Heureux” avec Le Fonz. Reposez-vous là-dessus, s’il vous plaît. ---
**Author:** ![Mikeisskeptical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@Mikeisskeptical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikeisskeptical)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/749 "2012-05-15T21:45:33Z")
Someone once asked me ‘whats the physics behind shooting stars’. I was a bit puzzled so I said something along the lines of ‘erm… you know, ordinary Newtonian physics, what do you mean?’ to which she replyed ‘well they’re not actually stars right?’. Also I heard two of my friends talking about snails once, one of them asked if the other knew what a snail was technically classified as. His response was ‘I’m not sure, a mammal?’ Finally, I was once asked by a perfectly intelligent woman I used to work with whether 25 was an even number. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/750 "2012-05-15T23:17:11Z")
Well, 25 has two digits, so it MUST be even. You have to wonder how these folks made it out of high school, sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/751 "2012-05-15T23:38:54Z")
I misread “an even number” as “even a number,” which made **Mike** ’s co-worker sound even dumber. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/752 "2012-05-16T00:47:02Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > In general, you have to be _extremely goddamned specific_ when asking the waitstaff what’s in the food. My mom is a classic peanut allergic, and in the more genuinely Chinese restaurants she’s learned that fried dishes are usually a bad idea. She gets conversations like: Mom: Does the salad/fried something have any peanuts or peanut oil in it? Waiter: Uhhh… M: Peanuts (she should carry a picture of them) W: Is good. You like. M. No, it’s very important. I can’t have any peanuts. Can you ask the cook if there was any peanut oil used in this? W: (comes back) No nuts. Only is fried. Considering that she’s was blindsided by well meaning church moms at her own baby shower with peanut oil in cookies, it’s hard to trust this waiter. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/753 "2012-05-16T01:51:14Z")
I hate to judge people by who they are, but many orientals don’t have a clue about the law requiring access by service dogs. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/754 "2012-05-16T01:54:56Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > I hate to judge people by who they are, but many orientals don’t have a clue about the law requiring access by service dogs. To be fair, they’re likely just confused why you walked into a restaurant with your own dinner. It’s not really an objection to the law, when they shout, “NO OUTSIDE FOOD!” ---
**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:** [May 16, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/755 "2012-05-16T20:58:21Z")
nvm write to wrong post ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/756 "2012-05-16T21:33:27Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > My mom is a classic peanut allergic, and in the more genuinely Chinese restaurants she’s learned that fried dishes are usually a bad idea. She gets conversations like: > > Mom: Does the salad/fried something have any peanuts or peanut oil in it? > Waiter: Uhhh… > M: Peanuts (she should carry a picture of them) > W: Is good. You like. > M. No, it’s very important. I can’t have any peanuts. Can you ask the cook if there was any peanut oil used in this? > W: (comes back) No nuts. Only is fried. > > Considering that she’s was blindsided by well meaning church moms at her own baby shower with peanut oil in cookies, it’s hard to trust this waiter. To be perfectly honest, if I were her I would pretty much refuse to go into a chinese place to eat ever again - peanut is one of the most commonly used oils in chinese restaurants to stir fry with. It is both reasonable in cost and has a very high flashpoint. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/757 "2012-05-16T21:39:28Z")
I love my wife. Truly, madly, deeply. But the poor woman can’t navigate in a car worth shit. We’ve lived in San Antonio for three years and she still doesn’t remember which highways goes N-S, E-W, circles the city, etc. Tell her “Take 281 north from 410 and get off on the Thousand Oaks exit, turn east and go about three blocks” and you may as well be speaking Sanskrit. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/758 "2012-05-16T23:08:40Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I love my wife. Truly, madly, deeply. > > But the poor woman can’t navigate in a car worth shit. We’ve lived in San Antonio for three years and she still doesn’t remember which highways goes N-S, E-W, circles the city, etc. Tell her “Take 281 north from 410 and get off on the Thousand Oaks exit, turn east and go about three blocks” and you may as well be speaking Sanskrit. This may be because many people (a male/female divide has been suggested, but not everyone fits that pattern) navigate by landmark rather than by direction. The words North, South, East, West, and even left and right to a certain extent are essentially meaningless to me. But if you gave me directions that said, “When you’re on 410 and you pass that area with the new housing development – the one with the blue houses and shingle roofs, take the next exit onto 281, and then drive until you get to the exit by the Arby’s and the Chevron station. Get off at that exit and turn onto the street on the other side from the Arby’s and then go until you see that big red furniture store,” I might have a better chance of getting where I’m going. You might want to at least try experimenting by giving her directions that don’t involve north, south, right and left and see if she does better. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/759 "2012-05-16T23:15:08Z")
Yes, but roads and signs are landmarks in and of themselves. Should I say “take the exit that says 281 North, then…”? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416/760 "2012-05-17T00:12:12Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Yes, but roads and signs are landmarks in and of themselves. Should I say “take the exit that says 281 North, then…”? Yes, you can certainly give the exit name/number, but a combination like 281 North is harder to grasp and process than something like “Elm Street”. If you can add a landmark to that, “It’s after the signs for the hospital,” or even “It’s where we turn when we’re going to grandma’s house,” it can help in orientation. I don’t drive, so follow pedestrian directions only, but often I don’t even know the street name. “Turn left on Elm, then right on Oak” will have me confused and searching all over for street signs, and maybe going several blocks past the right street and trying to figure out whether I missed a turn, while “Turn left at Safeway” (or even “turn toward the side of the street that Safeway is/is not on”) works much better for me. In one particularly infamous instance, I was reading written directions to someone, and read out loud “Turn left at 4th Street” when the actual written directions said “Turn right at 4th Street.” My brain just doesn’t always process those directional words correctly. Here’s an interesting [article](http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/tell_men_directions.shtml) focusing on the male/female difference that indicates that “when women are given the appropriate type of instructions, they do as well as men at navigation tasks.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shocked-at-what-some-people-dont-know/615416.md?page=39)