# Ever run across ignorance that just wasn't worth fighting? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188 "2003-07-09T07:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bifar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bifar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bifar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/41 "2003-07-10T11:34:37Z")
> [@](#): > > I met a woman this weekend who believes that “A Knight’s Tale” is a Great Movie. Well, it is a Great Movie. Heath Ledger is hot. What? ---
**Author:** ![Bimble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Bimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bimble)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/42 "2003-07-10T13:14:01Z")
I once had to spend an two hours in the front of a truck (I was moving house and hitched a ride) and had to listen to the driver telling me that: “Gay people are different to non-gays because they have THREE chromosomes in their brains instead of two…” I nearly jumped out the truck and onto the motorway to see if I could run the rest of the journey!!! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/43 "2003-07-10T13:29:56Z")
I had a serious row with a friend who was a stage designer, yet didn’t believe in stereo vision. She maintained that a one-eyed person could see in 3D. When I attempted to explain it to her, she told me I was really negative and why did I always contradict her? (Unfortunately, she was always making just-plain-wrong statements, and I never knew when to just keep my mouth shut). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/44 "2003-07-10T18:11:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KGS \* > \*\*Just be sure to say, “HERE’S my rebuttal!” when you do that. 😉 \*\* Thats what I say the 2nd time! 😉 * * * Never kiss an animal that can lick it own butt. ---
**Author:** ![October](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@October](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/October)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/45 "2003-07-11T13:16:04Z")
KGS, you have my deepest sympathies re: your conversations with your stepfather. However, I have the market cornered on wacky stepfathers. This man: 1. Won’t let my little brother do dishes because it might turn him gay. “I knew a guy in college who liked doing all that housework stuff, and sure enough, he turned out to be, you know, uh…\ gay.” 2)Thinks the white man did slaves a favor by kidnapping them from Africa and bringing them into the light of Christianity and western civilization 1. Believes that black Africans have superhuman strength, and that since slaveowners miscegenated and introduced intelligence into a gene pool that was otherwise merely brute strength and incredible reflexes/atheletic skills, that we are on the way to forming a “super race” of mulattoes with the intelligence of the white man (the irony escapes him) and the athletic ability of the African 2. Believes that interracial dating is wrong, because, “God made red birds, and God made blue birds. It wouldn’t have been that way if he had wanted them to mix.” Where, I wonder, does he think we get the purple birds? 3. It is a tenet of the Islamic faith that all Christians and Jews must DIE, and Muslims are all intent on starting a holy war and eradicating all non-Muslim life on the planet. Usually I just smile and nod at whatever he says, but I made the mistake of debating him on that one. Hoo-boy. 4. My boyfriend is a terrorist because 1) “he looks Arab” (he’s a white boy from the midwest, albeit with dark hair) and 2) he spent time in Turkey last summer and is back there now: “that’s how these terrorists operate, you know–they come home for a while to recruit, then they go back to report to their terror cells” 5. I’m an alcoholic because I drank half of a frozen margarita in his presence. Oh, and I went to college, and of course all college students are wanton partiers. Despite what you may think if yo’ve read [my drunk stories thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=196516&goto=newpost), I’m a very moderate drinker. At any rate, I’m probably a bad influence on my little brother, and shouldn’t hang out with him. He staged an intervention one night that included the admonition, “the little electronic things in your brain fill up with alcohol, and they take over, and you just don’t know what you’re doing anymore.” 6. We won’t even discuss his interpretations of the bible ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/46 "2003-07-11T13:28:22Z")
Ever run across ignorance that’s not worth fighting? Yes. Anytime I try to get in a coversation wiith somebody drunk who want’s to fight. I could be asking something as simple as what’s you favorate color? I get answers like “go fsck yourself I don’t believe in color” The key to avoiding this is never get in to a conversation with somebody who’s not in their right mind. Some people love to fight on ANY level. No, I’m not perfect either. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/47 "2003-07-11T14:00:22Z")
My cleaning lady. If you all could meet her, we could just close the thread, because she’s the most ignorant, idiotic person I’ve ever met. She cleans houses well, though, so I keep her. She’s been cleaning for my family for 20+ years now - she cleans for my mother, my aunts, my brothers, etc. etc. Recently, her husband died from cancer. It really was very tragic - he was in his mid 50s, and they obviously loved each other. But the stuff that spewed from her mouth made me come very close to firing her ass. I still sometimes think I should. Some snippets: - her husband didn’t die of cancer. The Jew Doctors murdered him, because they’re not Christian and they’re going to hell and they don’t care about human life. - he died not from cancer, but from the morphine the Jew Doctors gave him - We live in Nazi America, because we’re not all Christians - She was mortally offended by a plaque near the chapel in the hospital, which had the gall to list Buddism, Hinduism, and other non-Christian religions. In fact, Christianity was in small letters near the bottom. Another bit of blasphemy from the Jew Doctors. - Non-Christians & Queers are all going to Hell - If she hadn’t brought her husband to the doctors, she’s sure he’d be alive and healthy today, because the bible says “Have faith and you will be healed.” She had the elders of her church come and lay hands on him. - She won’t fill out the forms to get his death benefits from his life insurance, because she won’t put “cancer” under “cause of death.” She wants to put “Murder by Jew Doctor” in there. - Several months ago, I was subjected to her tirade about the local university putting on a production of “The Laramie Project.” She’s from Wyoming, and she says “If some queer had started spoutin’ off, those cowboys would have taken him out back and strung him up!” Although she stops short of saying this is OK, she will not hesitate to go on and on about how the queers are ruining America and they’re all going to hell. \ I should fire her, I know it. But she cleans really well, and she’s inexpensive. And you never have to worry about her stealing anything - being a good Christian ( :rolleyes: ) prevents her from doing that. I think I’m just gonna hide when she comes from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/49 "2003-07-11T14:11:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Athena \* > **- Non-Christians & Queers are all going to Hell.** You tell her I said Non-Christians & Queers ARE ALREADY _IN_ HELL! …and it’s up to her to save them lol ---
**Author:** ![myrnajean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@myrnajean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myrnajean)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/50 "2003-07-11T15:42:12Z")
While apartment hunting in Chicago a few years back, a landlord was calling my references, one of which happened to be a close friend. She asked my friend what color my husband and I were. The kicker? She was blind. Apparently she couldn’t tell our nationalities by our voices. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kuraijo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kuraijo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuraijo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/51 "2003-07-11T15:47:21Z")
A classmate. “Since humans are the cause of all misery in the world, then the only way to truly fix things is to wipe us all out” ---
**Author:** ![mulletsunite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mulletsunite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mulletsunite)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/52 "2003-07-11T16:25:05Z")
Unfortunately, my grandfather still holds the beleif that all gay men are child molesters - the word “gay” must never be mentioned in front of him (neither can the word “Clinton”, but that’s a whole other thread…), or he will quite loudly proclaim that “those fags” are ruining the country, immedietly bring up the molestation scandal within in the Catholic Church (apparently, this proves all gays are molesters), and shake his cane at anybody who dares to disagree On the upside, my cousin and I have managed to turn my grandmother’s beleifs around quite a bit, though she still doesn’t see the harm in using terms like “faggot” and “nancy boy”. I don’t think she realizes they might be insulting or hurtful… ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/53 "2003-07-11T18:35:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kuraijo \* > \*\*“Since humans are the cause of all misery in the world, then the only way to truly fix things is to wipe us all out” \*\* You know, I _do_ see a grain of truth in this…maybe not the _entire_ human race, just the 75% that are essentially “excess baggage”… What? ---
**Author:** ![Kwaheeijy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Kwaheeijy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kwaheeijy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/54 "2003-07-12T10:21:09Z")
I had a chuckle about this one, around the time the first “Jurrasic Park” movie came out. It was a couple that lived down the street, really strict religious types. They: “Where are you going?” Me: “To se a movie, Jurrasic Park.” They: “That movie is all fantasy, you know? Dinosaurs never excisted…” Me: “What about all those fossilized bones they found?” They: “Oh, those are from _really big cows_…” _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/55 "2003-07-12T14:43:02Z")
A friend invited me to a Boy Scout Dinner. Me: No, I’m not going. I will not go. Her: Why not? Me: I don’t agree with their stand on homosexual scout leaders. Her: Why not? Me: There’s no reason for it. Her: We just want to protect the Scouts from child molesters. Me: It’s not against child molesters. It’s against homosexuals. Her: Same thing. I’m amazed how many people believe that. And the person I work with who still insists that my brother’s adopted son is my nephew, but the two daughters my lesbian sister’s partner gave birth to and she adopted are not “really” my nieces. I cannot figure that out. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/56 "2003-07-12T15:06:19Z")
Exhibit A: Working as an engineer you often find yourself in interesting debates with fellow engineers. Eng 1: What one thing distinguishes humans from other animals? Eng 2: The fact that we record our history in writing. Eng 1: That’s not true (an immediate response favored by many engineers). Eng 2: Why not? Eng 1: Well how do _you_ know that animals don’t record their history in writing? Eng 2: Have we ever discovered a writing table in a groundhog’s den with passages written groundhogese? Eng 1: No, but that doesn’t prove groundhogs don’t record their history. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/57 "2003-07-12T20:56:31Z")
Posted by **October** > [@](#): > > Believes that interracial dating is wrong, because, “God made red birds, and God made blue birds. It wouldn’t have been that way if he had wanted them to mix.” Where, I wonder, does he think we get the purple birds? I hope you’re sort of joking here. First off, you can’t mate the blue birds and the red birds at all, probably, and even then, you may not get purple birds. Cecil had a column about how blue jays don’t have blue pigment, but tiny scales that cause “coherent scattering” and reflect that type of blue. [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000728.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000728.html) ---
**Author:** ![October](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@October](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/October)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/58 "2003-07-13T05:09:45Z")
I was very much joking. The purple bird comment is meant to be read tongue-in-cheek. But I see why this concerns you, **Cardinal** , being a red bird yourself 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rodrigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Rodrigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodrigo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/59 "2003-07-13T06:14:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KGS \* > \*\*In [url="[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php)? And I was going to give my own personal example, but felt that it was worthy of its own thread, at least as a “poll” type thread. > > So here we go. My own example is…my stepfather. Nice enough guy, but he’s also a Christian, and not (ahem) a very logical one. For instance, here’s his “proof” that evolution is wrong: > > Him: Ever seen a monkey turn into a duck? > Me: Um…no. > Him: There you go. Evolution is false. [insert scene of stepdad folding his arms, with a “Slam-DUNK!” grin on his face.] > Me: [horrified stare, followed by me fleeing the room with great haste.] > Him: I thought so. > > I mean…Christ!! How can you even _respond_ to a comment like that? > > So…what’s your own “ignorance not worth fighting” incident? \*\* Me: I have some questions about evolution. Him: You are a religious anti-science moron. Now, THAT’S ignorance. On a lighter tone Vitamin C cures/prevent the flu. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/60 "2003-07-13T15:34:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Narrad \* > \*\*A woman I work closely with believes in astrology. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t concern me, but this is a tertiary-educated woman with an Honours degree in Economics. \*\* I see utterly no incongruity at all in this. Economics and Astrology? No real difference. ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188/61 "2003-07-13T23:07:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rodrigo \* > \*\*On a lighter tone > > Vitamin C cures/prevent the flu. \*\* I thought it reinforced the immune system or something 😕 . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-run-across-ignorance-that-just-wasnt-worth-fighting/187188.md?page=4)