# Famous:  Ignorance or Boastful when you don't know?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ignorance-or-boastful-when-you-dont-know/548577>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 30, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ignorance-or-boastful-when-you-dont-know/548577 "2010-07-30T14:01:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ignorance-or-boastful-when-you-dont-know/548577/1 "2010-07-30T14:01:13Z")

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From [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com)

Famous: having a widespread reputation, usually of a favorable nature; renowned; celebrated.

My problem with this definition is widespread. Define widespread? If someone says something is famous, is it my ignorance if I’ve never heard of it, or is it regional boasting?

I think Stone Wall Jackson is famous, but people in another country might never have heard of him. Is this my boasting that Stone Wall Jackson is that important, or their ignorance for not knowing this great man?

Are there different terms for being famous in specific circles? Someone might have a widespread reputation in your home town, but going over to the next town, nobody will have a clue who they are.

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**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ignorance-or-boastful-when-you-dont-know/548577/2 "2010-07-30T15:26:09Z")

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Nitpick: It is Stonewall, not Stone Wall.

All famousness is relative. Grace Hopper is one of the most famous names in computer science, but it’s unlikely anyone outside the field has heard of her. There are people on the covers of magazines that are so famous the editors don’t even bother with a last name, yet I have never heard of them. Heck, in the field of closed captioning, I am famous, but the overwhelming majority of people have never heard of me.

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ignorance-or-boastful-when-you-dont-know/548577/3 "2010-07-30T15:33:45Z")

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> [@Zyanthia](#):
>
> I think Stone Wall Jackson is famous, but people in another country might never have heard of him. Is this my boasting that Stone Wall Jackson is that important, or their ignorance for not knowing this great man?

It’s ignorance, but not bad ignorance. I’ve never heard of Stonewall Jackson, but you wouldn’t be being boastful (necessarily) if you told me of his fame and it is not a failing on my part that I’m ignorant of him.

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**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ignorance-or-boastful-when-you-dont-know/548577/4 "2010-07-30T15:37:21Z")

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> [@Zyanthia](#):
>
> Define widespread?

Okay (also from [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com)):

widespread  
— adj

1. extending over a wide area
2. accepted by or occurring among many people

So we can in turn try to define “wide” and “many,” or just accept, as **Gary** suggests, that these are all relative terms.

In fact, one can be regionally famous, nationally famous, world famous, or famous among the eployees on the 32nd floor of the Time-Life building, and I think the word is appropriate in each use.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ignorance-or-boastful-when-you-dont-know/548577/5 "2010-07-30T16:02:40Z")

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Since this is largely a matter of opinion, it is better suited to IMHO than GQ.

Colibri  
General Questions Moderator