# Have you met someone who didn't know a really well-known pop or historical reference?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 22, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658 "2013-03-22T17:57:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/21 "2013-03-22T19:56:39Z")
> [@Zeldar](#):
>
> Maybe it’s not, but my guess is that well over 50% of the population have heard it at one time or another.
And? It’s not like he didn’t know it, he obviously knew it or her wouldn’t have said it. He just got tongue tied.
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/22 "2013-03-22T19:58:40Z")
> [@Shakes](#):
>
> Playing on the TV is Buggs Bunny and Yo Sammity Sam.
Yosemite. It’s the name of an obscure park that no one’s ever heard of. 😉
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### Author:  [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/23 "2013-03-22T19:58:47Z")
I never heard of “Peeps” until I was nearly 40.
(“Yosemite Sam”)
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/24 "2013-03-22T20:01:03Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> And? It’s not like he didn’t know it, he obviously knew it or her wouldn’t have said it. He just got tongue tied.
Well, then, I guess I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I must have misread the OP. Thanks for yanking me back in line.
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### Author:  [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/25 "2013-03-22T20:01:00Z")
About ten years ago I started touring with a band, most of us were around our mid thirties in age. The guitar player, IIRC, was a year or two older than me. He was totally clueless about 70’s and 80’s pop culture, it was amazing what he did not know about.
Examples
Never heard of Fast times at Ridgemont High, nor any Brat Pack movie, nor Monty Python, never saw ET, never heard of Big Bird, Sesame Street or the Electric Company
It was like the only media he knew was pre 1940, he was into very old music, which is cool but how do you grow up in the DC Metro area and know zip, zilch, nada about pop culture
He also didn’t tip in restaurants
Go figure
**Capt**
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/26 "2013-03-22T20:01:16Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> And? It’s not like he didn’t know it, he obviously knew it or her wouldn’t have said it. He just got tongue tied.
He was busy tipping his hat to the new constitution.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/27 "2013-03-22T20:02:05Z")
> [@Shakes](#):
>
> One time I had a layover in some airport (Can’t remember which) I’m sitting at a table with some lady I don’t know. Playing on the TV is Buggs Bunny and Yo Sammity Sam. This lady couldn’t stop laughing to save her life. At one point she asked me if I knew who that was. (I told her)
>
> Granted, this lady was a foreigner of some sort but damn, where on the planet can you learn to speak good English and not ever hear of Buggs Bunny?
I think it is just along from where the people who don’t know that it is [Yosemite Sam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Sam) live.
ETA: Yikes! Double ninjaed already!
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### Author:  [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/28 "2013-03-22T20:10:01Z")
I mentioned David Bowie to a 22 year old, and got a blank stare.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/29 "2013-03-22T20:17:44Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#):
>
> I think my wife was in a coma during the 80’s.
> Bon Jovi, wasn’t he in Van Halen or something?
>
> No. No he wasn’t.
This totally made me Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there!
And yes, I’ve known lots of people who somehow didn’t know about things that I consider major events, even tho they actually lived during their occurrence. Little things like the Chernobyl Disaster or the Challenger explosion or Nixon resigning…
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/30 "2013-03-22T20:22:18Z")
> [@Shakes](#):
>
> One time I had a layover in some airport (Can’t remember which) I’m sitting at a table with some lady I don’t know. Playing on the TV is Buggs Bunny and Yo Sammity Sam. This lady couldn’t stop laughing to save her life. At one point she asked me if I knew who that was. (I told her)
>
> Granted, this lady was a foreigner of some sort but damn, where on the planet can you learn to speak good English and not ever hear of Buggs Bunny?
Please tell me this whole post is a joke?
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/31 "2013-03-22T20:27:21Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#):
>
> Please tell me this whole post is a joke?
A joke as in I’m being incredibly naive? If so, guilty as charged.
A joke as in the lady didn’t really know who Buggs Bunny was? Nope, not a joke.
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### Author:  [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/32 "2013-03-22T20:29:02Z")
Initially I was surprised whenever someone told me they’ve never heard of my favorite pop culture topic, Ke$ha. Then I started noticing a pattern: childless people my age (36) and younger generally do know who she is. People who are older than me and/or have kids generally don’t. It’s just one more reason I’m glad I don’t have kids. 🙂
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/33 "2013-03-22T20:30:42Z")
> [@Shakes](#):
>
> A joke as in I’m being incredibly naive? If so, guilty as charged.
>
> A joke as in the lady didn’t really know who Buggs Bunny was? Nope, not a joke.
Others have already commented but Yosemite Sam. Bugs Bunny. That you are laughing at a person from another culture not knowing these characters when you don’t know their actual names is what makes your post sound like a joke.
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### Author:  [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/34 "2013-03-22T20:49:04Z")
> [@tdn](#):
>
> Tell us about the guy you met last week who has never heard of Obama or Star Wars or chocolate.
WTF is an Obama? One of those fancy new hybrid cars? 😕
> [@Shakes](#):
>
> Yo Sammity Sam.
> [@tdn](#):
>
> Yosemite. It’s the name of an obscure park that no one’s ever heard of. 😉
I laughed.
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### Author:  [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/35 "2013-03-22T20:50:37Z")
My ex-boyfriend didn’t know about **2girls & a cup** (DO NOT GOOGLE)😃
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### Author:  [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/36 "2013-03-22T20:53:01Z")
I met a girl once who was totally amazed that Paul McCartney had been in a group before Wings.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/37 "2013-03-22T21:05:39Z")
I had a (Canadian) landlady once who thought Saskatchewan was in Alberta. I guess that’s more geographical than historical, though.
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### Author:  [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/38 "2013-03-22T21:11:45Z")
I worked with a woman who was about two years older than me. We were talking about the movie Forrest Gump and she told me, she had to ask her husband, “What’s Watergate?” Evidently he stared at her in shock (much as I did) and explained it to her. I told her, “How can you not know that?” She said, “Hey, I didn’t pay attention in school. I hated it.”
I also had a classmate like upthread that asked if Martin Luther and MLK were related, when we were learning about the Protestant Reformation. The teacher replied that he didn’t really think so. Her response: “Then why do they have the same name?”
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### Author:  [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/39 "2013-03-22T21:14:01Z")
I had a girlfriend in college who didn’t get a Gilligan’s Island reference. Then she got mad that I judged her.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/40 "2013-03-22T21:18:16Z")
> [@Shakes](#):
>
> . . . not ever hear of Buggs Bunny?
Or know how to spell “Bugs.”
And this one’s about me: A few years ago our chorus did a show of music from the 80s. The only ones that were familiar to me were some from a medley of themes from TV shows. I just didn’t listen to pop music from the 80s (or since, for that matter). Frankly, I don’t think I missed anything.
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