# I'm calling you a liar, Sir/Madam. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174 "2015-06-22T20:23:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/101 "2015-06-23T12:16:03Z")
Was her show on cable? Not everyone has cable/satellite. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/102 "2015-06-23T12:16:06Z")
I’m so ignorant that I think Taylor Swift is the name of a species of very high- and fast-flying bird which stitches together an extremely intricate nest… ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/103 "2015-06-23T12:19:39Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Then show it. Very well… > [@Ruken](#): > > I had a boss with a daughter who talked him into taking her to a Taylor Swift concert. She sings country-ish music and has long legs. > > … > > She was, however, on magazine covers in the grocery store check out lines. You know those ones you’ve never seen anyone buy? > > Not so much coverage in the WSJ though. Or so I thought; I just searched there and apparently they have had the occasional article. Entertainment is good business, so that makes sense. It’s been broughten. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/104 "2015-06-23T12:27:46Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > Now if you try & tell me you don’t know who Lux Interior or Captain Sensible are then you, sir, are the liar. Sadly, I was a PINO (punk in name only). :o ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/105 "2015-06-23T12:28:47Z")
She has, in part, helped keep large derrieres in fashion. For this she should be commended. I hear more complaining about her family than I’ve ever seen of them. Probably because the last time I sat down and watched a full episode of a reality show was the original Survivor back in 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/106 "2015-06-23T12:49:53Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > I hear more complaining about her family than I’ve ever seen of them. Probably because the last time I sat down and watched a full episode of a reality show was the original Survivor back in 2000. But this is the very reason I don’t believe these protestations of not knowing who they are, and even worse the feigning ignorance statements like “Well, I think Kim Kardashian is, like, a small Mexican boy or something, right?” (“Clarice, doesn’t this random scattering of sites seem desperately random? Like the elaboration of a bad liar?” - Hannibal Lecter) It’s that even if you haven’t watched their show, and I haven’t, the Kardashians have been the punchline of every hack joke for the past 5-10 years. The Daily Show probably has made 50 Kardashian references over the years. SNL, too. Every time a person you interact with needs an example of something trashy on TV, no doubt they will bring up the Kardashians. If you have been locked in a bunker for ten years, you could have avoided this. But otherwise, the references have been there and it would take a massive amount of not listening to any other human beings to miss them. You know who they are. It doesn’t make us bad people. We can still like PBS and NPR. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/107 "2015-06-23T12:53:50Z")
It’s not that I think I am better for it for not knowing much about her. And I don’t go into Kardashian threads and boast about my lack of knowledge. But heavens, there is so much out there to know. I don’t watch TV on the TV, so I never see reality TV or ads. I watch everything I watch on DVD of Netflix, so there’s a ton of stuff I know very little about, including 85% of popular TV shows. Honestly, if it doesn’t have sci fi or fantasy in it, you’re going to be hardpressed to get me interested. And Kardashian is one of those things I just don’t not follow, but actively avoid. I clicked on a cute article yesterday about KK. Closed it in annoyance when I realized it was about her. I have listened to Taylor Swift songs but she doesn’t do it for me. I do like some of Katy Perry, and I definitely don’t think all music these days is noise like some old farts I could mention. Like others, I don’t have children and really don’t feel the need to keep up. Generally the news I read doesn’t have much on KK and when it does, I actively avoid it. I really don’t get what skin it is off your back to prove that we know something about her, anyway. if someone is threadshitting, report it. I hate threadshitting as much as anyone. Otherwise, get off my goddamn lawn! ETA: I don’t watch the Daily Show or SNL either! I know this is amazing to you people, but some of us have different tastes! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/108 "2015-06-23T13:13:46Z")
I’ve heard of Swift and Kardashians; it is hard not to have heard of them. However, if either one of them was sitting next to me on the subway, I wouldn’t know. I’m sure I’ve heard a Swift song in the background somewhere, but I don’t really know any of her work (or Perry’s - she was the halftime show at the Super Bowl, right?). The same goes for lots of celebrities. Even when I do recognize one, it’s no big deal most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/109 "2015-06-23T13:14:02Z")
I’m not saying that you know their social security numbers or the intricate personalities of her pets, but I’m going to guess you have a similar working knowledge that I do. She is a reality star for many years. She got famous off a sex tape. She has sisters. She is married to Kanye. She has (rather wisely, I would say) parlayed her reality fame into lucrative and predictable venues like perfumes and clothing. She is widely disdained, and it is this near universal disdain that makes her unavoidable because she is the butt (pun intended) of many, many jokes in many, many venues. She is so well known because she is so widely disliked. I know enough that if she is brought up, and I said, “I don’t really know who that is,” I would be lying to myself. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/110 "2015-06-23T13:18:21Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I know the Kardashians are famous people. > > I’ve never been clear on why. [http://www.quora.com/Why-is-Kim-Kardashian-famous-1](http://www.quora.com/Why-is-Kim-Kardashian-famous-1) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/111 "2015-06-23T13:19:29Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I’ve heard of Swift and Kardashians; it is hard not to have heard of them. However, if either one of them was sitting next to me on the subway, I wouldn’t know. I’m sure I’ve heard a Swift song in the background somewhere, but I don’t really know any of her work (or Perry’s - she was the halftime show at the Super Bowl, right?). Which I think is fine. I’m not Quicksilver but the annoying part is when people are having a discussion and someone comes in with a “Ehh, Kardashian? What is that, a kind of pastry?” routine. There’s nothing wrong with “I don’t really follow \.” ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/112 "2015-06-23T13:30:54Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Which I think is fine. I’m not Quicksilver but the annoying part is when people are having a discussion and someone comes in with a “Ehh, Kardashian? What is that, a kind of pastry?” routine. There’s nothing wrong with “I don’t really follow \.” Bingo. That’s the one I can’t stand! It’s not that it’s fake, it’s that it’s so obviously fake. It NEVER happens in a discussion of a lofty person, no matter how obscure, but only an embarrassing person. And I doubt there are many on this board who really “follow” the Kardashians, but there are probably very few, if any, who really have no idea enough about who they are that they could reasonably say “I don’t know that name, or have any idea who you are referencing.” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/113 "2015-06-23T13:34:04Z")
As far as I am aware I have heard one Taylor Swift song once. I may have heard others but not known who they were by as they seem fairly generic female pop but I don’t listen to that sort of radio or watch those sorts of TV shows. As for the Kardashians only a couple of years ago I remarked to someone that I didn’t know what they looked like and would not know Kim if she came up to me to talk. “She just blurs in with all the other famous blondes,” I said. Now I know how stupid that comment was because I see her and her family all the time on the net. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/114 "2015-06-23T13:43:05Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Does everyone who knows the Kardashian family tree also know what the controversy is about Iggy Azalea? Or who Stephen Curry is? Or what Garth Brooks is doing with his career this year? > [@Stuffy](#): > > Without googling…Iggy Azalea is an Australian rapper who’s style reminds me of Missy Eliot. Stephen Curry plays for the recent NBA champion Warriors and Garth Brooks is country music singer, who I vaguely remember may have been arrested recently. Am I right, what do I win? Iggy Azalea is a kind of flower that Iggy Pop grows in his garden, **Richard Parker** is thinking of TIM Curry, who was in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Garth Brooks is a country singer who wears a hat to hide his baldness, and who sometimes performs as Chris Gaines, and used to be part of the country duo Brooks and Dunn. For some reason it was thought to be newsworthy when they broke up their act. So, sorry, **Stuffy** , you win NOTHING. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/115 "2015-06-23T13:43:47Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > [http://www.quora.com/Why-is-Kim-Kardashian-famous-1](http://www.quora.com/Why-is-Kim-Kardashian-famous-1) Ok. So she’s a marketing genius… _cue Shania Twain song?_ I’m with the two sentences by **BrainGlutton** that you quoted. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Angry\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@The\_Angry\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Angry_Badger)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/116 "2015-06-23T13:46:19Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Unless you have been living in a cave for the past 10 years, without electricity, without internet access, without human contact of any kind, you fucking well know exactly who the Kardashians are and you’re not a better person by pretending you don’t. OK, let me see. I don’t watch (or indeed, have) TV I don’t read newspapers (including their online versions) The only radio I listen to is a rock music station I don’t do social media and even if I did, the sort of people in my social circle aren’t really into the celebrity thing anyway. So from a modern/social point of view, I guess you could say I’ve been living in a cave for 10 years. As a result, my knowledge of the Kardashians is basically what I’ve picked up from places like this. I know they’re rich and famous, they had a TV show, one of them is married to a rapper, and that’s about it - that’s where my knowledge, and interest, ends. For the Jenner connection, I only found out about that from reading this thread. Why? Because I don’t give a shit. The only reason I know anything about Caitlyn Jenner is because I saw it on a thread here. It went like this: _Sees thread_ ‘Who the fuck is Bruce Jenner?’ _Clicks on thread, reads post_ ‘Oh, some dude got a sex change. Whatever.’ _Clicks back button_ These people don’t affect me, or my life, in any way at all, therefore I don’t care about them. It’s not really a case of taking pride in ignorance, either (although I freely admit that is a thing that happens). I’m not proud of not knowing about these things, but neither am I ashamed. It’s about compartmentalisation - every minute I’m spending learning about stuff I don’t care about is a minute I’m _not_ spending learning about stuff I do care about. I also know almost nothing about 17th century basket weaving. Should I be ashamed of that? I certainly don’t care about it, and it has as much affect on my life as knowing who some celebrity is getting married to this week. It’s impossible for anyone to ever know everything - some stuff has to be filtered out and ignored. In my case, it’s celebrity gossip (and basket weaving), amongst many other things. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > And while we’re at it, admit that you listen to Taylor Swift when you’re alone in your car. I’ve heard one or two of her songs in the past. It was alright. Unlike the Kardashians, I gather she does have some talent and serves a purpose in this world. But her music isn’t the sort of thing I’m into. If it was, I would most likely have her music in my car. But it isn’t, so I don’t. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/117 "2015-06-23T13:47:51Z")
Some of us in this thread now know a bit more about these particular celebrities than before we began reading. Had the thread been titled something about Kim Kardashian, I wouldn’t have bothered to open it because I don’t care about most celebrities unless they are in my areas of interest. This doesn’t make me better or worse than anyone. I couldn’t have told you if Kanye West was a man or a woman before reading this thread. I had to look back to see if the spelling was “Kanye” or “Kayne.” If this person is known for something else besides being married to KK then I am guessing it is music related. I will be sure to look up at the TV screen the next time some news/entertainment story is going on about Kim Kardashian so I can see what this ass talk is all about. I know other names (Seth Rollins, Clayton Kershaw, Downton Abbey etc etc) that some others probably have heard of but don’t know anything about. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/118 "2015-06-23T13:50:16Z")
Personally, I don’t know to whom they are married or dating. I’ve probably heard about the sex tape, but never cared enough to attach a name and news snippet to it (I thought Hilton had the sex tape, or is that different?) If it wasn’t for sampling King Crimson, Kanye West would be completely off my radar, just a name that pops up that means nothing (like Kardashian). Now he’s right at the edge, though other than I got stuck in a big mess he caused in midtown one time and one song, I know nothing about him (well, now I know he’s married to Kardashian, thanks to this thread, but I’ll probably forget that soon enough). P.S. I have literally never listened to Swift ot Perry or West in my car. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/119 "2015-06-23T13:59:25Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Very well… > > It’s been broughten. 🙂 Looks like a vague notion to me. Although certainly less vague after this thread. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174/120 "2015-06-23T14:15:44Z")
> [@the great sun jester](#): > > i know who she is in kind of the same way (and for the same reason) i know who the situation is. When i get home from work or when i’m patrolling the house on a particularly bad insomniac evening you know what i catch the kids watching? Jersey shore, kuwtk, maybe ridiculousness (if i’m lucky). I guess the interwebs have all but killed scrambled porn. > > So, the name is familiar, and i understand there is some association with ms. Jenner. But beyond that i have no idea why they’re famous, what they do for money, or what sorts of shenanigans they get up to that would warrant a tv show. Perhaps they used to work with honey boo boo and they got their own spinoff? Are you suggesting i should know more than “kim kardashian is a rich lady who has a reality tv show about her”? > > As for taylor swift, i may have heard her music (wife2.0 is a big fan) but i couldn’t tell you anything she sings. Now if you try & tell me you don’t know who lux interior or captain sensible are then you, sir, are the liar. there’s a person called the situation??? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-you-a-liar-sir-madam/723174.md?page=7)