# It frightens me that people don't know these things **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207 "2003-06-25T03:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Govindha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5fc32e/32.png) [@Govindha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Govindha)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/121 "2003-06-27T01:51:37Z")
I can’t believe alot of you didn’t know about the beaks. Did you ever watch a discovey program or dissect a squid in biology lab? I know a guy who didn’ know what the magazine “The New Yorker” is. I was like, ummm, ok. I mean somewhere everyone has seen something about that mag, or am I just so cool? I wonder… I found it amazing howmany people in a college class I took didn’t know what a WASP is. I was again amazed as I raised my hand to tell them. Seriously people, I’m stupid, but I’ve really come across some dummies in my time. A popular magazine and a group of people, how could you not know… ---
**Author:** ![finette6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@finette6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/finette6)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/122 "2003-06-27T03:17:49Z")
I was shocked when no one in my class freshman year of college knew what a Chick tract was. I had made reference to them in a discussion and then had to spend 20 minutes explaining what I meant! These were people from all over! I don’t consider this stupidity, but I thought it weird that 20 different 18-20 year olds in an art school had all missed out on the joy of Jack T Chick. ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/123 "2003-06-27T05:54:04Z")
I only learned about Chick Tracts here on the SDMB, but then I don’t know any devoutly religious peeps, so. Only had a vague impression about puppy teeth and squid beaks, but do know that horses have baby teeth. The other day I was at work and an M.S. and Ph.D. were conferring outside of my cube on how to convert from farenheit to centigrade. I wouldn’t expect everyone to know this off the tops of their heads, but these were two people with advanced degrees in the sciences… I mentioned to a friend of mine that he was “trying to lull me into complacency.” He asked me what the hell I was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Theios](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e8c25b/32.png) [@Theios](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theios)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/124 "2003-06-27T06:58:20Z")
Back in 2000, when there were alot of news stories about whether or not 2000 was a leap year, my gf turned to me and asked “What’s all this leap year stuff”. Thinking that she needed an explanation on why 2000 was an exception to the normal exception rule (the details of which I already forgot), I started explaining it. She stopped me and said, “No. What is a leap year. I’ve never heard of this leap year stuff before” I just kinda blinked at her while trying to wrap my brain around the concept of a 31 year old not ever hearing about leap years. She got a little peeved and said “It’s okay not to know!”. Unfortunatly, I said the first thing that came to mind, which was “Well, yeah. It’s okay not to know… If you’re SEVEN!” (I guess there’s a reason we’re not together anymore. I can be such an asshole.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/125 "2003-06-27T08:08:40Z")
**Theios** , I think your story just won the prize for being the Thing Someone Doesn’t Know that frightens me the most. I mean, really, how could anyone not notice that there is an extra day in February every few years? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/126 "2003-06-27T11:20:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by finette6 \* > \*\*I was shocked when no one in my class freshman year of college knew what a Chick tract was. I had made reference to them in a discussion and then had to spend 20 minutes explaining what I meant! > These were people from all over! I don’t consider this stupidity, but I thought it weird that 20 different 18-20 year olds in an art school had all missed out on the joy of Jack T Chick. \*\* I, too, never heard of Jack Chick until I started lurking here…I still have never seen one IRL. But then, I’m not in art school. I also never heard of “witnessing” until I came here. Apparently it is much more common in other parts of the US than it is in the Northeast. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/127 "2003-06-27T11:39:46Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s a woman in my massage therapy class who didn’t know before yesterday that octopi and squid have beaks. I thought everyone knew that It’s octopuses not octopi, the word is Greek not Latin Godamnit! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/128 "2003-06-27T11:44:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > \*\*I also never heard of “witnessing” until I came here. Apparently it is much more common in other parts of the US than it is in the Northeast. \*\* I have also heard that there is not much witnessing in the Northeast especially when it comes to the activities of mobsters. “No, I din’t see Jimmy the Squid give ANYBODY a severe beaking!” ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/129 "2003-06-27T12:02:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Captor \* > \*\*I have also heard that there is not much witnessing in the Northeast especially when it comes to the activities of mobsters. “No, I din’t see Jimmy the Squid give ANYBODY a severe beaking!” \*\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/130 "2003-06-27T14:06:08Z")
About five years ago, I was preparing for a visit to Mama tlw, and I mentioned to her that I’d sent my laptop in for a repair and I was concerned that it might not be ready before I left for the trip. She said: “Well, why can’t you bring your regular computer? What’s a laptop do differently, anyway?” Then the capper… “Is it made so you can use the web thing on the airplane?” Oh, Mama. I’m glad to say that Mama is no longer a luddite and, is, in fact, the owner of a brand new 17" Powerbook. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/131 "2003-06-27T14:15:46Z")
I’ve mentioned this here before, but my mother didn’t realize that the motor in a car turned the tires. When pressed on how she thought the car was propelled forward, she didn’t have an answer. She has also been semi-web-savvy for the past few years (Ebay user, etc) but still doesn’t know what browser she uses. (IE) ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/132 "2003-06-27T14:27:19Z")
It should be common sense not to FEED or PROVOKE an alligator! I live in the south and I hear of stupid people doing these things every week. Hello? McFly! ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/133 "2003-06-27T14:27:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by finette6 \* > \*\*I was shocked when no one in my class freshman year of college knew what a Chick tract was. I had made reference to them in a discussion and then had to spend 20 minutes explaining what I meant! > These were people from all over! I don’t consider this stupidity, but I thought it weird that 20 different 18-20 year olds in an art school had all missed out on the joy of Jack T Chick. \*\* Another one chiming in who’d never heard of Chick Tracks until I joined the SDMB. I thought it was some crude girlie magazine you guys were talking about. Funny thing, I’m a Christian, and _I’m_ a little embarressed about them. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/134 "2003-06-27T15:31:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scout1222 \* > I didn’t intend my remark to seem as snarky as it came across. When I reread it, I can see that it is offputting. > > Just when I was scanning the list of things I should know, yours seemed (to me) to be the most obscure. > > No harm, no foul? No harm, no foul, **Scout1222**. I can only suppose you’ve never bitten into an ant that was trying to carry off your sandwich at a picnic. They have a very distinctive and unpleasant flavor, which explains the continuing survival of their species. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Whack-a-Mole \* > This reminds me… > > When the movie _Titanic]_ had just come out I was in a room of people talking about the movie and mentioned the ship sinking at the end. Someone, quite seriously, berated me for spoiling the movie for him. Thinking maybe he was pulling my leg I just looked at him and asked if he was kidding. He proceeded to detail how uncool it is to spoil movies for others. 😕 Look, let’s make one thing perfectly clear. You didn’t spoil the movie for him. What you _ **did** _ spoil for him was **history**. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Chefguy_ > Wasn’t Martin Luther Lex Luthor’s bizarro world cousin? Since the bible is largely updated pagan myth, does it really matter? What, too existential? My favorite used bookstore stocks Bibles in their “Fiction” section. Welcome aboard(s), **Chefguy**. Gotta like that name. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by minor7flat5 \* > … Several years ago I found out that my mom, a sharp individual and an attentive driver, did not know the purpose of the broad white line that you see painted across the lane in front of you while stopped at a light. It’s not that she was going around causing mayhem; simply that when she moved to a new state and had to take a driving test for her license, she lost points because her wheels crossed the “Stop line.” Technically, this is known as the “Legal Limit Line.” It applies for all intersections, stop, yield or regulated. It is what law enforcement officers use to determine whether you have run a red light. When approaching a crosswalk striped intersection, it is the first line you encounter. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iamb Fake \* > … 2. The electoral college (not that I want to be political) gives an individual voter more power to swing a large election than a direct popular vote. IE: Your single vote is more likely to be a swing vote among a group of 9 than it is among a group of 900,000. I’m oversimplifying the numbers for emphasis. If anyone’s curious, I’ll look up again where I read that. The electoral college prevents candidates from campaigning in the large cities only… because the rural areas become just as important. …but I’m about to go off on a rant, so I’ll stop now. First off, welcome aboard(s), **Iamb Fake**. Second, you are absolutely right about the electoral college. This topic has been debated here. I believe there was an excellent mathematical analysis (you can’t spell analysis without A-N-A-L) of the electoral college in Omni magazine. I settled my mind about how important this odd institution is. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by buncombe \* > I was at the beach with a friend one lovely summer day. she picked up a beautiful pale shell, and while turning it this way and that in the glow of the setting sun, remarked, “isn’t it amazing how shellfish carve rocks into such smooth pretty shapes?” Welcome aboard(s), **buncombe** , thanks for sharing your pain. (And believe me, that was _painful_!) And finally, a BIG thank you for the important agglomerations being performed by **Thea Logica** in this thread. They alone are worth the price of admission. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/135 "2003-06-27T16:36:10Z")
My daughter (yes dear, I’m telling this story _again_) once informed us at a dinner table full of guests, including my boss, that she had learned what the difference was between an octopus and a squid. All eyes turned her way and she announced: “Squids have more testicles”. Thought I was going to have to Heimlich the boss. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/136 "2003-06-27T17:05:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \*\*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > _Originally posted by minor7flat5_ > > she lost points because her wheels crossed the “Stop line.” > > Technically, this is known as the “Legal Limit Line.” It applies for all intersections, stop, yield or regulated. It is what law enforcement officers use to determine whether you have run a red light. When approaching a crosswalk striped intersection, it is the first line you encounter.\*\* Sorry to pick nits, but… I _knew_ I learned this from driver’s ed, twenty years ago in Michigan, and they still have the same nomenclature today. From [Michigan DMV publication: What Every Driver Must Know](http://www.michigan.gov/documents/wedmk_16312_7.pdf), page 65: > [@](#): > > Stop lines: Wide white lines painted across a traffic lane > mark where you must stop the vehicle at intersections. > This keeps the vehicle out of the way of pedestrians and > cross traffic. If there are no stop lines or crosswalks, stop > the vehicle before entering the intersection. You should be > able to see traffic from all directions. I suppose the term differs from state to state. Anyway, I think its purpose is uniform, and I don’t cross them on red light if I can help it. ---
**Author:** ![CairaJade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@CairaJade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairaJade)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/137 "2003-06-27T17:23:09Z")
I find it disturbing when people think that Buddhists consider the Buddha a deity in the same manner as the Judeo-Christian God and worship him. I don’t expect everyone to be an expert on all world religions, but knowing the basics of the third largest in the world would fall into the catagory of “most educated people should know this.” ---
**Author:** ![heater2000ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@heater2000ca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heater2000ca)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/138 "2003-06-27T17:25:16Z")
One of my pet peeves on three lane highways (ie, three lanes each way) is people who drive in the middle lane, all the time, and they don’t pull over for people who are going faster. I recently discovered why some people might be doing this. Or rather, I recently discovered that some of them don’t have an important piece of information that might make them reconsider doing this. Trucks (at least in Ontario) can’t drive in the third (fast) lane. Now, I’m not sure of the why’s and the wherefore’s of this, but I see the signs on almost every overpass on our highways that illustrate that trucks aren’t allowed to be in that lane. This means that if a truck encounters a slower moving car in the middle lane, there’s very little the trucker can do about it. I mean, he could move into the slow lane to go around, but that’s pretty risky, especially if you’re near an exit/entrance ramp where people might not be up to speed yet (another pet peeve). But, I recently found out that a number of people don’t know that trucks can’t drive in the third lane - apparently they haven’t seen the signs on the overpasses. They did kind of wonder why the trucks were always driving up their ass while they were driving in the middle lane … ---
**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:** [June 27, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/139 "2003-06-27T17:37:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by heater2000ca \* > \*\*One of my pet peeves on three lane highways (ie, three lanes each way) is people who drive in the middle lane, all the time, and they don’t pull over for people who are going faster. > \*\* If you hate that behaviour, you should check out [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=191128). The attitude of at least one of the posters will probably make your blood boil. ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207/140 "2003-06-27T18:02:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CairaJade \* > **I find it disturbing when people think that Buddhists consider the Buddha a deity in the same manner as the Judeo-Christian God and worship him.** I was taught that that was the distinction between “the greater vehicle” and “the lesser vehicle”; one considers Buddha a deity and the other doesn’t. But a bit of googling is giving me the impression that my high school World Civ teacher may have led me astray. Regardless, being worshipped “in the same manner as the Judeo-Christian God” is a bit of a stretch. Someone once argued with me that sharks aren’t fish. I have no idea what she thought they were. (As far as squid beaks, I knew they existed, but then my first ever job was as a squid wrangler at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, so I don’t think I’m part of a representative sample) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-frightens-me-that-people-dont-know-these-things/184207.md?page=8)