# My ignorance was just exposed. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 13, 2008, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795 "2008-06-13T12:26:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/21 "2008-06-13T16:20:33Z")
[QUOTE=fachverwirrt] You didn’t ask, but I’ve heard of it. (Ever heard of a Manx cat? The ones with no tail? That’s where they’re from.) [/QUOTE] The big angry one in this video is a manxie. > **[Private Group Photo & Video Sharing](https://photobucket.com/player.swf?os=1&file=http:%2F%2Fvidmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv98%2Flobley%2F28042008041.flv&fs=1&ap=1)** > > A private space for your group's photos and videos. Share, react, and relive moments together. Available on iOS, Android, and desktop. Free for new sign-ups. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/22 "2008-06-13T16:28:56Z")
> [@](#): > > hell even Erie would make more sense. Erie native here, waves. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/23 "2008-06-13T16:33:41Z")
[QUOTE=Icerigger] Erie native here, waves. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Hey! My brother is a Gannon grad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/24 "2008-06-13T16:35:27Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] Nitpick: are you sure it isn’t Paraiba or Ceara? They’re both in America, but not the United States of America. [/QUOTE] Yeah, yeah, alright, point taken. It’s normally me who gets pissed off with the US-centricitiy of posts 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/25 "2008-06-13T16:58:36Z")
I really can’t get worked about knowing capitals, precisely _because_ they so rarely are the biggest or most recognizable city in a country/state. I just don’t know why it matters–until something dangerous happens in a capital, at which point, news outlets will \*tell \* you that it’s the capital. Y’know? And of course I’ve heard of the Isle of Man. But then, when you’re into language policy, it’s one of those places you hear about. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/26 "2008-06-13T17:34:00Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] A question came up on a gameshow: What is the capital of Brazil. I said to myself: “It’s either Sau-Paulo, or Rio-De-Janeiro. I think it’s Rio” The answer is ‘Brasilia’. I’VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF IT! I thought I was world-smart, that I knew more than most around me about world Geography. How could I have never even heard of the city that is the capital of a well known country?? [/QUOTE] And they say you can’t learn from the movies. If you had watched I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, you would have readily known the answer to that question. ---
**Author:** ![JimmyFlair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@JimmyFlair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyFlair)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/27 "2008-06-13T17:34:10Z")
Geography major checking in… It’s weird, when I was getting my degree, every smartass would snort and say “Whooo, you’re getting a whole degree of knowing that the capital of Brazil is Rio! Ha!” . Every time someone made this comment,they picked Brazil. Every time they named the capital, it was Rio. EVERY TIME! If I was feeling like it, I’d explain the actual capital is Brasilia, and that a very interesting mix of politics, economics, sociology, climatology and urban studies went in to building a massive city in the middle of an equatorial jungle. It’s ironic that Brasilia is pretty much a excellent example of the multiple sub disciplines that make up geography. On the other hand, I was at the ATM the other day and saw a new option for languages - Hmoob. I’d never even heard of this, and was very surprised that a language I’d never encountered before was popular enough in my community to warrant its own ATM menu. It’s a language of [the Hmong.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_language) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/28 "2008-06-13T17:49:04Z")
Back when there was still a West Germany/Federal Republic of Germany, I used to screw with people by asking them what its capital was. “Berlin, of course!” they’d always say. Most of them had never even heard of Bonn, I expect. I was watching a quiz show on UK TV many years ago (_Fun House_, hosted by Pat Sharp and his terrific mullet) and the question “What is the capital of India?” was asked; the kid answered “Bombay” and apparently the cue card agreed with him. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/29 "2008-06-13T17:52:37Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] I was watching a quiz show on UK TV many years ago (_Fun House_, hosted by Pat Sharp and his terrific mullet) and the question “What is the capital of India?” was asked; the kid answered “Bombay” and apparently the cue card agreed with him. [/QUOTE] Well that’s just silly. Everone knows it’s Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/30 "2008-06-13T19:16:22Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] And they say you can’t learn from the movies. If you had watched I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, you would have readily known the answer to that question. [/QUOTE] I have seen it. Something\* about that film made it difficult to remember much beyond a few key things\* about it. [sub]\*Jennifer Love Hewitt and her boobs[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/31 "2008-06-13T19:18:25Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] Nobody I’ve asked has ever even heard of the Isle of Man. [/QUOTE] If you asked someone who was into motorcycle racing, they’d know. Otherwise, nothing there worth talking about. Sorry, **Lob**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/32 "2008-06-13T19:23:43Z")
[QUOTE=JimmyFlair] Geography major checking in… It’s weird, when I was getting my degree, every smartass would snort and say “Whooo, you’re getting a whole degree of knowing that the capital of Brazil is Rio! Ha!” . Every time someone made this comment,they picked Brazil. Every time they named the capital, it was Rio. EVERY TIME! If I was feeling like it, I’d explain the actual capital is Brasilia, and that a very interesting mix of politics, economics, sociology, climatology and urban studies went in to building a massive city in the middle of an equatorial jungle. It’s ironic that Brasilia is pretty much a excellent example of the multiple sub disciplines that make up geography. On the other hand, I was at the ATM the other day and saw a new option for languages - Hmoob. I’d never even heard of this, and was very surprised that a language I’d never encountered before was popular enough in my community to warrant its own ATM menu. It’s a language of [the Hmong.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_language) [/QUOTE] But did you ever tell them the neatest thing about Brasilia? That it was built with boareders so that it looks (well looked) like an airplane? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/33 "2008-06-13T19:28:12Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] Nobody I’ve asked has ever even heard of the Isle of Man. [/QUOTE] I knew where it was, of course. I used to work with a beautiful lady from there, who unfortunately left Canada to return to the Island and get married. Sigh. Man is also known for its intriguing flag, heritage railways, and confusing relations with the UK and EU. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/34 "2008-06-13T21:04:23Z")
[QUOTE=JimmyFlair] Geography major checking in… It’s weird, when I was getting my degree, every smartass would snort and say “Whooo, you’re getting a whole degree of knowing that the capital of Brazil is Rio! Ha!” . Every time someone made this comment,they picked Brazil. Every time they named the capital, it was Rio. EVERY TIME! If I was feeling like it, I’d explain the actual capital is Brasilia, and that a very interesting mix of politics, economics, sociology, climatology and urban studies went in to building a massive city in the middle of an equatorial jungle. It’s ironic that Brasilia is pretty much a excellent example of the multiple sub disciplines that make up geography. [/QUOTE] That’s pretty awesome. Whenever I tell people I’m studying history, they want to know the dates of battles or when someone famous was born (or the names of the wives of Henry VIII… _sigh_). I have no such awesome way to explain to them what history really is without sounding super pedantic. My father used to play the capital game with me when I was a kid. We got to the point of quizzing each other on the capitals of the most obscure countries. **Sattua** is right; there’s no real applicability to this kind of knowledge. I did, however, once place quite well in a provincial geography bee. There’s also been a few times when I asked someone where they were from in another country, and I recognized the name of the city because it was the capital. They were all very pleased because no one they talked to knew any cities in their native country except the big one. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/35 "2008-06-13T23:58:58Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] Nobody I’ve asked has ever even heard of the Isle of Man. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard of it. We performed this in high school band… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j5KmhOwaFq0/hqdefault.jpg "Mannin Veen") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5KmhOwaFq0) _The tone poem Mannin Veen (Manx for Dear Isle of Man) was based on four Manx folk tunes, and is one of two works written originally for wind band by Wood._ > **[Haydn Wood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haydn_Wood)** > > Haydn Wood (25 March 1882 – 11 March 1959) was a 20th-century English composer and concert violinist, best known for his 200 or so ballad style songs, including the popular Roses of Picardy. > Haydn Wood was born in the town of Slaithwaite in the West Riding of Yorkshire. When he was three years old his family moved to the Isle of Man, an island which was often a source of inspiration for the composer. His two older brothers were also musicians: Harry (1868-1939) was a violinist, composer and co... ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/36 "2008-06-14T00:46:14Z")
[QUOTE=whatami] But did you ever tell them the neatest thing about Brasilia? That it was built with boareders so that it looks (well looked) like an airplane? [/QUOTE] ? I can’t even find a definition of boareders, what are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/37 "2008-06-14T00:50:05Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] Nobody I’ve asked has ever even heard of the Isle of Man. [/QUOTE] It gets a fair amount of film work. It doubled for Ireland when they filmed _Waking Ned Divine_ there. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/38 "2008-06-14T00:51:35Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] Brasilia’s recognition problem is compounded by the fact it’s a planned city… [/QUOTE] Same as Canberra (which it seems is pronounced “Canbra”). ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/39 "2008-06-14T00:52:29Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] ? I can’t even find a definition of boareders, what are you talking about? [/QUOTE] I’m guessing “boarders” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795/40 "2008-06-14T01:28:47Z")
[QUOTE=whatami] But did you ever tell them the neatest thing about Brasilia? That it was built with boareders so that it looks (well looked) like an airplane? [/QUOTE] [That does look kind of cool.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Brasilia_from_the_universe_-_ISS005-E-9532.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ignorance-was-just-exposed/452795.md?page=3)