# My roommate is ignorant **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 20, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688 "2002-11-20T03:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/61 "2002-11-20T21:42:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\ ***Guanolad** [tee hee, how apropos], color yourself whooshed. Ask **Divemaster** for the clue. \*\* It’s not a whoosh if I think Tarantino is a creepy weirdo and so have never watched any of his movies. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/62 "2002-11-20T21:48:46Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s not a whoosh if I think Tarantino is a creepy weirdo and so have never watched any of his movies You were whooshed because you didn’t get the reference, because you have never watched a Tarantino movie. And if you think the content of Tarantino’s films somehow indicate that he is himself “a creepy weirdo”, then I take it you are entirely unfamiliar with the works of Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ingmar Bergman, or Jean Luc Godard. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/63 "2002-11-20T21:56:43Z")
gobear, that can’t be the case. He says he thinks Tarantino is a creepy weirdo **and so** he’s never watched any of his movies. I take that to mean he won’t watch (or hasn’t watched) Tarantino’s films **because** he thinks Tarantino is a creepy weirdo. Yeah, he was still whoosed, though. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/64 "2002-11-20T22:09:17Z")
> [@](#): > > I take that to mean he won’t watch (or hasn’t watched) Tarantino’s films because he thinks Tarantino is a creepy weirdo. Yeah, and Pasolini, Bergman, and Godard are likewise creepy weirdos, hence **GuanoLad** is probably not familiar with their works. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/65 "2002-11-20T22:18:51Z")
Hunh. I like Tatantino’s films _because_ he’s a creepy weirdo. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/66 "2002-11-20T22:28:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thudlow Boink \* > \*\*[SNL] > A whale is an animal? That’s _crazy!_ > > I’m Brian Fellow! > [/SNL] \*\* HI…LARIOUS Thank you so much for posting that. I laughed aloud and I think…yes, tinkled a little bit ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/67 "2002-11-20T23:09:13Z")
Okay, sorry for the hijack, but fine, I was whooshed. Though personally I’ve taken that term to mean I foolishly should’ve known there was a joke but didn’t see it. But because I was unaware of there even being a reference to anything, it’s not a whoosh. I will concede reluctantly to your own definition of “I don’t know nothin’, therefore I look a fool.” And I have never seen the works of those other guys either. Or even know their medium of choice. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/68 "2002-11-20T23:38:28Z")
I can’t believe that anyone would consider a basic familiarity with animal biology “trivial.” Knowing the difference between Fellini and Antonioni – or, in comparing the crocodile and alligator, which has its teeth visible when its jaw is shut – or who came first, Beethoven or Mozart – or what team sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees – or the language in which the New Testament was originally written – or which jumbo jets have two engines under the wings instead of four – or which of Shakespeare’s plays was not based on existing history or literature – or who was President of the U.S. between Grover Cleveland’s separated terms – or why the atomic structure of carbon makes it such a ubiquitous building block – or what “scuba” stands for – or who was CEO of Chrysler when it got the bailout… None of these is necessary for Joe Average to know. They’re all just isolated facts, important in their respective fields, but not the foundation, strictly speaking, for anything else. If your life and work don’t intersect those bodies of knowledge, you can get along fine without knowing any of that, or thousands of other isolated nuggets of information. But an overview of the animal kingdom? Being able to group whales and spiders and parrots and tapeworms and leopards and weasels and lobsters _here_, and geraniums and water and gravel and staplers and jumpropes and pottery and motorcycles and coffee and ATM cards and rocket fuel and shag carpet and the Parthenon and gondolas _not here_ – that’s just _basic._ No wonder science education gets such a bad rap. If it’s considered acceptable for an average citizen not to know the difference between “animal” and “not animal,” if you people are going to defend somebody like that against charges of ignorance, then what the fuck are we all doing here? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/69 "2002-11-20T23:55:19Z")
OK. Before I get flamed anymore for mocking my roommate, I’d like to point out that it was all in fun. We regularly bust each other’s balls and get all over each other for stupid, trivial things. I don’t hate my roommate at all, he’s one of my best friends and I used to room with him for a bit in college. He’s a good guy and really bright. This whole thing was a complete shock to me because it was the first time he has ever, in the 6 years I have known him, failed to grasp a basic bit of any subject. Now then, I don’t think I’m superior to my roommate in any capacity. I’ve certainly said made stupid assertions and he’s jumped all over me for it (like when I was convinced the color of the Yankees was black, not navy blue. I even argued the point for a while before being slapped down by irrefutable evidence. I still haven’t lived that down 3 years later.) With that out of the way, let me address some things specifically: > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by astro_ > \*\*If he didn’t grok the general definition of animal then his confusion is understandable, if not excusable. If this confusion about classifications throws you into such a tizzy you might want to look less at your roommate’s ignorance and your own attitude. The world is full of people who manage perfectly well without knowing the big picture taxonomy of life on earth and sometimes they know many things you don’t know. > > If you bring in or print out a taxonomy chart to review with him, he might be more grateful than being one the receiving end of your name calling no matter how much more the latter satisfies you personally.\*\* Well, no kidding. I’m quite aware taxonomy is not exactly a life skill. And so far in his life he’s not suffered any for not knowing it. And he does indeed know many things that I don’t. And when I say something stupid, he gleefully abuses me. It’s been SOP since we first started hanging with each other. I’m not going to bring a taxonomy chart into because, frankly, it’s not that big of a deal. It hasn’t come up since that night, except for this thread. Which he knows about and thinks is funny. So please get off my back and assume I know how to deal with my long-time friends better than you do. Thank you. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Cheesesteak_ > May I ask why you hate your roomate? Does his lack of education make your life more difficult in some way?\*\* The rest of your post was dealt with in my reply to **astro**. Let me just say that I don’t actually hate my roommate. The hate thing was a joke referring to the fact that I wasn’t sure he was messing with me or not. Which he does regularly. It’s very confusing to me. And he takes great pleasure in it. And I don’t really hate it when he does it. I’m gullible and I know it, and I’m good humored about it. For example, when in England, my English friends convinced me that squirrels didn’t exist there. I kept trying to explain what a squirrel was and after a few days I realized I had been tricked when I found a statue of a squirrel in a park and they all started laughing when I pointed it out to them. It was pretty funny. There have been many other times. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jarbabyj_ > **We should always be quick to HELP PEOPLE LEARN…but to go out of your way to be an asshole and say “I really can’t believe you’re that fucking ignorant” (when they’re already nervously laughing and feeling uncomfortable) and THEN making them sit through a lecture on the difference between fruits and radio show hosts and THEN proclaiming that you HATE that person because they made a mistake is a bit over the top, wouldn’t you say?** The laughing nervously was not a fearful or uncomfortable laughing. He was laughing because he thought it was funny he didn’t know it and knew I was about to slam him. But it was the closest description I could come up with to what he was doing in a few words. Again, if this wasn’t SOP among this particular group of friends and me, I wouldn’t have done it. But it is. We all have fun with it. It’s good times. As for the lecture. Well, it consisted of a one minute explanation prompted by him asking me questions about which groups went where. I simply stated that there were five kingdoms of living organisms, gave a quick one or two word description (plant, animal, fungi, etc.). And that was more or less the end of it. And the hate thing, as I explained earlier was not meant to be referenced to his not knowing, but rather my confusion as to whether he perpretrating a massive joke on me. 'Twas playful hating. Again, let’s assume that I know how to deal with my friends better than you guys do. Now then, I’ll admit upon second reading that I came off looking like a major asshole, mostly due to my poor writing skills and failure to properly describe the situation. But I’m really not a jerk. It was just good funning. If he was a sensitive soul I never would have made an issue out of it. But he’s not. And he gives as good as he gets. And it’s all friendly. And no one’s feelings are hurt. So there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/70 "2002-11-21T00:07:45Z")
On preview… I withdraw my unkinder remarks to Neurotik. Now I have to edit this stupid post… :smack: eh, screw it. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/71 "2002-11-21T00:15:59Z")
Haha. Thanks, **Cheesesteak**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/72 "2002-11-21T00:49:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Honey \* > \*\*At a family gathering once, my sister-in-law was explaining the reason why she would never want to go on an African safari. She said she didn’t want to be attacked by a **tiger**. > > I explained to her that tigers are not found in the wild in Africa. After which, all of my husbands relatives told me I was crazy. In the end I conceded. Sometimes it’s just better to let it go. \*\* They aren’t? I didn’t know that! Where are tigers found in the wild? I think it’s okay to correct someone, if you do so politely, and aren’t a snob about it. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/73 "2002-11-21T00:51:25Z")
Just a note for further rants then, Neurotik. Perhaps if he’s your best friend (or close to it) and you do this all the time, you can let us in on it, as you can plainly see that a lot of us were confused. You referred to him as ‘your roommate’ not ‘my good friend who I fuck around with all the time’. And don’t get all huffy when we react to a simple sentence “I hate my roommate” at face value Best to just admit the mistake like you did in the last paragraph of your last post than to call all of us out snarkily (i.e. ‘let’s assume I know how to deal with my friend better than you’) on the same thing, wouldn’t you agree? ---
**Author:** ![l1I235](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@l1I235](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l1I235)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/74 "2002-11-21T01:09:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cheesesteak \*\*\* > You’re not going to make any friends by constantly correcting trivial bits of information, and certainly not by making fun of them over it. I used to correct people all the time, and was insufferable, now I pick my spots, and let a lot of crap go. \*\* Amen. I have a relative who does this to me all the time, even when I’m not wrong. It drives me nuts! I’m pretty sure that they use it as a weak base in attempt to belittle me. :rolleyes: yeesh. I’m hardly ignorant or stupid, thank you. The equalibrium of the world wil not be disturbed by my saying To-mat-toe instead of To-may-to. Please stop interrupting my every other word to correct me. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/75 "2002-11-21T01:29:55Z")
Indeed, I can, **jarbabyj**. And I will do so in the future. As for the snarkiness…sure thing. As soon as you stop jumping to conclusions and making snarky statements before asking some questions. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/76 "2002-11-21T01:31:36Z")
Oh so we’re not supposed to respond to the OP now? we have to wait for you to give us the follow up? Wouldn’t it be better to get all the facts out at the beginning? And I may concede that I was in the wrong if I was the only one who misread the situation, but I wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/77 "2002-11-21T01:40:21Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Cheesesteak_ > This reminds me of a story told in How to Win Friends and Influence People where a gentleman at a big dinner party attributed a quote to the Bible. The author (Dale Carnegie) corrected him and stated it was actually Shakespeare. Dale Carnegie wrote the Bible?! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/78 "2002-11-21T01:43:11Z")
My question is, whenever I asked my mother how to spell a word, she’d say, “Look it up in the dictionary.” 😕 If I could look it up, then I’d know how to spell it, BITCH! Fighting ignorance - indeed! :mad: Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/79 "2002-11-21T02:12:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > They aren’t? I didn’t know that! Where are tigers found in the wild? Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688/80 "2002-11-21T02:18:50Z")
Not at all. Feel free to react. I fully admit that it was an extremely poorly written OP. And I understand how people misunderstood. And that’s fine. Notice my grace and friendliness to **Cheesesteak** when he realized that it was a misunderstanding. You, on the other hand, were not content to acknowledge that maybe I wasn’t the horrible person you accused me of being, stated that you hoped I learned my lesson and left it at that. No. In your infinite righeousness, you decided to give me a little lecture. Sorry, but if I’m going make an effort to improve my Pitting technique (and I will) you can certainly make an effort at making sure you have the right man before you go off on someone. Something that I don’t always do myself, but I try to. I had mistakenly assumed that the image of friendly wagering and stating that my roommate likes to joke around with me about this stuff would give the image that we are friends. But it wasn’t clear and so I clarified the situation. I didn’t ask for an apology. I didn’t start pitting everyone. I simply asked for the benefit of the doubt. Something everyone deserves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roommate-is-ignorant/137688.md?page=5)