# No such thing as a stupid question??? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712 "2003-07-15T18:53:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/41 "2003-07-17T08:08:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autz \* > \*\*I can’t vouch for thie veracity, as I have not personally measured every living thing for comparison’s sake. \*\* And you’re waiting for… what, exactly? You have a tape-measure don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/42 "2003-07-17T11:03:09Z")
I got one yesterday when I was at lunch, sitting in the resturant. I was asked, " Where did you get your sandwich?" Huh? I’m in the only place that serves food for a couple of blocks where do you think I got it? ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/43 "2003-07-17T12:54:18Z")
Here’s another take on the “no stupid questions but lots of stupid people asking” thing. [Cluelessness](http://www.despair.com/demotivators/cluelessness.html). And take some time to cruise the rest of that site. It’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/44 "2003-07-17T12:59:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by St\_Ides \* > \*\*“Is Jamaica in New York?” \*\* Jamaica, Queens sure is. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/45 "2003-07-17T13:22:33Z")
I believe it was in _The Young Ones_ that Adrian Edmonson said: “This may sound like a stupid question, but - nip dip bip nip nip bip dip?” ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/46 "2003-07-17T14:18:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rick \* > \*\*When I was still working on cars for a living I would wear my uni home, and change there. > > Often I would stop somewhere on the trip home to do some shopping. Apparently I have the generic employees face. > > So there I am standing in the middle of a Target store > (Pop quiz What is Target’s corprate color? red right?) > > So there I am standing in a dirty (I’ve been fixing cars all day) \*\*light blue \*\* shirt, dirty \*\*dark blue \*\* pants and person after person would walk up to me and ask me either A) I worked there or B) Where was the garden dept. :smack: > I finally gave up and starting going home and changed before I went shopping, I got tired being flypaper for freaks. \*\* If you and I shopped at the same place we’d be able to split the workload, because I get the same thing. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve gotten some pretty nasty looks from people for not knowing where things are in Wal-Mart. I’ll even be wearing a ratty gray t-shirt and gym shorts and still people will think I work there. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/47 "2003-07-17T14:21:48Z")
I wrote a book and was at an autograph session in a Walt Disney store. I’m standing at the table signing books and someone asks me where the bathroom is. Another person asks me if the store sells aspirin. Give me a break! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/48 "2003-07-17T14:25:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by St\_Ides \* > \*\*“Is Jamaica in New York?” \*\* And the answer to this would be “Yes, yes it is.” The fact that not everyone knows Jamaica is in New York made for a big misunderstanding in a pit thread I started once. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/49 "2003-07-20T19:40:12Z")
Hey, hey, be nice. We can **all** come up with stupid questions, stone cold sober and fully awake. For example: a few days ago I got to thinking about dogs. Shar-Peis specifically. They’re wrinkly. So are scrotums. Do women who think scrotums are “cute” (re: the funny looking male genitals thread) more likely than other women to find a shar-pei cute? And how do men feel about these dogs? Yeah, I just didn’t ask the person I was with these questions… 😃 can you imagine the types of questions people mentioned in this thread find too stupid to utter? Got to be some doozies! ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/50 "2003-07-20T21:35:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biggirl \* > \*\* > The fact that not everyone knows Jamaica is in New York made for a big misunderstanding in a pit thread I started once. \*\* Reminds me of a bit of trivia I know that few people believe: There _is_ an East Side of Chicago (it’s the small part that borders Indiana). ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/51 "2003-07-21T16:27:51Z")
My last week working in a bagel store: I see a woman scanning our menu. She looks at our soups, and asks, “Chicken spaetzle, is that vegetarian?” ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/52 "2003-07-21T17:42:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Priceguy \* > \*\*[hijack]Is this true? I remember reading about this huge mother of a subterranean fungus that was the size of a nice Swedish island called Ven (7.5 square kilometres; I’ll leave the mile conversion to someone else). \*\* You are correct. I don’t know what the size, but the largest known organism is a fungus. For a little while, fungi and aspen groves were vying for world’s largest organisms. (It turns out that some aspen groves are really the same organism.) I believe the record holding fungus among us is incredibly old, also. Made it through the sixties and everything.😉 ---
**Author:** ![kputt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@kputt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kputt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/53 "2003-07-21T18:24:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autz \* > \*\*It’s a cliche that there is no such thing as a stupid question. > > I beg to differ. > > Here’s my evidence: > > I was in Sequoia Nat’l Park a few years ago. I was standing next to “General Sherman,” this is the largest of the sequoia trees. And sequoias are the largest trees on earth. In fact, General Sherman is considered to be “the world’s largest living thing.” > > I was looking up at it, amazed by it’s size and beauty. A man comes up to me and asks, “Say, I’ve heard there are some big trees somewhere around here, do you know where they are?” > > We’re completely surrounded by the largest living trees (and living beings) on the earth, and this guy wants to know where the ‘big trees’ are??? > > I stared at him, dumfounded, and then just pointed up. He looks up, says"Oh" and wanders off. > > Any other candidates for a truely stupid question? \*\* I remember taking a calculus II class and having a brain fart. It’s not a good thing to ask a stupid question in a calculus II class because your brain decided it wanted to freeze up on you. I don’t remember the question because everyone will be annoyed with you. ---
**Author:** ![kputt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@kputt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kputt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/54 "2003-07-21T18:25:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autz \* > \*\*It’s a cliche that there is no such thing as a stupid question. > > I beg to differ. > > Here’s my evidence: > > I was in Sequoia Nat’l Park a few years ago. I was standing next to “General Sherman,” this is the largest of the sequoia trees. And sequoias are the largest trees on earth. In fact, General Sherman is considered to be “the world’s largest living thing.” > > I was looking up at it, amazed by it’s size and beauty. A man comes up to me and asks, “Say, I’ve heard there are some big trees somewhere around here, do you know where they are?” > > We’re completely surrounded by the largest living trees (and living beings) on the earth, and this guy wants to know where the ‘big trees’ are??? > > I stared at him, dumfounded, and then just pointed up. He looks up, says"Oh" and wanders off. > > Any other candidates for a truely stupid question? \*\* I am sure we all are guilty of asking stupid questions. It just happens. ---
**Author:** ![kputt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@kputt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kputt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/55 "2003-07-21T18:34:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autz \* > \*\*It’s a cliche that there is no such thing as a stupid question. > > I beg to differ. > > Here’s my evidence: > > I was in Sequoia Nat’l Park a few years ago. I was standing next to “General Sherman,” this is the largest of the sequoia trees. And sequoias are the largest trees on earth. In fact, General Sherman is considered to be “the world’s largest living thing.” > > I was looking up at it, amazed by it’s size and beauty. A man comes up to me and asks, “Say, I’ve heard there are some big trees somewhere around here, do you know where they are?” > > We’re completely surrounded by the largest living trees (and living beings) on the earth, and this guy wants to know where the ‘big trees’ are??? > > I stared at him, dumfounded, and then just pointed up. He looks up, says"Oh" and wanders off. > > Any other candidates for a truely stupid question? \*\* I am sure we all are guilty of asking stupid questions. It just happens. ---
**Author:** ![Wyatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b19c9b/32.png) [@Wyatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wyatt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/56 "2003-07-21T19:05:23Z")
Wow!!! So many stories to tell … More in the thoughtless category. My late sweetie had a brain tumor, after radiation treatments decimated her hair in an interesting near-Mohawk fashion, she took to wearing hats more often. She was a nursing director, so the hospital was familiar turf, populated by many many friends and acquaintances. Since she was out on disability, we would greet many work-friends whenever we were in the building. The day that one acquaintance Charged up to say hello, and how good my sweetie looked, followed by, “What a Great Hat! Have you Always been a hat person or just since … \ **Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/57 "2003-07-22T00:46:56Z") > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DeadlyAccurate \* > \*\*If you and I shopped at the same place we’d be able to split the workload, because I get the same thing. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve gotten some pretty nasty looks from people for not knowing where things are in Wal-Mart. I’ll even be wearing a ratty gray t-shirt and gym shorts and still people will think I work there. \*\* I used to wear a blue lanlet around my neck that said in big white letters “SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY” a few times. People would always come up to me in Walmart and ask for help. Is my sense of fashion so bad that just by wearing a lanlet I looked like a Walmart employee? ---
**Author:** ![wawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f05b48/32.png) [@wawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wawa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/58 "2003-07-23T14:29:24Z")
My roommate in college (a chemical engineering student, mind you!) asked a Greek friend of mine if they still believe in and worship Zeus, Hera, Apollo, etc. On the other hand, I am still kicking myself for asking what was the most stupid question in the history of the world: I was at a funeral for a friend’s husband, when I saw someone I hadn’t seen in a while and hadn’t expected to see. After pasting my face with a big goofy smile, I said, in an excited tone of voice “It’s great to see you, what are you doing here?” ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/59 "2003-07-24T08:00:05Z")
I saw this on TV: The U.S. Geological Survey held a press conference after the Northridge earthquake, at which a geologist explained that the quake was caused by a previously unknown fault. A reporter asked, “How many previously unknown earthquake faults are there?” ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712/60 "2003-07-24T14:50:47Z")
One of my favorite encounters with a random idiot at the gas station I work at: We have a bathroom. Said bathroom has a door. Said door has a lock on it, for keeping other people out while you use the bathroom. A pretty standard setup, from what I can tell. There was even a sign right by the door knob that said “Restroom is locked when in use.” or something similar. So, anyway, someone comes up to the counter. “Hey, uh, your bathroom is locked.” “Yeah, that means there’s someone in there.” [6-10 second pause] “Uh… how does it know?” “??? What?” “Like… how does the bathroom know that people are in there?” [I twitch] “Well, when people go in there, they lock the door behind them…” [Another 6-10 second pause] “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.” The guy wasn’t mentally handicapped or anything and didn’t seem like he was on drugs. I guess maybe his mind was caught up on the idea of a magical bathroom that could sense people and lock itself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question/188712.md?page=4)