# There are 3 types of people in this world... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234 "2003-11-20T01:59:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![youami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/c0e974/32.png) [@youami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/youami)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/1 "2003-11-20T01:59:13Z")
There is a joke that goes: “There are 3 types of people in this world, those who can count and those who can’t” I’ve also seen someone on SD (sorry cannot remember who) with the signature: “There are 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those that don’t” I’ve also seen others like: “There are 20 types of people in this world, those who know where to put decimal points and those that don’t” My question is, what is the name for these types of statements, in particular one in which the writer is pretending to be one of the people they are describing or the reader has to be one of those people being described to get the joke? I’d also be interested if anyone has any other good examples, perhaps you could make one up yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Machete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Machete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machete)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/2 "2003-11-20T02:03:25Z")
hm … I hate to see a dangling thread. Here: There are 2 types of people in this world, those that finish what they start. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/3 "2003-11-20T02:07:39Z")
There are 2 types of people in this world, those who divide the woeld into two groups of people, and those who don’t. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/4 "2003-11-20T02:12:50Z")
There are two types of people in the world: those that believe that there are two types of people and those that don’t. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/5 "2003-11-20T02:41:06Z")
Actually, you’re referring to two different types of statements: I’d call the first type a self-fulfilling dichotomy, but there really isn’t a second type. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/6 "2003-11-20T02:59:05Z")
There are two types of people in the world: those who post replies about those that believe that there are two types of people, and those that don’t. ---
**Author:** ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/7 "2003-11-20T03:05:03Z")
“I’m half-man, half-machine, half-mathematician.” ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/8 "2003-11-20T04:49:15Z")
Self-referential. ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/9 "2003-11-20T06:08:51Z")
self incriminating ---
**Author:** ![Wheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4da419/32.png) [@Wheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheel)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/10 "2003-11-20T06:24:13Z")
There are 2 types of people in the world, and I’m one of them. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/11 "2003-11-20T06:25:18Z")
There are 2 types of ironical, self-referential aphorisms: ones that are clever and this one. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/12 "2003-11-20T08:24:27Z")
There are 1 typos of peopel in this world. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/13 "2003-11-20T11:24:41Z")
There are 1920 styles of death rays… eh, I can’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/14 "2003-11-20T11:49:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phnord Prephect \* > \*\*There are 1920 styles of death rays… > > eh, I can’t do it. \*\* This board needs serious meme therapy. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/15 "2003-11-20T16:29:01Z")
Deictic? Jokes? ---
**Author:** ![hybrid\_dogfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hybrid\_dogfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hybrid_dogfish)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/16 "2003-11-20T16:49:46Z")
Just stepping forward to claim my sig. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/17 "2003-11-20T17:26:31Z")
There are 2 types of these statements: ones that are complete, and ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/18 "2003-11-20T17:28:50Z")
There are 2 types of these statements: ones that make sense, and purple keypboard persimmons. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/19 "2003-11-20T18:28:29Z")
To answer the OP, I think they are called, “fiendishly clever” ala The Far Side’s fourth personality type: “Hey! I ordered a cheeseburger and fries!” ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234/20 "2003-11-21T00:07:04Z")
There are 2 types of people in this world, those who are apathetic and I couldn’t care less about the other type [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-3-types-of-people-in-this-world/214234.md?page=2)