# "There ARE no stupid questions!" Well, that sounds like a challenge to me. (game) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466 "2004-08-31T20:59:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/61 "2004-09-01T13:03:40Z")
> [@Isosleepy](#): > > Then there’s the one that seemed stupid at first, but may actually reflect deep insight: “Do they have summer in Holland?” That is indeed very insightful. We didn’t have much of a summer this year, but I guess last year makes up for that. I’m originally from Germany and I had an American aquaintance (who’s parents drove a Mercedes) ask me: “Do they have cars in Germany?” 😕 Another asked me if we still have Nazis in Germany, so I pulled his leg and told him we still celebrate Hitler’s birthday every April 20th, and display our swastikas on that day. He believed me! :eek: A friend of mine is from Vienna (not the one in Northern Virginia), and after someone had asked where he was from and he had answered Austria, they responded “How exotic” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/62 "2004-09-01T15:45:11Z")
When I worked in my university’s computer labs swapping out machines one summer, we’d close a lab for a week at a time, remove all the computers, and perform general maintenance. Invariably some grad student would come in, after having pushed the sign informing them the lab was closed _out of the doorway_, and we’d tell them the lab was closed. The response? “Oh. \ Can I still check my e-mail?” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/63 "2004-09-01T16:03:26Z")
“Was that a stupid question?” ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/64 "2004-09-01T16:11:40Z")
Here’s my real-life one: I was going to a fancy place called the Jonathan Club for a wedding. I knew the address, and the approximate location, but when I got to where I figured it was, there was a driveway into a courtyard, but no signage and no address posted. So, I shrugged and pulled into the driveway, where I was met by a valet. I rolled down the window and asked “Is this the Jonathan Club?” As the words were leaving my lips, my brain registered the fact that the man’s hat, shirt and vest were festooned with the words ‘Jonathan Club’ and ‘JC’ monograms. He was also standing next to a sign that said ‘Jonathan Club’ and the rates charged for parking there. :o To his eternal credit, he simply said “Yes, sir” and did his job without cracking even a smile. And to this day, when I hear a ‘stupid’ question, I think, ‘is this the Jonathan Club?’ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/65 "2004-09-01T16:25:40Z")
The stupidest question ever is when somebody calls you on the phone and says “Who’s this?” :wally :wally :wally :wally :wally ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/66 "2004-09-01T16:31:20Z")
My favorite when I was working at the water park: “How long is the 10 minue safety break?” Every. Single. Day. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/67 "2004-09-01T16:37:39Z")
> [@Mycroft Holmes](#): > > That is indeed very insightful. We didn’t have much of a summer this year, but I guess last year makes up for that. > > I’m originally from Germany and I had an American aquaintance (who’s parents drove a Mercedes) ask me: “Do they have cars in Germany?” 😕 > > Another asked me if we still have Nazis in Germany, so I pulled his leg and told him we still celebrate Hitler’s birthday every April 20th, and display our swastikas on that day. He believed me! :eek: > > A friend of mine is from Vienna (not the one in Northern Virginia), and after someone had asked where he was from and he had answered Austria, they responded “How exotic” 😕 Many moons ago in a Sunday magazine insert of my local hometime rag a humor author took a light-hearted look at both the eccentricities (mostly local slang) of us Upstaters and the snobbery and solipsism of the Big Apple he grew up in. His father (who BTW seemed to assume that the local media in all other American cities had no other concerns but to intently watch the streets of NYC) once was chatting with him. The subject of how big Rochestarian phone books were becoming came was raised by the son. (As I recall this preceded the decision to separate white and yellow pages into two volumes.) Padre: (???) You have PHONE BOOKS up there?! Son: (heavy sigh) Yes, Dad, even phones! :rolleyes: * * * True Blue Jack ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/68 "2004-09-01T17:00:38Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > Back in '99, NASA had a [press release](http://www.space.com/news/spaceshuttles/shuttle_leonids.html) mentioning that a November shuttle launch would be delayed due to the Leonid meteor shower. Some co-workers and I were discussing it at lunch when one of them asked, “Why don’t they just raise their shields?” That’s good. Heh. I asked a stupid question once in elementary school. The teacher had a friend visiting from France, so he came into class to tell us about his country. I asked him if there were warehouses in France. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/69 "2004-09-01T17:01:15Z")
Can I ask a question? ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/70 "2004-09-01T17:51:20Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > Here’s my real-life one: > > I was going to a fancy place called the Jonathan Club for a wedding. I knew the address, and the approximate location, but when I got to where I figured it was, there was a driveway into a courtyard, but no signage and no address posted. So, I shrugged and pulled into the driveway, where I was met by a valet. I rolled down the window and asked “Is this the Jonathan Club?” As the words were leaving my lips, my brain registered the fact that the man’s hat, shirt and vest were festooned with the words ‘Jonathan Club’ and ‘JC’ monograms. He was also standing next to a sign that said ‘Jonathan Club’ and the rates charged for parking there. :o To his eternal credit, he simply said “Yes, sir” and did his job without cracking even a smile. > > And to this day, when I hear a ‘stupid’ question, I think, ‘is this the Jonathan Club?’ 🙂 I play out this one in restaraunts all the time. I’ll look around for the restroom, give up, and ask the nearest waitress. Inevitably, the nearest waitress is standing comically close the large illuminated RESTROOMS sign ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/71 "2004-09-01T18:32:27Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > That’s good. Heh. > > I asked a stupid question once in elementary school. The teacher had a friend visiting from France, so he came into class to tell us about his country. I asked him if there were warehouses in France. You really meant to say _whorehouses_ right? ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/72 "2004-09-01T18:36:52Z")
Asking a **lady** , ‘wheres the **men’s** room?’ ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/73 "2004-09-01T18:45:40Z")
In our library we get lots of stupid questions, but my favorite so far was asked by a girl about 17. Do you have any books wrote by people? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/74 "2004-09-01T20:05:53Z")
“Why did Bush knock the towers down?” ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/75 "2004-09-01T20:21:59Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You really meant to say _whorehouses_ right? When I was in 2nd grade, I had no idea what a whore was, or why they would be found in houses. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/76 "2004-09-01T20:30:12Z")
As my old Grandfather used to say: “There are no stupid questions. There are, however, stupid people. and sometimes they ask questions.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/77 "2004-09-01T20:35:24Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Can I ask a question? When my SO says that, my invariable answer is, “You just did.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/78 "2004-09-01T20:41:29Z")
> [@True Blue Jack](#): > > Here’s a question for you to make you feel better. Can I have another prize? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/79 "2004-09-01T22:51:09Z")
> [@Knowed Out](#): > > The stupidest question ever is when somebody calls you on the phone and says “Who’s this?” A wiseguy buddy of mine used to call people and ask … Is this the party to whom I’m speaking? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466/80 "2004-09-01T22:56:38Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > Is this the party to whom I’m speaking? One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingy… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-no-stupid-questions-well-that-sounds-like-a-challenge-to-me-game/262466.md?page=5)