# What are the dumbest questions you've been asked more than once? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 6, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767 "2019-09-06T01:47:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/22 "2019-09-06T13:54:10Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Having, certainly, a less nuanced understanding of math than the people taking the course, my layman’s defintion of “even number” would be one that is divisible by 2 with no remainder, so I also would be wondering of 0 was a special case. That is indeed the definition. (Or, an even number is one that is equal to 2\*k, where k is some integer. But that just makes explicit what “divisible by 2” means.) But some people (and possibly you?) get confused between division _by zero_ (which you can’t do) and zero divided by something else (which is perfectly legit and results in 0). ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/23 "2019-09-06T13:58:30Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > “Do you need your glasses to see?”. They are thick coke bottle lenses. They are bifocals. I’m going with **yes**. I knew someone with the same situation. Her response sometimes was “Not really ------ unless I have some interest in knowing just what the heck I am seeing”. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/24 "2019-09-06T14:06:27Z")
‘Why did you decide to be gay?’ Because middle school and high school just weren’t stressful enough. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/25 "2019-09-06T14:19:32Z")
“Do Canadians have Thanksgiving?” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/26 "2019-09-06T14:25:48Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But some people (and possibly you?) get confused between division _by zero_ (which you can’t do) and zero divided by something else (which is perfectly legit and results in 0). Yep, you’ve got my number there. (I had to. This opportunity will never present itself to me again.) ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/27 "2019-09-06T14:36:40Z")
I’ve been asked more than once to identify what kind of snake one of [these](https://www.rhs.org.uk/getmedia/336C88AD-F8C1-485E-9481-8D9FEB20F501/RHS_SCN0004889_856356) was, over the phone, by adults. My first question, when the suspicion as to its identity started to dawn was ‘How many legs does it have?’ answers I got included; ‘Lots’ or ‘Quite a few. I thought that was a bit weird for a snake’. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/28 "2019-09-06T15:03:09Z")
I often go out touring on a motorcycle. I wear protective gear, including (but not limited to) boots and a hi-viz yellow riding jacket. Some years ago on one of these trips I stopped for lunch, and kept my gear on (except for helmet and gloves). Another restaurant customer walking by my table asked me, in all seriousness, if I was a firefighter. It happened again last month: the waitress, watching me put my gear back on after lunch, asked me “so what do you do?” (implying that perhaps this was attire for some sort of hazardous professional occupation). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/29 "2019-09-06T15:09:54Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > “Do Canadians have Thanksgiving?” How is this a dumb question? (I hope _that_ isn’t a dumb question.) ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/30 "2019-09-06T15:32:00Z")
When people call my office phone, and at some point in the conversation, ask if I’m “here”, by which they mean in or around the office environs. This can be forgiven in what’s now a mobile phone world, I suppose, but these are campus employees calling a campus phone number. Similarly, when contacted by someone on a handheld two-way radio and after receiving some type of “copy” from me, they ask if I’m “here”. I usually respond with “I think so!” ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/31 "2019-09-06T15:33:45Z")
“Did they get all the cancer?” 1. There’s no definitive answer to this. 2. What would you do if I said, “No”? ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/32 "2019-09-06T15:36:04Z")
Being from the Netherlands: “ Did you drive here?” And of course: “did you ever stick your finger in a/the dike?” Surprisingly not all of those were people thinking they were being clever or original with a homonym. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/33 "2019-09-06T15:42:37Z")
I don’t think some of these questions are “dumb” at all. For a patient to ask the doctor whether “all of the cancer” had been eradicated is a question the doctor can’t truly know the answer to, but it’s not dumb at all, it’s an eminently sensible and reasonable question for a patient to ask. It’s perfectly valid to want to know if you appear to be fully cancer-free, as opposed to “Well, there is still a 2x2 inch clump of cancerous cells in your kidney, but we couldn’t get rid of it.” Likewise, for someone to ask if Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving, is also a perfectly reasonable question. And for a waitress to ask a customer who is wearing boots and a high-visibilty riding jacket what his occupation is is also very reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/34 "2019-09-06T15:54:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Three different times people saw my hands and asked me if I had that disease that Michael Jackson had. Each time I answered, angrily, “Pedophilia? No, why do you ask?” You deserve a medal! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/35 "2019-09-06T16:10:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > “Are you an Albino?” At least once a week someone asks me that. A bunch of medical professional have asked me. I’m pale and blond. I do not have pink eyes. One of my blue eyes looks purple sometimes. You don’t have to have pink eyes to be albino. My father-in-law was albino and he had pale blue eyes. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/36 "2019-09-06T16:25:53Z")
I run a Pizzeria in St Louis… The most common (in my opinion STUPID) question I get asked is “How Big is a 14” Pizza" or How big is an 18" pizza"…ummm “14” or 18" inches in diameter, respectively" ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/37 "2019-09-06T16:34:30Z")
“Would you like a beer?” ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/38 "2019-09-06T16:47:32Z")
“You volunteer at the animal shelter? How do you keep from taking them all home?” It’s such a ridiculous question I don’t even answer it any more. I just stare at them blankly. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/39 "2019-09-06T16:48:17Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > “Are you sure?” when I tell them at the grocery store please don’t bag the milk or any other handled large liquid container like OJ or laundry detergent. Of course I’m sure, that is why I said it. Funny, it’s the opposite for me. Back when I still used store provided plastic bags and they’d ask me if I wanted my gallon of milk or whatever bagged, I’d think “why wouldn’t I? It’s all being schlepped from the car to the same place?” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/40 "2019-09-06T16:50:18Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Over the years I’ve had conversations with people where the topic of being born on holidays has come up. My best friend was born on Christmas, and Dad and I were both born on Easter. Orthodox, or Western? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767/41 "2019-09-06T16:50:59Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Fifteenish years ago, Michael Jackson was still alive and my vitiligo kicked in. The backs on my hands were white. > > Three different times people saw my hands and asked me if I had that disease that Michael Jackson had. Each time I answered, angrily, “Pedophilia? No, why do you ask?” > > All three times the person freaked out, thinking that I was maybe going to take a swing at them. Just make sure you’re not in the clothing department at Walmart on a day when they have boys pants half off. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dumbest-questions-youve-been-asked-more-than-once/839767.md?page=3)