# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 340
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7171 "2026-05-08T16:57:39Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > People were lectured here when they said they hadn’t heard of some anime studio whose style ChatGPT was apeing. Well that’s silly. As well known as Ghibli is, they aren’t Disney. If you’re into anime at all though, you do know Studio Ghibli. But if you’re not, no real reason to know. If you don’t have younger people around, there is little reason to know of Mr. Beast either. Not really the same demographic as most of this board. I’ve only heard of him because of my twenty-something kids. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I recall that, from a few months ago. Studio Ghibli, specifically. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7172 "2026-05-08T16:57:57Z")
There’s a big difference between not knowing some cultural reference, and being _proud_ that you don’t know it. There’s no shame in the first, but the second is annoying. I’m not going to read the MrBeast thread to see who fell into which category. If you personally didn’t brag about it, then great, the complaint isn’t about you. But there are a lot of people here who seem to take pride in their lack of knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7173 "2026-05-08T16:59:54Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Well that’s silly. As well known as Ghibli is, they aren’t Disney. If you’re into anime at all though, you do know Studio Ghibli. But if you’re not, no real reason to know. I don’t disagree. But some folks in that thread were aggressively gobsmacked that there were fellow Dopers who’d never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7174 "2026-05-08T17:00:00Z")
I stopped following that thread pretty quickly. At the point I did stop, I didn’t see that behavior. But I guess it is similar to the old “Proud not to watch TV” brigade that was common on the Dope once upon a time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7175 "2026-05-08T17:00:21Z")
@Beckdawrek and @TroutMan summed it up nicely. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7176 "2026-05-08T17:03:10Z")
Worthy of a good point and laugh and I say that as a late in life Anime fan. Should I mock someone for not knowing about **[Frieren](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren)** even though it is the best Fantasy has to offer since the Lord of the Rings movies? I know for most people, just the fact it is Anime, means they haven’t heard of it and won’t try it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7177 "2026-05-08T17:08:31Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Worthy of a good point and laugh and I say that as a late in life Anime fan. Should I mock someone for not knowing about **[Frieren](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren)** even though it is the best Fantasy has to offer since the Lord of the Rings movies? Hmm. My son suggested i watch it, but didn’t praise it nearly that highly. Maybe i should. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7178 "2026-05-08T17:16:28Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Well that’s silly. As well known as Ghibli is, they aren’t Disney. That’s precisely the comparison that some of the people who argued we were boorish ignoramuses for not knowing about Ghibli is. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7179 "2026-05-08T17:21:16Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Should I mock someone for not knowing about **[Frieren](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren)** even though it is the best Fantasy has to offer since the Lord of the Rings movies? Never heard of it, and it’s now added to my watch list. See, this thread does good! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7180 "2026-05-08T17:22:16Z")
Yeah. It feels terrible when people say you’re a ‘dumb old ignorant nit wit’! I really really hate that. 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7181 "2026-05-08T17:24:26Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Yeah. It feels terrible when people say you’re a ‘dumb old ignorant nit wit’! Nah, I found it funny 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7182 "2026-05-08T17:32:59Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > There’s a big difference between not knowing some cultural reference, and being _proud_ that you don’t know it. There’s no shame in the first, but the second is annoying. There are various subtleties that can be at play here. In general, it’s ridiculous to be “proud” that you’ve never heard of some person or entity – it may reflect a lack of one’s cultural breadth, and that’s nothing to be proud of. But, on another extreme … > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@What\_Exit](#): > > > > Well that’s silly. As well known as Ghibli is, they aren’t Disney. If you’re into anime at all though, you do know Studio Ghibli. But if you’re not, no real reason to know. > > I don’t disagree. But some folks in that thread were aggressively gobsmacked that there were fellow Dopers who’d never heard of it. This is what I remember. At the time, I had never heard of Studio Ghibli and those in that category were more or less regarded as uncultured boors. But I have no interest in anime. Still, with an open mind, I tried watching one of the most highly rated films from Studio Ghibli which was so endlessly praised. I quit after about half an hour. It did nothing for me. What does that say about my cultural values? Nothing at all. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > I guess it is similar to the old “Proud not to watch TV” brigade that was common on the Dope once upon a time. I still make that observation from time to time. But it’s nothing to be “proud” of, and nothing to denigrate, either. I haven’t watched much commercial broadcast TV for many years, and none at all for many months now. Big deal. It’s neither a failing nor a virtue, just a perfectly neutral fact. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7183 "2026-05-08T17:39:56Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I still make that observation from time to time. But it’s nothing to be “proud” of, and nothing to denigrate, either. I haven’t watched much commercial broadcast TV for many years, and none at all for many months now. Big deal. It’s neither a failing nor a virtue, just a perfectly neutral fact. There were posters that took pride in it and looked down on others for watching TV. Not as bad as the Anti-Sports posse that used to exist here. I feel like **RickJay** and I had a lot to do with getting them to stop threadshitting in every sports thread. This was long before either of us were Mods. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7184 "2026-05-08T17:51:02Z")
I don’t look at “never heard of ” as expressing hate. More like it’s expressing defiance. I have copious amounts of interest in other things, but I don’t want to make room for anything new—not unless it finds me first and enthralls me. MrBeast? Yet another YouTube channel hosted by some dude? I already have enough of those. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7185 "2026-05-08T18:07:10Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > As well known as Ghibli is, they aren’t Disney. Disney who? ---
**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:** [May 8, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7186 "2026-05-08T18:09:12Z")
If the question is “have you?” or “do you?” or “who has?”, a negative answer is fine and I perceive it as neutral unless it’s explicitly worded not to be. If the question is “Which do you love more, X or Y?” then “I hate all XYZ” seems unfortunate, at least without neutral explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7187 "2026-05-08T18:15:23Z")
Don’t make me pull out the XKCD on you. > **[Ten Thousand](https://xkcd.com/1053/)** That said, I’m not sure getting to learn about Mr. Beast makes you one of the Lucky 10,000. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7188 "2026-05-08T18:32:12Z")
I do think that one thing us boomers/GenXers/millennials can’t seem to get our heads around is that superstardom often (most of the time) looks wildly different than it did even as recently as the early 2000s. Artists and famous people could have an audience of 10s of millions, and you might go your whole life never having heard of them. Culture is fragmented and differentiated. And, I might be exaggerating that change. Like it or not, the industry of culture is centered around newer (aka, younger) markets than us. We are just like our parents (or grandparents), many of whom had barely a sense of the biggest stars who came after they hit their 30s. Being proud of not knowing who [fill-in-the-blank star/icon is] is just like my parents being proud of not knowing who Metallica is, or Nirvana, or Dave Matthews, or any of the cast of Friends. It’s just a strange flex. I think people think it means “I only care about stars who matter, or who are good” but what it really means is “I stopped paying attention, and/or many of the industries that manufacture fame are just not targeting my demographic (because we more reliably send our likes and dollars to known entities).” ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7189 "2026-05-08T18:50:29Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Hmm. My son suggested i watch it, but didn’t praise it nearly that highly. Maybe i should. You (probably) won’t be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7190 "2026-05-08T18:52:07Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > That said, I’m not sure getting to learn about Mr. Beast makes you one of the Lucky 10,000. Yeah, sadly, sometimes ignorance really IS bliss. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=339) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=341)