# What's the dumbest question you've ever been asked? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054 "2017-06-03T23:16:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/61 "2017-06-04T14:46:26Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Back in my submarining days, on long voyages, I would sometimes sit down to write a letter to my wife. This sometimes drew interested attention, as writing a letter to her involved Braille, either with a Perkins Brailler, or with a slate and stylus. Someone would ask me what I was making, and I would answer “A letter to my wife, in Braille.” > > Then would come the stupid question: “So, do you talk to her in sign language?” :smack: Too charitable of me, perhaps; but I could see that as hasty over-thinking, rather than outright stupidity (questioner might well realise shortly afterward, what they’d said – and feel highly embarrassed and, indeed, stupid). ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/62 "2017-06-04T14:53:32Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > Several years ago my Roommate was out somewhere one evening then called me up and asked: “what’s our phone number?” Why is that dumb? The first number on my cell phone is labelled “HOME”, but it doesn’t give the actual number. Mine is this. Before a midterm or final exam I would schedule a question period. It was the students’ last chance to ask about something they might not have understand. The first question, virtually always, was “Is X going to be on the exam?” I always answered “yes”, whether or not. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/63 "2017-06-04T15:00:25Z")
Teachers are going to win this, mark my words. Maybe not the stupidest, but my favorite question of all time from a student has to be “Mr. Silenus, how do you spell ‘illiterate?’” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/64 "2017-06-04T15:06:40Z")
I was born on Easter Sunday. I’ve had not one, but two college-educated adults asked if my birthdate (not the day I celebrate it, mind you, but the actual date) is different year to year. And no, they weren’t joking. I was also asked “The flyer says that [monthly event] is always held from 12-2pm. Does that mean tomorrow’s session starts at 12pm?” I was flustered and told them yes, 12pm EST (which was also in the flyer) because I couldn’t think of any other reason they would ask that. ---
**Author:** ![Modesty\_Blaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Modesty\_Blaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modesty_Blaise)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/65 "2017-06-04T15:23:31Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I don’t see why this is an inherently stupid question. It’s simply asking whether you are afraid of the consequences (as perceived by a large proportion of the population both now and historically) of being wrong in your belief. > > Logically, it’s similar to: > > - I’m convinced the bomb threat was a hoax, I’m going to work. > - Aren’t you afraid of being blown up? I think it’s more similar to: -I don’t believe in Santa Clause. -Aren’t you afraid of not getting any presents? If asked, “Aren’t you afraid of going to hell?” What is a response to this other than telling them to slap their forehead? My response was to laugh and ask, “Think about that for a second”, then walk away. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/66 "2017-06-04T15:35:45Z")
> [@Modesty\_Blaise](#): > > I think it’s more similar to: > -I don’t believe in Santa Clause. > -Aren’t you afraid of not getting any presents? > … That’s true from your own perspective, since you know the strength of your conviction - you presumably think that the existence of God is as likely as the existence of Santa Claus. In essence, that’s all that the questioner was enquiring about - the strength of your conviction. I think you have to take cultural context into account in deeming a question “stupid”. A vast number of people _do_ think that a consequence of atheism is risking damnation to hell. It seems to me that you’re calling the believer stupid for failing to see things from your perspective; when you are doing precisely the same thing - failing to acknowledge that from the believer’s perspective this was a reasonable question. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/67 "2017-06-04T15:48:16Z")
> [@Modesty\_Blaise](#): > > I think it’s more similar to: > -I don’t believe in Santa Clause. > -Aren’t you afraid of not getting any presents? > > If asked, “Aren’t you afraid of going to hell?” > > What is a response to this other than telling them to slap their forehead? My response was to laugh and ask, “Think about that for a second”, then walk away. This isn’t different than: -I believe in God and therefore have to follow religious restrictions issued by Him. -Aren’t you missing out on a lot of fun? ---
**Author:** ![Modesty\_Blaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Modesty\_Blaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modesty_Blaise)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/68 "2017-06-04T15:50:16Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > That’s true from your own perspective, since you know the strength of your conviction - you presumably think that the existence of God is as likely as the existence of Santa Claus. In essence, that’s all that the questioner was enquiring about - the strength of your conviction. > > I think you have to take cultural context into account in deeming a question “stupid”. A vast number of people _do_ think that a consequence of atheism is risking damnation to hell. > > It seems to me that you’re calling the believer stupid for failing to see things from your perspective; when you are doing precisely the same thing - failing to acknowledge that from the believer’s perspective this was a reasonable question. Was it? By this rational, should my response be more along the lines of, “Aren’t you afraid you’re wasting your whole life praying to something that doesn’t exist?” From my perspective, this is a reasonable question. If I asked that question after being told the person is a theist, I think calling me stupid is fair. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/69 "2017-06-04T15:55:14Z")
I really think many of the questions in this thread aren’t dumb or that dumb, and if they are the dumbest that Dopers have encountered, that most of you have interacted with a fair/reasonable circle of society. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Modesty\_Blaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Modesty\_Blaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modesty_Blaise)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/70 "2017-06-04T15:59:02Z")
Missed the edit window. Didn’t they do the same thing? Didn’t they fail to see MY perspective when asking about hell? In my opinion, it’s a stupid question because of THEIR failure to see my perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/71 "2017-06-04T16:04:04Z")
> [@Modesty\_Blaise](#): > > Missed the edit window. > > Didn’t they do the same thing? Didn’t they fail to see MY perspective when asking about hell? In my opinion, it’s a stupid question because of THEIR failure to see my perspective. You have (to my mind) a rather odd definition of what constitutes a “stupid” question. If somebody has a completely different worldview to me, and the consequences of that worldview are strange to me, I don’t think it’s “stupid” to enquire further. Personally, I would treat it as an opportunity to _explain_ why my beliefs don’t entail a fear of hell, rather than to condemn the question as stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/72 "2017-06-04T16:08:19Z")
ETA: A “stupid” question is, to my mind, something like “if we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys”, when asked by anyone over the age of 18 who has a conventional education and access to a computer. It’s stupid because it’s based on _willful_ ignorance. The fundamental misconceptions that are entailed have been patiently explained an nauseam, and can be found in 5 seconds online. It’s stupid when you willfully refuse to even _try_ to understand your opponents’ position in an debate. ---
**Author:** ![Modesty\_Blaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Modesty\_Blaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modesty_Blaise)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/73 "2017-06-04T16:12:30Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > ETA: A “stupid” question is, to my mind, something like “if we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys”, when asked by anyone over the age of 14 who has a conventional education and access to a computer. It’s stupid because it’s based on _willful_ ignorance. The fundamental misconceptions that are entailed have been patiently explained an nauseam, and can be found in 5 seconds online. It’s stupid when you willfully refuse to even _try_ to understand your opponents’ position in an debate. I rest my case. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/74 "2017-06-04T16:30:07Z")
My friend was driving while we were approaching the airport to drop off another friend so he could catch his flight. The road forked with the typical signage denoting “arrivals” or “departures”. My friend driving was in the lane for arrivals so I alerted him “whoa, whoa, whoa, you’re in the arrivals lane.” He asked “Why would I want to go in the departures lane if we haven’t dropped him off yet?” ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/75 "2017-06-04T17:18:47Z")
I have some deep scars on my chest. I was wandering around a shop once, and the clerk looked at me and exclaimed “wow, are those autopsy scars?” I just stood there and blinked for a minute while the full import of that question sunk in. However, to be fair to the kid, ever since then I’ve been telling inquisitive morons that they’re autopsy scars just to see the look on their faces. Thanks, random clerk with the stupid question! ---
**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:** [June 4, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/76 "2017-06-04T17:40:15Z")
I was asked many times over the years if zero was odd or even by my students. -College students. -Juniors and seniors. -In Computer Science. -You know, the field with binary numbers that have an trivial test for odd/even. These people wrote the code in programs you might use. Ever wonder what it’s crap? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/77 "2017-06-04T17:51:42Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I was asked many times over the years if zero was odd or even by my students. > > -College students. > > -Juniors and seniors. > > -In Computer Science. > > -You know, the field with binary numbers that have an trivial test for odd/even. > > These people wrote the code in programs you might use. Ever wonder what it’s crap? You have a very strange idea of what a “stupid” question is. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/78 "2017-06-04T17:55:36Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > Several years ago my Roommate was out somewhere one evening then called me up and asked: “what’s our phone number?” Not a dumb question at all, I don’t know my work number, I have to look at my business card to look it up. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/79 "2017-06-04T17:58:17Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Not a dumb question at all, I don’t know my work number, I have to look at my business card to look it up. He said he called him up to ask this. That would seem to imply that he called the very number he was asking about. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054/80 "2017-06-04T18:50:29Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I was asked many times over the years if zero was odd or even by my students. > > -College students. > > -Juniors and seniors. > > -In Computer Science. > > -You know, the field with binary numbers that have an trivial test for odd/even. > > These people wrote the code in programs you might use. Ever wonder what it’s crap? Not a stupid question. Since division by zero is undefined in mathematics, it’s reasonable for coding beginners to ask if zero has other special qualities as well. It may not be obvious to rank beginners that they just need to check the last binary digit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-question-youve-ever-been-asked/788054.md?page=5)