# You are a smart person. What are you dumb about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924 "2016-06-09T15:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/1 "2016-06-09T15:46:11Z")
Let’s accept it as a given that we, here, are all brilliant. But it is very hard to be brilliant at everything. What can you not do or grasp? Your response may be about a skill/task or just some sort of knowledge that you cannot get a handle on. As for me, I am horrible at navigation/driving directions. I may have been to Larry’s Adult Emporium dozens of times, and I may have been to Albert’s Grease Bucket Restaurant a hundred times, but if I am tasked to navigate from Albert’s to Larry’s I’ll need a GPS, 2 maps, and a bloodhound. Whatta ya got? mmm ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/2 "2016-06-09T15:58:18Z")
I’m a big baseball fan, and sports fan in general, and I can’t really follow the deeper mechanics of the game. I could not look at a pitch and tell you what type it is. My eyes glaze over when people on Twitter post pitch maps and are like “Wow look at that!” I never remember who hits to which side of the field or tends to ground out vs fly out. Some of the expanded stats I have no idea about. Still, I listen to the game every night. Same with football and basketball. I enjoy watching the games, and I follow along just fine but where an analyst can look at a play and see a pattern to which players went where and whether or not things were properly executed, I just see a mess of bodies and a ball. ---
**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 9, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/3 "2016-06-09T16:15:53Z")
I am too much of a perfectionist, and I refuse to believe that there any limits to what I can achieve if I work hard enough. Do I get the job? (Oh, full disclosure - most 5-year-olds can throw a baseball with greater speed and accuracy than me.) ---
**Author:** ![Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/4 "2016-06-09T16:19:14Z")
Anything handy-mannish. It took me 10 hours over two days to install the very simple duct-work from the back of the dryer to the outside vent. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/5 "2016-06-09T16:21:23Z")
Mathematics. I dearly wish I could understand higher math because I suspect I would find it almost poetic, but my abilities stop at basic algebra. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/6 "2016-06-09T16:24:07Z")
Middle east politics. Used to be really good at doing math in my head. I’m not anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/7 "2016-06-09T16:25:54Z")
I can not learn to play a piano to save my life! You could pay me $1,000,000 and I still would not be able to understand written music. I can play piano if it is in “piano tabs” format like this (makes sense to me)… Baseball Charge ``` hold hold ``` 5|---------------------c----c----cccc--------g-e-gggg- 4|-Afga-Afga-bFGA-bFGA–gab–gab--------ceg–g-e-gggg- ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/8 "2016-06-09T16:35:56Z")
Computers. Don’t understand them, don’t really like them. Thank you in advance to whomever points out that I needed to use one to post this. You are so very clever. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/9 "2016-06-09T16:36:01Z")
Remembering peoples’ names/identities. I stopped trying, and just accept the fact that if I don’t hang out with someone all the time I’m going to forget who they are. I get pretty pissy about this. If someone approaches me and they can’t believe I don’t remember them, I’m not going to play their game. I’ve come right out and told people to fuck off in the “guess who I am” game. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/10 "2016-06-09T16:41:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Remembering peoples’ names/identities. I stopped trying, and just accept the fact that if I don’t hang out with someone all the time I’m going to forget who they are. > > I get pretty pissy about this. If someone approaches me and they can’t believe I don’t remember them, I’m not going to play their game. I’ve come right out and told people to fuck off in the “guess who I am” game. Look, you’re not getting out of paying me back that $500 I loaned you two weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/11 "2016-06-09T16:43:00Z")
I can’t figure out how to use Facebook. Nor the reason anybody would drink light beer. I keep asking people, and they just get either surly or dumbfounded, rather than try to explain it. I suspect it is because the media/industrial complex cum authority figure commands them to. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/12 "2016-06-09T16:43:06Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Look, you’re not getting out of paying me back that $500 I loaned you two weeks ago. Who are you? ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/13 "2016-06-09T17:00:01Z")
Past dates. Example: So, RobDog, when did you work for Acme Inc? Um. 1973 to 1986? 1999 to 2002? Last Tuesday? Eightyleven years ago? Help? If I ever get hauled in by the cops and asked where I was on the 25th of last month, I’m basically screwed. ---
**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 9, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/14 "2016-06-09T17:04:16Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Computers. Don’t understand them, don’t really like them. > > Thank you in advance to whomever points out that I needed to use one to post this. You are so very clever. > > _Last edited by Two Many Cats; Today at 09:38 AM… Reason: To anticipate the “Please, it’s whomever.”_ Please, stop worrying about whoever/whomever and learn about computers. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/15 "2016-06-09T17:23:26Z")
I am directionally dyslexic. I have lost my car in the parking lot more than once. Even making the effort to remember I parked next to the tree doesn’t help. Math hurts too. However, I am a spectacular speller and grammar fiend. I have been known not to purchase something because there was a grammatical error on the package. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/16 "2016-06-09T17:29:34Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Computers. Don’t understand them, don’t really like them. > > Thank you in advance to whomever points out that I needed to use one to post this. You are so very clever. I promise, I won’t say a word. > [@](#): > > Last edited by Two Many Cats; Today at 12:38 PM… Reason: To anticipate the “Please, it’s whomever.” Yeah. Um, about that… ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/17 "2016-06-09T17:36:30Z")
Numbers/math. Percentages, most multiplication, etc. I rely on calculators a lot, and sometimes I still use my fingers for basic counting (I’m 44). My parents both earned their degrees in math, and when I was a kid they would often wonder WTF happened. I’d rather slightly overtip someone–by rounding up–than try to figure out what 20% would _actually_ be. And so on. (Once, after getting help from someone at work with some pretty basic math-related stuff, I embarassedly said, “I swear I’m good at other things!”) ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/18 "2016-06-09T17:39:56Z")
Is it bad that my “one thing” is about 90% of this thread already? ---
**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 9, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/19 "2016-06-09T17:45:46Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Yeah. Um, about that… [Don’t be mean.](https://literalminded.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/whomever-is-never-actually-right/) > [@](#): > > Michael: No one asked you anything, so why don’t whomever’s name is Toby, take a letter opener and stick it in your skull. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924/20 "2016-06-09T17:49:48Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I am directionally dyslexic. I have lost my car in the parking lot more than once. Even making the effort to remember I parked next to the tree doesn’t help. This. I once left a Miami Dolphins preseason game at the end of the 3rd quarter. I didn’t find my car until the game ended. And, like the OP, I have NO sense of direction. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-a-smart-person-what-are-you-dumb-about/756924.md?page=2)