To think some people are so thick it’s almost beyond parody

They're all celebrities on ROHOG, though, who have presumably been specifically invited to participate.

I do agree with the monumentally stupid 'ordinary' people who actively apply for quiz shows, though. Not even just the likes of Tipping Point, where at least you can have a fair old guess at the answer to "Which country would you expect an Australian to come from?" if you don't already know; but the rather more challenging ones too. Seriously, what's the point? It would be like unfit old me wheezing and waddling up to the start line at the Olympics to take part in the triathlon!

These posts are clickbait designed to produce immediate rage responses from people who don't have the patience to read and absorb an article. It's more an inability to concentrate caused by constantly scrolling onto the next item, and yes, some people are intellectually challenged.

the most worrying thing is that the contestans who actually make it onto the show are
a) people who consider themselves fairly intelligent and who think they have a chance of winning (so what are their friends and family like?) and

b) the ones who have survived the cull of the even stupider and more offensive applicants done by the production staff beforehand!

That is insane!!

No, not in Skelmersdale - this was the Midlands; and no horse involved. Just a ridiculously tight and entitled couple who believed that, as the council owned the house, they should also pick up the bill for heating it!

I agree with this too. A neighbour popped round recently and saw we had the Sunday papers on the kitchen table. He said something like "omg, you don't still buy newspapers do you, what a boring waste of time, you won't catch me reading that stuff". He seemed to be sneering at us but we were privately thinking how can you think it's a good thing to be so ignorant and so pleased with yourself about it?

What puts me off people is being almost proud of being ignorant and having no curiosity about the world. Curiosity is an aspect of intelligence and the lack of it is really, really unattractive as a personality trait.

I SO strongly agree with this. I was talking about exactly this with my son and his girlfriend the other day.

Boots self check out is particularly annoying and not user friendly imo

Thick people have always existed. It’s social media that allows them a platform. 🙄

Horses are far more common in Ireland anyway. And it’s the only place I’ve seen cows on the beach.

I remember decades ago seeing some news footage from a council estate in Dublin I think it was - a horse was seen coming out of the lift!

No it’s true. Roughwood, as I recall. The pharmacist told me.

Oh, please tell me that you just made that up! 😱

Both. And they can't be bothered to read the post properly. Or are incapable of holding more than two sentences worth of information in their head at a time.

This reminded me of an incident from long ago...

A young colleague from a very southern town was leaving to set up a cafe in Dewsbury, Yorkshire. I was making chit-chat and said "Nothing wrong with Dewsbury, but what made you decide to go there?" (I'm a notherner myself...no snobbery, I hasten to add!).

...only to hear immediately from someone nearby 'What's wrong with Dewsbury?" said very aggressively.

Jeez.

There are so many stupid people around.

I have a little shop selling fabric, in a town which was ‘built by the wool trade’ from the 14th century, until the dissolution of the monasteries in what - 1535ish? History isn’t my strongest point. But I do know it was Henry VIII, and I do know that when that happened there weren’t so many monks in town - and the cloth that was made in the town was mostly used by the monks. So once the monks left, the wool cloth wasn’t in great demand, it wasn’t made here (or in fact anywhere) anymore, and the town went into decline.

Last year, I had a chap come into the shop and ask if I sold the particular type of wool cloth that used to be made here. I explained about the monasteries going, the monks leaving and the wool trade going down the pan, and he nodded sagely. Then he asked me whether anyone had ever considered “resurrecting the old equipment and starting to weave the cloth again”. I had to pick my jaw up from the floor and reiterate that this had all happened before Elizabeth I, and it was almost 500 years ago, and it was pretty unlikely that anyone had a mediaeval weaving loom hanging about in the back of the garage. But he was STILL surprised that it wasn’t a thing that we were doing. Kept telling him that it was all a bit before my time, but he still kept at it.

Are people genuinely this stupid or are they keen to shoehorn their political views into literally anything?

Both. And they can't be bothered to read the post properly. Or are incapable of holding more than two sentences worth of information in their head at a time.

My business often posts with details of our products and services on facebook. I can guarantee in the comments there will be at least a couple of people asking the very question that was clearly mentioned in the original post.

For example: (not a florist but using this as an illustration)

Me: Large bouquets £50, small bouquets £30. Price includes local delivery. Please message us for more info about which flowers come in the bouquets.

Online Idiot: How much? What flowers are in it? Do you deliver?

When we needed to recruit last year we put a job ad on our FB page. It VERY CLEARLY stated all the requirements and details of the job, and specificallt asked that people send CVs to our email address, NOT to message us through the FB page. We promptly had about six people message us through the FB page. And about another ten simply wrote 'interested' or 'inbox me with more info' into the comments section. What more info could you possibly want that wasn't already covered in the very lengthy job description posted immediately above this comment, you utter numbskull?

I mean seriously, talk about falling at the first hurdle.

Agree with both those points.

Having written that post, I should say that I think the education system over the last few decades has a lot to answer for.

Oh - and the 'anorak' insult which belittled people with interests and hobbies.

I don't know about 'thick' - of course people have different levels of intelligence. What puts me off people is being almost proud of being ignorant and having no curiosity about the world. Curiosity is an aspect of intelligence and the lack of it is really, really unattractive as a personality trait.

I've had unpleasant people over the years demand 'How do you know that?" Well, because I'm interested in things...all kinds of things, you dumbo! You'd know it too if you woke up, looked around you, did some reading and lost some of your prejudices.

These bovine (sorry cows) people are some of the most soul-destroying you can ever meet. I've only encountered them occasionally but they depress you to the bottom of your soul.

I know someone who thought he wouldn’t have to pay any utilities or council tax etc., once he bought his own home (outright with an inheritance) and didn’t have to rent anymore. It was quite a rude awakening for him when the debts started mounting up.

Bots on Facebook? Maybe. But the stupids and chancers are there in abundance on Facebook anyway.

A friend sent me some choice examples from her - affluent - area of parents looking for Spanish, French etc speakers who will coach their children for free, but transport offered. 🙄

My local - not affluent - area has a Facebook group dominated by loudmouths who go on and on about Boris Johnson: local swimming pool under threat, new houses being built against residents’ wishes, potholes etc - all Boris Johnson’s fault. We’ve had a Labour council forever.

My favourite were the anti-5G mast posters. Absolute loons.

I came off Facebook.

Is that in Skelmersdale? I ask because similarly stupid types there bought a foal and it got upstairs in their 3 bed council house. They fed it etc and it grew so big that it couldn’t get out and pissed so much it brought down the living room ceiling.

All this came to light because the woman across the road called the doctor to come and see to her husband who she reckoned was hallucinating because he kept talking about the horse in the neighbour’s upstairs window.

There are a lot of extremely stupid people out there. I deal with the public and spend a lot of time trying to explain simple things to people who are just not that bright.

I wouldn’t go into conveyancing for any amount of money! People are so awful to the conveyancers because they don’t understand it’s a process that has to be followed.

So many people are convinced that the world actually runs according to what they reckon 'should' be the case - and everybody else magically understands and fully accepts the machinations inside their wise heads!

One of the thickest things I ever heard of was some people my FIL knew many, many years ago.

They had a traditional fire in the living room of their council house, but were much too mean to actually spend their own money buying firewood; so instead, they started gradually taking up the floorboards upstairs to burn them instead. Once there was no floor left upstairs, and they were (by necessity) only living downstairs, they saw no reason to keep the stairs and burned those too.

They were genuinely amazed that the council wouldn't take the full blame for them having to live in a house that was now not fit for habitation and give them another house to methodically burn live in. They actually demanded compensation for their previous unacceptable living conditions as well as the replacement house - and were most astonished when, instead, the council came after them for compensation!