Do people pretend not to know who people are in order to seem intelligent?

Surely no one needs to recognise anyone from a photo? The captions will usually tell who they are, so if you say “who?”, you’re implying you’ve never heard of Kim K or David Beckham, which is unlikely. I don’t know what Cardi B looks like, but if I saw a social media post or a news article with a photo saying ‘Cardi B’ underneath, ‘who?’ would not be my first reaction to it - more like ‘oh, that’s what she looks like’ only to forget instantly.

I know who KK, KP etc are but no, I am genuinely not sure I would be able to identify them from their pictures. Especially not KK - I might say "Oh, is it one of the Kardashians?" but I wouldn't be able to name all the sisters. I know there are several and their names all begin with K but what they actually look like I'm not sure.
But then I am the woman who cheerily greeted a man in Sainsbury's this Saturday, being sure it was someone I worked with for nearly 20 years. It was a complete stranger. I quite often walk straight passed people that I do know, or pretend not to have seen people because I'm not quite sure if it's who I think it is or not. If I can't recognise people I know in real life what hope have I of identifying celebrities that I don't have a great deal of interest in?

I think it's perfectly possible not to have registered who they are if you're not interested in that kind of thing, and it doesn't mean you are trying to make a statement about being intellectual. I think I'd recognise Kim Kardashian - less confident about Katie Price. I'm much more interested in endlessly re-reading my Malory Towers and Chalet School books, frankly. People can make of that what they will.

It depends what people are interested in and what media they absorb. I am clueless about football and probably wouldn't recognise more than about 2 footballers. That doesn't mean I'm clever and superior or thick and ignorant. It just means I'm not interested in football.

I wouldn’t know Kim Kardashian. I know who she is but probably couldn’t identify her. I know what Katie Price looked like…

I could identify Wu Yize and the rest of the top 64+

See Also Beau Greaves and easily the top 124.
Or the entire Saints squad 😇 and probably most 1st team past to at least the 1980s

different interests, different programmes watched or books/papers read etc.

I would know who UK celebrities are - well some of them, anway. Kim Kardashian.... probably not.
I don't read celeb magazines or follow that news, or watch 'celeb' tv really, so mostly have no clue who people are. It doesn't strike me as being related to intelligence or not, just whether you're interested in 'celebrity' or not, and I'm not.

I am middle aged and can tell I am aging out of some popular culture already. Influencers and YouTubers apart from a few foodie ones are unknown to me, reality tv stars are going that way and current music stars - I am late to the party just about know Sabrina Carpenter in the last year. I am keeping up with current actors but I think shows aimed at younger people are going to pass me by. I do follow video game culture, American culture ( I prefer their stand up comedians) and politics. So don’t feel completely out of it but I can tell I am getting to the stage where I really aren’t going to have a clue who some famous people are. Maybe because we curate what we watch and read more. So things like UK light entertainment shows I know exist (Taskmaster) but I have never watched. I don’t think it has anything to do with intelligence.

I think some people are so immersed in their bubble they struggle to realise that other people have hugely different experiences of the world - and the internet!

• where you go for news
• what programmes you watch for entertainment
• what the algorithms will promote to you
• what your eyes skim over as being of no real interest to you

All these things have a huge impact, not just in terms of what you see, but what you consciously, and unconsciously, absorb and retain.

its like sherlock not knowing about the solar system, i think the theory is and its like sheldon from the big bang theory when penny asks him who radio head are, and sheldon comments he studys the important things in life etc

Also I think it is entirely possible not to know who someone is without looking down on people who do

Yes but I also I think it is entirely possible to know who someone is without looking down on people who don't. There are loads and loads of people I don't know who they are or am only vaguely aware of. Beyoncé for example. I wouldn't recognise her, couldn't name a single song by her and have never knowingly heard her music. But instead of just accepting not everyone is interested in the same thing there are people who react that I'm being snobbish.

If you put up pictures of 10 different women, I would not know which one was Kim Kardashian - honestly!

Yeah, someone saying 'who?! just comes across as ridiculous. Google is your friend!

Again, as I said anyone who is on the internet/has been on the internet knows who Kim Kardsahian is. How can they not?

And everyone on this thread is on the internet.

I know who Kim K is but didn't actually recognise her on the one photo I saw. Not sure why. I do absolutely know what she looks like.

It’s when a full explanation is given of who someone is, and then they choose to write “who?” that just comes across as ridiculous.

It’s literally there in front of them. They can write, but apparently not read.

Also I think it is entirely possible not to know who someone is without looking down on people who do. I don't give a toss if someone is really into celebrities, it's up to them! Just because I don't know a lot about them doesn't make me a snob, it just means I don't bother to read about celebrities as they don't particularly interest me.

Football does interest me and I could recognise lots and lots of footballers past and present! So I am up on that particular sort of celebrity

"What a bunch of bullshit. 'I heard of KK, but couldn't pick her out of the lineup' (plenty on this thread). Yea, right."

You're clearly talking about me here (I used these exact words), as well as others who have said this.

It certainly is not bullshit. This thread prompted me to have a look this morning at an article about the Met Gala and looking at a photo with several celebrities in it, the only person I could recognise was Anna Wintour.

“Some” people care about them.

Some people seem obsessed with their every move.

Others might be interested in them if they are in a particular film, or created a song they happen to like - but their activities outside their “art” is of no real interest.

Which is the whole point really - if you’re not interested in someone it is quite easy to mentally filter out anything to do with them. There is plenty of “real” news out there to be getting on with, things that actually impact our lives. if KK ever moves into the category of actual news I will probably pay a bit more attention!

I haven’t been in the UK since 2006, and even I know who Katie Price is. I asked someone because I kept seeing her name in all the tabloid headlines every time I went to buy groceries.

I think people do it to pretend that they’re so concerned with intellectual, important things that lowbrow pop culture doesn’t ever permeate their consciousness. 🙄

Some awareness of there being an event in the USA called the Met Gala is basic general knowledge I would have thought. Being ignorant about that is not something to brag about.

I know Kim Kardashian exists but this thread has made me realise I don’t actually know what she looks like.

There are lots of people on Taskmaster that I’ve never heard of. I would say most series I only know 2 or 3 of the contestants.

I’m not particularly trying to be “high brow” I just haven’t come across those people before.

See, that phrase 'trash lit' is snobby in itself. Some people are completely oblivious to how their 'I don't listen to watch/listen to/read such trash' comments are coming across. Some people ARE snobby, and look down on people who watch reality TV, pop culture shows, and listen to popular music artists and the like... They won't admit it (most of them,) because I don't think they realise how snobby they are being.........

I also find it very hard to believe that someone could not name one single Taylor Swift song, or that they thought Taylor was a man until last year! Unless you live in a cave and have never used the internet, I find all this unlikely.

Every person on this thread is on the internet, sooooo.

.

My mum is 86 and knows who both KK and KP are without ever having watched anything featuring them. My mum is great though and really switched on for her age, my ds, 20 always comments on how modern thinking she is.

Tbf I didn’t actually recognise her straight away

"...but because how can you not know them?"

Perhaps part of the argument in this thread stems from this being such a vague statement.

What do you actually mean by "not know them"?

Do you mean that you have literally never heard this person's name before?

In which case, it is quite likely that the very large majority of people do indeed "know" Kim Kardashian. But for quite a few of them that is the only thing that they will "know" - her name.

In contrast, there are quite a few younger people who very definitely do not "know" Mick Jagger, even using that definition.

.

Or, on the other hand, do you mean that you actually "know" something about them?

For example, to somebody of my generation, it seems obvious that "how can you not know" that Mick Jagger was the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.

But I am certain that there are very many younger people who will not know this or anything else about him.

So, what do you actually mean by "not know them"?