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

1. You've misunderstood - I was referring to your apparent lack of awareness of your own judgmentalism while accusing others. I'm not the only pp to notice it!

2. 'the truth' about celebrities such as KK is irrelevant - it's the image they spend so much time and money projecting, and the publicity they crave, which we're judging - and we're allowed to judge. Do you think they want us to know 'the truth' about them, whatever that might be?

@Snorerephron but would your mum say "who" in a sarcastic manner if she was with a group of people and the name came up in conversation or would she say something like "I don't know who that is....what are they famous for?"
That's the difference the OP is meaning.

Hmm. I’d probably recognise KK but I wouldn’t be able to tell you any of her sisters etc. beckhams possibly and KP. But anyone modern music etc I’d struggle! And I’m only 42 😂
no measure of intelligence, I just have absolutely no interest in the celeb thing. I’m better with actors. Not brilliant with tv presenters as I don’t really watch it, just films mainly. And endless amounts of crap about hospitals 😂 😂

Same, in my head (without googling) I picture her as having dark hair and dark eyes. And probably an identikit plastic surgery and fillers face (but that's just an assumption, I may be being unfair). But she could be sat next to me on the bus and I wouldn't know.

I don’t know what KK looks like. Im that I wouldn’t recognise her if she walked past me.

And at the risk of being told I could Google... Whats Kim Kardashian actually doing at the moment?

I know there was a TV show about her family, my SIL used to watch it but that was 20 years or so ago.

I think she married someone famous?

Beyond that I have no idea.

And I like trash TV. I love real housewives of Beverley hills and selling sunset and below deck . But I genuinely can't think when I have seen Kk on TV or in the news for years.

I tend to read the guardian/BBC news /new scientist/independent/Private eye. And lots of books (of all sorts. From high brow to kids stories) . I know I can go and Google what she's up to but right now I don't know anything beyond she was on a TV series and she married someone famous. And isn't her dad or someone like that now a woman?

I disagree. I would bet my life on the fact my mum wouldn't have a clue who she is

(And that my Dad would only have a vague idea and that only because he is a Judge and he and all his judge friends feel an immense pressure to have a vague knowledge of popular culture because of the risk of gleeful Daily Mail headlines it they don't! I remember being questioned by my dad's fellow judge over lunch because there were lots of references to some soap opera in the witness statements in his case and he was hoping I could help! Unfortunately for him I was at uni and wasn't watching any TV as I was having too much fun partying, playing sport and studying)

I think you and a lot of other posters are missing the point of this thread. It’s not about how much you do or don’t know about Kim Kardashian or how interested you are or aren’t in her. It’s about the intensely annoying, pompous fools who pretend they’ve never even heard the mere mention of her name in their entire lives. They’re trying to create the illusion that they’re far too cultured and high-class for her name or face to have ever crossed over into their world. Total bollocks and smacks of insecurity

I had no idea who Kim kardashian was before contouring went big and I understand she’d been around a lot longer than that. Have never watched her programme. I watched wicked and didn’t know who the blonde witch was until my sister told me afterwards she was a very famous singer- Arianna Grade? I only know hi Taylor swift is because she was on the Graham Norton show. I’ve very likely heard her music but not known the face. I just don’t give a shit. My life is busy enough.

Same here.

Also, I saw a before and after picture of one of the Kardashians and it looked like two different people. So how would you know who it was even if you were interested?

🙄

There's a gap between knowing who someone is and knowing what they look like. I know who the Kardashians are but would not recognise any of them if they slapped me in the face. Same for most actors and musicians - they're just not on my radar so I suspect I'd recognise a tiny number of people at the Met Gala. But I would recognise most footballers, cricketers and quite a lot of politicians / political journalists. Neither of these preferences is better than the other.

BTW Price I would recognise. Has just filtered into my visual memory for some reason.

I do agree that people who randomly comment about celeb stuff with "Who?" or similar are being performative and pompous.
If a thread is of no interest, ignore it!

Do you mean know their names/what they’re famous for or be able to recognise them? I’ve heard of Kim Kardashian but don’t know that I could pick her out of a lineup. Katie Price I could but I feel like she’s been around longer

I’ve heard of Jordan and Kim Kardashian but couldn’t pick them out of a line up. I have no interest in “celebrities”. Apparently there are many Kardashians but I couldn’t name any others and don’t really see what that is an indicator of.

@SunConure but if you aren't interested then why read the Facebook post (or article).
There's no reason to "make a point" about not everyone being interested in certain things (ie celebrities) because everyone knows that people have different interests. There's no "assumption that everyone should be interested in celebrity gossip" in the world I live in.
Why does it matter to you if some folks are interested in things that you aren't?

i have been guilty of typing “who?” On one or two posts on Facebook. Both of them were similar posts gushing on about so and so and xyz breaking off their engagement. In a way my motive was to make the point that not everyone knows or cares who these people are and what they are doing. It’s to challenge the assumption that everyone should be interested in celebrity gossip. I think it’s a sad world where people are supposed to know about the lives of very shallow and vacuous people just because they are rich but so many people lack any real knowledge about any subjects of importance. This sort of empty headedness is what gets a whole counties sleepwalking into having trump for a president. Because they’re all worrying more about the met gala than anything meaningful …. So yeah I say “who?” And I will carry on saying “who”

I think this is performative. Because, logically if you are able to use social media and comment on a post 'who?' the best way to find out who someone is that you are interesting in knowing is to Google it.

Billboards - pay no attention to them
Sides of buses - rarely see a bus
Bus stops - don’t uses buses
Adverts on tv - stream everything so never see tv adverts anymore
Front covers of magazines - don’t visit any shops that sell magazines

People’s lives can be quite different. If you wfh, live in a village with little public transport, get your food shopping delivered and stream your programmes, you rarely come across these things. I didn’t even know the met gala was a thing until it was mentioned on mumsnet, and I certainly wouldn’t recognise a Kardashian.

Not directly, perhaps, but these things leak out into wider culture and start influencing beyond the immediate source. A lot of slang terms originally come from the gaming world.

Talking to DH (who is slightly older than myself), he says that he remembers TV shows (eg 'Coupling' from 2000-2004) where having a larger bum was very definitely a bad thing.

If a woman asked "Does my bum look big in this dress?" This was not a situation where she hoped to hear the word "Yes!". At least in the UK.

Having a "big bum" was not a good thing back then. My DH was born in the mid 1960s and for a man of his generation that really was not a thing back then.

I think that really comes from US culture and, specifically, US black culture (DH has close family who live in the US and we both have quite a few friends living in the US).

"Hip hop culture and JLO started the trend for larger bums"

Even in the US, I would suggest that there are many people who are not influenced at all by "Hip hop culture".

On billboards, the side of buses, bus stops, adverts on tv, front covers of magazines you might walk past in a shop

That's the sort of thing that happened to me as a young woman because I didn't watch TV, was short sighted and didn't know anyone.

We were at a company get together and Jason Derulo (sp?) and entourage were at the table next to us. When they left a spokesperson came over to us to say thanks for not asking for selfies or autographs, and for not filming them. My boss was totally astonished as he genuinely had no idea who was at the next table.

Hip hop culture and JLO started the trend for larger bums way before KK although she did use it in her favour

Although you could say she's changed an entire culture. Back in the day the desired answer to "does my bum look big in this" was always no.

Since KK, everyone wants a massive bottom and either gets implants or works out a million times a week to "grow their glutes" (I am not sure you can actually do the latter, you an strengthen them, sure).