Do other people ever astonish you with their lack of general knowledge?

[Ohnotanothernamechange]

Just recently I've spoken to a few people who expressed amazement when they disocovered that Chernobyl is a real place. I know that we all have gaps in our knowledge but how the hell you can not know about the Chernobyl disaster? It's a bit like the simpleton on a twitter some years ago who was amazed to discover that the Titanic was a real ship and not figment of James Cameron's imagination....

I remember one time a work colleague was going to Rome and when I told them I'd been they asked me if there was lots of stuff to see and do there. I was like well of course, it's Rome. And they asked me what they were. I then had to list the coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, The Vatican, the countless Roman Ruins etc not to mention the countless designer shops and fabulous restaurants. They genuinely had no idea what was in Rome. I was gobsmacked. This was someone I'd assumed was pretty intelligent as well.

I can't work out if I just know too much, or these people are just really ignorant?

I’m Irish and educated in Ireland, where we don’t learn about all the US States and their placement on a map of the USA. However I have managed to learn off the US states and I can place them on a blank map, tell you which ones border each other etc. you learn what you need to know and what you want to know. 🤷‍♀️

I am 42 and never heard of Chernobyl - never heard of the Brinks Mat until a few months ago cos they were never on my radar. Bit l know about current affairs cos l watch the news daily, l love reading, and volunteer in a primary school so along with the year 3's, l am learning all about different topics that l wasn't taught at school. Some of them are fascinating and l wish l could go back to school to learn so much more! Not stupid but my brain only has room for a certain amount of info! I judge people more on their spelling ability than what they know!

A colleague (age 36) was telling me and another colleague about her recent trip to Berlin. She asked if we knew that a wall had been built through the middle after WW2 - honestly this is true. We both stood there in astonished silence and let her continue. We went our separate ways and the two of us said nothing to each other, but I know we were both thinking wtf.

I'm often amazed too. I get that not everyone has had a great schooling, but so many people just don't seem to have enquiring minds either. As someone who is endlessly fascinated by the world, I don't understand this.

I remember watching film of Roméo and Juliet with a flat mate. She BAWLED her eyes out at the end and when I asked why she was so upset she said ‘i didn’t know they died!’. Following week we sat down to watch Titanic. We had just started and I paused it so I could warn her : ‘Anna. The ship sinks.’

Ohnotanothernamechange

I know what you mean and I understand you being astonished at the ignorance of some.

I have always tried to keep up with news, current affairs and history. My education was ok but I never did my exams. I left school and went to work.
I learnt a lot at home, my mum and dad talked to me and I asked questions.
However, I am astonished at some people’s bad spelling and grammar mistakes and don’t care enough to get it right.
I try not to show how shocked and surprised I am when some don’t know about certain events, but even if I don’t know all the full facts of events I know the basic facts. If I don’t know an exact date, I know roughly when.
However I do know when the 2 world wars were.
I remember taking a friend to my parents around the time when Myra Hindley was in the news a lot . Mum started to go on about her because she was passionate about that particular person and what should be done with her. Then to our amazement my friend said “Who is Myra Hindley?” I was embarrassed and we all just looked at each other.

Aagh - the accent above on Romeo was autocorrect, NOT me being utter ponce.

Additionally to be surprised at other people's lack of general knowledge seems lacking in wisdom. There's 7 billion people in the world, even those in close proximity to you will have had vastly different experiences to you, to be surprised that their knowledge doesn't match yours isn't very bright.

This. A lot of people who consider themselves well-read can often have very insular, self-important views about exactly what should be considered common knowledge. Who decides what should be common knowledge, and why should it be you?

It's true things are only easy if you know the answer, but all the same I was surprised when a building society cashier asked "is that one T or two?" when given my name and bank details

I confirmed that my name contains just one T, only to be told "no, I meant Scotland" (as in Royal Bank of)

I wish I was making this up, but promise I'm absolutely not

imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ten_thousand.png

Yes, I am constantly surprised at how so many people know so very little about how the world works. I'm talking really simple, junior school stuff e.g. What the Romans did. When Elizabeth I was queen. Where Germany is on a map. What is the capital of the USA. What's the biggest bone in the body. Who was Charles Dickens.

I remember learning loads of simple stuff like this before I went to secondary school. At junior school I remember doing topics on Native American Indians, the Catholic Church, Henry VIII, the weather, William Caxton, the life cycle of frogs. Just loads of general knowledge stuff that I have never forgotten.

But, I have always been a great reader and play on two successful pub quiz teams so I guess my general knowledge is better than most. I enjoy learning new things and have an enquiring mind.

So many people are blissful in their ignorance but I can't help but think their lives would be so much richer if they knew more about the world.

This week I have experienced people not having heard of Chernobyl and/or the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

You're wrong, sheep meat is mutton, baby sheep meat is lamb. Beef is grown male cattle, veal is baby male cattle. It's not ignorance to be mistaken about different names for meat. I'm a sheep farmer. Your use of the word 'baby' is ridiculous.

I agree with you, I had a friend who didn't know what the holocaust was. I think people are too ignorant.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamb_and_mutton
Beef is grown male cattle heifers (females over a year) bullocks (castrated males over a year) are sold for beef.

The lack of general knowledge today is appalling. I work in education (secondary level) and have noticed this decline.

It's a combination of things; people don't read as much as they used to - and reading (even fiction) increases your general knowledge; their lives are far more insular - they work, come home, watch the same TV programmes; go on social media which is manipulated to only show you things it thinks you are interested in which means you don't get a range of articles about other perspectives.

I've had 16 year olds (who have professional parents ie: lawyers, doctors so not living in a low socio-economic household) who think that Belgium is part of France, that Ibiza is another country and that Jamaica is part of Spain!

I know a woman who once asked a new Japanese co worker of ours who was from Hiroshima if they had lots of lovely old buildings in Hiroshima, his reply was followed by “ well...We should have...” she didn’t follow 🤣🤣

I still dont get people calling it ignorance. For someone like myself who doesn't know all the things on topic or whatever doesn't mean I'm ignorant. I love to learn new things but I can hear about it one day and the next day I've forgotten it. I wouldn't call that ignorance though. Some people are better are taking info in than others

Actually it’s nothing like titanic the reason why it was shocking with the guy on Twitter is because the film has been out for 20 years and people have been talking about the real even regularly since. With Chernobyl I only found out about it about 3 years ago from somewhere like 9gag it happened before I was born and I’ve never seen a documentary on it and it wasn’t taught at school. I get where you’re coming from but it’s not on the level of the titanic guy and not everyone looks up things online so I get why it’s new to a lot of people!

Everyone has gaps in their knowledge OP..

Lou, ignorance is quite simply a lack of knowledge, for whatever reason. That’s literally what the word means. You can say it’s not someone’s fault, or that they’re only ignorant in certain areas but very well-informed in others, or that they’re lovely and intelligent people regardless. But the absence of knowledge = ignorance.

(There’s also a regional usage meaning “rude” but we’re discussing the standard meaning of the word here).

This week I have experienced people not having heard of Chernobyl and/or the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

That is appaling perhaps the most signifiant inventions of the 20th century.

The energy that could save us from the climatic changes and the same energy that could destroy the world, and on the right sort of rocket could destroy/deflect the oncoming Asteriod that could destroy the world again!.

@Lou12124 that’s what the word “ignorant” means... “ a lack of knowledge” like when they say that if you commit a crime “ignorance is not a defense” meaning just because you didn’t know it was s crime doesn’t mean you can get away with it??

millythepink but did you learn about Ireland? The troubles? The Irish famine?

Ated

Arthur and his cakes

Um. I’m guessing that you meant to say King Alfred....