To think my OH is pretending not to know stuff?

[Zaphodsotherhead]

We were outside looking at the night sky and I said 'look, there's the Plough'. To which he replies 'what?' 'You know, constellations?' 'I don't know that that is...'

Looking at something that happened during the civil war. Him 'what's that then?' 'When Oliver Cromwell abolished the monarchy? Roundheads and Cavaliers?' 'Dunno any of that'. 'Didn't you do it at school?' 'I dunno. Probably'.

I no longer know if he does know and doesn't care, or just doesn't know. He seems to have a tiny, tiny field of interest (cars) and anything else it's just a shrug and 'I dunno'. Do you think he might be putting it on to stop me talking?

[JosephineMaynard]

I thought all secondary schools covered WW2 at some point? Mine spent the whole of year 9 on it IIRC.

Not to mention all the WW2 references in the popular media...

[topcat2014]

I am degree educated, with science a levels. However, Eng Lit bored me to shit at school, and I don't know any of it. Just about heard of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.

Same with history.

The 'meeja' generally assumes English and Humanities are 'the thing', and it is perfectly fine to admit to being a dunce with all the complexities of science / maths.

I, however, am happy to be the complete reverse.

[CockacidalManiac]

It's never attractive to be proud of your ignorance.

[Philoslothy]

I am very laid back and certainly not an intellectual snob but I do think that I would struggle to be in a relationship with somebody lacking such general knowledge. It must make conversation difficult.

I think that similar levels of intelligence or general knowledge are important for a relationship. You don't have to know the same stuff but have a similar outlook and curiosity about the world

[EBearhug]

I agree with those who couldn't be doing with the lack of curiosity. I should be used to it by now, but I am sometimes still surprised by just how poor some of my colleagues' general knowledge is. It's not so much that they know different things, though there is an element of that, but even then, I just know about far more stuff than they do, and I can't imagine being in a long-term relationship with someone who just wasn't interested.


Shanti shanti shanti is Sanskrit for peace and is a Hindu and Buddhist chant (usually with Om on the front.)

[daisychain01]

A former colleague used to boast about how she never read a newspaper, watched the news or knew anything at all about what was happening in the world. I found it utterly depressing having to work with someone who was proud about being ignorant.

[MardAsSnails]

I've just had the opposite- we've been on holiday in a very interesting place, with lots of military and natural history, and whilst we were there DH was shocked at how much he knew about the historical military stuff. He was expecting to be bored whilst I was wandering around those bits (he was only initially interested in the nature aspect), but now we're home, I caught him reading one of my books on the particular subject in that region of the world, because he's now interested, spurred on by the fact that he didn't know as little as he thought he knew

Usually, he's one of those people who claims to know nothing and is often telling the truth when he claims it and doesn't take an interest in anything unless it's work or hobbies or something of his choosing.

[Chottie]

I have worked with someone who had never heard of the Commonwealth and Lucretia Borgia.

She claimed they were specialist areas of history and not general knowledge facts.

[JosephineMaynard]

I might agree with her on Lucretia Borgia. The Borgias aren't something that you'd expect to be routinely covered in history or RE in a UK school, and they're not all over TV / books in the way that, say, world war 2 is.

But the commonwealth is pretty recent.

On a similar note, DH had never heard of the Aberfan tragedy until i made a comment about it when I was looking at the new Radio Times yesterday (they have a 3 page feature on it).

[CanadianJohn]

In Canada, there are very many people who grew up in other countries, with different education. I was chatting with a woman from China the other day, she had never heard of Shakespeare. She has been in Canada 20 years.

I am less forgiving of the US people I meet, some of whom know nothing at all about the world. One woman thought that Canada was east of the US. She also asked me how close London was to England.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

She also asked me how close London was to England

I hope you replied
"About the same difference as Washington is to America"

[megletthesecond]

I'd not heard of the Eleanor Crosses until now. Although I've only briefly visited those areas of the UK so I can see how it's slipped under my radar.

[Zaphodsotherhead]

daisychain My OH is a bit like that. He does get a newspaper but I think he only reads the motoring bits, but surely, he MUST, even if only through osmosis know other stuff? He makes a point of never watching commercials/film trailers, as if that somehow makes him highbrow, and his geography isn't bad (mostly because he's driven everywhere). We're similar ages, similar backgrounds, but he seems to only like women who are well educated (I have a degree), even though he has nothing to talk to them about!

[Mynestisfullofempty]

CanadianJohn how did you reply to this woman?

[brambly]

I sympathise.

My DP seems to derive great pleasure from going out with a boffin - and yet when I excitedly told him about some article I'd been rather taken by, he interrupted me mid-flow to earnestly ask "Who is George Osborne?"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

[AmeliaJack]

Zaphod so you aren't having sex and can't have a reasonable conversation with him?

[Zaphodsotherhead]

Amelia I didn't say we weren't having sex, just that there was no intimacy. No cuddling, no touching, just sex. It's a long story, but it's a crap relationship out of which I am trying to inch myself without hurting him too much (he's a nice guy, just really not for me).

[AmeliaJack]

That's very sad Zaphod. I hope you find a way to resolve things
and hopefully both find someone more compatible to be happy with.

Good luck.

[Zaphodsotherhead]

Thanks, Amelia. Actually thinking I'm better on my own for a bit now... I just need to find a way to tell him that! Mime, possibly, not sure he'll understand words...

[CanadianJohn]

Mynestis, we were in Detroit at the time, so I said something like "London is IN England, in the same way as Detroit is in the US".

In some ways, you can't blame American individuals. The country is insular to a remarkable degree, and other countries are vague concepts, not to mention irrelevant. It isn't even "us and them", it's more "us and... umm, who?".

[pipsqueak25]

sorry but this would frustrate the hell out of me being with someone who thought it was cool to be so ignorant, i like a degree of flippancy and silliness in my conversations but i like someone to have a half decent brain too, so we can talk, debate and converse in a variety of subjects.

[Weedsnseeds1]

I wouldn't be able to cope with this. Plenty of things I was never actually thought but have stumbled across one way or another. Might not know fine details but have a rough idea!

[FlabulousChic]

I don't remember any genera knowledge stuff myself. I'm not thick I'm just not interested

[DinosaursRoar]

I just can't imagine being with someone I couldn't watch Only Connect with without them getting at least the occasional question right...

If you are at the stage of watching what you say so you appear dumber than you are, end it ASAP. Life is too short to have to pretend to be someone you are not.