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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To share the stupidest thing I have ever heard

793 replies

Sparklfairy · 10/10/2020 13:44

My friend is away in a country that a few days into her holiday brought in quarantine restrictions upon returning to the UK. No big deal to her, she can wfh and organise deliveries etc.

She just told me she was chatting around the pool and people are confused about when quarantine actually 'starts'. Most have convinced themselves it's the day after you land 'to give them time to go shopping and get food and everything ready and stuff'.

So you're quarantined, but you have a magical window of time where you can get supplies and merrily skip round the supermarket infecting everyone saying 'Oh, I'm not in quarantine until tomorrow'.

I'm not sure if they're spectacularly thick or just so entitled they've twisted the rules to suit themselves. I don't normally get annoyed about CV or what other people do but really!?

OP posts:
ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 11/10/2020 19:04

There are so many examples on this thread where a poster has assumed someone is stupid, but it was actually the poster who'd got it wrong.

Does it never occur to these people to take a look at themselves? Although maybe it's nice to go through life feeling superior and telling yourself that everyone else is thick? God knows.

Graphista · 11/10/2020 19:16

@goldfishParade that comment was totally uncalled for! Christmas is not mandatory and there are plenty of equally fun celebrations in the Muslim and many many other faiths. You have a very narrow view of life if you’re so thrown by the idea of people not celebrating christmas!

In my circle there’s people of several different faiths inc Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist... some celebrate Christmas some don’t, I’ve even got some that are Christian that don’t mark Christmas the way you seem to think is “correct” like quakers and brethren.

I can promise you they are perfectly capable of having fun without living in a way you seem to think is “not weird”

As for “I don’t understand” on here that generally seems to mean when people post as you are insisting on doing - despite the fact you’re having others make clear to you how misinformed you are (being kind) “I don’t approve” open your mind just a mm maybe?

Glad to see you finally apologise.

@PopsicleHustler - sorry for what you were subjected to both in real life and on this thread. Too many people are bigoted numpties unfortunately.

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 11/10/2020 19:19

The posts that are particularly unpleasant are the ones where someone is labelled stupid for asking a question. If you don't know much about something, it's better to ask than to just assume that the answer is obvious, or nod along sagely but remain in the dark because you're afraid of appearing foolish to others.

Sometimes the thing that you think you know, or that you think is "obviously true" (e.g. leap years are every 4 years, nosebleeds have nothing to do with fertility, diabetics must all avoid sugar) has nuances, and you'd benefit from asking what might seem like a silly question.

Truly intelligent people are open minded, know that they don't know everything, and are willing to ask and learn, in my experience.

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 11/10/2020 19:21

I don't really bother much with Xmas. Never have, it's just not really my thing (although I make a few mince pies). I dont feel I'm missing out particularly, and wouldn't expect others to comment on my choices.

Totally agree that Popsicle shouldn't have to explain the festivals she does/doesn't choose to celebrate.

Butterer · 11/10/2020 19:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ddot · 11/10/2020 19:26

More stories please enjoying this

Zeewest · 11/10/2020 19:26

re Numbskulls, try the disney cartoon "Inside Out" based on the same premise

Dancingqueenwannabe · 11/10/2020 19:33

A friend thought once you had given birth there was a chance other organs may come out as you are wide open!

jcyclops · 11/10/2020 19:35

"The trouble with the French, they have no word for entrepreneur" - George W Bush

PS. What is the correct term (in english) for a "female entrepreneur"?

Graphista · 11/10/2020 19:37

Discussing the scene from pulp fiction with friends about what a quarter pounder with cheese is called a royale with cheese in France because of metric system...
Friend: ‘so if you go into a sweetshop in France do you ask for a royale of bonbons?’

When I lived overseas with ex (army) lots of others really struggled with the adjustment away from the imperial system to metric when shopping at the market. Quite a few would come away with either huge or tiny amounts of whatever they were trying to buy and being very british were too embarrassed to point out to the vendor there was a problem. The vendor wouldn’t know because they obviously couldn’t know if the buyer intended to buy for 1 person or 8 or whatever.

1 that I became friendly with came away with 15 fairly large sweet peppers on one occasion, I was in a different shop while she was in the market and we’d arranged to meet at a coffee shop, I offered to take them back for her but she was so embarrassed she wouldn’t even do that, so she and her husband (there were only the 2 of them) were eating peppers every mealtime for like 2 weeks! (She was quite a novice cook too, I suggested some batch cooking and freezing ideas but she wasn’t confident doing them)

They didn’t have peppers for a good while after that 😂

Yesterday DP looked on in complete surprise as I snapped the end off a box cutter (using the snapping tool at the end of it), revealing the next layer of sharp edge. Apparently he had no idea this was something you could do when the blade got blunt.

I lived with someone at one point who was going to throw a “broken” lamp out, their face just even at the point of me unscrewing the plug “you can’t do that it’s dangerous!” and when I changed the fuse and the lamp worked again you’d think I’d created light itself! 😂 the weirdest part? This persons father is an electrician yet apparently had never seen fit to teach their child (who was by this time in their 30’s) the basics!

I once knew a set of twins who had different birthdays (one before midnight one after) that confused fuck out of loads of people! 😂

My favourite I read of once I think it was travel agents commenting, the british customers who complained about their flights home from the Caribbean taking SO much longer than that of the friends they made on that holiday who lived in...Florida!

Apparently the biggest time difference is 26 hours? How does that even work?

I found out the other night the Orient express doesn't go through 'the orient' I had no idea! think you misunderstand the definition of orient or rather that there are different definitions

Orient simply means east, east of what is very open to interpretation, plus Istanbul which is where the orient express initially travelled to was considered at that time to be “in the east” by those Europeans, have you never wondered why certain countries in Northern Africa are/were described as “the Middle East”?

The orient express essentially became a brand name too and so not necessarily descriptive of its destination (which has changed several rimes) or route.

I’ve gone blank on the term for this (can someone help me out?) but Stanley is the brand name so I think I’m correct in saying all Stanley knives are box cutters but not all box cutters are Stanley knives?

Like all jacuzzis are hot tubs but not all hot tubs are jacuzzis.

@dragonfly97 actually endo can cause endometrial tissue to be in all sorts of weird parts of the body. I have some on my bowel, rectum and spine among others which causes some weird bleeding patterns, inc bleeding from the rectum while menstruating.

Zeewest · 11/10/2020 19:38

Not personally but seen on several forums girl/boy twins and parents of boy/girl twins being asked if they are identical. Steven K Amos always says no his sister doesn't have a penis!!

appleandstrawberries · 11/10/2020 19:41

@cricketmum84

That seahorses were mythical creatures ya know - like unicorns 😂
I thought this till I was in my twenties when I saw one in an aquarium - couldn't believe my eyes Smile
FelicisNox · 11/10/2020 19:51

The stupidest thing I heard was an English man who is living in America with his American wife accused her of having an affair because their son had an American accent not an English accent.

YANBU. Nothing surprises me these days.

shinynewapple2020 · 11/10/2020 19:52

@Georgyporky

"Especially people who are rich and healthy enough to be off on a foreign holiday."

Load of rubbish - UK holidays are much more expensive.

We had a problem with DH's GP refusing to administer a vaccine for a travel related illness that is freely available on the NHS - using that ludicrous argument quoted.

I reported the wanker, & DH moved to my GP practice.

What - all UK holidays are more expensive than foreign holidays ???

An out of season camping holiday is more expensive than a private villa or luxury hotel on some exotic island ?

Well this is a thread about stupid comments.

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 11/10/2020 19:55

The original comment was silly as well tbf. It's ridiculous to assume that holidays abroad are only for people who are rich and healthy, because it's totally untrue.

LakieLady · 11/10/2020 19:58

@StillWeRise

I just asked DP about George Elliott he is the least well read person on the world he knew she was an author and made a decent guess as to her period so I'd say it is general knowledge
I have just repeated this test with my DP, who didn't study English beyond O-level. He knew that she was a 19th century novelist.

He also knew that T S Eliot was a US-born modernist poet, and that they not related.

Neither were on his O-level syllabus.

Tamejoca · 11/10/2020 19:59

@starfishmummy are you trying to be funny or do you genuinely believe leap years need to divide by 400 rather than 4🤔

PopsicleHustler · 11/10/2020 20:00

Wow, what did I miss!!!!

@GoldfishParade

Christmas was a big thing when I was a child, but I actually had a bad childhood that involved alcohol and Christmas was an excuse to drink even more. I can't even really remember a good Xmas that didn't involve alcohol, fighting, shouting and crying. I enjoyed the presents and that was it.
When I left home, I barely bothered with Christmas and just did my own things. I don't see it as a festival I MUST participate in otherwise I am a terrible person, sad or as you say condemned. To be honest, I am really not bothered about Christmas. I respect people who do and wish my friends etc a happy holidays and hope they have a nice time with their families and so on

In Islam we have two festivals. One to mark the end of Ramadan, which is the fasting month and then another again shortly after. Its a time to see family, friends and loved ones, give gifts and eat nice food etc. My children love it and they definitely do not feel like they're missing out on Christmas. To us it's a normal day, just like Jews or Sikhs.

Choccylips · 11/10/2020 20:00

Ask Boris Johnsons Dad. He came back from Greece went to the supermarket with no mask on, no one had told him he should be isolating and at the very least wearing a mask. I don't think he could have had any means of communication with his son the prime minister! or the outside world. to think that when I last went to Greece they had internet, TV mobile phone communication, newspapers. They have obviously fell into a black hole.

Shaniac · 11/10/2020 20:01

Once there was a documentary about midwifes with scenes of childbirth. Horrified i turned to my dear mother and said "jaysus would you ever have children?!". She just stared at me asking "well who the hell are you then?" before i twigged. I was about 20 at the time.

PopsicleHustler · 11/10/2020 20:03

@receptaclefortherespectable

Excellent name and thank you.

I have no desire to celebrate Easter or Halloween, just as much as Xmas. Doesn't make me a bad person. It is what it is.

Plus I feel if I am celebrating Xmas, then I am putting Jesus, higher than God. Which I would never and can never do.

PopsicleHustler · 11/10/2020 20:05

@graphista

Thank you for your comment.

It is a real shame that I have to put up with so much. When I first reverted to Islam, I was too nervous to wear the hijab. I'd wear it to the school run and the nudges and laughs and swearing was just so unreal, that I would take it off. Now I am used to it and happy and love being a Muslim.
I appreciate your comment. Have a wonderful night

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 11/10/2020 20:06

[quote Tamejoca]@starfishmummy are you trying to be funny or do you genuinely believe leap years need to divide by 400 rather than 4🤔[/quote]
That's not what she said. She said:

if a leap year falls on a century year it is not a leap year unless it also divides by 400.

And she was absolutely right. When a leap year falls on a century year, it must divide by 400 if it is to be a leap year. So 1900 wasnt a leap year, but 2000 was.

PamSav · 11/10/2020 20:09

@Graphista

Anyone who’s worked in healthcare will tell you you need to dial way back on how intelligent you imagine the general population is.

So true - but also applies to the hcps!

Waves @Butterer

Told on here before, Young Male patient with diabetes, admitted due to poor control and nobody could seemingly figure out why his sugars were all over the shop!

He’d been advised on dietary management and religiously kept a food diary which didn’t show anything alarming...

I was a student at the time and it was me an another newly qualified nurse worked out what was happening

His mother kept giving him lucozade and they were both adamant it wasn’t that cos “it’s a health drink!”

Now yes they were numpties! But it hasn’t occurred to any of around a dozen hcps to notice that his stringent “food diary” didn’t note any drinks! They assumed he was only drinking water, but to be honest they should have queried even the lack of record of that as how much he was drinking even if only water would have had an effect too.

Heart sinking here at the thought of that wasted vienetta!

Does anyone else have the sneaking suspicion that the type of Americans that think electricity doesn't exist outside the US are the same type of people in the UK that think Africa (the country) is all poverty , famine and mud huts?

Yep!

As a Scot I’ve been asked multiple times if we have electricity, internet etc...by other Brits! A friend of the family is originally from an African country, a wealthy, developed country. He has over the decades he’s lived in the Uk become unfortunately rather used to even now people disbelieving that his family live in a city and there’s internet and everything! 🙄 quite recently someone apparently commented to him their surprise that they had their own tv stations!

Given that the messages are electrical impulses, maybe it's little emails being sent? Or a "the body" Whatsapp group where all the organs post stuff. The brain is also kind of capable of "muting notifications", isn't it?

Omg! This reminds me of a cartoon I used to love, think it was in the beano or dandy where the premise was there were little anthropomorphic beings inside your brain that “ran” your body! Can anyone tell me what it was called?!

I’d be so happy to be reminded!

”Why did they built so close to the freeway?" Tourist outside 14th century castle in Switzerland.

Yep! I used to live in an historic town, loads of tourists making comments like “why aren’t the roads wide enough for 2 cars?” (Roads and buildings that very much pre-date the invention of the cart let alone cars!) “they need to make the church bells quieter that could give you a headache”, “why isn’t the town hall in the centre of the town?” (As the town has evolved the “centre” has “moved” for various reasons eg geography limiting what building is possible in certain areas), “they should put central heating in its too cold” in hotels etc which are listed buildings or otherwise can’t be adapted as wouldn’t survive the structural change.

I can top you lot. The most ridiculously stupidest thing I’ve seen is a ‘friend’ on FB posting “Well done Boris you’re doing a fantastic job” we have a winner!

I have had Type 1 Diabetes for 40 years and can absolutely confirm that water has no effect on blood glucose levels whatsoever!

Also, diabetics do need to have sugary items like Lucozade if our blood glucose levels fall too low.

PopsicleHustler · 11/10/2020 20:13

@sharonascorona

Thank you for your comments. Asalam alaikum