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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder what stupid questions you've been asked

480 replies

backtolifebacktoreality · 09/12/2021 09:58

Last weekend I phoned a local florists
and asked them to send some flowers to a nearby friend.

The friend lives in a relatively small cul de sac. The florist obviously asked the address for them to be delivered to. I advised they lived at No 12.

She then went on asking all sorts of questions about how she could find the house once in the street, ie what side of the road etc. She then asked questions about what would make the house recognisable to her, ie what colour front door.

I had to bite my lip but really wanted to respond "the fact that is has the number 12 on the door"!

OP posts:
Gwenhwyfar · 11/12/2021 21:59

@Intercity225

The social worker

"Has DD witnessed criminal activity?"

Who would be stupid enough to say "Yes!"

Well anyone who realises that if they lie they may be caught out.
wellstopdoingitthen · 11/12/2021 22:02

@JellyBabiesSaveLives

Standard health questionnaires on travel insurance quotes. Having established that my child has Type 1 diabetes, the next question is “do they use insulin”? Err, yes, that’s how they’re alive and need insurance
Oh I've put up with this nonsense for years. Also question from GP surgery "does your son still need insulin for his T1 diabetes?" How I've resisted the urge to shout "wow have they found the cure then?" Ill never know.
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 11/12/2021 22:04

Not quite a stupid question...
But today DH realised that two men who he knows in different contexts for more than 15 years are in fact the same person. To make it worse, he likes one person, but not the other...

Gwenhwyfar · 11/12/2021 22:11

"My friend who has twins was asked if they have the same father.
(rude question in general, but also stupid)"

It's possible apparently.

Sarahlou63 · 11/12/2021 22:14

Are all your chickens female?

EsmeeMerlin · 11/12/2021 22:18

Do you know your name is the same spelt backwards?

Well yes I have been writing and saying it for years.

disconnected1 · 11/12/2021 22:22

My daughter has really curly hair. When she was a baby people used to stop me to ask if it was natural 😂😂. Like I'm really going to perm a baby's hair !!

Gwenhwyfar · 11/12/2021 22:23

@Intercity225

What gets me is that the security questions they ask are usually only things like DoB or full address that any close family member would know anyway.

Somehow, our bank at some point recorded the wrong DOB for DH. Whenever he tried to prove who he was, they refused to believe it was him, for giving his true DOB. Eventually he had to go in with his passport and other ID, to get them to change their records. He demanded compensation off them, for wasting his time! They paid him.

HMRC has the wrong date of birth for me. They refuse to change it. Apparently I have to send my birth certificate to a random address in the national insurance office. I can't be given a name or phone number for the place where I'm supposed to send my birth certificate so I don't feel it's safe to do it.
Gwenhwyfar · 11/12/2021 22:25

"Urmmm no I've chosen somewhere horrible to go on holiday to 🤣"

Plenty of people do go to not nice places on holiday. I suppose it's not always a totally free choice.

Gwenhwyfar · 11/12/2021 22:29

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Not quite a stupid question... But today DH realised that two men who he knows in different contexts for more than 15 years are in fact the same person. To make it worse, he likes one person, but not the other...
Shock
MarianneFaithful · 11/12/2021 22:47

@OnGoldenPond
Me too Sad

Loyaultemelie · 11/12/2021 23:15

Good friend was cat sitting in our house while we were away a few years ago and saw a food Dd2 loves while she was out shopping. She then messaged me "are you at home?" just as she normally would to drop it in on her way back. I almost had a heart attack thinking she'd forgotten to mind the cats until a quick follow up "of course you aren't lol" came through

wellstopdoingitthen · 11/12/2021 23:46

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Not quite a stupid question... But today DH realised that two men who he knows in different contexts for more than 15 years are in fact the same person. To make it worse, he likes one person, but not the other...
🤣🤣🤣
LightDrizzle · 11/12/2021 23:53

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Not quite a stupid question... But today DH realised that two men who he knows in different contexts for more than 15 years are in fact the same person. To make it worse, he likes one person, but not the other...
I love this! And the person who asked whether the husband had had the top or the bottom part of his leg amputated.

Lots of people do seem to be quite "Swiss" about small talk though. They must find daily life perplexing. A lot of speech in brief interactions is phatic communication; with a primarily social function rather than a search for or exchange of information of value. It often relies on cliche and even nonsensical forms, like the declining "How do you do?" answered by "How do you do?".

"Going anywhere nice?" is just a common idiom for "Where are you going?". I'd have thought "What's the matter with the dog?" was a reasonable way of either asking if you knew why the dog might be barking or opening a conversation about the dog barking, - wondering out loud.

I wonder if the same people are incensed by people saying "Who can that be?" when someone knocks at the door at a late hour or on a Sunday - because why on earth would they know? Grin

Negligee · 12/12/2021 00:02

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Not quite a stupid question... But today DH realised that two men who he knows in different contexts for more than 15 years are in fact the same person. To make it worse, he likes one person, but not the other...
Oh, that is brilliant. How has this come about? Has he got face blindness?

My DH once sat through That Obscure Object of Desire (a Bunuel film where the lead female role is played by two completely different-looking actresses of different nationalities, hence very contrasting accents) without even noticing that there were two actresses.

LunarEclipseWinterSolstice · 12/12/2021 00:11

I lived at home with my dad, just the two of us. One night after he cooked a dodgy chicken pasta for dinner, I was up all night throwing up. The next morning I was talking to him about it. His reply?

"oh was that you I heard being sick last night?"

No dad, it was the ghost who got food poisoning 🙄

honeylulu · 12/12/2021 00:40

@Sistedtwister

My parents, but particularly my dad are like your DH. And it's not just pondering out loud. He really expects me to somehow pull out an answer that I couldn't possibly know, like the Oracle of Delphi.

Typically:

Dad: What exactly is wrong with [x appliance that needs fixing].
Me: I have no idea I'm afraid. I was just told it needed to be sent away.
Dad: but what exactly is wrong? What do they need to do?
Me: I really don't know. They probably need to have a look to be sure themselves.
Dad: but what has gone wrong with it?
Me: I have no idea. Why don't you ask [techy relative]. They might have a better guess.

[Five minutes during which dad makes no effort to consult said relative]
Dad: What is wrong with it though?
Me: [silent scream]

twoshedsjackson · 12/12/2021 08:46

Reporting the death of a loved one does seem to baffle some administrators. When my DM died I had that sad duty, and most folk cottoned on quite quickly; expression of sympathy, then no more reminders from the dentist, catalogues from companies she had patronised etc., but I could not convince the optician that her next eye test would not be needed. Anybody who has been newly bereaved will appreciate how the things which are normally just irritating can really "catch you on the raw".
In the end, I had to go into the opticians in person, and explain, politely but firmly, that DM had moved on to , hopefully, a better place where glasses were not necessary. I felt sorry for the hapless receptionist who was clearly upset that her company was thoughtlessly churning out these reminders, but a simple tweak of the system could have spared everybody's feelings.

CorsicaDreaming · 12/12/2021 09:32

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Not quite a stupid question... But today DH realised that two men who he knows in different contexts for more than 15 years are in fact the same person. To make it worse, he likes one person, but not the other...

Now that really is quite weird!! Grin

Yuledo · 12/12/2021 09:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sueelleker · 12/12/2021 10:12

@Yuledo

Whist in the USA many years ago.

On being told I was from England “oh what language do you speak over there?”

American of course, like they do!
PriamFarrl · 12/12/2021 11:46

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Not quite a stupid question... But today DH realised that two men who he knows in different contexts for more than 15 years are in fact the same person. To make it worse, he likes one person, but not the other...
I’m really going to need some more information here.
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 12/12/2021 12:06

Fuller context of DHs stupidity (which he's still trying to process).

This is DHs hometown, which he visits regularly but hasn't properly lived in since he was 19. He worked at various clubs and pubs before going to university, in the holidays etc so knows a wide range of people of a similar age. This person was known by a nickname, like many young men. Part of a group that did stupid things. Sees him occasionally when out for a drink, mellowed a bit with age, but still part of the crowd doing immature things.

However... about 7 years ago he became manager of an out of town, traditional "locals" pub, where DH meets with friends for a quiet pint. He knew the manager was a year or so below him at school, so they've had a quiet catch up on these occasions.

Last night, a mutual friend referred to him by the nickname, and another mutual friend confirmed to him that he was in fCt the same bloke. Acts completely different away from friends at work (and not drinking)

DH just sats they were completely different people. His Dad is finding it quite funny as he knew...

Negligee · 12/12/2021 12:12

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Fuller context of DHs stupidity (which he's still trying to process).

This is DHs hometown, which he visits regularly but hasn't properly lived in since he was 19. He worked at various clubs and pubs before going to university, in the holidays etc so knows a wide range of people of a similar age. This person was known by a nickname, like many young men. Part of a group that did stupid things. Sees him occasionally when out for a drink, mellowed a bit with age, but still part of the crowd doing immature things.

However... about 7 years ago he became manager of an out of town, traditional "locals" pub, where DH meets with friends for a quiet pint. He knew the manager was a year or so below him at school, so they've had a quiet catch up on these occasions.

Last night, a mutual friend referred to him by the nickname, and another mutual friend confirmed to him that he was in fCt the same bloke. Acts completely different away from friends at work (and not drinking)

DH just sats they were completely different people. His Dad is finding it quite funny as he knew...

But didn’t he recognise his face? Regardless of the different nickname/name and context?

That’s why I was wondering if he was face-blind.

Mommabear20 · 12/12/2021 12:19

Have 13 months between my 2DC, DD was 4 months when I fell pregnant with DS, recently got asked their ages (19 & 6 months ) followed by 'so you got pregnant with your second before you had your first??!!' 🤦‍♀️🤔
People's lack of basic biology knowledge and simple math baffles me!