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

[coulditbeme2323]

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

This question is prompted from reading comments online re The Met Gala?

Now let me prefix this by saying I have no interest in reality tv, Showbiz mags, etc - but surely there are some people who you know who they are because everybody does!

There were people saying "who" on a photo of Kim Kardashian. I have never seen an episode of the show, have no interest in her, but of course I know who she is - because how can you not?

Another British example is Jordan/Kate Price. No interest in her, but she has literally been headline news in The UK for 20 years. If you live in The UK - surely its impossible to not at least know who she is?

I haven’t been in the UK since 2006, and even I know who Katie Price is. I asked someone because I kept seeing her name in all the tabloid headlines every time I went to buy groceries.

I think people do it to pretend that they’re so concerned with intellectual, important things that lowbrow pop culture doesn’t ever permeate their consciousness. 🙄

“Some” people care about them.

Some people seem obsessed with their every move.

Others might be interested in them if they are in a particular film, or created a song they happen to like - but their activities outside their “art” is of no real interest.

Which is the whole point really - if you’re not interested in someone it is quite easy to mentally filter out anything to do with them. There is plenty of “real” news out there to be getting on with, things that actually impact our lives. if KK ever moves into the category of actual news I will probably pay a bit more attention!

"What a bunch of bullshit. 'I heard of KK, but couldn't pick her out of the lineup' (plenty on this thread). Yea, right."

You're clearly talking about me here (I used these exact words), as well as others who have said this.

It certainly is not bullshit. This thread prompted me to have a look this morning at an article about the Met Gala and looking at a photo with several celebrities in it, the only person I could recognise was Anna Wintour.

Also I think it is entirely possible not to know who someone is without looking down on people who do. I don't give a toss if someone is really into celebrities, it's up to them! Just because I don't know a lot about them doesn't make me a snob, it just means I don't bother to read about celebrities as they don't particularly interest me.

Football does interest me and I could recognise lots and lots of footballers past and present! So I am up on that particular sort of celebrity

It’s when a full explanation is given of who someone is, and then they choose to write “who?” that just comes across as ridiculous.

It’s literally there in front of them. They can write, but apparently not read.

I know who Kim K is but didn't actually recognise her on the one photo I saw. Not sure why. I do absolutely know what she looks like.

Again, as I said anyone who is on the internet/has been on the internet knows who Kim Kardsahian is. How can they not?

And everyone on this thread is on the internet.

Yeah, someone saying 'who?! just comes across as ridiculous. Google is your friend!

If you put up pictures of 10 different women, I would not know which one was Kim Kardashian - honestly!

Also I think it is entirely possible not to know who someone is without looking down on people who do

Yes but I also I think it is entirely possible to know who someone is without looking down on people who don't. There are loads and loads of people I don't know who they are or am only vaguely aware of. Beyoncé for example. I wouldn't recognise her, couldn't name a single song by her and have never knowingly heard her music. But instead of just accepting not everyone is interested in the same thing there are people who react that I'm being snobbish.

its like sherlock not knowing about the solar system, i think the theory is and its like sheldon from the big bang theory when penny asks him who radio head are, and sheldon comments he studys the important things in life etc

I am middle aged and can tell I am aging out of some popular culture already. Influencers and YouTubers apart from a few foodie ones are unknown to me, reality tv stars are going that way and current music stars - I am late to the party just about know Sabrina Carpenter in the last year. I am keeping up with current actors but I think shows aimed at younger people are going to pass me by. I do follow video game culture, American culture ( I prefer their stand up comedians) and politics. So don’t feel completely out of it but I can tell I am getting to the stage where I really aren’t going to have a clue who some famous people are. Maybe because we curate what we watch and read more. So things like UK light entertainment shows I know exist (Taskmaster) but I have never watched. I don’t think it has anything to do with intelligence.

I think some people are so immersed in their bubble they struggle to realise that other people have hugely different experiences of the world - and the internet!

• where you go for news
• what programmes you watch for entertainment
• what the algorithms will promote to you
• what your eyes skim over as being of no real interest to you

All these things have a huge impact, not just in terms of what you see, but what you consciously, and unconsciously, absorb and retain.

I would know who UK celebrities are - well some of them, anway. Kim Kardashian.... probably not.
I don't read celeb magazines or follow that news, or watch 'celeb' tv really, so mostly have no clue who people are. It doesn't strike me as being related to intelligence or not, just whether you're interested in 'celebrity' or not, and I'm not.

I wouldn’t know Kim Kardashian. I know who she is but probably couldn’t identify her. I know what Katie Price looked like…

I could identify Wu Yize and the rest of the top 64+

See Also Beau Greaves and easily the top 124.
Or the entire Saints squad 😇 and probably most 1st team past to at least the 1980s

different interests, different programmes watched or books/papers read etc.

It depends what people are interested in and what media they absorb. I am clueless about football and probably wouldn't recognise more than about 2 footballers. That doesn't mean I'm clever and superior or thick and ignorant. It just means I'm not interested in football.

I think it's perfectly possible not to have registered who they are if you're not interested in that kind of thing, and it doesn't mean you are trying to make a statement about being intellectual. I think I'd recognise Kim Kardashian - less confident about Katie Price. I'm much more interested in endlessly re-reading my Malory Towers and Chalet School books, frankly. People can make of that what they will.

I know who KK, KP etc are but no, I am genuinely not sure I would be able to identify them from their pictures. Especially not KK - I might say "Oh, is it one of the Kardashians?" but I wouldn't be able to name all the sisters. I know there are several and their names all begin with K but what they actually look like I'm not sure.
But then I am the woman who cheerily greeted a man in Sainsbury's this Saturday, being sure it was someone I worked with for nearly 20 years. It was a complete stranger. I quite often walk straight passed people that I do know, or pretend not to have seen people because I'm not quite sure if it's who I think it is or not. If I can't recognise people I know in real life what hope have I of identifying celebrities that I don't have a great deal of interest in?

Surely no one needs to recognise anyone from a photo? The captions will usually tell who they are, so if you say “who?”, you’re implying you’ve never heard of Kim K or David Beckham, which is unlikely. I don’t know what Cardi B looks like, but if I saw a social media post or a news article with a photo saying ‘Cardi B’ underneath, ‘who?’ would not be my first reaction to it - more like ‘oh, that’s what she looks like’ only to forget instantly.

I've heard of Kim Kardashian and Jordan(?) but I don't really know anything about them except Kim's father was a friend of OJ and was one of his defence attorneys in the murder trial, and that Jordan had an unwise dalliance with Dwight Yorke.

but apart from that...

I genuinely don’t know who Katie Price is, and I’m certainly not intelligent! 😆

I’m certain my DH has no idea who Kim K or Katie Price are!

I don’t watch reality TV and have no idea who a lot of ‘celebrities’ are. I do of course recognise quite a few famous film stars! None of us are interested in sport so we wouldn’t recognise most current sports stars.

I haven’t taken an interest in music since about 1989 but I have heard of Taylor Swift and anyone else that Donald Trump has criticised!

None of this makes us intelligent, we just have different interests.

but if I saw a social media post or a news article with a photo saying ‘Cardi B’ underneath, ‘who?’ would not be my first reaction to it - more like ‘oh, that’s what she looks like’

I have no idea who Cardi B is. Seeing a picture of a woman tagged "Cardi B" tells me she's called "Cardi B".

I don't watch tv ( don't own one) but know who Katie price and bloody Kardashian are , although tbh I'm not sure what the Kardashians actually do

I'm late 60s. I know who Katie Price is - having watched her train-wreck of a career since she was Jordan.

My daughter explained who Kim Kardishian was about 7 years ago. I'm still not sure why she's so rich and famous.

As for most of the others, and certainly the participants in the BBC's endless celebrity this and that, and the IACGMOOH jungle thing, I have no clue who these vacuous nonentities people are. I don't feel deprived.