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?

Same here apart from I know who Gemma Collins is (chubby blonde woman) however beyond that I have no idea what she does, why people know who she is etc. Not heard ofthe others.

All part of the very tedious “look at me-I’m better than you mundanes” mindset. I don’t tend towatch any of the celebrity type programmes, but I like to know what’s going on in popular culture.And if I don’t know who somebody is, I google them, rather than feeling the need to announce it. As Richard Osman said “Big shout out to the “who??” brigade”!

Mine neither(but I have noticed a touch of sheer creeping into his voice if anyone recognises them-which is attractive (not))

Yes but there are 'unknown unknowns', as that bloke (Donald Rumsfeld, I think?) so memorably told us. Everyone laughed - but he was right. You can only look something up if you know you don't know it.

How am I supposed to know who people are if I just don't watch TV or like pop music? I listen to the radio and you don't get pictures on my radio.

It's my right to enjoy the cultural interests that I have even if they're not mainstream. I've always been an oddball - as I said upthread, I've never liked pop music or sport and I cannot bear celebrities, who I think it's fair to say are a very different calibre of famous person than say, 40 years ago. You had to have achieved something then to be famous.

I wouldn't expect some pps on here to know the people I'm interested in and they'll have to accept that I don't know theirs. Yes, I've learned a bit by asking my kids but I'm not going to seek out contemporary slebs - if I keep seeing one, say on ads, then I'll enquire, but I just don't watch that sort of stuff. Sorry if that's a problem for some people!

There's a very loud, excitable lady who seems to be everywhereappears on TV ...which I hardly watch. So - I guess she must be well-known, but I don't get the Radio Times or a daily paper.... I think she's Alison Hammond?? My husband doesn't know, I just see her on trailers...

My point is - t's not always easy to know or find out who these TV people are. And frankly, why would I? They don't interest me and life's too short. I found out who Rylan is by describing him to my kids (from ads). But I don't always manage to get an answer.

People are still missing the point.
It's not about not knowing who certain celebrities/singers/tv shows are but doing things like reading an online article about them and putting a comment of "who?" (some people even do it on articles about people when they have died).
That is the pointless snobbery that I think the OP meant.

I genuinely can tell any of the Kardashian’s apart. I recognise they are from that family but that’s it. It’s because I find them boring, uninspiring, uninteresting and therefore why would I know them. It’s nothing to do with wanting to be seen as intelligent. That’s a ridiculous statement!

If she was with Harry then I would assume she was his wife, Meghan Markle.

It's not so much about intelligence I don't think. Snobbery maybe.

But don't disregard the possibility that they genuinely have no idea.

Is this triggering an insecurity on your part that knowing who these people are makes you cheap or inferior in some way? Because your opening statement kinda says "knowing who these people are doesn't make me cheap". 🤣

FYI I know who these people are, no idea how. I get that its "lowbrow" but I enjoy the human zoo anyway.

I think part of it is frustration at having celebrity stuff all over mainstream news.

I wouldn’t have a clue who most of them are. I’ve heard of the name Kardashian but wouldn’t be able to pick them out in a line up.

However if you show me a photo of any vaguely high profile sports person there’s a pretty good chance I’ll know who they are. Most wouldn’t be known to the vast majority of the population.

The difference is if you are into sport a lot of the coverage is segmented eg sports channels on TV, separate sections of written and online media etc so if you want to avoid most of it you easily can.

It’s not the same with celebrity stuff. It’s invariably slotted into mainstream news which I find bizarre and annoying as I haven’t got the slightest bit of interest in it. Thats why people comment. It annoys them.

Conversely, why should it matter whether people are interested or not? And why are some people so bothered by those that don't? I agree posting on social media 'who?' is attention seeking and a waste of time. But for everyone that posts 'who?' I'd wager there are another 99 who are thinking 'who?' but not saying anything. I take the view that if those in that world or who follow it, Richard Osmon included, were really happy and confident in their interest then it wouldn't rile them as much. It smacks of an insecurity of some sort to me ;)

Popular culture covers a lot of things, and it's unreasonable, unless you are living it, to be all over all of it. Sure, most of us recognise the big names, but usually for being names rather than what they have done. But a superficial interest in 'celebrity'' doesn't, at the end of the day, change the word does it?

Take the Met Gala, on which there have been posts of incredulity about those who say they don't know anything about it. Until the early '70s it was a US only fashion based fund raiser for the Met in New York and one one of many such events across the city for many charities. Few outside the US would have heard of it, yet under new direction it became global, and since the rise of the tech sector is more of a celebration of the ability of that sector to generate huge donations. Is that good or bad? Had it helped or hindered the breadth of charity fund raising in New York? Do smaller events and charities benefit from or are they hindered by it's success? Should the funding of the Met even be based on charity fund raising such as that, or as a cultural icon should the city fund it. For me, those are interesting things to debate and have an awareness of, not who was wearing what and who gave it to them :)

I think that's a bit different - Coronation St, love it or loathe it, is a national instituation - it's been going since 1960, so yes, you'd have to have lived under a stone not to know about it.

But the very recent (and often, let's face it, ephemeral) people who've been on Love Island or I'm a Celebrity GMOOH, for example - I woudn't expect everyone to know those. Those programmes appeal to a very young demographic and I'm old!

I don’t care whether they’re interested or not. I mean you could line up 20 footballers and I’d probably only recognise Gary Lineker. But I can’t see why you’d come on a thread to announce it!

I have not seen this website used for ages, but is useful when someone post 'Never heard of them'
https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=gemma+collins

Which is what I said, in the second sentence :)

I would also recognise Gary Lineker, from his crisp adverts, as well as David Beckham from his underwear ads. I know they were both footballers. I would hazard a guess that both had played for, and maybe captained, England. I don't have a clue which club they played for yet arguably, to the English football has a bigger, for better or worse, cultural impact than American reality TV. I'd also guess that both were at their peak in the '90s. And that players like Marcus Rashford would be more widely known today, for both football and their involvement in raising the awareness of and money for homelessness, child poverty and books for schools.

But then to me David Beckham is more famous for being married to Victoria than for football, and the Spice Girls had a bigger impact culturally than the Kardashians. Or, at least, to me they did. And because everyone's view of popular culture is different I, apart from on this thread where the OP expressed incredulity that celeb culture was not followed by everyone all the time, wouldn't bother posting that or saying it to anyone :)

Yes, I once asked Wayne Rooney what he did for a living, according to DH. I wouldn't mind, but it was at some football gala-type thing. (He was actually nice about it, in fairness.)

But I would not come on a football thread to announce that one footballer looks much like another, or that I've never understood the offside rule because I am too cerebral.

I'd recognise KK and KP but there were comments on a photo of someone at the Met Ball who I absolutely didn't recognize. Turned out to be Kylie Jenner. I know she's KK's younger sister but I didn't know what she looked like.

I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if I am repeating.
I know KK and KP, however other names are popping up that I dont know and that's OK.
But what I find daft is when someone comments 'who' or " never heard of her" I always want to say havent you heard of Google either?
Why bother with a stupid comment, especially if it is someone that has died.

I think those people do know who people like Kim Kardashian and Katie Price and it’s not so much they want to appear intelligent by saying “Who?” they are dismissing them as being not worthy of notice or attention.

There is so much media these days that it is perfectly possible to be glued to the tv or internet for several hours a day and still not know who certain celebs are. I’m a essentially a British woman in my 50s - I would recognise KP - I remember her as a young women, her having her first baby and I am aware she’s had some more babies since and can’t drive terribly well. I “think” she was a page 3 girl and is now famous for being famous - not sure what she actually does. I watch absolutely loads of tv but is she on tv? I can’t think I’ve ever seen her on tv. I listen to radio 4 a bit in the car but she’s not ringing any bells there and I haven’t bought a print newspaper for years - reading online is much more self selecting than back in the day when you basically read it cover to cover.

I’ve heard of KK. I know her dad was OJs lawyer, I know she has a sister called Kylie, I’m not sure what she does, I know she has long black hair - I’m not sure if I would recognise her. Like KP, I can’t recall ever seeing her in tv and my tv is on so much you can’t touch it without an oven glove.

I agree some people are really really internationally famous - Michael Jackson, Maradona, Elvis, Dolly, - but I think the ones that stick in the mind are ones who are famous for doing something (and being physically very distinctive helps enormously) and idk what KK or KP do as such so it’s easy to not take much notice. There is a generational element to. I’d bet diamonds my kids don’t know who KP is. I’ve heard of the Met Gala but idk what it actually is. My mental picture is like the evening entertainment at a holiday camp but with better turns but I accept I may be quite wrong. I saw a photo of Sam Smith at it dressed like an elderly lush from the 1920s (May have been AI tbf)

I wouldn't recognise Kim Kardashian - it's not related to intelligence I'm just not interested in the things where she is likely to crop up.

You’re vastly overestimating my interest in people I’ve never heard of. Especially if you’re not giving me any context with it. I really could not be asked to Google every random celebrity whose name is brought up in my general vicinity.

#FlatErica
You’re vastly overestimating my interest in people I’ve never heard of. Especially if you’re not giving me any context with it. I really could not be asked to Google every random celebrity whose name is brought up in my general vicinity.

Eh?
I never read your comment or if I did, I didn't take it in.
Maybe you are vastly over estimating the thought people give to your post! 😆
If I was referring to you I would have tagged you.

Easier to google than to ask on here!

There absolutely are people who do not know who the likes of Kim Kardashian are. My parents, for example, are not old but would never recognise her from a photograph because they are not in any way part of that world. I have a couple of friends who wouldn’t know who she was, either.

However, none of those people would ever be commenting online about the Met Gala as none of them use social media. They also wouldn’t attribute any value judgment to knowing or not knowing who those people are so would never feel the need to comment about it even if they were somehow in the comments section of a post about the Met Gala.