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 know what they are ie celebs but I couldn't tell you what they look like these days. Not everyone is interested, it's nothing to do with intelligence (or lack of it).

Me too and I’m not interested either, but I’m aware of who these people are. I just don’t think they deserve their “celebrity” status

It’s just a subtle put down of the person and perhaps those that do follow them because they’re famous for being famous rather than for a certain talent or achievement

It's unclear what you mean by "know who" some celebrity is. I don't watch TV at all and while I "recognise" the names and probably could say what sphere they are known in (i.e. sport or music, etc), I couldn't pick them out of a line up nor say much more about what has made them famous. I'm not feigning ignorance to "appear intelligent". Why would I need to do that?

So then why are you on threads about popular culture?

I often have no idea who many celebrities are especially if they are famous for being on reality tv because I never watch it. I’m not pretending to be intelligent, I am simply not interested and focus my attention on other things. One of the things that is different about contemporary life is that everyone is able to curate their own cultural feed now, so to speak. We can easily consume what we like and filter out the rest. Twenty years ago I could have named dozens of football players in the Premier league and I’ve never enjoyed football or gone out of my way to watch or learn about it it was just so dominant in the culture of the country. Now I’d struggle to name more than one or two players because it’s so easy to filter out. Maybe there isn’t really a mainstream culture anymore just lots of different silos?

Are those who say who? being sarcastic as the likes of KK and the rest of them past it now . I would a lot if Kardashian shit as they were on MTV and it was a novelty to see their lifestyle . Loved looking at the houses . I probably even remember trivia about Real Housewives or The Hills as watched it when I was young . But I never watched Love Island or TOWIE as they are UK based and I have no interest . I don't think people who watch these types are stupid though . Sometimes easy no brain required TV is what people want .

OK, so some people don't know some well known celebs. It's just the desperation from some to come onto a thread and let everyone know. When someone posts a thread about Katie Price and someone comes onto the thread and says 'WHO?' it comes across as obnoxious and goady, because they would never say it if it was some edgy artist or cool fashion designer or edgy writer or a 1800s composer. If it's a pop culture person (pop star, or actor, or GASP, reality TV star,) they would rather eat the contents of the kitty litter at the thought of admitting they know who it is! 😂

I couldn't pick out 95% of sports stars in a line up, but I don't plop onto threads about them banging on about how I don't 'know who they are!!' Why do people feed the need to do it? As I say, (and many others have) it does smack of snobbery with refusing to admit they have heard of certain people!

I have heard of the Kardashians but no idea which one is Kim and what she looks like. I am late 60's and the Kardashians are not something I follow or can be bothered with.

Obviously I know who Katie Price is and I recognise her.

Heard of the Met Gala of course

So they can tell everyone they don't know who they are. Very important to people that they let everyone know this!

I know what the Met Gala is

i know who Jordan / Katie Price is

I would recognize Anna Wintour from Vogue

I know who zenadaya is but couldn’t tell you what films she’s been

The kardashians I know who they are
probably couldn’t pinpoint which one is which as they all look similar and I’ve never watched the series

I haven’t ever watched anything like Im a celeb traitors or love island or big brother ( is that still on ) or the only way Is Essex
but I know what they are about but would struggle to name anyone who’s been in any of it

but know who Molly Mae is and Tommy Fury
but only cos I know who Tyson Fury is

my DH would know Katie Price and Tommy Fury but only cos he knows who Tyson fury is

kardashians would know the names but both tv really about them

I'm killing time, I guess.

I sometimes have a look at new threads to see what is being said. That's all.

I know which one KK is now but I didnt for years ! Only when she did that naked photo with her enormous bum did I realise.

I definitely don’t know the difference between her and her sisters, I have no idea who any of them are as I’ve never watched the tv programme.

My husband knows a lot of celebrities but would not know who she was.

I also don't know a lot of the newer film stars and reality tv people because there are so many now.

Nope. I've already explained to an extent.

I started reading Mumsnet after my husband died. Pathetic though it sounds, I was lonely. Sometimes I look at threads just for the sake of it - no deep-seated reasoning behind it.

Your telling me these people have no interest in popular culture, no social media, have never come across the kardashians in their day to day life, suddenly stumble across a Met gala article (a celeb fashion show) and now all of a sudden just want to know who she is? Despite never having any interest in popular culture in the last 20 years to the point you've managed to miss fairly famous celebrities.

Read the OP. It's about people who pointedly show they don't know who lowbrow celebs are by commenting on pictures/threads about them. Why are you looking at articles of the Met Gala if celebs aren't of interested. Why do you want to know who this celeb is if they aren't of interest. Why not just Google if this new found love of celebs just overtakes you in the met gala comment section

You say Jordan/Katie Price has been "headline news in the UK for 20 years" - depends what you read! I guarantee she hasn’t been headline news in The Times. I just asked my DH if he knew who she was. He recognised the name but thought she was a singer. He knows nothing about her life and certainly wouldn't be able to identify her from a photo.

If you don’t read tabloids or gossip columns or watch "celebrity" TV programmes and get all your news from The Times and Radio 4, it’s perfectly possible not to have a clue about people like that. But I agree that my DH enjoys not knowing because he thinks it makes him superior to people who care about such things. (Sometimes, when I read an imbecilic "celebrity" story, about silly people famous just for being famous, I think perhaps he’s right.)

But you do know who she is and have known who she is for over 10 years?

Are you questioning who she is in the comment section of Met Gala articles?

I don’t know lots of the younger youtuber/influencer type people but I see that more as a sign of my age, rather than anything else.

I am really bad at identifying celebrities and remembering names. I would recognise Katie price , Kim Kardashian I know who she is and she was in a relationship with an American rapper and had a backside that broke the internet, but I would struggle to pick her out of a line up unless there was one woman with a much bigger arse than the others, then I'd take a punt.

I'm also really bad with actors DH will say do you want to watch this it's got so and so in it, I will have no idea who that is he will then name 3/4 things I've seen them in. Characters are just characters to me generally.
I know a few big ones like tom cruise or David tennant. DH sent me something about the devil wears Prada two recently and the guy who was in it and his wife making jokes, I replied oh I want to see that, but he'd sent it to me because the couple were the two from Colin from accounts which I love, but I didn't recognise them. It's not snobbery from my perspective at all I love a real housewives show and was a staunch fan of vanderpump rules, so it's not all radio 4 in this house

ETA I wouldn't be reading or commenting on MET gala articles though

I agree with you OP. Especially when they post on a thread saying something like they don’t have a clue who this person is.

I am super smart. I also know who Kim Kardashian is. Feigning ignorance is not the flex most people think it is.

I wouldn't be able to match the faces to the names but I have heard of them

I'm like you, OP. However, there are an awful lot of them I dont know.

Maybe people dont want to seem shallow by admitting they've heard of slebs.

Depends on age. Anyone who is 40 or under and has an existence on social media would obviously know Kim K or they’ve being deliberately try hard. I can guarantee without asking that my parents (seventies) have never heard of her.

Well, it depends if you only read the question or the post doesn't it? I tend to read the whole post.