The most extraordinary case of ignorance you have witnessed

[Thedayrecker]

Last year (I'd like you to keep in mind that the person in question was, at the time, 17) during a free geography class, someone who happened to be in my maths class was doing some homework. He got stuck on a probability question which had something to do with the probability of two people being born on a standard year (i.e. not a leap year). He proceeded to, without the slightest bit of shame, raise his hand and ask "Sorry, sir? How many days are in a year?"

Just this week, my friend (18 years old) was confused by the fact that there are 12 months.

He was sure there were 10....

I worry about him.

Fooled by the misnomer that "December" has become, maybe?

Wouldn't count on it.

 

[WildSeraph]

When I was a sophomore in high school we were talking about Jews and Religion in History class, and this girl could not understand the difference that you can be Jewish by blood or by religion, that was funny.

My friend also claimed he was half-catholic.

There's a girl in my school that went around for the longest time claiming she was half-Jewish (Religion-wise). I'm pretty sure she had no idea what she was talking about, as she used it as justification for having a hissy fit once over my mention of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Mind you, this was RIGHT after she quoted the Soup Nazi's immortal line "No soup for you!".

 

[Ohwen]

Not exactly ignorance, but just plain stupid.

I was going through a McDonald's drivethrough, so I wasn't expecting the girl to be the next Newton or Da Vinci or anything, but still. I was rather hungry, so I intended to order 16 McNuggets.

Me: "Can I please have 16 McNuggets?"
Her: "Sorry, we can only sell packs of 4, 6, or 10"
Me: "...So can I get a pack of 6 McNuggets and a pack of 10?"
Her: "Yeah, of course"
I then used a tactical facepalm before driving to the next window.

Though something that was just plain ignorant was when we were discussing gay rights in class, when someone said "Why are people trying to cure AIDS when only gay people have it? It's not like they'll have kids or anything so why bother?" (This is in 2007, by the way)

 

[-Ulven-]

Someone asking who Hitler was... or my sister (aged 16 at the time, and yes, you are supposed to know by then) not knowing who Stalin, Hitler or Lenin was... sheezh...

 

[Chamale]

I have a friend who says that the Quran (or is it Qu'ran? I've seen it both ways) says to kill anybody who isn't Muslim. We even have a bet for $10 on it. The sad part is, I can't find a credible source that proves that it doesn't say it.

I had the same argument with an otherwise intelligent friend recently. Surah 9:5 says "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."

It's referring specifically to the infidels in Mecca, and to this day non-Muslims and Ahmadiyya Muslims are forbidden from entering that holy city. On the subject of other Muslims, Surah 8:61 says "And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in God; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing."

Have fun with your $10.

When I had to do a debate speech on the big bang and evolution, I "lost" the debate because I couldn't rebuttal. The person who opposed my idea used the bible as his only reference and claimed "the suns were here before the big bang so it doesn't make any sense" I shit you not.

No offense, but if you can't rebuke that statement you need to brush up on science yourself.

 

[Thedayrecker]

When I had to do a debate speech on the big bang and evolution, I "lost" the debate because I couldn't rebuttal. The person who opposed my idea used the bible as his only reference and claimed "the suns were here before the big bang so it doesn't make any sense" I shit you not.

You should have told him there were gods before the God, so the God doesn't make any sense.

It's nonsense, but you probably would've won.

 

[Throwitawaynow]

Well I'm not exactly a biblical scholar.

I was just trying to hit everyone in the quote, wasn't aimed directly at you = D

 

[Subwayeatn]

When I was a sophomore in high school we were talking about Jews and Religion in History class, and this girl could not understand the difference that you can be Jewish by blood or by religion, that was funny.

My friend also claimed he was half-catholic.

Same friend had no idea who Samson and Delilah was.

I love my friend.

No matter how many times i try to explain this to my friends they call me crazy and quote my history teacher saying that you can only be Jewish by religion

 

[HellspawnCandy]

I have a friend who says that the Quran (or is it Qu'ran? I've seen it both ways) says to kill anybody who isn't Muslim. We even have a bet for $10 on it. The sad part is, I can't find a credible source that proves that it doesn't say it.

I had the same argument with an otherwise intelligent friend recently. Surah 9:5 says "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."

It's referring specifically to the infidels in Mecca, and to this day non-Muslims and Ahmadiyya Muslims are forbidden from entering that holy city. On the subject of other Muslims, Surah 8:61 says "And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in God; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing."

Have fun with your $10.

When I had to do a debate speech on the big bang and evolution, I "lost" the debate because I couldn't rebuttal. The person who opposed my idea used the bible as his only reference and claimed "the suns were here before the big bang so it doesn't make any sense" I shit you not.

No offense, but if you can't rebuke that statement you need to brush up on science yourself.

I was only allowed 2 rebuttals, I used up my 2 before he finished his last. I literally meant I couldn't rebuttal. Reading comprehension woohoo.

 

[Nexus4]

Having a friend who finished with a TER of 97.5 (our Australian Ranking system for university 0.5-99.5, higher = better). We were out assisting some rangers in Mundaring Wier, when I asked her to look up the street they were on in the road map. The response: "How does the map work?" Seriously, this girl is going into fucking Medicine at UWA and she can't even understand a road-map, GAH!

 

[Xskills]

The Tea Party. 'Nuff said.

 

[delboycraig]

Having a friend who finished with a TER of 97.5 (our Australian Ranking system for university 0.5-99.5, higher = better). We were out assisting some rangers in Mundaring Wier, when I asked her to look up the street they were on in the road map. The response: "How does the map work?" Seriously, this girl is going into fucking Medicine at UWA and she can't even understand a road-map, GAH!

Some of the most highly educated people I have ever met are also some of the dumbest. I had one Professor who I once witnessed get confused and walk into a wall in a hallway. It wasn't like the wall snuck up on him. Another lecturer called to him so he turned around got confused and got intimate with the plaster board. Colleges often are safe havens for these individuals so that they aren't inflicted on people who actually do things for a living (or at least do things for more than 2 hours a day).

 

[Ossian]

My dad can be pretty ignorant. Hes really old fashion and religious, while I'm a free thinker and also religious.

Today he told me basically I'm wasting my life with social interactions on the computer. And Txting was making everyone stupid and disconnected.
He also told me hard work cures depression.

Spoiler: HOLY CRAP.

 

[lord.jeff]

Well, I hate to bring this up again, and I don't agree with the stereotype that All Americans are stupid, but this is just so worth watching:

I never liked these kind of videos, you ask 20 common sense questions and it's pretty common for most people to get one wrong and thats what the video does.


As for the original post I would laugh at the first one even though I believe every person have at least one word that they are completely mistaken on the definition of.

I do have to moments of ignorance: One comes from the Cracked comments section, where someone thought that circumcision prevented AIDS. The other is at my work someone asked how long it would take cook a raw meatloaf in the microwave.

 

[Arduras]

during the latest floods in Aussieland my crew were tasked with sandbagging a levybank in a down about to go under.

This one 20-ish year old walks up to me and asked, "what do you fill sandbags up with?"

I was dumbstruck considering we were sitting in a council depot surrounded my sand and dirt, you can guess what I said to him.

 

[Throwitawaynow]

My dad can be pretty ignorant. Hes really old fashion and religious, while I'm a free thinker and also religious.

Today he told me basically I'm wasting my life with social interactions on the computer. And Txting was making everyone stupid and disconnected.
He also told me hard work cures depression.

He's kinda right. Social interactions on the computer usually differ from the real life networking that can build career helping associates and friends that you see in the real life. Which if in his mind your "life" is building a career then a family, etc. It's right in his mind. And a structured routine CAN help with depression, along with a host of other mental illness. The hard work gives you structure which leaves less to chance and less time to dwell it also depending on the work, which judging from kind of man he seems to be makes you tired, giving you good rest increasing seratonin levels. Give your old man a break = P.

 

[coolkirb]

To be fair they both tried to end their ignorance, so I say its more plain stupidity, I mean they had a question and they sought an answere (well at least in the latter)

 

[Outright Villainy]

My grandmother spent over an hour the other day telling us she feels that Islam is an evil religion because of all of the suicide bombers it creates. I first tried to point out that the whole suicide bomber thing generally wasn't taught as part of a Muslim upbringing, but she snorted and carried on. I then tried to point out the situation in Ireland with the IRA, and the Crusades, and she waved her hand and said "well that's all right, that's white people, isn't it?" When I then told her I sat next to a Muslim for three years at university without getting blown up, she changed tack and began to lament how "perfectly good men" were ruining women's lives by being gay. She then insulted my mother's parents because, unlike her, they are totally fine with ethnic minorities and gay people, and which point my mum had to go and lock herself in her bedroom before she throttled her, and Dad and I pointedly said it was time for her to go home.

Be a while before we invite her back around for dinner.

Hey, it wouldn't be a real family if there isn't at least one crazy racist/homophobe!

Worse for me, since my dad is pretty damn homophobic, on the few times he'd ever broach the issue. One time in the news there was a story about a lesbian married couple from canada being recognised in the u.k. (or it was something like that, I can't exactly remember.)

He said there shouldn't be gay marriage at all, and when I asked him why, his response was
"It's not usual."

It took a lot of control to resist a major facepalm.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

This one is just...totally, 100% inexcusable:

2nd year of college, my art class. I was talking with my teacher about how to apply the art style of an artist named Picasso to my final piece, when this guy called Jame who was cleaning his paint brushes (my work station was by the sink) heard us, turned, and honest to God, these were his words:

"Why do you wanna make your work look like the roof of the Sistine Chapel". He ACTUALLY thought Picasso was the guy who painted the Creation of Adam. I mean...how can an art student make that mistake?

I was fucking dumbstruck. I mean MAYBE lack of knowledge of Michelangelo's painting could be excused if it was just a random dude who had no knowledge of art but...this was a second-year college student studying art! The worst part was, he even studied Art History aswell!

 

[FoAmY99]

The Tea Party. 'Nuff said.

Please feel free to back that up.