They say there are no dumb questions. Well, that's debatable.
And there's nothing wrong with asking where you can find the cereal aisle in a grocery store you've never been in -- with the understanding you're not making the inquiry while standing in the said aisle.
Curious to hear from the experiences of strangers on the internet, Redditor nonlinearcharm asked:
"What's a question you absolutely hate being asked?"
Let's Talk About You
These questions come up when you either just met someone or engage in small talk with someone you barely know.
Because friends wouldn't dare to insult you.
Awkward Introduction
"Tell me about yourself"
"It's not really a question but it gets me mad. You want my depression or my favorite animal? I don't know what I'm like! Ask my friends! Or just be friends with me and you'll find out!"
Name Origins
"I have a unique name. I hate being asked where I got it. I just respond 'I got it for my birthday' and see if they get it, if not I just continue the conversation."
"Name is Ariez btw."
Clearly, You're Not Around From These Parts
"Stranger: 'Where are you from?'"
"Me: 'Oh, I've lived in the States for about 20 years."'
"Stranger: Looks at my brown skin ... 'Where are you really from?'"
"Me: -_-"
Permanent Expression
"'Why the f*k you're angry?' MY FACE IS LIKE THAT WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO."
"Same, my resting face looks very annoyed, and people are like 'what's bothering you?' Like Barbara, the only thing that's bothering me is you."
Leave My Condition Alone
"'Did you forget your sunblock?! Your nose is so red!' Or 'Why are you blushing so hard? Your face is bright red.' Yeah. I know. It's Rosacea. Nothing I can do but thanks for reminding me."
Identifying A Flaw
"i always hate when someone looks at an obvious pimple on my face and then asks 'WhAt's tHaT oN yOur fAcE?'"
"duh, it's a f'king pimple? can you not? it's already huge and i'm self conscious about it."
Timeline
Unless they are prone to procrastinating, most people are capable of making decisions on their own when the time for a life decision is appropriate or convenient.
No one appreciates someone breathing down their necks and asking when certain things will happen for them.
Looking Ahead
"What are your plans for the future?"
"Yep this, in job interviews particularly I hate being asked 'where do you see yourself in 5 years?' or similar. I'm likely in my next interview to be honest and say I don't have any because I like to keep my options open/coast from job to job."
Starting A Family
"When are you going to have kids?"
"My older brother shut down my mom asking this by replying:"
"'We have been trying so much mom but so far no takers, could you tell us what positions you conceived in so that we might have better luck the next couple times we try?'"
"She turned 4 different shades as she realized exactly what she was asking about and never asked them (brother and his wife) again, nor bothered me and my wife with the question when we got married."
Status
"Why are you still single LOL"
"Why are you still married despite ... nevermind, how's the weather?"
Sleep Schedule
"I have worked third shift on and off (mostly on) for close to 20 years. I often get asked, 'So, like, when do you sleep?'"
"I get home anywhere between 7 and 10 in the morning. I usually try to go to sleep around then."
"Oh. My. God. There is no way I could ever do that. Nope. My body has to sleep when it's dark. I absolutely could not sleep when there is any daylight."
"Oh. Then it's, uh, probably a good thing you don't work third shift, eh?"
Major Plans
"What's your major?" Astrophysics 'WOW I CAN'T EVEN SPELL THAT! What are you gonna do with that?'"
"Gonna become a Walmart cashier, thanks for asking!"
The Single Stigma
"'when will you get a girlfriend?' - my whole family"
"I won't damn it! I'm an introvert who doesn't leave the house, and has social anxiety, so i can't even talk to people online, so can you please stop asking me that!!"
"Especially in valentine's day when they keep making jokes about it."
It's A Mood
Just because people aren't cheerful all the time or loquacious, it doesn't necessarily mean they feel the world's weight on their shoulders.
Most of the time, it's the naive individual pressing another person with their unsolicited concern that is affecting their mood.
Trick Question
"Are you mad?"
"It's a trap. I wasn't mad, but when I say 'no', then they be like 'are you sure?' and if I say I'm sure, they're like 'really? You seem mad.' and then I get irritated having to repeat myself for a third f*king time so my tone of voice changes and then they're like 'See I knew you were mad, whats wrong?' AND THEY DONT REALIZE THAT ITS F'KING THEM"
– Assliam-
Read The Room
"Everything okay?"
"Being introverted this gets really annoying. I'm fine. I've got things on my mind that I prefer not to talk about so I'm just dealing with them quietly."
– BigMilk0
Prying
"Why are you so quiet. Is this someone's way of asking what are the traumas involved with your dysfunction? What kind of answer are they expecting or want to hear? I think they just want to dominate more and expect the soft reply."
Loaded Question
"Are you happy?"
"Edit: Either this means someone is mad at me or is asking me to evaluate my life and overall state of satisfaction. The first means drama, the second prompts an existential crisis."
– Jenova66
"What are you?" I get asked, from time to time.
And it never gets more specific than that.
Do I answer, "I'm a he/him who enjoys classic films and long walks on the beach?"
No, because those aren't the answers being sought. I'll respond to people who've put more thought into their question and didn't make me feel like I'm not part of the human race, m'kay?
"What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever heard teacher say in class?"
And Anyone With Such Closed Minded Views Shouldn't Be Teaching...
"Had the Head of the Department in college claim in class that anyone who actually needs accommodations for mental health issues should not be in college to begin with."
"This was while we were discussing 'Death of a Salesman' and the discussion had veered over to unhealthy pressure and social standards for success."- RavensQueen502
Wait what?!
"My very well-respected Biology teacher in college spent almost an entire lecture telling us that Jamie Lee Curtis was a hermaphrodite."
"It seemed oddly personal to him."- Urbane_Cowboy
Sad On So Many Levels
"Not heard but my freshmen year high school teacher once pulled a bottle of Jack out of his desk and took a shot during class."
"He was dying so towards the end I think he just stopped caring."- Mangothefello
Can't Take The Heat, Then Stay Out Of The Classroom...
"High school science teacher told my class that a kilometre was longer than a mile."
"Refused to budge when refuted and kicked out several students for doing so."- SupersonicDebris13
"5th grade teacher: 'Mount Whitney in California is the tallest mountain in the world'."
"5th grade me blurts out: 'No it isn't, Mount Everest is."
"Whitney is not even the tallest mountain in the USA, which is Mount McKinley in Alaska'."
"I got in trouble for 'contradicting the teacher'."- gtmattz
get out GIFGiphyIt's Not Just Students Who Are Bullies...
"I had a teacher ridicule a fat kid about his lunch choices in front of the whole class."
"He ran out crying as she was making fat guy blimp gestures and telling him he was going to be huge as an adult."- SnooOwls5859
Some Dramatic License It Seems...
"I had a literature teacher who told the class that he didn't believe in dinosaurs, because the universe is only a couple thousand years old."
"The bones were put there by Satan."
"Thank f*ck he wasn't a science or history teacher."- AllBadAnswers
of montreal dancing GIF by Polyvinyl RecordsGiphyEveryone Deserves Nice Acomodations...
"My English teacher told us that he genuinely believes that the Rothchilds own a hotel for aliens in the Bermuda triangle."- TroyLear77
Well, Then...
"We had this kid in our 6th-grade class."
"Very dark skinned kid from Africa."
"His name was Tajak."
"Every now and then when we'd line up to go to another class or lunch and the lights would go out some of his friends would go 'where Tajak at?'"
"Anyway one day we had a sub and we we're lining up for lunch, the lights went out and there went the 'where Tajak at?' and the SUBSTITUTE TEACHER who was also black went 'Boy you darker than night'."
"6th grade was f*cking wild."- 11221mikew
Sad Premonitions
"Psych teacher in high school told us that 1 in 10 of the people were friends with in high school would be dead within 5 years of graduating."
"At the time I thought it was hyperbole, but it turns out he was being conservative."
"3 of the people in my high school friend group were dead by the time I was 22."- Reddit
Do They Really Need A Reason?
"'Now girls, don't you let them boys touch your breasts'."
"'It'll give you cancer'."- jondru
Maybe Should Have Checked With The Geography Teacher?
"A teacher in Elementary school claimed during history class that the Colosseum was in Greece, as an Italian kid I was very confused, this was in Mexico."- Spascucci
So Much For Instilling Hope...
"Didn't hear this personally, but read in a book about a guy who recalled his teacher skipping chapters in a textbook and saying 'You will not need to know this when you are down in the mines'."- futanari_kaisa
The mark of a good teacher is that students will take everything they hear from them with them for the rest of their lives.
Though, the less-than-wonderful teachers may also say things their students will never forget.
Redditor RedditPenguin02 wanted to make a list of the best inquiries to make when starting a relationship, so they asked:
"What is a good question to ask before you start dating someone?"
From what I've learned in my past, always ask... "Are you into Buffy the Vampire Slayer? The TV show."
If it's a no, then it's a dealbreaker.
I Do
Shocked Schitts Creek GIF by CBCGiphy"Are you married?"
wrenchmonkey135
"I would ask that. If they said no, the next question was 'Would your wife agree?'"
"If they laughed, they were telling the truth. If they got indignant and pissed off that I thought they were lying…they were married."
"Worked every time."
Squibit314
We Lived!
"Do you clap when the plane lands?"
dont_u_know
"I swear people used to do this all the time when I was a kid (early 2000’s), and I don’t think I’ve heard anyone do it in 5+ years. I guess 9/11 really made people afraid of flying for about 10 years and then most folks decided they didn’t need to applaud when the plane landed safely?"
jmims98
Family Planning
"Do you want kids in the future? If one person wants kids and the other wants to stay child-free, then they are not compatible. And it is better to try dating someone else."
GoodAlicia
"It confuses me whenever some couples who disagree on this end up in a conundrum because one expected the other to change their mind. This is something I bring up early cause I see no future with someone who wants kids when I do not."
GoodAlicia
"You should always put childfree on your dating profile. It's not a small thing. Either you agree on it or not. If I had to date, I would put childfree on my profile too."
GoodAlicia
Carb it on...
"Do you like bread? That is the extent of my flirting skills."
HumpieDouglas
"Being German, bread is like a frickin' cultural phenomenon here, we have around 300 kinds of bread, there's a bread museum, every time I go on vacation I'm like yeah it's nice here but the bread ain't it yall, never as good as home lol. So yeah, valid question and the only answer to this is an enthusiastic yes."
Nayeliq1
Room Temperature
Frosty The Snowman Winter GIF by filmeditorGiphy"What temperature do you set the thermostat to throughout the year?"
OneFingerIn
"Haha this one always gets me as someone who needs low temps - you can always put on more clothes, I can't peel my skin off to get cooler."
djdante
The thermostat is a dealbreaker for me.
It's gonna be 60. Love it or move on.
Discovery
Blown Away Wow GIF by AminéGiphy"When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
"Opens a window to how they think."
youcantkillanidea
"If that was really early on in the dating I’d think it was a bit of a head-f**k question. I’d probably find that question a red flag, tone dependent, although I agree with the sentiment."
LivestockMarc
Personal Time
"Aside from major differences about finances, kids, politics, or religion, a big one is; What are your hobbies? If they don’t really have any, you may be the next hobby, which isn’t going to work unless you’ve got that kind of time. If the hobbies are time-consuming ones generally done with a SO."
"But you have no interest in them, that could be an issue as well. If only one of you likes camping, wanted to spend vacation lounging instead of exploring, didn’t like sports, etc either that partner is annoyed or the other feels like they don’t get to enjoy what they love."
Githard
Past Issues
"Ask them about their exes. If they think every single one of them is an a**hole... they are likely the real a**hole."
CantTakeMeSeriously
"I have mixed feelings about that - I've been in three previous relationships and all three were emotionally abusive towards me (one wasn't nearly as bad as the other two, though) in various ways. I know this is a common sentiment and it always makes me afraid that people won't believe me or something.
"I mean, I realize in your comment you said 'likely' and not '100% sure' and there's plenty of room for nuance."
phiore
Values
"I would try to take care of any dealbreakers. If I find out that she has different political values than I do, it's not going to work out in the long run, so I wouldn't bother. Same thing with other factors (religion, financial values, etc.). I would also ask how much cuddling she likes to engage in, as I prefer a lot."
SkullKrusher9000
Essentials
Tell Me More To Do List GIF by Disney ChannelGiphy"When I was dating my three essential questions were always kids, sex, and money. If you're not on the same wavelength for any of those three things, just don't even try."
KhaosElement
TRUTH PLEASE!!
"So, how much personal debt do you have?"
"Source: the guy who dated a woman with huge debts and was asked to pay for everything and then some".
"After that, I'd go with, 'Have you ever been diagnosed with borderline, narcissistic, or histrionic personality disorders?"
extracensorypower
The questions are basic.
Just ask for the truth.
Do you have any good Qs to add to the queue? Let us know in the comments below.
