Top Stories

Copy of People Share The Absolute Silliest Thing Someone's Ever Asked Them

Copy of People Share The Absolute Silliest Thing Someone's Ever Asked Them
Ben White/Unsplash

It seems like we always used to say, "I have a silly question," and our teachers would come back to say, "There are no bad questions!" However, sometimes that is just not true.

There have been some serious miscommunication and misinformation that resulted in absolutely ridiculous questions, and often can end in a good chuckle. And katlian wanted to know the questions that made us do a double take.

Redditor katlian asked:

"What question was so [ridiculous] that you asked the person to repeat it because you thought you must have misunderstood?"

Here's some of the most mind boggling, annoying, and laughable questions.



They're asking the important questions.

"'What channel is the baseball game on?'"

"I misunderstood because my question to him just before that was: '9-1-1 what is your emergency?'"

- chriscrutch

This teacher is almost done.

"'When is this due?'"

"After saying it out loud every day for a week, writing it in big letters on the board where it's been displayed for two weeks, handing out detailed instructions in writing on paper with the due date on it, publishing said document on two different online classroom platforms, and sending out an email with the due date included."

"I am a week and half from retiring after teaching for 36 years. I can't answer this question again. Not one more time."

- moinatx

"It kills me how completely disconnected some students are. I provide the same information in the syllabus, emails, web announcements, and in person (classroom or via video conference these days). Yet they are still shocked that a due date has passed, or even existed in the first place. They send me panicked emails with questions they could answer themselves with three mouse clicks. Instead of reading instructions, they make assumptions and then argue with me when they're wrong. (Why did you think this was at midnight? I've never said anything was due at midnight . . .)"

"I know its learned helplessness and there's not a lot I can do about it at the college level. I should be used to it after 15 years (OMG . . .) 17 years. But its still so frustrating!"

- paleo2002

Good thing we use email now.

"'How does paper get to the other side of a fax machine?'"

"I had to ask a few times if he was serious or being sarcastic."

"He was dead f*cking serious."

- bitterherpes

Maybe not...

"'If I give someone my email address doesn't that mean it's my email address?'

"To elaborate this lady thought she could just give people a random email address without actually creating the email and that the email account would just magically be created on its own. She didn't understand why she couldn't log into the email address she had been giving people for years, and why she got a phone call from a guy telling her it was his email address and to stop using it."

- mjsmore33

"Ugh, I feel his pain. I've had some dingbat in AZ using one of my email addresses for months. I keep getting notices for their cable and internet bills. The companies won't change it because I'm not the customer."

- katlain

"A person called having a problem with a web application I wrote. Now this application had been up and running for a year with no major modifications or issues so I was sure that it was a problem on their end. I went through some standard debugging questions and narrowed the issue down to their email address not being accepted by the system."

"They were using an AOL address, so I make sure they were including the "@aol.com" part. (Back in the day, AOL users would often forget this ) I did some more debugging but finally figured that they must have triggered some weird edge case bug that went unseen for a year."

"Just as I fired up my code editor, the person asked:"

"'Does the email need to go in the box labeled 'email address'?'"

"I had to mute the call to keep him breaking my professional demeanor and laughing at them. Then, I unmuted and told them that, yes, the application expects you to put your data in the boxes with the appropriate labels. She did this and her email was accepted immediately."

- TechyDad

"These are the same people who become online shoppers and email the seller questions that are answered right in the description of the product, which would be less work to read in the first place."

- katlian

"And leave scathing negative reviews that begin with them saying they didn't use the product properly/as directed."

- convertingcreative

Not the question we expect from a medical professional.

"Went to the doctor because I injured my left knee and she asked me how I was sure which knee was hurt. Because...it's the one that I hurt?"

- voicebread

"I once had a radiologist give me an x-ray. I assumed she wanted a couple of different angles so I let her work on the uninjured side of my body. Then she blamed me for not telling her the arm in the sling was the one that was hurt."

- bool_idiot_is_true

"I have bad luck with hospitals, and I have a really obvious lazy eye that barely works. I used to work at a paint department. I was filling the tint machine, the cans of tint couldn't be opened with a can opener of any kind. We we had to jam a putty knife in the top and cut it open. Some tint splashed up, right in my left eye, the good one. I wash it out, it's water soluble, and non-toxic. I get sent to the E.R., I had to walk to it. By the time I got there my visions was fine, but they checked me out anyway. The docs look me over, then leave for about 10-15 minutes. The nurse comes back, and says she's got good news and bad news."

"Your left eye is fine, no damage. There's something wrong with your right eye. It doesn't face fully forward, and it's vision is poor."

"I couldn't hold back my laughter, I didn't mean to laugh either. Everything got cleared up, except I see things with a hint of magenta...."

- Buhrdt

Oh, the irony!

"I'm legally blind. So for me its this one, 'What can't you see?'"

"How the f*ck do I know??! I can't see it."

- Crafty_Dragon_roll

"I have bad eyes. Well, I have bad vision in one eye and am completely blind in the other.

Talked with somebody last week, explained that I could not see in my right eye. 'Oh? Can you see light and dark at least?'"

"'No. Nothing. I can see just as much as I can with my right elbow.'"

"'Oh, but you really cannot see even light?'"

"'Can YOU see light with your right elbow?'"

"'No... oh! - That sucks.'"

a_sack_of_hampsters

Someone needs a geography lesson.

"'Is that Hawaii?'"

"Asked of me whilst we were standing on the Golden Gate Bridge."

- seekaegee

"Tisk. Tisk. Every body that has seen a map of the US knows that Hawaii is next to Alaska."

- Puppy-Zwolle

And maybe an astronomy lesson while we're at it.

"Deployed to Iraq and one one my Soldiers looked up and asked 'Sergeant, is that the same moon we have in the states?'"

- Monchichi4life

"I hope that Sergeant made the soldier sing 'Somewhere Out There.'"

- sevenbeef

How do trains even work?

"Several of us teens in a van on the way to camp, and this one girl (16 at the time) goes, 'Wait, how does the train get back up?'"

"A few of us: 'Huh?'"

"Her: 'The train tracks (points out window) go down the hill and then back up the hill. How doesn't the train just get stuck?'"

"One of us: 'Trains can go up hill, Tiffany.'"

"Tiff: 'Huh? how?'"

"Another of us: 'They have motors, they just drive. How is this van going uphill right now?'"

"Tiff (eyes lighting up): 'Ohhhh! Wait, I'm [silly!]'"

"True story."

- Joe-Schmeaux

An oops at TSA.

"Going through TSA I asked the person if she needed me to take my hooded sweatshirt off. I didn't mind because I had a shirt on underneath."

"She looked me dead in the eye and with a straight face asked 'is that your outermost garment?'"

"'Excuse me?'"

"'Is that your outermost garment?'"

"I looked down at myself then up again. 'Yes,' I said."

"'Then no, you can leave it on.'"

"I'll assume to this day she meant innermost. What a buffoon."

- FannyTwoTeeth

"'Why no, I'm wearing my invisibility cloak on top. It's a cloak that makes itself invisible.'"

- optcynsejo

Oh deer...

"The guy was about 55 at the time, he asked me how animals like deer/moose got the "Antlers" to stick to their heads."

"He thought they were sticks, that they made them in the shape of antlers and spent a lot of time finding sticks that looked the same."

"I had to do a double take on that one."

"Anyways they obviously use gorilla glue."

- Man_Bear_Beaver

"A lot of people aren't familiar with gorilla glue. I only know about it because I use it to style my hair."

- IwishIwasgoodatnamez

Isn't it obvious?

"I used to work at a late-night college pizza delivery place called 'We Deliver.' Every time someone would call we'd answer the phone with "We Deliver," I.e. the name of the actual store."

"People would still ask us 3-4 times a night if we delivered."

- Oh_umms_cocktails

I think you're thinking of something else...

"I was in line at burger King, there was a woman and her son before me in line. The woman orders her stuff, then dead serious asks the poor kid behind the counter, 'Do you have anything that is carbon free? My son is allergic to carbon and can't eat it.' The poor kid just looks at her, and says 'No.' I couldn't help but chuckle, his face a face of confusion, and holding back laughter."

"'Well, he'll just have a salad then.'"

- Buhrdt

"Is there any matter in your food? I'm allergic to matter."

- notacreaticedrummer

"Sorry does this burger come in antimatter?"

- Deetchy

The 4th of July

"One [person] I know asked my German friend what day do they celebrate the 4th of July?"

- PettyKruger

"I've worked for an international company with American co workers that have asked me what I was doing for 4th of July, I'm British, its like they've forgotten what they were celebrating."

- SCB360

While some of these questions are truly ridiculous, they're absolutely laughable now. Hopefully someone set these people straight!

"Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here."

People Break Down The Worst Double Standards They've Ever Heard

Reddit user No-Challenge-3305 asked: 'What's the stupidest double standard you ever heard from someone?'

golden balance weighing scale

Piret Ilver on Unsplash

A double standard is defined as:

"a code or policy that favors one group or person over another"

However not all double standards are formalized. Most of the double standards individuals face daily are based on customs, stereotypes, traditions or other less formal societal codes of conduct.

Double standards are inherently unfair to one or sometimes both parties.

They may exert control or compliance with gender or socioeconomic stereotypes on everyone or serve to repress one group while favoring the other. But they shouldn't be confused with all unequal rules.

The sign at the amusement park that says "you must be this tall to ride" is there for a very good reason.

Double standards fail to pass any logic test, with some being more ridiculous than others.

Keep reading...Show less
classroom scene of middle school students with frustrated male teacher

Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

When picking a career, it's a good idea to talk to people who have been in the professions you're considering for quite some time.

My parents wanted me to become a doctor, but I was ambivalent to the idea.

My discussions with veteran doctors convinced me there was no way I wanted to go into medicine.

So what are some other not so great jobs?

Keep reading...Show less
photo of woman holding white and black paper bags
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

When I started college, I had every intention of cooking all my meals. It became very apparent very quickly that I simply didn't have the time to accomplish this, and I became the Takeout Queen.

I ordered food constantly. Between getting a monthly "allowance" from my dad (intended to go towards groceries), finding coupons taped to my apartment door everyday, and essentially being "allowed" to tip less than handsomely since I was a college student, I was able to afford this.

When I graduated and moved into my own place, things changed. I was too old to not tip properly, I didn't get any supplementary money from my family, and I had more expenses, such as rent. Still, I continued to order food, and it became my main expense.

My friends tell me the way I order food is only meant for "rich people." I have to skimp on everything else in order to have enough saved to support this. It's definitely true, but I don't think this habit will ever change.

I'm not the only one that does "rich people stuff." Redditors do lots of things that is classified that way, despite not being rich, and they are ready to share their stories.

It all started when Redditor Abbas_Noorani 16 asked:

"What is some rich sh*t you do even though you are not rich?"

Ravenous

"Food. I buy what I want and I try new stuff. I like cooking."

– 34i79s

"Grocery shopping without concern for budget is what made me realize I had made it back in the day. Good times."

"Now I have hard budgets again and it truly sucks. You question every damn decision and convince yourself to do without or downgrade to the lowest priced quality."

– txmail

"On the same boat. The other day I looked at expensive butter that I used to stock up on without even thinking twice and sighed."

– cat101786

Monthly

"Forget to cancel my free trial."

– Adept_Insurance5550

"Damn. Thanks for the reminder."

– -Bk7

"I'm still a member of AOL."

– __SpeedRacer__

Too Hot

"I leave the fridge door open when getting the butter out even though my dad said it would cost billions and send us to the streets."

– frank-sarno

"I leave the front door open when I pop out to grab my mail. Took me years of living on my own to realize the AC bill doesn’t shoot up by hundreds of dollars if I do that."

– MelodramaticQuarter

Necessities

"Buy the good toilet paper."

– FrankGehryNuman

"Absolutely!"

"Good toilet paper. Can't stand cheapo toilet paper, you give yourself a surprise when your finger goes through the paper when wiping your chuff. Don't get me started on that stuff they used to have in hospitals! It was awful - sandpaper that didn't soak up but rather moved stuff 🤐"

– helensmelon

Clean And Sweep

"I have a maid that comes weekly. I've found that my sanity is worth the cost."

– Eringobraugh2021

"Weekly? Oo la la!"

– a**ypantz72

Comfort Matters

"My thermostat stays at the temperature setting of what is most comfortable to me and nothing will change that."

– Cyb3rTruk

"Lol this really outlined how different climates can be. My thought was "Yeah, I'm going to be as cozy and warm as I want and not freeze in the comfort of my own home.""

– McCoyIsFun

Double

"Some days I have two sandwiches at lunch. I smile as I watch all my fellow proletariat eating their single sandwich."

– ShambolicPaul

"Brotip: Cut your sandwich an infinite number of times and rearrange the pieces into two full sandwiches. Don't give your money away to Big Sandwich!"

– NotInherentAfterAll

Sparkling

"Paying for car cleaning."

– angydevil

"Justified, tho my dad would kill me."

– Abbas_Noorani

The Big Cheese

"I sometimes buy name brand cheese instead of the store brand."

– NeuroguyNC

"Tillamook or nothing for me! I’ll buy store brand beans and paper towels and other stuff. But not for my cheese!"

– VariegatedThumb

Replenish

"We have a garage fridge that is full of all different kinds of beverages."

– SixStinkyFingers

"It's not the fridge itself, it's keeping it stocked!"

– 4x32Studio

A House Is A Home

"I own a house...."

– 1d0m1n4t3

"Oh damn rich people sh*t."

– Abbas_Noorani

"We shouldn't be able to joke about owning a modest home being rich people sh*t. Anyone who works full time should be able to afford a home."

– 1d0m1n4t3

Write Better

"I buy the gel comfort pens. Makes me feel I'm a higher class when writing at work. Smooth crisp consistent ink."

– UltraCoolPimpDaddy

"I have gotten into arguments over people stealing my G2 .07."

– savvyspoon2

Me Too!

"I buy small trash bags for the bathroom trash bins. My whole family uses grocery bags, but I don’t like how they always rip at the bottom."

– Deleted User

It's Required!

"No Margarine in my house, Butter Only, and lots of it. My arteries think I'm rich."

– weisblattsnut

Unused

"I have HBO but I don’t watch it."

– MillionToOneShotDoc

"I have Netflix, Prime, Hulu, and Disney Plus. Don’t watch any of it. Watch YouTube all the time and I’m too stupid to get Premium."

– AngryDerf

Now, that's the definition of having money to burn!

Of course, I wouldn't know. I need to save money for my food!

Couple exchanging rings on wedding day
Photo by Saeed Sarshar on Unsplash

Generally, when people talk about marriage, they get excited about the big wedding day and the honeymoon thereafter.

People don't always talk about what happens in the marriage after the "honeymoon phase" wears off, and they certainly don't talk about the other long-term realities of marrying someone for life.

Pondering this, Redditor Ok_Reality-77 asked:

"What did you realize after getting married?"

It's Not All Romantic

"Marriage isn’t just about the person you want to have fun with. It’s also about the person you want to spend $10,000 on a new furnace with, or go to a funeral with, or get a flat tire with."

"Your spouse should make your way in life easier, especially during the hard times."

- aggressivelysingle

Wedding Invitation Drama

"I don’t get upset if I don’t make the cut for someone else’s wedding, that s**t is expensive."

- coconutmama77

"I had one wedding where I got pretty ticked off about not being invited, to be honest."

"One of the bridesmaids at my wedding got married a few years after we did. She was out in Baltimore, and we are UK-based, but she wanted my wife as her bridesmaid too, so we of course flew over. We were the only ones not local."

"In the rehearsal the day before, one of the groomsmen wasn't there, so I stood in for him."

"Then later that night, I was told that the wedding was a small affair and that only my wife was invited to the ceremony. I would be only an evening guest. They just neglected to mention that on the invite."

"It caused massive ripples among the guests because there was no reason for snubbing me like that."

"I really liked the groom and he was in bits trying to deal with the psycho fit his bride was throwing about everything, so I ended up just doing as told so as not to cause an issue for him on his day."

"Years later, she asked my wife on a video call if we wanted to come visit them sometime soon, and her husband said to her, 'You're kidding, right? You know he doesn't like you after the wedding s**t, right?'"

"She was shocked to learn that I thought she was an a**hole, lol (laughing out loud)."

- Wind_Yer_Neck_In

The Wrong Partner

​"Bad marriage does way more harm than being alone."

- rosiebunnies

"When I left my first husband for being an irredeemable a**hat, I truly thought I’d sworn off marriage forever. But here I am, 14 years into my second marriage, and I couldn’t be more thankful that I was wrong about marriage being a bad thing."

- -comfypants

"I’ve had my own bad relationships. Then I started to look at my parents' unhealthy relationship but then saw that my brother actually has a really good one, and that helped put things into perspective. Some people should be together, and others should not."

- Lancefree

The Value of Disagreements

"That true partnership means conflict is inevitable but productive."

"Part of me knew we'd disagree, but I took some time to know the best way to work through it. It's not being a doormat and it's not being right every time."

- d20sapphire

The Importance of Alone Time

"How much I NEED alone time..."

- blacksweater

"We live in a house larger than we need. So we each have hobby areas and our own bathroom in addition to general s**t we don't do together. Our friends think it's weird, but we are strong as f**k, and their relationships didn't survive the pandemic."

- GoldenBarracudas

Secret Personalities

"People can be really, REALLY good at hiding who they truly are."

"People keep telling me I must have missed signs. I think they just haven’t encountered people that can change on a dime like my ex-husband."

- InstantElla

Increased Income

"How much easier it is to afford things as a joint couple with two incomes."

- Ornery-Cattle1051

"To me, this is one of the few downsides to being single. I like my single life but do not like my single income."

- SnoopsMan

Constant Forgiveness

"Marriage is a constant exercise in forgiveness."

"Be sure you love them, like for real."

"Luckily for me, I do."

- pussinbootskitty

Marrying the Family

"They say you marry their family. You absolutely do."

"One day I was a girlfriend, and the next I was holding my husband's grandmother's hand while she died. I was dragged into family fights the likes of which I'd never seen. I've been loved and weaponized and defended like I could never fathom."

"I laughed at people saying they married the whole family. I was so wrong."

- IHeartChipSammiches

"You put this into words so beautifully. I never would have imagined how much I love his family as my own, even though they bug the crap out of me sometimes, lol (laughing out loud)."

- chipmunk_butt

Communication is Key

"That good communication is vital to a relationship."

"The ability to have a calm, rational conversation over any topic is something to strive for. The trust that the two of you can talk about anything in a safe environment is key. The ability to be honest and open with each other."

"Communication, y'all. It works."

- agharta-astra

Ditch the Highway

"You spent X amount of years doing things your way. So has your new spouse. Just because it's not your way doesn't mean it's wrong."

"It's okay to compromise, but it's also okay to realize that some things may come down to My Way, Their Way, and Our Way."

"My husband and I learned a lot from each other but 15 years later, we have never, NEVER compromised on how to fold laundry so we just each do our own. I don't mind doing his, but I'll fold it my way. He'll easily wash and dry mine, but he folds his way. It's nice that the laundry is done, but then I had to refold everything."

"For those wondering, I fold shirts in a tri-fold rectangle and he does some weird square thing. Incompatible in our dresser drawers."

- Scucer

Hands and Height

"I have to add (this may sound bizarre) that if one of you is left-handed and the other is right-handed, you will most certainly run into some problems."

"It seems ridiculous, but where you place things that you need multiple times on a daily basis comes down to space and which hand you use (e.g., dish soap, hand soap, etc. Basically anything on a counter in a kitchen or a bathroom)."

"This also applies to height differences. Sometimes we really, literally have to find the in-between, or accept that one or the other will be doing it for themselves and it’s not insulting. It’s just really for the best sanity of us both."

- HGLiveEdge

Cherish the Time

"I must say, for me, it would be Time. Time moves SOOOOO very slow, and SOOOOOOOOOOOOO very fast."

"I married my wife yesterday."

"We closed on our first house yesterday."

"We had our boys YESTERDAY."

"I finished our basement with my own two hands (and my best friends’ hands) yesterday."

"We sold our first home yesterday."

"My father passed away YESTERDAY."

"My boys started high school and middle school yesterday."

"I just made an @ss of myself tonight and needed to apologize to my wife! (This actually was tonight.)"

"Seriously, everything feels like yesterday, but it is moving by so quickly. I’m just trying to hold on, thankfully, she’s here with me."

- pencerules

Marriage Plus Kids

"Everyone was wrong, marriage changed nothing."

"But children... Children change everything."

- korinth86

"100% agree. We lived together before we got married. Absolutely nothing in our relationship changed. But kids. Oh lord, that changes everything."

- StannVeal

Medically Responsible

"It changes who can kick whom out of the hospital room. And that was why I got married."

"My husband got married for the feel’s and the frilly stuff. I got married so he/we inherit each other's stuff and get the final say on end-of-life stuff (it was a rough couple of years, I lost a lot of family in a short span)."

"Can all that be done separately from marriage? YEP. Is it viewed as seriously? Nope. Can it be done as easily and in one fell swoop? Nope."

"(This, more than the feelings, to me, is why people should be able to marry whom they choose, regardless of gender.)"

- sageautumn

Right in the Feels

"I like saying, 'My wife…' even more than I thought I would."

"We’ve each been married before, and we were together for 7 years before we got around to getting married (we knew where it was going very early). I didn’t think it would feel like that big of a deal to say, but… I love my wife, and the experience of referring to her is enough to make me smile."

- BetweenCoffeeNSleep

While there were some tough realities mixed into this list, most of the experiences shared here were heartwarming.

Marriage might be diminished by some to be just a piece of paper, but for those who take the symbolism seriously, there is some real happiness in store for them.