There is always some information that we take for granted. And when other people don't know this information, it can weird us out.
For example, I used to assume that everyone knows what a tax liability it is. As I grew older, I realized that I was just fortunate to be raised by a parent who happens to be financially literate. The same applies to credit cards: They're not free money. But how many people do you know who don't realize this? (This is also a sign of the larger issues within our educational system.)
After Redditor Falafelmeister92 asked the online community, "What's your 'WTF, how do people NOT know this' moment?" people shared their observations.
"I was watching a sunset..."
I was watching a sunset at the beach with a friend when she asked me why the ocean doesn't extinguish the sun when the sun goes under the water. She was young, but an adult. Had a short conversation about the sun, the earth, and the rotation of the earth.
"They're called..."
That pickles aren't an actual food. They're called pickles because they're pickled vegetables.
"You need to clean out..."
You need to clean out the lint trap in a dryer. I frequently come across people in their 30s that can't figure out why their clothes take so long to dry...
This one doesn't surprise me at all.
The number of men I know who don't know how to do their own laundry will never surprise me. One of my friends has a roommate who is still flummoxed by their washer and dryer!
"My aunt once argued with me..."
My aunt once argued with me that H2O was not two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen, but a word on its own—maybe spelled Aitchtwooh? I was never clear on that. "It's just another word for water it doesn't stand for anything." I was 13. I still get mad remembering it.
"There was a woman..."
There was a woman in my office that was in charge of planning parties. She thought that cutting a pizza into more slices made more pizza.
She also thought that if you poured soda from a two-liter bottle into an eight-ounce bottle then poured it back into the two-liter bottle, you'd make more soda.
"An insane amount of people..."
An insane amount of people don't know and absolutely refuse to believe that the Sun is a star.
Believe it or not, it is!
Pay attention in science class, people.
"I once made out with a girl..."
I once made out with a girl, nothing else. The next day she called me, crying asking if she could be pregnant. We were both 22.
And this is why sex-ed is important.
When I was in college, I took a basic biology course and was stunned by the questions I heard that I believed until then had been answered in high school, or even before.
"They often see it as a bonus..."
Some people don't know that they can actually manage their own retirement fund. They often see it as a bonus they get once they retire, rather than a huge life-changing investment.
"Apparently..."
Narwhals are real.
Apparently, some people think they're imaginary, like unicorns. I was shocked to discover that some people don't think they exist. I expressed this to my sister, who was surprised to learn they actually exist.
"On 9/11..."
On 9/11, when I arrived at my office, coworkers were discussing what had happened. Someone mentioned attacks on both coasts. I was surprised to hear that, as I hadn't heard anything about the West Coast being affected.
Turns out they thought D.C. was in Washington state.
"I grew up in Alaska..."
I grew up in Alaska but I went to fifth grade in Las Vegas. My first day they had me introduce myself to the class and to tell them some interesting things about Alaska. I mentioned it was the largest state and everyone started arguing with me. I looked at the map of the US on the wall and instantly understood why they were confused. Alaska was shrunk down in a little box in the corner. I laughed and said, "Did you think it was an island, too?" Crickets. Pretty sure they thought it was an island. I showed them there were 5 longitudinal lines across AK and only 3 across Texas. Also showed them on the map where it said it was attached to Canada.
Our education system sucks.
Basic geography eludes a lot of people.
Speaking of the United States: It also doesn't help that so many people don't travel outside of their own states. To be fair, it's not exactly simple for most everyone to get up and travel, for reasons that would keep us here all day if we were to start discussing them."I dated a girl once..."
I dated a girl once who could not get her head around that I know how to poach an egg at home.
"In 12th grade..."
In 12th grade, a classmate asked what a "verb" is. And after we explained it to him, he asked how he is supposed to identify them in the text.
I can't help but be reminded of the "Verb, it's what you do" campaign.
You would think that might have cleared it up. It's a shame how even the basic mechanics of the English language aren't relayed properly, but this goes back, once again, to the faults in our educational system.
Human beings have a remarkable ability to make us shake our heads, roll our eyes, or even sigh out of desperation. Have your own stories to share? Feel free to write about them in the comments section below.
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