#1
I have seen someone ask for 10k in rental assistance, thinking that their local human services office can just hand over 10 grand to everyone who asks.
They also deny they are in the exact same position as people they loudly complain are freeloaders taking advantage of a system. So it's alright that you get food stamps, daycare assistance, medicaid, section 8 and gas vouchers but God forbid someone you decide you don't like gets half that.
#2
#3
A few days ago, a thread appeared on the AskReddit community where the netizen u/latica_elf asked: "What's the most unbelievable 'wait, you don't get this?' moment you've had with another adult?" Well, in just a couple of days, it garnered over 5K upvotes with nearly 3K various comments.
And you know what? As it turns out, even things that 99% of the world's population would think are common knowledge since preschool can sometimes baffle even adults.
From which direction the sun rises to the number of letters in the English alphabet and the peculiarities of their own bodies - please welcome to this selection of awkward stories about "basic" knowledge made for you by Bored Panda!
#4
#5
She said she knew I was doing d***s in the bathroom because I was on my period and I didn’t have time to change my tampon while I was in there. I told her I hadn’t changed my tampon because it had only been in for like an hour. Then she asked how I had peed without changing my tampon.
That’s how I learned my mum didn’t know that the urethra was seperate from the v****a. I told her I just move the string out the way. She was adamant that it’s impossible to pee with a tampon in because then the pee wouldn’t come out. She was about 50 years old at that time. She still didn’t believe they were different holes. I had to go onto the computer and pull up a diagram and she still refused to believe it, stating “I think I would know if I had two different holes!”
Anyway a few years later when I DID start doing d***s she had no idea.
#6
ETA: I told my partner about this post and was told I need to add one more fun detail to this story. The cat's name was Angel. Really. Angel, and she was a white kitty.
Okay, so what exactly constitutes "obvious" knowledge? For example, considering that some people may never encounter the need for certain school-learned knowledge throughout their lives. Like, if someone isn't interested in literature and has worked their entire life in, let’s say, food service or delivery, how basic can knowledge of Shakespeare's plays be considered for them?
Or let’s take geography, for instance. A couple of centuries ago, a young nobleman in a satirical comedy said that it was an "ignoble" science because you could always call a coachman, tell him where you need to go, and he'll take you there. The comedy, of course, was mocking that character.
But that was a long time ago, and today we have online maps, GPS navigation, and a whole bunch of other services that can arguably replace geography. So is it any wonder someone doesn't know the capital of France or China?
#7
My normally bright, well-educated (and kind) husband could not wrap his head around this. Kept looking at and talking to me like I was an absolute idiot for suggesting this. The desk agent tried to explain it too. I was just like “I literally don’t understand how you don’t understand that taking things out of a bag makes it lighter.” The charge is for each individual bag, not the cumulative total. Eventually he agreed (rudely) but didn’t seem like he ever got it.
By mid-January, his behavior had become so erratic (and often mean) that I confronted him, believing he was having a manic episode. I’ll spare the rest of the details but he was dead by March of 2025.
If there is a moral to this story, it’s that I’d like to see more research done on the brain impairment caused by mania and bipolar disorder. There does seem to be some similarity in symptoms to Alzheimer’s but it doesn’t appear that much research has been done in this avenue. .
#8
#9
He was confounded when he discovered that - gasp! - cancelled checks were returned to the owner. He had made it out to himself, cashed it, and was shocked - shocked, I tell you - when he was arrested.
But no, general erudition and knowledge, no matter how useful online services may be, will always come in handy. Even if you're already used to asking ChatGPT about literally everything. At the very least, to verify the AI's answers. Moreover, your own knowledge gives you a much broader perspective and a level of expertise in a wide variety of areas of life.
For example, this dedicated article at Owlcation claims that having broad knowledge actually helps anyone, at least, start conversations easily, make more informed decisions, keep up with new trends, and generally communicate better with other people around you.
Basically, if you're well-versed in a variety of topics, you'll at least be able to communicate more easily in a wide variety of companies. And that's not to mention potential career advancement.
"Employees who possess a broad understanding of concepts and trends in their industry can contribute to discussions, innovate solutions, and collaborate effectively with colleagues," this post on Alooba reasonably states.
#10
#11
He was dead serious; he thought the moon only came out at night. This is a man with a wife and kids. Maybe he never looked at the sky growing up? He had forgotten about the eclipse that was a few weeks before it. The whole crew gave him c**p all day, pointing out obvious stuff like clouds and s**t. “Dude; how can a cloud come out; it’s a sunny day?!”.
#12
By the way, acquiring new knowledge, among other things, can also stimulate our brain, help it develop, and prevent various age-related diseases.
"I've seen medical studies time and again confirming that training our minds and memory at any age is quite effective in preventing the development of various diseases, such as dementia," says Valery Bolgan, a historian and editor-in-chief of the Intent news agency from Ukraine, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment.
At the very least, as the expert claims, various brain training exercises can actually reduce the likelihood of such diseases, and that's already a great thing. Learning new skills, new languages, various intellectual games, and even simply reading books - all of this not only helps us gain knowledge but also truly contributes to a better quality of our lives.
#13
#14
#15
We do hope we've at least partially convinced you that knowledge is very useful, even in our contemporary world, where artificial intelligence is ready to do everything for us, even to learn something new. In any case, please feel free to read these stories and maybe add your own if you have something similar under your belt. After all, ain’t reading new, interesting tales also incredibly useful?
#16
"You're Swedish right? Do you speak English with your family?"
"N-no, I speak Swedish with my family."
"Ah... How did you learn Swedish?"
What followed was a bizarre explanation about native tongues, overlapping languages, and earth-shattering realization that "American" just like "Mexican" and "Brazilian" aren't languages, and that most houses in Europe are older than the United States.
#17
#18
My principal saw, asked me what happened, and I told her the situation. She said “what’s so bad about that”? Apparently, she thought it had something to do with an armadillo.
#19
Go back a week later and they had an OPEN box of cereal next to a mousetrap. Still experiencing mice. When I reiterated putting food in hard containers to deter mice, they thought they would catch the one or two mice with cereal and be done. Had to explain there are MILLIONS of mice in the city and catching one was not going to solve the problem. 🤦🏻♀️.
#20
Also had to get the history books out as he believed dinosaurs were made up and weren't real - had to explain evolution. He couldn't understand it.