Everyone likes to learn something new, but sometimes you’re plagued by a curiosity that feels like it only reveals that you’re ignorant. Fortunately, the internet has a variety of solutions if you decide to go down any rabbit hole.
So in case you have a list of questions you’d love to actually know the answers to but were embarrassed to ask, we’ve gathered some of the best posts from the “No stupid questions” internet community. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own examples in the comments down below.
#1 My Birth Certificate Says I Was Born In 1670, Not 1970, Making Me 354 Years Old, Instead Of 54. Is There Any Fun, Legal Way I Can Exploit This To My Benefit?
DarkPolumbo:
If you're in the US, angrily invoke the Homestead Act of 1862 and explain that you applied many years ago but never got your free 160 acres of land, and demand that they give it to you forthwith!
If you're in the US, angrily invoke the Homestead Act of 1862 and explain that you applied many years ago but never got your free 160 acres of land, and demand that they give it to you forthwith!
9points
#2 My 20 Year Old Son Doesn't Date. His Friends Don't Date. My Friends Kids Don't Date. What Is Going On?
ProbablyAnNSAPlant:
1) There's nowhere to meet people organically. Nobody hangs out at the mall anymore, and things like arcades don't really exist. Coffee shops are filled with remote workers using it as their personal work space, and bars and clubs play their music so loud that, even if I did meet somebody there, I couldn't spit the game I don't have anyway.
2) Online dating is a nightmare. If you're not extremely attractive, you're fighting a losing battle, and you can't fall back on having a great personality because the whole thing is extremely impersonal. And even if you are attractive, there are so many people that just use these apps for validation and don't actually have any intention of meeting up in real life. And even if you do somehow find someone that you vibe with and get them to agree to meet up, it's upsettingly normal these days, in all kinds of social contexts, for people to just not show up to an agreed upon meetup, and then act like they owe you no explanation for why they decided to both not show up and not tell you that they decided to not show up.
3) Millennials and gen z have been priced out of things that were normal adult milestones for previous generations. Most of my friend group in our late 20s and early 30s either never moved out of our parent's houses, or moved back in with them during the pandemic, and those of us that aren't living with our parents are either working multiple jobs or living with multiple roommates to afford it. None of those scenarios are particularly conducive to bringing a romantic interest home.
So unless you happen to be a reasonably attractive person, with a job that doesn't pay you dirt wages, and a friend whose girlfriend has a single friend that thinks you're cute, you're kind of SOL. And in the face of all of that, a lot of us are realizing that being single isn't so bad and in a lot of ways is less stressful, so we fill our time with hobbies and hanging out with our platonic friends.
1) There's nowhere to meet people organically. Nobody hangs out at the mall anymore, and things like arcades don't really exist. Coffee shops are filled with remote workers using it as their personal work space, and bars and clubs play their music so loud that, even if I did meet somebody there, I couldn't spit the game I don't have anyway.
2) Online dating is a nightmare. If you're not extremely attractive, you're fighting a losing battle, and you can't fall back on having a great personality because the whole thing is extremely impersonal. And even if you are attractive, there are so many people that just use these apps for validation and don't actually have any intention of meeting up in real life. And even if you do somehow find someone that you vibe with and get them to agree to meet up, it's upsettingly normal these days, in all kinds of social contexts, for people to just not show up to an agreed upon meetup, and then act like they owe you no explanation for why they decided to both not show up and not tell you that they decided to not show up.
3) Millennials and gen z have been priced out of things that were normal adult milestones for previous generations. Most of my friend group in our late 20s and early 30s either never moved out of our parent's houses, or moved back in with them during the pandemic, and those of us that aren't living with our parents are either working multiple jobs or living with multiple roommates to afford it. None of those scenarios are particularly conducive to bringing a romantic interest home.
So unless you happen to be a reasonably attractive person, with a job that doesn't pay you dirt wages, and a friend whose girlfriend has a single friend that thinks you're cute, you're kind of SOL. And in the face of all of that, a lot of us are realizing that being single isn't so bad and in a lot of ways is less stressful, so we fill our time with hobbies and hanging out with our platonic friends.
9points
#3 How True Is This, "Most People Would Rather Work With Someone Who's Mediocre At Their Job, But Pleasant To Be Around, Than A Person Who's Exceptionally Good, But A Jerk"?
EdgyGoose:
Yep! I work in IT and I'm on a lot of interview panels, and we don't actually even look for IT skills at all (for customer-facing positions), because it's so much easier to teach someone good computer skills than it is to teach someone good people skills.
Yep! I work in IT and I'm on a lot of interview panels, and we don't actually even look for IT skills at all (for customer-facing positions), because it's so much easier to teach someone good computer skills than it is to teach someone good people skills.
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7points
#4 My Brother Is 13 And Illiterate. I Don't Know Where I Can Really Go For Advice On This. My Brother Is 13 And Can't Read, Like At All. When I To Try And Find Resources For Help I Don't Find Much. Could Anyone Point Me In The Right Direction To Help?
anon:
I know a lot of folks are talking about CPS, but I wanted to throw in some advice on reading. I was an elementary reading teacher for many years. I also worked with older elementary kids who struggled with reading. The thing that got the fastest and most effective results for the kids I worked with was finding something they were really interested in and reading with them about it. For example, I had one kid who was an avid Trekkie. I bought him several books that went into the Star Trek lore and schematics of the ships and space stations. He would sit and pour over those for the hours with me and his parents told me he kept reading at home. I would help by reading aloud with him, sliding my finger under the words as I read - never telling him it was for his benefit. I let him think that's just how I read. Over the course of a few months, his reading improved significantly. I'm not going to tell you he was ready to read War and Peace, but he was able to get through basic texts with minimal assistance.
You're in a really tough spot and I applaud you for recognizing how important reading is and wanting to help your brother. Find something he loves, find a text on it (book, magazine, printed webpage - whatever) and tell him you want to show him something cool and just start reading, pointing as you go. Maybe find things regularly and do this. It can be five minutes or as long as you can keep him focused. This absolutely won't solve everything, but it will help to bring him to a basic level of literacy and it might help him to become interested in reading.
Good luck and let us know how things go!
I know a lot of folks are talking about CPS, but I wanted to throw in some advice on reading. I was an elementary reading teacher for many years. I also worked with older elementary kids who struggled with reading. The thing that got the fastest and most effective results for the kids I worked with was finding something they were really interested in and reading with them about it. For example, I had one kid who was an avid Trekkie. I bought him several books that went into the Star Trek lore and schematics of the ships and space stations. He would sit and pour over those for the hours with me and his parents told me he kept reading at home. I would help by reading aloud with him, sliding my finger under the words as I read - never telling him it was for his benefit. I let him think that's just how I read. Over the course of a few months, his reading improved significantly. I'm not going to tell you he was ready to read War and Peace, but he was able to get through basic texts with minimal assistance.
You're in a really tough spot and I applaud you for recognizing how important reading is and wanting to help your brother. Find something he loves, find a text on it (book, magazine, printed webpage - whatever) and tell him you want to show him something cool and just start reading, pointing as you go. Maybe find things regularly and do this. It can be five minutes or as long as you can keep him focused. This absolutely won't solve everything, but it will help to bring him to a basic level of literacy and it might help him to become interested in reading.
Good luck and let us know how things go!
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7points
#5 Does Anyone Else Stay Up At Night Because That’s The Only Time They Can Be Alone?
midnight_cabana:
The sweet glimps of freedom for those few hours when the world shuts up for a moment
giveurauntbunnyakiss:
Nearly every night. I don’t want life to just consist of work, eating, and sleeping. Also, the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner time for work arrives again.
The sweet glimps of freedom for those few hours when the world shuts up for a moment
giveurauntbunnyakiss:
Nearly every night. I don’t want life to just consist of work, eating, and sleeping. Also, the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner time for work arrives again.
6points
#6 Am I The Only One That Thinks Novels Should Have A Page Near The Back That Lists All The Main Characters And A Brief Synopsis So That I Am Not Constantly Flipping Through Pages To Figure Out Who Someone Is?
anon:
You'll occasionally see some novels that do this, or something similar to it. I remember in my copy of War and Peace there was a chart that named all the major characters and their familial relation to one another.
roadcrew778:
For this reason, I appreciate books that have maps.
You'll occasionally see some novels that do this, or something similar to it. I remember in my copy of War and Peace there was a chart that named all the major characters and their familial relation to one another.
roadcrew778:
For this reason, I appreciate books that have maps.
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6points
#7 Does Anyone Go Through A Vicious Loop Of Being Productive & Having A Great Routine For A Few Days To Living Like An Absolute Slob For The Next Few... Rinse And Repeat?
anon:
Yes and i've found it better to forgive myself for being unproductive some days. Being hard on myself only makes me more likely to extend the unproductive phase.
Also, unpopular opinion maybe, but we are allowed to not be productive every now and then. There's no moral failing there.
Yes and i've found it better to forgive myself for being unproductive some days. Being hard on myself only makes me more likely to extend the unproductive phase.
Also, unpopular opinion maybe, but we are allowed to not be productive every now and then. There's no moral failing there.
6points
#8 Why Is It Considered Humane To Put A Dog Down When It Is Old And Sickly But When It's A Human, Our Goal Is To Keep Them Alive For As Long As Possible Even If They Have To Suffer?
Bellamy1715:
A lot of people think that this is nuts, and there is a movement to get dying people out of hospitals and back home where they are happier. I hope it gains strength. I don't want to live for 6 months in a hospital when I should be unalive.
JayAreElls:
If I get Alzheimer’s, don’t keep me alive for 15 years like my grandmother had to suffer through. My poor grandpa had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep her alive, just for her to sit there for years, slowly going away
Nah, put me on a makeshift bamboo sailboat and set me off into the sunset, or put me down in my sleep after I enjoy my last bite of chocolate chip cookie.
A lot of people think that this is nuts, and there is a movement to get dying people out of hospitals and back home where they are happier. I hope it gains strength. I don't want to live for 6 months in a hospital when I should be unalive.
JayAreElls:
If I get Alzheimer’s, don’t keep me alive for 15 years like my grandmother had to suffer through. My poor grandpa had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep her alive, just for her to sit there for years, slowly going away
Nah, put me on a makeshift bamboo sailboat and set me off into the sunset, or put me down in my sleep after I enjoy my last bite of chocolate chip cookie.
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6points
#9 What Does Passing Away Feel Like?
marly-:
You probably won't be hungry or thirsty much for the last two weeks, and can expect some incontinence towards the end as well. You won't have to worry too much, eating nothing and drinking nothing will lead to less waste when that does (if it does.)
Some people report an overwhelming sense of peace before the end. I hope this is true for you. I hope you have a safe passage and wonderful journey.
You probably won't be hungry or thirsty much for the last two weeks, and can expect some incontinence towards the end as well. You won't have to worry too much, eating nothing and drinking nothing will lead to less waste when that does (if it does.)
Some people report an overwhelming sense of peace before the end. I hope this is true for you. I hope you have a safe passage and wonderful journey.
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6points
#10 Why Is It So Awkward To Meet Your Cat In The Wild?
action_lawyer_comics:
Because as far as the cat is concerned, you're only work friends
UsedMammoth:
This happened to me a few years ago. But my cat was super excited and kept on trying to lead me into other people gardens.
"Like bro! This way is super cool... oh your going this way. Cool, cool... Hey let's jump this fence there's some really cool... ok this path is fine. Nah I'm just hyped you're here, I never see you outside"
Because as far as the cat is concerned, you're only work friends
UsedMammoth:
This happened to me a few years ago. But my cat was super excited and kept on trying to lead me into other people gardens.
"Like bro! This way is super cool... oh your going this way. Cool, cool... Hey let's jump this fence there's some really cool... ok this path is fine. Nah I'm just hyped you're here, I never see you outside"
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6points
#11 Anybody Else Skip Past The Ads On Google And Click The First “Real” Link To Get To A Website Even If The Ad Will Take You To The Same Place?
I_might_be_weasel:
For me, it's Pavlovian conditioning at this point. I'm so used to ads being sketchy malware bullshit, I don't even really register they are there and just read around them.
For me, it's Pavlovian conditioning at this point. I'm so used to ads being sketchy malware bullshit, I don't even really register they are there and just read around them.
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5points
#12 When Leaving The House, Does Anyone Tell Their Pets They Will Be Home Later?
johntwoods:
Every single time.
They are pretty old, so over the years they seem to understand the difference in time between 'Store' and 'Work'.
Store is reserved for anything under an hour.
Work is when we will be gone for over an hour or more.
We just say 'We're going to the store, we'll be right back, and they go to these specific spots in the living room.'
When we say, 'We're going to work, we'll see you soon.' They sit in other spots.
Every single time.
They are pretty old, so over the years they seem to understand the difference in time between 'Store' and 'Work'.
Store is reserved for anything under an hour.
Work is when we will be gone for over an hour or more.
We just say 'We're going to the store, we'll be right back, and they go to these specific spots in the living room.'
When we say, 'We're going to work, we'll see you soon.' They sit in other spots.
5points
#13 Why Is It That Presidential Elections Always Feel Like Choosing Between The "Lesser Of Two Evils" And Not "The Better Of Two Good Candidates"?
Valthek:
Because your country runs on a first-past-the-post system. Only a single person can be elected and that person is whoever gets the most votes, so it makes sense for ideologically aligned people to pool their resources and present a single person instead of all trying to win and losing to a different unified party.
This is why endorsements from the same party exist and why third party candidates can never win more than a few percentage points.
Because your country runs on a first-past-the-post system. Only a single person can be elected and that person is whoever gets the most votes, so it makes sense for ideologically aligned people to pool their resources and present a single person instead of all trying to win and losing to a different unified party.
This is why endorsements from the same party exist and why third party candidates can never win more than a few percentage points.
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5points
#14 Are Men Really That Much Stronger Than Women?
heckatrashy:
I remember trying to fight a guy off when I was a teenager, we were the same age and the situation got uncomfortable, I kept pushing him and trying to pull myself away, and I don’t think he even understood that I was doing everything I could to get away. I’ve also heard of trials where it’s argued that the women didn’t fight hard enough, but as hard as you can might not even be hard enough to notice with a man with tunnel vision.
We need to have these conversations because it’s dangerous to pretend we all know or even worse that we’re equally matched.
I remember trying to fight a guy off when I was a teenager, we were the same age and the situation got uncomfortable, I kept pushing him and trying to pull myself away, and I don’t think he even understood that I was doing everything I could to get away. I’ve also heard of trials where it’s argued that the women didn’t fight hard enough, but as hard as you can might not even be hard enough to notice with a man with tunnel vision.
We need to have these conversations because it’s dangerous to pretend we all know or even worse that we’re equally matched.
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5points
#15 Am I Allowed To Cut The Chip Off Of My Credit Card And Attach It Inside Of A Magicians Wand So I Can Tap It To Magically Complete Purchases?
TehWildMan_:
Be aware that the antenna on cards is usually extremely fragile when not protected by a slab of plastic.
I did this with a transit card twice (reshaping the antenna so that it would slide into a glove), and neither attempt survived more than a day
Be aware that the antenna on cards is usually extremely fragile when not protected by a slab of plastic.
I did this with a transit card twice (reshaping the antenna so that it would slide into a glove), and neither attempt survived more than a day
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5points
#16 If Women Want Real Pockets In Their Clothing, Why Don’t Some Company Just Do As They Say And Make A Ton Of Profit?
thiccubus8:
Some do. All of my bottoms are from American Eagle or Athleta, and both brands make functional pockets. They may be in the minority, but there are options. The ones that still don’t give women pockets may do it because they can’t figure out how to make pockets that don’t make the pants look bulky.
Some do. All of my bottoms are from American Eagle or Athleta, and both brands make functional pockets. They may be in the minority, but there are options. The ones that still don’t give women pockets may do it because they can’t figure out how to make pockets that don’t make the pants look bulky.
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5points
#17 Why Do Employers Expect A 2 Week Notice When You're About To Quit, But Won't Give You A 2 Week Notice When They're About To Let You Go?
R4gn4_r0k:
I worked at a company about 10 years ago where I was one of the few who knew how to run and transpose certain reports. I liked the company and was leaving for school and wanted to go back so I actually gave a month notice. I knew they'd have to hire someone and train them.
They found someone internal to take over for me in a couple of days so I spent a lot of time at their desk training them. Well, Wednesday of the next week my manager called me into the office to say they were letting me go because I was never at my desk and I wasn't doing my work (a lie).
I filed unemployment. The company tried to fight it, saying I was let go for performance. However, a month before I had my annual review and had all high marks, and had never been in trouble.
Unemployment found on my favor and the company ended up having to pay me unemployment for 6 months. Instead of just paying me for two extra weeks, they failed themselves.
I worked at a company about 10 years ago where I was one of the few who knew how to run and transpose certain reports. I liked the company and was leaving for school and wanted to go back so I actually gave a month notice. I knew they'd have to hire someone and train them.
They found someone internal to take over for me in a couple of days so I spent a lot of time at their desk training them. Well, Wednesday of the next week my manager called me into the office to say they were letting me go because I was never at my desk and I wasn't doing my work (a lie).
I filed unemployment. The company tried to fight it, saying I was let go for performance. However, a month before I had my annual review and had all high marks, and had never been in trouble.
Unemployment found on my favor and the company ended up having to pay me unemployment for 6 months. Instead of just paying me for two extra weeks, they failed themselves.
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5points
#18 Just One Lifetime Ago In The United States, Our Grandfathers Could Buy A Home, Buy A Car, Have 3 To 4 Children, Keep Their Wives At Home, Take Annual Vacations, And Then Retire… All On One Middle-Class Salary. What Happened?
OrangutanOntology:
While it is not the only reason, a reason is that during our grandparents youth much of the world had not recovered from the devastation of WW2. United States was relatively unscathed by the war and so there was little competition for our exports.
sherahero:
That lifestyle wasn't the case for the majority of Americans. Many women also worked, unless the family was upper middle class. My parents were born in the 40s and I'm one of 6 kids and my family lived on a farm but my mom also worked in a factory before my dad passed away. It's held up as the ideal but realistically that's so much more to if than just salary.
I'm sure if you lived as of it were the 50s you could survive on less money. Small house, 1 car for the family, only a landline and no cell phones, a single small tv, no cable or streaming services, no Internet, hand-me-down or homemade clothing, cook only at home with groceries from the local area (no pineapple or avocado from far away), have a garden, don't save for college, etc etc.
While it is not the only reason, a reason is that during our grandparents youth much of the world had not recovered from the devastation of WW2. United States was relatively unscathed by the war and so there was little competition for our exports.
sherahero:
That lifestyle wasn't the case for the majority of Americans. Many women also worked, unless the family was upper middle class. My parents were born in the 40s and I'm one of 6 kids and my family lived on a farm but my mom also worked in a factory before my dad passed away. It's held up as the ideal but realistically that's so much more to if than just salary.
I'm sure if you lived as of it were the 50s you could survive on less money. Small house, 1 car for the family, only a landline and no cell phones, a single small tv, no cable or streaming services, no Internet, hand-me-down or homemade clothing, cook only at home with groceries from the local area (no pineapple or avocado from far away), have a garden, don't save for college, etc etc.
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5points
#19 Why Is American Higher Education Seen As The World's Gold Standard Yet American Secondary Education Is Viewed So Poorly?
devreddy:
I'm surprised no one mentioned the financial aspect of this, the gold standard OP is referring to is in regard to the well-established Universities in the US which have a significantly higher budget and resources available for both research and infrastructure. Their tuition is higher, the donations from other sources and funding they receive are higher when compared to any other country. Furthermore, the universities in the US attract faculty, talent, and students from all over the globe.
On the other hand, the secondary public school system in the US in many cases is run by state which allocates low budget, to begin with, and they receive very minimal funding from other sources if any. Often the public schools don't have the infrastructure to support the students and in some cases, they cannot compensate their staff well enough. But the secondary education systems of countries that are rated at the top are funded very well from their respective federal budgets.
I'm surprised no one mentioned the financial aspect of this, the gold standard OP is referring to is in regard to the well-established Universities in the US which have a significantly higher budget and resources available for both research and infrastructure. Their tuition is higher, the donations from other sources and funding they receive are higher when compared to any other country. Furthermore, the universities in the US attract faculty, talent, and students from all over the globe.
On the other hand, the secondary public school system in the US in many cases is run by state which allocates low budget, to begin with, and they receive very minimal funding from other sources if any. Often the public schools don't have the infrastructure to support the students and in some cases, they cannot compensate their staff well enough. But the secondary education systems of countries that are rated at the top are funded very well from their respective federal budgets.
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5points
#20 What Are Florida Ounces?
toofarbyfar:
"Fl oz" stands for "fluid ounces," not Florida.
Dr-Floofensmertz
Reminds me of when my kid was learning to read. She started reading everything, and one day, while she was rattling off nutrition facts from something she was snacking on, she says "the sodium must be bad. It just says oh my God." (0mg)
Edit: I realize how fake to anyone who doesn't know us this sounds. She was probably 2nd grade, was/is a very strong reader, but most importantly, has had a very "online" personality since a young age. Acronyms get used a lot among us jokingly. This one's been one of our inside jokes in the family since she said it
"Fl oz" stands for "fluid ounces," not Florida.
Dr-Floofensmertz
Reminds me of when my kid was learning to read. She started reading everything, and one day, while she was rattling off nutrition facts from something she was snacking on, she says "the sodium must be bad. It just says oh my God." (0mg)
Edit: I realize how fake to anyone who doesn't know us this sounds. She was probably 2nd grade, was/is a very strong reader, but most importantly, has had a very "online" personality since a young age. Acronyms get used a lot among us jokingly. This one's been one of our inside jokes in the family since she said it
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4points
