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We live in a curious world, and there are a couple of questions that every human would be absolutely thrilled to know the answers to; where did we come from, how many universes are there, and is there a plan for us, or is the future yet to be written? 

"There is no such thing as a stupid question" – a common phrase that suggests that just because one person may know less than others, they should not be afraid to ask questions, even if they sound rather odd. 

“What is the dumbest question someone legitimately asked you?” – this online user took it to one of the most well-liked Reddit communities to find out what kinds of foolish questions the online members have gotten. The post has received nearly 35K upvotes and 31.4K worth of entertaining comments.

More info: Reddit

#1

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong One day one of my students said “Ew, I have to work today.” To which I replied, “So do I.”

He looked at me and asked, honestly, “Oh really? Where do you work?”

“Here...I work here...right where I am standing. I don’t do this as a service to your parents.”

BrainPainn , saimad Report

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Janet Graham
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember that as a topic of discussion in 4th or 5th grade. It started out as what do you want to be when you are older. Then, someone asked the teacher to answer, too. All hell broke loose as we realized that she wasn't there just because she loved us.

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#2

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong American: "Do you have airplanes in South America?"

Me: "No, I got here swinging on vines that hang from our trees"

throwawayventing2018 , Jason O'Halloran Report

#3

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong “Don’t you find it stupid that Obama is the only president without a last name?”

bjv2001 , dcblog Report

#4

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Boss: "Could you print out that file, scan it, and email it to me?"

Me: "I could just email it to you."

Boss: ...

-SkaffenAmtiskaw- , Jamison Judd Report

#5

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Going through the border -- from Canada into the U.S.:

Border Guard: "What's your citizenship?"

Me: [hands over passport, which notes my birthplace as Vancouver, British Columbia] "Canadian."

Border Guard: "No, what's your citizenship?"

Me: *louder* "I'm Canadian."

Border Guard: *yelling* "What's your citizenship?!"

Me: "I don't know what you're asking me!"

Border Guard: "Where were you born? Was it Colombia?"

Me: "British Columbia is a province in Canada."

Border Guard: *waves me through*

joceyposse , Tom Purves Report

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Emerald Ocean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is you’re a border guard on the Canadian border u should probably be remotely familiar with Canadian provinces

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#6

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong “Are you gay?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Hm I don’t know Jerry, just not feelin’ it today.

vBHSW , http://underclassrising.net/ Report

#7

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong My friend once asked, “What if they made a sea world but instead it’s centered around the land?”

I responded with “So basically, a zoo?”

Legitimate_Luke , [MGM] Report

#8

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong My wife at the time saw the headline “Buffalo buried in 5 feet of snow” (I don’t remember the exact measurement). She asked “Why don’t they just dig the poor guy out?” There was a picture of the city under the headline.

gjhobso , Maciej Report

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emeraldocean avatar
Emerald Ocean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

🤣🤣🤣I’m literally crying laughing! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 but hey, at least she cares about animals

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#9

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong What nationality are you?

*canadian*

No, i mean, what nationality?

*ummm, do you mean heritage? Polish I guess*

No no, listen, na-tional-ity

*I don’t know what you’re asking?*

Whispers: Nationality, like, are you white, black, etc?

*just look at me, I’m white as snow, and that’s not nation...*

Cool I didn’t want to assume anything.

billbapapa , Dumphasizer Report

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Scotira
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What??? One thing is painfully obvious: You can't argue with stupid. 🤦‍♀️

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#10

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Having a conversation about traveling.

Me: I’ve always wanted to road trip up to Alaska and see the northern lights

Her: (looking at me like I’m a moron*) oh yeah? How are you going to drive to Alaska??

Me: in my car...

Her: You can’t DRIVE there

And then I realized she thought Alaska was an island... I had to explain to her that although Alaska and Hawaii were always in little boxes next to the mainland of USA maps that doesn’t mean they’re both islands.

10 years later I married her...

Drewkin13 , Jay Cross Report

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Emerald Ocean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Awwwww that’s hilarious and sweet. I could definitely see how someone could think that if they never learned/realized it

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#11

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong My eyes are two different colors, and the question I'm most often asked about them is , "Did you know your eyes are two different colors?" I'm amused when someone asks me whether I see different colors out of each eye, or - even better - whether I "see in 3D."

MelilDeMolihua , Keith Kissel Report

#12

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Isn’t it a shame unicorns went extinct?

This person was an adult and thought unicorns exists during medieval times.

laughing_cat , ebrkut Report

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Remi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What I really miss are the dragons. Daμn all those pesky knights that killed them off. /j

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#13

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong (I used to work at a bakery) a customer once asked me:

"When the bread isn't warm anymore, that means it's not fresh anymore, so I can have it for free right?"

-_- "no"

Bcause789 , sylvar Report

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Vic
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When the bread goes cold.. you can buy it with cold hard cash..

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#14

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Not anything super mind-boggling, but I worked as a server at a infamous "Italian" restaurant during college. Here's my interaction with a guest one evening:

G: "I'd like to order the spaghetti with marinara sauce, but can I get fettuccine noodles instead?"
M: "Sure thing."
G: "Oh, and I'd like to please substitute the marinara with Alfredo sauce. And please add chicken."
M: ".... I would have to charge you for the chicken Alfredo, then." (Note there was a few dollars in price difference between the two dishes, Alfredo being more expensive).
G: "But I ordered the spaghetti with marinara."

I legitimately had to argue with this person for few moments as to why I couldn't magically substitute out the entire entree for a different one with no price difference. Guest ended up being super crabby for the remainder of the time and I'm fairly certain didn't tip at all.

architectmillenial , MattCC716 Report

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Scotira
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd like to order Pizza Margherita, but could you please substitute the dough with Filet Mignon and the tomatoes with noodles and the mozzarella with cream sauce? Ahhh, and the basil with some fresh veggies? 😇

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#15

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong A coworker at the library was asked for aerial photos of the Colosseum in Rome.

Before it was in ruins.

enfanta , Philip Kahn Report

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emeraldocean avatar
Emerald Ocean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m sorry I can’t today🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣I just can’t🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣this is too funny

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#16

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong "So Trump is our president, right? Does that mean he's in charge of our state or the whole world? Sorry but I've never understood this whole president thing..."

This was asked to me by a fellow high school senior... in civics class.

dogfobia , Matt Johnson Report

#17

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong A girl asked me if honey came from bears. I’ll never forget it.

GxRandy , Don Hankins Report

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mulk
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! All you need is a milking machine you put on mama-bear... *I'm out*

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#18

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong my own sister asked me how we were related to my grandparents

noahtherichman , Jan Vlugt Report

#19

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Not me, but overheard someone asking a restaurant server "Your coupon says it's valid 7 days a week, does this include weekends?"

ihatepeasoup , Joe Lanman Report

#20

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong My stepmom once asked if islands float around in the ocean.

My brother burst out laughing, and I just looked flatly at my dad and said, "You married this woman." We still give her grief about it.

MightyBobTheMighty , Michael Spiller Report

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#21

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong If penguins need water to survive, doesn't that means they're fish?

synalgo_12 , Neil Turner Report

#23

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong I was weighing a patient, and she asked me if it measured in Celsius.

Jamochajon , PebblePicJay Report

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Kookamunga
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I get weighed at the doctor's office, it says "One at a time, please".

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#24

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Had a customer ask if she could pay her bill over the phone. I asked what kind of credit card.... cash. She wanted to pay cash over the phone.

busykim , Jacqui Brown Report

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Vic
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Say yes and calmly explain to her directions to get to your office..

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#25

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong On a ski lift

"At what elevation do deer turn into elk?"

TheFatherIxion , Rob Lee Report

#26

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong How long did it take you to drive from Australia - *to America*? I've been asked this twice.

I wish I could say I had a witty response, but my brain froze as it tried to compute the stupidity of the question.

*ETA: No offense to Americans, just these two particular idiots. I've lived in the U.S. most of my life.*

ecodrew , Nathan Hughes Hamilton Report

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Kona Pake
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nobody tells the Americans about the secret Tunnel between Australia to Hawaii to LA under the ocean.

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#27

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Is Cherry Vanilla Coke made with cherries and vanilla mixed together, or is it made with vanilla cherries?

*vanilla cherries???*

anon Report

#28

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong “Does Halloween ever fall on Friday the 13th?”

Took my buddy a few seconds combined with our WTF stares to realize what he had just asked

EDIT: My bad everyone. Didn’t even consider the fact that other countries don’t celebrate Halloween. ELI5 Halloween is a set holiday that always falls on October 31st

YoungMozartinaGoKart , Kevin Dooley Report

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Zero
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sadly, this makes the rounds from time to time and people fall for it. "OMG, Halloween falls on Friday the 13th this year! It only happens ever 666 years! Scary!"

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#29

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong My cousin bought a map from a nearby fancy store for tourists. After perusing it for no less than two hours, she asked me, "How does this north-south stuff work? The side I'm facing is north, right? And if I turn right, north also turns right, no?"

She was 20.

small_big , Anthony Report

#30

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong If you had a heart transplant, would your memories go away?

Doffy-Mingo , Josey Report

#31

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong I used to work at Disney World and a question I would get on the daily is "What time is the 3 o'clock parade?"

AlexVanderspek94 , Kevin Gaudin Report

#32

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong Was asked to a friend of mine who worked in a book shop.

"Excuse me. Do these stairs go up?"

Draculasmooncannon , kanonn Report

#34

“Do you see in panoramic view?”

I’m Chinese...

verigud Report

#35

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong I wear a headscarf, and someone once asked me if I had ears.

airbenderx , Beverley Goodwin Report

#36

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong When I moved back to Florida from Scotland a girl I was hitting on at a bar asked me how long a drive that was.

Kilen13 , Tobias Begemann Report

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Dont Sellmyinfo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never in all of my internet perusing have I ever see anyone drop a Dead Milkmen reference. You made my day.

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Frisinator
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My question would be "why would you move back to Florida from Scotland?" I'd stay there forever and buy a kilt.

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IlovemydogShilo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

MY mother who is Scottish was once asked by an American if all the men in Scotland spent all their time walking the Highlands playing the bagpipes. He also thought that a Haggis was some kind of Scottish creature that was like a hairy Leprechaun.

gemmelltastic avatar
Got Myself 4 Pandas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Eh, it is - it isn't a leprechaun by any stretch, more like a small beaver type creature with whiskers and quite long hair on its head. Cannae get moving from the wee buggers everywhere

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B Jean the Jelly Bean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We were visiting in Ireland stopped at a local pub and got into a conversation with a young man. Told him we were from Michigan. He was very eager and told us he had a friend in the US, who drove an 18 wheeler. He gave us his name and asked did we know him?

francesami avatar
Francesa Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, Scotland is an unincorporated community in Gadsden County, Florida.

lsgm2fw avatar
Zoe's Mom
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since you were hitting on her, maybe that was a way to get rid of you. Play stupid?

jnegraham avatar
Janet Graham
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe she was thinking of Nova Scotia, aka New Scotland? Yea, probably not.

lexijensen avatar
Lexi Jensen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

well, you simply drive of Scotland into the ocean and you will get there in a matter of days.

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Kelsey Taylor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All these questions about driving across water really make me want to buy one of those hydro-cars that turn into a boat

tzhernadi avatar
Tyler
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this is the fourth driving related question so far on this list

eugenegarelick avatar
Eugene Garelick
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on whether you are using iron clubs or wood ones ( After all Scotland is the ancestral home for golf. Maybe you won the trip to Florida in a golf tournament.)

lblsj65 avatar
Liz-ard
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

USA have so many states so the geography teacher barely manage to press their names, location and their capital cities during the students entire school time. To h**l with the rest of the world! It’s not important anyway.

facebook_42 avatar
Peter Korsten
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In other words, shouldn't be too much effort, but not an investment for the future.

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AliJanx
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair, to get from Point A to Point B in Florida is a long drive in both distance and mileage. And most of drive to our destination within Florida. So maybe that's where her brain started, before the words came out of her mouth???

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Agfox
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That reminded me of our first holiday in the US, we live in Australia. We were in a cafe in Eugene, OR, & the server picked up on my accent & asked me where I lived. I told her Australia & she asked me if I'd driven to the US & which Country I liked best.

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Azolane
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I moved to the US, I was trying to buy a car at a dealership and the guy didn't want to see if I could get approved for a loan because "what if you drove off back to France with the car"......

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Frederick Reinders
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not such a silly question. Dad bought a US Ford Econoline van...from a US dealer while living in UK. Delivered by international freight to Felixstowe port. Drove it in UK & the Continent for a couple of years before driving from Felixstowe, Suffolk, England to Spokane WA, US. Drove to the shipping terminal in Felixstowe port, met it at the shipping terminal in Maryland and completed the trip.

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#37

When I was in America in 2012, a man asked me, completely seriously, if we had cellphones in Norway...

anon Report

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any rei
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's even more funny if that question comes from a country not making it into the top 10 of standard of living to a country that is at the top.

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#38

There’s No Such Thing As A Stupid Question But These 40 People Online Just Proved Everyone Wrong I used to be a high school college prep teacher. One semester, I had quite a number of students who said they wanted to become surgeons. So one day I showed the class a neat video of a surgeon slicing open a grape with a scalpel and then stitching it back up with this new, technologically advanced pair of robotic arm things. The video was met with many oohs and aahs, and when it was over a hand shot up. I’ll never forget her question.
“What was wrong with the grape?”

(EDIT: Haha okay so people keep saying she was kidding, and the joke just went over my head since I’m old. Wouldn’t change the fact that it was a dumb question. Now I’m 99% sure she was being serious. That or she’s so good an actress that she committed to an entire semester of low grades and embarrassing questions and her friends having to explain things to her and her chuckling embarrassingly at her ditzy self. Now, I said ditzy. I don’t believe any of my students are even a little bit “dumb”. But the question certainly was, and I can with good conscience call it that since on many occasions she spent the entire time talking with her friends only to look up halfway through and just toss her input without gathering much context. In this case she looked up and saw people randomly operating on a grape.

Also, no, she wasn’t blonde. She had black hair. No, English was not her first language (which I’m sure contributed to her lack of focus in the class). Yes she passed the class because she was, in fact, a good kid and quite smart. Just needed a bit of help. She’d make a great surgeon someday if she tried.

Guacaceratops , Mingo Hagen Report

#39

One of my good friends builds computers. He sold me the components of his old desktop and he brought it over to my house so he could transfer them to a new case for me and then build his new computer. It was taking a while and my mom was agitated that he was there so long and asked "is what you're doing even legal?"

ThirdWorldPelican Report

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Madison Connor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No....yes....no....yes, yes it is legal. Oh wait, it isn't. OF COURSE IT IS LEGAL.

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#40

Is that an uppercase "space bar"?

jiaco Report

Note: this post originally had 48 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.