Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Common sense might need a bit of a rebrand. Because, as it turns out, it isn’t all that common after all.
One Redditor proved this by asking others to share the funniest “how did they not know that?” moments they’ve come across. And judging by the replies, even the best of us can be stumped by the most obvious things.
From realizing that vacuum bags don’t last forever to finding out Liechtenstein is an actual country, here are some of the most entertaining stories people shared.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
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.
RELATED:
#2
That women can’t hold their period blood. I’ve seen so many people who were so surprised when they learned that you can’t hold the blood that comes out.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
Too bad most of the U.S. Congress believes stuff like this.
#4
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...
#5
It makes sense that he doesn't know this, cuz I'm his first serious relationship, he has only brothers/has never lived with a woman before me and just... wouldn't know this. But my boyfriend was doing our laundry recently and he noted "some of your bras are soft, and some of them have this hard outer rim." I said yes, that's called an underwire. And he just repeated it sounding like a baby learning a new word "...underwire." It was extremely cute.
LinkTheHylian 2 months ago
If he didn't get a pat on the head he won't have felt like he accomplished anything.
#6
My husband was away working for about 2months... I usually don't stay at ours if he's away, but I happen to this time. I know I'm a big splasher when I wash my face... (I don't use a towel and don't towel dry my face), the counter is usually drenched, as is a third of my shirt after I wash my face. After 3-4days, I notice water stains on the mirror aren't leaving and I was so confused as I'd never seen them before. I left them there a bit longer to see if they'd "disappear" but they didn't...
Turns out my SO had been wiping these water stains I leave for the last 6-7years... and I'd grown up with a housekeeper who would wipe/clean this stuff, so I was completely oblivious. I assumed mirrors were kinda self-cleaning by being coated with something that would make water drip off and not "stain"?
Anyways, I messaged my SO and thanked him for doing this all this time and not complaining, and apologised for making a mess and having not noticed this. He found it hilarious I thought mirrors were self cleaning.
Lee Gilliland 2 months ago
Reminds me of the English Duke who got very upset when his toothbrush wasn't foaming properly. Turns out his valet wasn't with him and he had never put the toothpaste on and he wasn't aware toothbrushs didn't self-charge.
#7
Unfortunately, I was the dumb one here. From the US, visiting a friend in France. She'd told me that stores close on Sunday. I thought I understood--yeah, so the department stores and stuff are closed, but of course necessities like groceries and pharmacies are open.
I needed to get something at the pharmacy, and asked if we could stop by one. She reminded me it was Sunday, and the pharmacy was closed. Cue bluescreen in my brain. But, they're pharmacies. Surely not /everything/ is closed. "No hun," she says, "it's Sunday. Stores are closed on Sunday." You could practically hear my brain doing a dial tone as I tried to process this very simple idea.
Eliza 2 months ago (edited)
My husband and I honeymoonee in France and didn't realize how serious they were about closing on Sundays. We ended up fasting for about 30 hours because we didn't know you couldn't buy groceries or go to restaurants and didn't plan ahead to stock up on food. We thought we'd picnic but nope, all 5 food stores in the town were closed. Fine, go out for lunch. Nope, restaurants all closed. Gas station will have snacks. Nope, closed too. We spent the evening talking about how hungry we were like we were on Survivor.
Don't listen to me 2 months ago
Unusual for restaurants to close at weekends! Normally monday shut instead.
Load More Replies...
Robert T 2 months ago
In the UK we have some pharmacies that don't open at all at weekends. We have others that are open 7 days a week for reasonably long hours. However there is a system whereby there is at least one duty pharmacist, so one pharmacy will be open. Search "out of hours pharmacy".
Mary Peace 1 month ago
Absolutely. So if you have a medical emergency, you can still get medicines.
Load More Replies...
Zig Zag Wanderer 2 months ago
There's always a pharmacy open somewhere. Not everything else, outside of large towns.
Verena 2 months ago
Germany: All shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays, besides flower shops, bakeries and gas stations. Restaurants open. I live in the Netherlands, in a tourist region at the coast, so most shops are open 7 days from 8 to 20/21. When visiting home, I always need to remember to go shopping on saturday instead of sunday on the way home
Sue User 2 months ago
Was sick once and couldnt get to the shops. Sunday, when i was better, went to Schipol to shop at Albert Hein, because it was open 7 days week.
Load More Replies...
Dusty's mom 2 months ago
As a child in the USA, back in the 1960s, all stores stayed open late Saturday night, then shut like tombs Sundays. If we needed stuff, we had to plan ahead. We were used to it. I do remember a pharmacist getting my grandmother medications on a Sunday, but he immediately delivered them to her home and went to his home. Grandma was embarrassed at causing him to miss out on his Sunday off. But he thought nothing of it. It was the neighborly thing to do.
Sarah Matsoukis 2 months ago
My German mind was blown when I was able to buy groceries for a few hours on Sundays in England
Rick Murray 2 months ago
There is a "Pharmacie de garde" that is open when the other ones are closed. They're not necessarily close, and you will pay quite a surcharge for the privilege (usually +€5 day, +€8 night). https://pharmacie-de-garde.ameli.fr/ (but it won't list ones open at night "for security reasons", you should consult the list shown at your local pharmacy or go to a gendarmerie with your prescription; though if you get your prescription from a hospital and they can't fill it for you there, they'll usually be able to tell you where to go)
Load More Replies...
Mike F 2 months ago
Not everywhere in the US. Please don't generalize. Many stores were open Sundays, particularly food stores/supermarkets since some factory workers had to work on Saturday. Even the neighborhood hardware on the corner was open with abbreviated hours. Some places had "Blue laws" that forced Sunday closures, but it was certainly not a universal thing.
Load More Replies... Rick Murray 2 months ago
When I was growing up in the UK (back in the 80s), it was like everything shut down just after 5pm except the off licence, places like Little Chef, and some of the larger supermarkets. But, then, just a little after midnight all the TV channels turned off too. You'd usually get either a testcard, or pages from teletext set to calming music.
Lorraine R 2 weeks ago
TV stations where we lived (Maryland and Virginia) would go off the air after the late night variety show (e.g. Carson, Cavett, etc.) or movie, then run the National Anthem and put up color bars or a test pattern. The last gasp of the Blue Laws was to prohibit sale of alcohol on Sunday, so liquor stores had to close, and grocery stores that sold beer and wine had to put rolling metal screens around those sections.
Load More Replies... Lee Gilliland 2 months ago
Got caught on that one last time I was in Toronto, and that's where I got my first degree!
Crissy Newbury 1 month ago
Supermarkets generally open until 1pm on Sunday during the summer months. Our Carrefour is open every Sunday morning. And there are Sunday markets in most regions where you can purchase just about anything.
Richard Pennington 1 month ago
Years ago (about 1981), Interrailing around Europe with my brother, we realised that we were about to hit the closure season. We needed to fund somewhere which would be open on a Sunday, followed by somewhere which would be open on a big religious festival (the Feast of the Assumption).on the Monday. Our solution: Monaco for the Sunday and Lourdes for the religious festival.
Strawberry Angel 2 months ago
Used to be that way here in the states as well. And everything in our area closed at 5:30 pm. One day of the week ( Thursday in our area) everything stayed open until 8:30 so all the farmers could do their weekly shopping.
Dragon Ashes 2 months ago
There's a town where I grew up that is like that, but on Saturday. It has a 7th Day Adventist college and they don't work "on the Sabbath." My dad and I were driving through and thought we'd get fast food. Nope! Even the McDonald's was closed.
Gregg Levine 1 month ago
There are towns like that in Upstate New York. Whole towns run by the ones who first came up with that idea.
Load More Replies...
tracy black 2 months ago
growing up everything and i mean everything was closed on sunday hospital ers , police and fire dept were the only things open
Brian Droste 2 months ago
I remeber growing up in the 70's. No stores were open on Sundies back then. I believe gas stations were open then.
Melissa Harris 2 months ago (edited)
I'm only 40 and still remember when most stores and services were closed on Sundays. Only large chain retailers would be opened for a few hours due old commerce laws. That's changed a lot since I was a kid and now most stores are open for a few hours on Sundays. Only banks, government services, really small businesses or those with religious leanings are completely closed.
TCW Sam Vimes 2 months ago
We value our time off in Europe. And we expect adults to be able to think two days ahead. That being said, there is always an emergency pharmacy that is available 24/7 for emergencies (they are on a rotation, at least that's how it works in germany)
KnightOwl86 2 months ago (edited)
I cant wrap my head around why you'd expect a french pharmacy to be open on a sunday when most UK pharmacies are closed on sundays? A lot of businesses close on Sundays but usually local shops and supermarkets will stay opened. Most pharmacies will open on Saturdays, some only for a limited time (eg. My local one only opens from 8am until noon on Saturday) but most are closed on Sundays. (There are only 2 exceptions in my city, they are open 24/7)
Toothless Feline 2 months ago
I find it highly ironic that a nation that prides itself on being predominantly areligious holds fast to a tradition that exists solely because of religion.
Russell Bowman 2 months ago
The U.S. used to have "Blue laws" ... laws that restrict all activities on Sundays ... particularly to promote the observance of a day of rest.
Rick Murray 2 months ago
There's a further gotcha. Quite a number of stores, including some supermarkets, many tabacs, and some pharmacies, are open on Sunday mornings. To compensate for that, they'll be closed all day Monday. If you go to the average market town, Monday will be even more devoid of life than Sunday. Source: I live in Brittany and I went and bought some butter for a cake this morning.
Trillian 2 months ago
Do they not have emergency pharmacies? In Germany pharmacies take turns opening on Sundays and during nighttime. You have to go a bit further and have to pay an extra fee but you can get medication of course
Laetitia Astolfi 2 months ago
Yes, there are “pharmacies de garde” which work like that.
Load More Replies...
Robert Trebor 2 months ago
A lot of restaurants in the USA are closed on Mondays. Hard to get a meal in small town America on a Monday. Supermarket food.
Rose the Cook 2 months ago
It was like this in Australia in the 1950s. Everything was closed on Sundays to please the church.
Kim Kermes 2 months ago
I remember when stores were closed on Sunday except mom and pop stores, which could only sell Sunday papers and necessities. Had to cover the beer with a sheet so you couldn't see it, and block off aisles of things they couldn't sell. 1960s Minnesota.
Multa Nocte 2 months ago (edited)
That may have been the case in the past, but now some grocery stores are open 9 to 1 on Sundays (Carrefour at least), but yes - pharmacies are closed on Sunday.
cecilia kilian 2 months ago
In France there is a "pharmacie de garde", an on call pharmacy, in most areas. The address and phone number are usually posted on pharmacy doors, in the local paper, and now, on the internet.
Load More Replies...
Panda Pops 2 months ago
Same in the UK, every where is closed even big supermarkets close at 4
Panda On My Balcony 2 months ago
You're about 30 years out of date; Sunday opening has been permitted in the UK since 1994. Many, many shops are open.
Load More Replies...
#8
My aunt once argued with me that H2O was 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.
LinkTheHylian 2 months ago
It's Dihydrogen Monoxide and is dangerous when consumed in large quantities. Let us never forget Jennifer Strange and the bizarre "Hold your wee for a Wii" contest that sadly cost her her life.
#9
I had to explain to a 30 year old man who has lived with women for years and dated plenty that tampon sizes have nothing to do with how small a person is.
He genuinely thought tampons came in different sizes due to women having different sizes vaginas depending on how tall and big they were. So many wrong assumptions it still confounds me. I had to explain both that vaginas dont work like that, and that tampon sizes are due to how much they can absorb. His mind was blown.
Lee Gilliland 2 months ago
It may astonish you, but I didn't know this until I was 40 and I'm FEMALE.
#10
There was a trend thing going around the internet some time ago about asking men where a period pad goes/what it sticks to.
My husband, who I’d been living with for five years and who grew up with two sisters, said we must stick it right to our vulvas. This is also what my dad and both my siblings’ partners said SMH. It just never occurred to them that it sticks to our underwear!
#11
Having lunch outside with a group of colleagues, all professionals with minimum of a masters, and several were shocked to hear that there are different kinds of clouds and that they have names, ie cirrus, nimbus, etc. I was gobsmacked, as I learned all that in maybe 6th grade.
Tonja Jackson 2 months ago
I'm only going to assume that the poster is in the USA because I also learned this in elementary school (back in the dark ages of the early 1970s). Our educational system is just getting worse and worse.
#12
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.
#13
My mom thought Liechtenstein was a fictional country in A Knight’s Tale.
#14
My friend and I went grocery shopping, she bought like 5 milks, she saw my questioning face and she said they drank a lot of milk so I shrugged it off. A week or so later she tells me all of the milk has spoiled. Took a while to figure out what went wrong, and when we finally did, I couldn't believe it. She didn't know there was fresh milk that needs to be refrigerated, and shelf-stable that does not. She of course bought the fresh milk, not knowing any better, and put it in the pantry. Apparently her mom only ever bought shelf-stable milk and she had no idea that any other kind even existed. We were in our early twenties and she had a pretty sheltered life so it wasn't THAT surprising, but I teased her about it for years.
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
I have now lived in France for 4 years and I noticed the other day on BP that there was a photo of milk in a dairy case in an American store and I was surprised at my own reaction of "Why would they put it in the cold section?" How quickly some of us forget.
#15
Reverse situation here. My husband is Swedish and we met on holidays in a third country. The first time he visited me in Australia he was cooking dinner for us and was rattling through the utensils draw for ages before he asked me “where is your potato stick?”
I was laughing hysterically, what the hell is a potato stick?!”
Turns out it’s just a skewer but it’s a common utensil over there- as soon as he got home he sent me a potato stick and it’s still a huge joke in our house now.
#16
I grew up near the beach, my bf grew up near freshwater lakes. Very early on I took him to my hometown. We went in the ocean. He said, it’s salty! He knew intellectually that the ocean is salty but hadn’t really experienced it much and the extreme saltiness surprised him.
#17
My friend and I (both 30 at the time) were decorating for a party. I was blowing up balloons. She asked me why they weren't floating up to the ceiling. I was like what do you mean? She genuinely thought all balloons should behave like helium balloons. I had to explain the difference to her.
Lee Gilliland 2 months ago
Last time I bought balloons for a party we had so many they wouldn't fit into the car unless we put the roof down. In October.
#18
For years, my husband told me I must have some sort of dental problem because I had excessively bad breath. I went to the dentist regularly and nothing was wrong, and nobody else in my life seemed to notice. But I stressed out about it, kept mints on hand, was very careful with dental hygiene, etc.
Then one day he remarked on how it was really only bad in the morning. I drilled down into that for a bit, and found out that he'd never heard of morning breath. He had no idea that bad breath in the morning was normal, or that he had it too.
So now I've got a lifelong complex about my breath because my first husband never paid attention to a mouthwash commercial.
#19
I had one of those. I grew up in a medium-sized city (~35,000 people) that was also a major travel/shipping hub. I spent 18 years thinking that *all gas stations* were open 24hrs. I went to college in a small town and was like....WTH? How is everything closed? What if you run out of gas after 8pm? Where do you buy cigarettes at 2am?
People were like...you don't. You have to wait til morning.
I'm still shocked by it TBH!
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
Small towns and rural areas are weird. Better hope your car never breaks down in a place like that.
#20
My dad has a PhD and genius level IQ. He once took his car to the mechanic because the windshield wiper fluid wasn't working. The mechanic checked and told him it was because the windshield wiper fluid was out and needed to be replaced.
#21
Not me, but on this past season of worst cooks in America, the chef, Carla, had to explain how to use a can opener. You could see her die a bit inside before she did.
#22
Not practical at all but I’m pretty goth and like spooky stuff/folklore… my boyfriend is just a normal sports guy lol
When I was first meeting his cousin I asked what he told her about me… and he says “I told her you were a 1000 year old vampire and to bring onions to ward you off”
… nah, babe that’s garlic 😂 gotta get that man up on his folklore lol.
#23
A friend recently drove a kid home after practice, and she didnt know her address. 9th grader, she'd lived there for a few years, and knew how to get home on the bus, but didn't know what her friggin address was!?
Panda On My Balcony 2 months ago
I drove my daughter's friend home and she didn't know her own address. We spent 25 minutes driving around the area until I insisted she call her mom and get the address. She was almost 18 and had lived there for three years.
#24
Working for a finance company and a customer asked me "why am I being charged interest on my loan?"
I remember 90% of our lunch time chatter was how much people need to learn financial literacy in school lol.
Colleen Glim 2 months ago
We’re. Teaching them calculus and they can’t count change. This has been a pet peeve of mine for years
#25
One of my male friends was around 30 and didn't know how to crack an egg. He went through at least 6 eggs and didn't stop to look it up online.
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 months ago (edited)
That's just plain incompetence from the parents or whoever was in charge of educating him.
#26
I had a friend in college who was very smart but sometimes had hilariously stereotypical blonde moments. One time we were talking and the subject of how many weeks are in a year came up and when I said 52 she was amazed I just knew that off the top of my head. I was like, “yeah? Everyone knows that?” And she refused to believe me. She went around the whole dorm and asked everybody if they knew how many weeks there where in the year and was astounded that every single person knew.
#27
I was cooking with a friend (making pasta), we were in college, when she asked, How do you know when the water's boiling? She has three (3) kids now.
LinkTheHylian 2 months ago
By listening. Most people will hear "AAAAAAAAAHHH! I'M BOILING TO DEATH!"
#28
When the horrific airplane disaster in India happened a few months ago, my best friend and I were talking about it. She kept saying "the Airbus", eventually I corrected her and said that it was a Boeing plane. She looks at me like I'm stupid and says "yeah I know, it's a Boeing Airbus".
I had to explain that Boeing and Airbus are companies that make planes.
She thought an Airbus was just another name for a plane, because it's basically a bus in the sky.
I got a good laugh out of that
What's worse is her daughter's father, works for Boeing.
#29
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.
#30
When we moved into a new house, my husband thought we weren’t getting mail because the red flag on the mailbox was never flipped up.
Apparently he’s gone his whole life living somewhere where the mailbox was either just a slot on the front door or a communal/grouped mailbox (idk what they’re called) without any flags.
Anyway, had to tell him that’s not what the flag is for and we’re supposed to flip the red flag up to let usps know that we have outgoing mail. .
Remi (He/Him) 2 months ago
I've never heard of something like this. If you want to mail something, take it to the mail box or post office.
#31
Mid-twenty year old friend didn't know you have to change the bag in a vacuum every once in a while.
#32
"You mean a wooly mammoth isn't a dinosaur?" Said by a friend, who has an MD, is complete seriousness. I couldn't talk for a second.
angelmomoffour62 2 months ago
But he has a MD for humans not wooly mammoths or dinosaurs. Give the guy a break.
#33
I was at a gym, and one of the treadmills wasn't working, so I told the person there that the middle treadmill wasn't working. She looked at me and said "What's a treadmill?" I could not believe it.
#34
When my first niece was born my wasband and I first visited when she was home from the hospital and sleeping in her mother's arms.
He looked at his brother and asked in all seriousness, "how old will she be when her eyes open?"
He was 35.
#35
When I watch the actual criminal investigation shows on the CI channel:
The suspects who betray themselves in the interrogation room when they think they are alone and there is no camera and microphone.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
Never say a single word except, “I want a lawyer,” unless your lawyer is right next to you.
#36
I have an ex who hadn't heard of gooseberries so i had to explain they were real fruit that exist 😆 and then about a month later we had the same conversation about rosehips, and then later again about wild cherries. american guy dating a european had a lot of surprise cultural differences.
#37
Fairly early in dating my now husband, he had to go on a long international trip to visit family. He had seen me shave my legs shortly before he left and when he came back, more than two months later, he asked why my legs were so hairy already because I had shaved recently in his mind. I was only at about 2 weeks of not shaving length.
Tonja Jackson 2 months ago
According to my friends I am SOOOOO lucky because I've never had to shave my legs...it's genetics (I'm Black/First Nations: we don't get hairy legs, I guess?)
#38
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.
#39
My ex didn't know that the eggs we eat aren't fertilized. I'm vegetarian and he thought it was weird that I eat eggs but not chicken. Once I told him eggs are basically chicken periods he never looked at eggs the same way again lol.
Kim Kermes 2 months ago
They're not. They're eggs, ova. Periods are the temporary lining of the uterus in mammals to support an implanted fertilized ovum, which is released when no blastocyst exists. Along with all the delightful sice effects so many of us enjoy.
#40
I had a friend who didn’t know how to grate cheese. And a friend’s girlfriend asked how to cook a hot dog. I don’t know how you become an adult and not know these things.
#41
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.
Tonja Jackson 2 months ago
I still find myself singing the songs from Schoolhouse Rock to remember what a conjunction is, for example.
#42
My coworkers think that birth control is still effective 5 years after you stop taking it/remove it, so I need to take mine out now unless I want to be an “old” mom.
I just turned 20.
#43
Back in ye olde days I had a roommate who didn't know she had to plug the phone line into the computer to get the internet.
LinkTheHylian 2 months ago
To paraphrase a famous Edgar Allen Poe story: "It's the screeching of that hideous dial-tone!"
#44
"Ok...what exactly is a *browser*?"
-An actual ticket I received.
Edit: I work in IT and a browser is a web browser in this context.
#45
My husband didn't know how to make a s'more. He grew up in the country in Indiana and had never made one until his late 20s. He asked how to do it and I thought he was joking until I turned around and saw him. He took the marshmallow out of the bag, assembled the s'more, and crammed it between the two tongs of the roasting fork. He couldn't understand how to not catch the graham crackers on fire.
#46
My bfs a literal genius but has zero skincare experience. I bought him cleanser, serums and a moisturizer and right after he finished putting it on he asked me if he rinses it off now lololol.
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 2 months ago (edited)
Yeah, that is a waste of money. The cleanser dries the skin out and the moisturizer tries to take that effect off. The skin of a healthy person can take care of itself, no need to dump a lot of chemicals on it. Also, all that anti ageing stuff is just a scam, nothing you can buy on the counter is strong enough to penetrate your skin layers deep enough to have any effect apart from shrinking your funds. Use some fat cream after you wash your face with some neutral soap and that is enough. Use sunscreen too Edit. I would really like to know what was worth downvoting in my comment. Did i offend somebody working for the cosmetic industry?🤣
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 months ago
A lot of these posts just highlight the poor education people got from their parents/caretakers and their school system.
Tonja Jackson 2 months ago
Exactly! And the end poll sucked: simple oversight? Just funny accidents?
Load More Replies...
Joe Publique 2 months ago
It's worth remembering that "common sense" is rarely common, and it’s not always sense.
LovesBerk 1 month ago (edited)
Again as I said in a couple of these, not everyone knows how to do everything. These are all learned. Don't assume people are stupid just because they don't know everything you know and to belittle them for not knowing. Just tell them. Then they'll know. Mind you I do blame the poor educational system for some of these questions. Like the question about how many weeks in a year.
Lauren Caswell 2 months ago (edited)
It feels ridiculously on the nose, but in my first year of flatting (moving out with roommates for uni/college), I walked into the kitchen one morning to find my flatmate trying to unjam her stuck toast from the toaster with a solid metal butter knife. And the elements were on. I shrieked because I didn't expect to see that, luckily she dropped the knife safely and I ran to turn off the power (Edit for rude confused people: many countries have power switches on every socket/outlet). She honestly just didn't know (like some of you guys and how different countries may work differently to yours. Mike F didn't get to that chapter in college 😊) 🤷♀️
Melissa Harris 2 months ago
I've caught my elderly MIL doing stuff like that but it's because she's in her 80s and her mind is starting to go off.
Load More Replies...
Emilu 2 months ago
Why cull six posts? Either cull a heap (like those 80+ ones to 40-something) or don’t bother 🤷🏻♀️
Cla Ida 1 week ago
I got one: when I first started dating my boyfriend, I started to feel an itchy sensation in my head, and had to shamefully tell him I got lice, so that he'd get treated too. His reply was: "oh, so that's why my head's been itchy! -I apologized- ...for the past few months!" Turned out he's very sheltered but for some reason neither him nor his mother thought that jeez, maybe a constant itchy sensation isn't normal. I was annoyed but helped him comb his hair with anti-lice product, as he'd never done so before. Then I did the same for myself, and told him he had to wash his bedsheets, coat, judogi, etc. I spent $$ at the laundry mat, but he has a washing machine so I trusted him with his share. Well, he "didn't believe" it was necessary, so he didn't wash the judogi and got us a second round of lice. My hair's 1m long, thick, wavy, treatment was long and expensive, I ended up getting a flat iron and grilling all the lice. 100% efficient and quick.
Martha Giles 2 weeks ago
I feel bad for these people rather than thinking there's something wrong with them. Somebody did not educate them properly. Teach your kids to cook and manage a bank account! Sheesh.
Max Fox 1 month ago
As I wrote above - people with PhDs make these lists a lot, not because they are worse than average at basic living. In fact that are above average. But intellectually, they are in top 1%, so being in the top 30% in things like taking care of their house seems a lot more of a discrepancy than for a person who is top 30% in both. Partly they're to blame as well, since they often assume that they will be able to use reason to figure out things that require experience and education. So your PhD in microbiology won't teach you that you should tighten the bolts on your wheel in a star pattern, or remind you that you should turn off the water main when fixing your faucet. It won't teach you how to fry an egg, what the numbers on a toaster mean, or how to program your air conditioner. They have generally forgotten that at one point they knew nothing about the topic on which they wrote their PhD thesis.
Wolfwarlord 1 month ago (edited)
This is why I dislike the phrase 'common sense' as it implies common experience. There is no such thing as common experience. Just because you have experienced something a hundred times doesn't mean the person next to you has ever experienced it before. And for those who want to say "aren't they curious or want to learn?" Both of those are learned skills, quite a few people are taught to not question things by c**p parents who don't want to deal with the why stage of child development. They always deflect or ignore instead of encouraging them by giving answers or teaching to seek the answers. Every one of these falls into either category and no one would know any of it if they were not taught it at some point in their own development. Always approach a chance to share knowledge with awareness that you yourself may be in a similar situation later, where you may not know something someone else considered 'common sense' and realize they can view you the same way you view these entries.
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 months ago
A lot of these posts just highlight the poor education people got from their parents/caretakers and their school system.
Tonja Jackson 2 months ago
Exactly! And the end poll sucked: simple oversight? Just funny accidents?
Load More Replies... Joe Publique 2 months ago
It's worth remembering that "common sense" is rarely common, and it’s not always sense.
LovesBerk 1 month ago (edited)
Again as I said in a couple of these, not everyone knows how to do everything. These are all learned. Don't assume people are stupid just because they don't know everything you know and to belittle them for not knowing. Just tell them. Then they'll know. Mind you I do blame the poor educational system for some of these questions. Like the question about how many weeks in a year.
Lauren Caswell 2 months ago (edited)
It feels ridiculously on the nose, but in my first year of flatting (moving out with roommates for uni/college), I walked into the kitchen one morning to find my flatmate trying to unjam her stuck toast from the toaster with a solid metal butter knife. And the elements were on. I shrieked because I didn't expect to see that, luckily she dropped the knife safely and I ran to turn off the power (Edit for rude confused people: many countries have power switches on every socket/outlet). She honestly just didn't know (like some of you guys and how different countries may work differently to yours. Mike F didn't get to that chapter in college 😊) 🤷♀️
Melissa Harris 2 months ago
I've caught my elderly MIL doing stuff like that but it's because she's in her 80s and her mind is starting to go off.
Load More Replies... Emilu 2 months ago
Why cull six posts? Either cull a heap (like those 80+ ones to 40-something) or don’t bother 🤷🏻♀️
Cla Ida 1 week ago
I got one: when I first started dating my boyfriend, I started to feel an itchy sensation in my head, and had to shamefully tell him I got lice, so that he'd get treated too. His reply was: "oh, so that's why my head's been itchy! -I apologized- ...for the past few months!" Turned out he's very sheltered but for some reason neither him nor his mother thought that jeez, maybe a constant itchy sensation isn't normal. I was annoyed but helped him comb his hair with anti-lice product, as he'd never done so before. Then I did the same for myself, and told him he had to wash his bedsheets, coat, judogi, etc. I spent $$ at the laundry mat, but he has a washing machine so I trusted him with his share. Well, he "didn't believe" it was necessary, so he didn't wash the judogi and got us a second round of lice. My hair's 1m long, thick, wavy, treatment was long and expensive, I ended up getting a flat iron and grilling all the lice. 100% efficient and quick.
Martha Giles 2 weeks ago
I feel bad for these people rather than thinking there's something wrong with them. Somebody did not educate them properly. Teach your kids to cook and manage a bank account! Sheesh.
Max Fox 1 month ago
As I wrote above - people with PhDs make these lists a lot, not because they are worse than average at basic living. In fact that are above average. But intellectually, they are in top 1%, so being in the top 30% in things like taking care of their house seems a lot more of a discrepancy than for a person who is top 30% in both. Partly they're to blame as well, since they often assume that they will be able to use reason to figure out things that require experience and education. So your PhD in microbiology won't teach you that you should tighten the bolts on your wheel in a star pattern, or remind you that you should turn off the water main when fixing your faucet. It won't teach you how to fry an egg, what the numbers on a toaster mean, or how to program your air conditioner. They have generally forgotten that at one point they knew nothing about the topic on which they wrote their PhD thesis.
Wolfwarlord 1 month ago (edited)
This is why I dislike the phrase 'common sense' as it implies common experience. There is no such thing as common experience. Just because you have experienced something a hundred times doesn't mean the person next to you has ever experienced it before. And for those who want to say "aren't they curious or want to learn?" Both of those are learned skills, quite a few people are taught to not question things by c**p parents who don't want to deal with the why stage of child development. They always deflect or ignore instead of encouraging them by giving answers or teaching to seek the answers. Every one of these falls into either category and no one would know any of it if they were not taught it at some point in their own development. Always approach a chance to share knowledge with awareness that you yourself may be in a similar situation later, where you may not know something someone else considered 'common sense' and realize they can view you the same way you view these entries.
You May Like 50 Of The Funniest Signs Ever Spotted In The Wild (New Pics) 60 Laugh-Out-Loud Fails From People Who Followed Instructions A Bit Too Hard 50 Times An Attempt Was Made And Ended With A Grand Fail (New Pics)
Mantas Kačerauskas
Ingrida Jasiukevičiūtė
Viktorija Ošikaitė
Related on Bored Panda
