Quite simply: they lied

Think back a few years. Now think back a bit further to when you were about nine or ten. Now remember yourself at school. Try to remember one of the times that you heard a teacher say, “Don’t worry Timmy*, there are no stupid questions.”

And now slap yourself for ever believing that such a statement could be true. Doubly hard if you still do.

This irritated me beyond belief. It still does, but a little less so since I don’t really come across people saying it constantly.

Of course there are stupid questions! There are a multitude of stupid questions! These are questions so unbelievably mind numbingly stupid that you are left wondering how the person who asked them can figure out how to breathe.

And they are encouraged to ask them, instead of maybe listening in the first place rather than having vapid conversations with their friends.

It makes me very, very sad.

A good example where it runs over into adulthood can be seen on Twitter. People let a constant flow of stupid questions flow from their keyboard over Twitter simply because they would rather look like blithering morons than take the time to search for the answer themselves, possibly learning something in the process. Because that’s what happens you know. If someone tells you an answer right out, you’ll use it for five minutes and promptly forget it again because, well, you can always ask again. If you’re forced to actually find out yourself though, chances are you’ll remember.

So remember, when you’re about to ask something over Twitter, take a moment and try searching for the answer yourself. One, you won’t look like a moron and two, you’ll have learnt something.

Also, chances are that when you ask a stupid question someone will reply with “JFGI”. Which, for those of you who are acronymically challenged, stands for ‘Just Fucking Google It’. Someone just told you to stop being a lazy fucking stupid waste of oxygen.

If you’re doing it in person…the person you’re asking will get a look that is a mixture of pain and sympathy. That’s not how you want someone to look at you. If they laugh, you’re in even more trouble.

And remember, I’m not trying to be mean, I’m trying to help!

*Purely a bullshit name

Related posts:

1. You don't really want a listener.