gdjones

I was just reading through the tread about the US and UK's 'Special Relationship' and found myself laughing aloud at some of the responses, so continuing on similar lines, Whats the funniest / stupidest / most offensive question you've ever been asked?
I've lived here for nearly a year and have heard all sorts of questions, my favourites thus far have been;

'So are England and Australia separate countries because I know they're joined in some way' (that came from a respectable businessman in a suit)

'Have you ever seen snow?'

I've also been told by a man in Wisconsin that he 'respects those that come across and try to learn the language' and that 'I shouldn't be embassed' that he couldn't understand me 'It'll Come' - that was after I'd told him 3 or 4 times that I grew up in London

TONY P

The most stupid question I have been asked was " Can you see the rocket launch from here?" I was at the Space Centre in Leicester, UK. when the Beagle 3 was launched to Mars, from RUSSIA.

elfman

Don't want to sound rude and unwelcoming here, but we've had easily several dozen threads on this subject and I'm not the only one who's starting to get a bit tired of them. They tend to piss off the American members of this board and in my experience they're not representative of the American people I meet on a day to day basis. Perhaps it's because I live in the apparently liberal/secular/book-reading New York area and not Hogbutt Tennessee, but I just don't meet many dim Americans.

Yes there are obviously Americans out there who ask dumb questions and appear to be less than well-versed in world geography/history/culture, but this phenomenon is not confined to the USA. When I worked as a tour guide at the Intrepid Museum in New York I got asked daft questions on a daily basis, and they were pretty evenly distibuted among Yanks and non-Yanks.

Also I remember back in the UK a mate of mine had a girlfriend (who was training to be a teacher) who thought Wales was an island and could not pin down the start or finish dates of World War two to within two decades.

Rushman

She obviously had big tits and gave decent blow jobs then.

Rompers

If it makes you feel any better, we could have a "most stupid question asked by a bird" thread. I'll start...

Driving over the Manchester ship canal, Mrs Rompers, eyes wide with amazement asks "How did they fill it up with water?"

dakota44

most stupid question asked by a bird???? hands down..."You'll call me, right?"
Or perhaps, "You'll still respect me in the morning, right?"

Toontje

The fact that we're part of BE's furniture doesn't give us the right to slag off newbies. If you're a member of BE long enough you will always see the same kind of threads appear, posted by newbies. It's inevitable. If you don't like threads like this one, don't read them. Simple as that.

Neither you nor I have the right to condemn a newbie for his effort to have some fun. When you and I were newbies we found threads like these funny, now don't deny the newbies from a couple of years later that same fun.

dakota44

Well said...and besides...every country has its share of dunces.

Texas Mom

I've lived here for nearly a year and have heard all sorts of questions, my favourites thus far have been;

'So are England and Australia separate countries because I know they're joined in some way' (that came from a respectable businessman in a suit)

'Have you ever seen snow?'

I've also been told by a man in Wisconsin that he 'respects those that come across and try to learn the language' and that 'I shouldn't be embassed' that he couldn't understand me 'It'll Come' - that was after I'd told him 3 or 4 times that I grew up in London[/QUOTE]


I got asked by a Mom at the park if I was Irish due to my red hair as she thought everybody with red hair was from Ireland. She was obviously colour blind as my hair is very dark brown, so dark that a lot of people describe it as black!

On a trip to a furniture store after the assistant enquired as to where we were from she informed my hubby and I that "y'all speak pretty good English". I was a little alarmed at this as I hadn't been in Texas long and therefore hoped that not all natives were this niave.

It is funny but as mentioned previously I'm not judging every American I meet on the few crazy encounters I've had.

Just Jenney

Although it wasn't exactly a question, a Chilean woman's steadfast belief that the idea that smoking causes cancer is just an urban myth set forth by American doctors to make doctors from other (particularly third-world) countries look stupid was the the most ridiculous things I've ever heard someone say about people from my country. To my face, anyway.



Twelve years later, I still can't make sense of what she was saying. And yes, she was a chain smoker. Despite what she said, I have a feeling I know which picture her lungs look like...

~ Jenney

Sarah

Do they have monster trucks over there? (no shit)

(same guy) "All my kinfolk are in Wales."
(me) "Really, so you have family there, have you been there?"
(guy) "No. but I am Welsh"

(old lady) "So you from Brooklyn?"

(One that really gets on my nerves) "It must be easy for you because America and the UK are basically the same right?"

dakota44

My ex wife was going on about smoking not causing cancer. She cited some British study..apparently, that says all cancer is a virus.

Jaxbar

Or as said to me a few weeks ago
Her: So speak a bit of French then
Me: No I'm English
Her: Yeah but you speak French
Me: Err no only what I learned in school
After a discussion she said "well I wouldnt know I have never been there" and she is right, her understanding of us is only as ignorant as mine previously of the US.

Sally

Yes in fairness my family have little understanding of where we have actually moved to (LA), Mum will ask if I am affected by the hurricanes in Florida and when my brother came over he seemed to think we could walk to the town centre. In-laws think it is one big drive-by shooting here.

dakota44

My favorite is when my fellow Americans show up to ski in Canada in July, and then ask where the snow is.