DUMB AND DUMBER

 THE DUMBEST INQUIRIES I'VE HEARD 

    There's an old saying that says, "there is no such thing as a stupid question." Of course in certain situations that idea does apply, but, I think at some point, everyone's encountered a person who asks you a question, and your initial reaction is just to think, "what a dumb question." The reaction is not to be mean or put anyone down, but a natural reply to something you thought everyone had basic knowledge on. Here are some of the dumbest questions I've heard.

Is Canada a State?

    I was helping my younger sister, Angela, study for her history exam and was quizzing her on some of the states. Angela is in her final high school year and is a very bright girl both academically and in real-life scenarios. It goes to show that I suppose everyone has a brain fart. On top of that, Angela was swamped with her college applications and had gotten no sleep the past few weeks as she kept up with her high school and extracurricular responsibilities going on. As she was going through her study guide, Angela looked up to me and said, "Why did you skip Canada?"

    Confused by her question, I replied, "Why would I quiz you on Canada?" Without a skip of a beat, Angela looked me dead in the eye and in response, continued her inquiry by asking, "Isn't Canada a state?" I immediately burst into laughter, and for those who are the older sibling, it's moments like these that give you a bit of an advantage later on for when your younger siblings try to "bully you." I enjoyed the moment for quite a while. After a few moments, Angela caught on to the situation and joined me in laughter. She realized how dumb her question was and said that sleep deprivation had gotten to her. I told her that she needed to sleep well before her history test if she wanted to do good. Luckily, after the test, Angela told me she got an A. Thank god I was there to help her study. 

What if I forget how to breathe?

    This question has a long story behind it, but I'll spare you the agonizing details. Long story short, I was out with my cousin, grocery shopping for a family dinner. The dinner was for a special occasion where my cousin's parents were renewing their wedding vows. It was the night before the ceremony and my cousin had prepared a speech at the dinner. He always struck me as a shy type who didn't really enjoy the spotlight as much as the next person, but it was sweet that he wanted to put his public speaking fears aside to honor his parents. 

    While we were shopping, I was helping him with his talking points. Although aI thought I was helping him, I suppose talking over the details started to freak him out a little bit. At some point in the situation, my cousin looks up to me, and I saw his facial expression at its most nervous. I thought when he was about to speak, that he was going to say something like," I can't do this anymore," or "I should ask my sister to take my place in this speech." You would think that the speech would be easier on his mind because it was given around family members and close friends, but I think it made him more nervous because he was being judged by people who knew him before he could even walk. "What if..." my cousin started out. 

    "What if what?" I encouraged. My cousin sighed deeply and said, "What if I forget how to breathe while I'm up there?" I look at him in astonishment, almost chuckling to see if he was joking. He wasn't. 

    I guess public speaking skills are different for everyone. For anyone that was wondering, my cousin did end up getting up in front of everyone to say the speech. He threw up afterward, but the kid did the full speech which I'm very proud of him for facing his fears. 

What are the dumbest questions you've heard?

    Everyone at some point has asked a dumb question, including me. I think it's perfectly fine and no one is perfect. Questions like "Do blind people hear colors," "Do mailmen have their own mailmen," and "Are pumpkins fruits," are some other dumb questions I've heard, but then those stories would take forever to tell. I'll let your imagination take hold of those questions. Have you had similar questions asked to you? How did you handle the situation?