Recently we looked at — and laughed at — some stories from redditors about moments when they encountered people who were "another level of stupid."
It seems as though everybody has a story like this, because BuzzFeed readers started sharing their own moments when they witnessed a fleeting moment of stupidity. Here are some of the best ones!
1. The ex with a lemon:
"My ex once told me, while holding a lemon in his hand, that he didn't have any lemon juice in the house. Took him a good moment to realize where bottled lemon juice comes from."
2. The person who had some packing tips:
"Years ago, we were packing for a city trip, and my friend suggested I fold my clothes flat so they would weigh less. Seeing my confusion, she went on to explain how a flat piece of material would float in water, but a ball or cube would sink."
3. The friend who had a complete brain fart:
"One time, my friend looked at me and said, 'What’s the name of that place where they speak French?' and I was like, 'Um...France?' She just started laughing hysterically because she felt so stupid 😂."
4. The discerning customer:
"Had a customer send a cheeseburger back because they didn't know it came with cheese on it."
5. The Broadway expert:
"I was in French class in college that was taught by an actual Frenchwoman. We started going over entertainment words and had just learned the words for 'play' and 'theater' and all that, when one of my adult classmates helpfully explained to our professor, 'Oh yeah, we have that in America, too. It’s called Cats.'
"This man did not think Americans had any access to any kind of domestic theater experience besides...Cats."
6. The film buff:
"I used to work with a girl who thought the Titanic sinking AND the attack on Pearl Harbor were 'just movies' and not actual events. She said they couldn't be real because that would make Ben Affleck and Leo DiCaprio 'like 100 years old! And I didn't know cameras had been invented way back then!' She honestly thought I was telling her the movies were films of the actual events as they happened."
7. The astronomer:
"My ex’s sister once asked if the moon was in front of or behind the clouds."
8. The geography expert:
"In grade school, I was joking with some friends: 'That’s why I call myself Germasian, because I’m German and Asian.'
"My classmate turned to me, completely serious. 'You’re Asian? I thought you were Chinese.' It’s been about 15 years since, and still the dumbest thing I’ve been asked."
9. The student with two different spellings for "orange," apparently:
"A girl in my high school English class asked how to spell 'orange'. 'The color — not the fruit.'"
10. Tourists. Just...tourists:
"My friend was a captain on a catamaran in Maui. One day a tourist asked him, 'What elevation are we at right now?' He looked over the railing and said, 'About 6 feet.'
"Another tourist asked him how far they’d have to swim down to swim under the island. Because, you know, they’re just bobbing along untethered."
—Shem
11. This hilariously mistaken mom:
"My mom confused Ron Paul — who was campaigning to be the Republican presidential candidate in 2012 — with the performer RuPaul. She said she couldn’t understand how RuPaul could be a conservative Republican."
12. The medical tech who must have been used to the metric system:
"I once had to take my husband to seek medical care at a 'doc-in-the-box' situation. When doing the usual triage routine, the tech took his weight and height. She said, 'OK, you’re 189 pounds and 6'1".' He said, 'What!? I’ve always been 5'11”.' And she said, 'No, you’re definitely 6'1". He kind of puffed up for a minute, feeling all tall and cool, and said, 'Huh! maybe I grew since the last time I was measured.'
"We got to the exam room and he said to her again, 'Are you sure? I’ve always thought I was 5'11".' And she said, 'No, definitely. You’re 71 inches, so 6 feet 1 inch.'
"My husband and I exchanged glances. 'Oh, no, 71 inches is 5'11",' he said.
"She said, 'No, I’m 61 inches and I’m 5 feet 1 inch, so if you’re 71 inches, you’re 6 feet 1 inch!' And he said, 'Yeah, but...feet have 12 inches, not 10, so 71 inches is 5 feet and 11 inches.' She said, 'Well, that’s how we do it here.'
"I literally choked on my water. My husband and I couldn’t make eye contact until she left the room, and then we freaked out. It was hilarious and terrifying that this medical tech didn’t understand basic measurement."
13. The person who asked the impossible:
"I worked for six years at Bath & Body Works and heard, 'I’m looking for the unscented aromatherapy lotion.'"
14. The hotel clerk who answered a simple question:
"Once when I worked the front desk at a hotel, a guest came up to me and asked me, 'How does the door at the back of the hotel work?' I didn’t understand that the guest meant 'Do I need a key first?' so I said, 'Oh, it works the traditional way...that doors do,' and my manager just looked at me like hiring me was the dumbest thing they’d ever done."
15. The mayor who just wanted to send out a helpful call:
"My town's mayor sent out a robocall the week before Thanksgiving to let us know that 'Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday this year.'"
16. The man who ~thought~ he was vegan:
"I work for a hotel, and one day I was serving a guest breakfast. He informed me that he was vegan, and we had a bit of a conversation because my sister is too, so I only offered him vegan items. Right before I hand over his to-go bag, he points to the yogurt and asks for one. I asked if he was sure because yogurt is not vegan, and he snapped at me, 'It says lactose-free right on the label. I know what I can eat; I've been vegan for five years!' Well, I had two options: Inform him that 'lactose-free' does not mean dairy-free or hand him the yogurt. I gave him the yogurt. I was not in the mood to be snapped at."
17. The person who forgot three very important numbers:
"At my old job, there was some kind of emergency, so someone hollered at my coworker to quickly dial 911.
"She came back a few minutes later asking, 'What was that number again?'
"Good thing it wasn't anything serious."
18. Every person who asked this poor host this question:
"When I was a hostess, I’d ask people if they’d like the patio and they’d be like, 'How is it outside?'
"You just came from there to get in here."
19. The person whose dad was just trying to help:
"I remember asking my dad how to spell 'VCR,' not just once but multiple times.
"'Dad, how do you spell VCR?!'
"'...VCR.'
"'Yeah, how do you spell it?'
"'V. CR.'
"'Can you just STOP and TELL ME HOW TO SPELL IT?!'
"I don't remember quite how that conversation ended, but I remember the ReALiZatiOn of how dumb I was."
20. The man who had something mixed up:
"Used to work in an art museum and was placed on ticketing one day. Grown-ass man went up to the counter and asked me how many rides we had inside. Thinking he'd made a mistake, I explained to him that it was an art museum. He said, 'Yes, I know.'
"But...I...wut?"
21. This customer:
"A Karen, highly upset: 'Your employee told me this was half price. Now you say it's 50% off. WELL, WHICH IS IT?'"
22. The customer who figured there must be a magical secret supply:
"Explaining to a customer what 'while supplies last' means in an ad...she kept asking for a rain check. That’s not how it works, honey. Once it’s sold out, it’s gone. No more. Finito. Dunzo."
23. The coworker who had a rude awakening:
"Had a coworker who decided to stop eating meat when she found out that humans kill cows on purpose in order to eat them. She thought we only ate cows that die of natural causes."
24. The person who needed to reread the name:
"When I was working as a server during brunch, a middle-aged woman seriously asked me, 'Does the avocado toast have avocado on it?' I almost walked out right then and there."
