Yesterday was Ask a Stupid Question Day. Which always gets me thinking. There is a saying that the only stupid question is the one that isn’t asked. While I believe, if you truly seek to understand, there probaby is a place for your question, I beg to differ that no questions are stupid. There are, indeed, stupid questions that should never be asked, questions that actually hurt others. Here’s what I mean. There are three main types of (stupid) questions that should never be asked:
1. Questions that seek to show someone up
As a homeschooler for over 13 years, I’ve been asked some really dumb questions. Most of them where from people who didn’t approve of homeschooling. They weren’t asking because they sought to understand. They asked in order to show me up.
I’ve been asked what made me think I was qualified to teach, what right did I have to endanger my child’s education, and how could I do that to my child?
My kids have been asked to recite the Gettysburg Address and multiply 359 by 672 in their head. Fortunately, many of the questions these people asked my children were met with complete shock when they answered them correctly. ;D
I’ve been asked some silly questions about my Christian faith, not vaccinating my son, why I don’t drink tap water and why I don’t have health insurance. All were designed to make me look silly or produce a flustered response.
Just because someone asks a question, doesn’t mean they really want the answer.
2. Questions that invade someone’s privacy
Have you ever had anyone ask you a question only to get you to reveal a private matter the “asker” already knows full-well you don’t want to discuss it in public? These are also stupid questions. They know you won’t answer the question, but they ask in order to delight in seeing you squirm.
Just because someone asks a question, doesn’t mean they expect the answer.
3. Questions that seek to make the person asking seem important or intelligent
Some people don’t seem to get enough recognition in life. They adore feeling like the Big Man on Campus so if nobody strokes their ego, they find a sneaky way of doing it themselves. They ask a question nobody will know the answer to in order to answer thier own question, revealing their inner hero. Sometimes they ask a question knowing that it will prompt another member of the group to bring up a topic that will feed their ego.
Just because someone asks a question, doesn’t mean they don’t know the answer.
Most people ask questions in order to gain understanding, truth and wisdom, but some people who ask questions have ulterior motives and, yes, those are stupid questions. What say you? Anyone ask you any stupid questions lately?
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