Most stupid personal question you've been asked?

[FantomOmega]

At least 4 years back I remember speaking to a foreigner (probably from a country that doesn't have a lot of technology) and at the end of the conversation I said "I'm going home to burn some music on a CD" with him asking me "how HOT the CD have to be on the stove before you burn it?" he was serious

I was stumped, I nearly lost it, my other friends present for this usual happening on the other hand weren't so kind and nearly threw up laughing

... that wasn't even the worst thing I've heard the following years, not by a LONG shot...

 

[TheKaduflyerSystem]

I don't interact with real people enough to have been asked dumb questions

um...
"If you were born in Ireland why don't you sound Irish?"
"Because I lived in Ireland for a few months, and England for 16 years"

Re-reads other posts... yeah this is weaksauce

 

[Infernai]

"Do you Australians ride kangaroo's to school?"

Yes, another fully grown human being legitimately asked me that..i was too in awe of the stupidity to actually do anything.

 

[Camaranth]

I feel your pain OP. My parents are of two different nationalities and I've grown up between the two countries, although worst questions:

"Are you American?" whilst I'm wearing a Team CANADA sweater,

and

"You're not local, are you?"

 

[dangoball]

Fortunately, I don't seem to get dumb personal questions. If my friends ask anything dumb, they're usually kidding around. As for my girlfriend, he's smarter than that.

Well good for y... Wait, WUT?

As for my girlfriend, he's smarter than that.

You might want to edit that one

OT: I... I can't really remember any. Being asked if I'm gay is no curiosity in my case, since I like to confuse people for laughs, so that one's out. The only stupid thing I hear a lot is more of a suggestion than a question. "Get a part-time job," they say. I would if there was one in 50km radius, you dumbfucks! You think I enjoy begging my dad for every penny and listening to his bitching while I'm at it? Sure, I like nothing more...
(just for the record, pennies are not a currency in my country, but who cares)

 

[FalloutJack]

-AGH!-

I, on the other hand, am prone to embarassing typos.

 

[SwimmingRock]

I grew up in the Caribbean, but have western European genes. People have asked me to my face, while looking at me, some variation of the following:"How can you be white, if you were raised on an island where they don't have white people?" I don't even know where to start explaining to these people how stupid that question is.

The first few times, I was baffled by this question. I've since gotten used to it, sad as that is.

 

[Lev The Red]

"Ivan (ee-von)? is that like Ivan (eye-van)?"

it takes so much self control not to smack people who ask me that.

 

[the doom cannon]

"Hey man, you Bruce Lee?" No joke. And it's happened 3 times too. Each time it's some random guy on the public transportation. All at different times and spread out over a year. I most certainly do not look like Bruce Lee....My ancestry is half Japanese, half European, and I'm American.

 

[kickassfrog]

Have you been to a church service yet.

No. I will never attend a church service. Have you been to the mosque recently? Exactly.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I'm an atheist, and very openly admit this.

 

[AngloDoom]

Stranger: "Do you think you look attractive dressing like that?"
Me: "Not any more, I don't."

I think I shared a bond with that person: they looked genuinely shocked and almost sympathetic toward me because I managed to get to the punchline before they did. Strange times.

Most stupid question I ever got asked was by a snotty girl on tills who seemed to enjoy rolling her eyes whenever I spoke. I approached her with a week's worth of food for myself and my house-mate on the conveyor-belt:

Lady: "Do you want some bags?"
Me: "No thanks, I'll just eat it now."

Needless to say, there was a chill in the room afterwards that made the whole drawn-out experience eerily quiet and horribly awkward. Not sure if it was worth it at the time, but it makes me happy in recollection.

 

[soren7550]

I can't really think of many good (or bad rather in this case) personal questions I've been asked, but the only one I can think of is "Are you from Texas?"
I got asked that a lot in late elementary school/middle school. -_-'
The answer is of course no. I lived in New York all my life, and at that point the farthest south west I've been was New Jersey.

Now as for me asking stupid personal questions, I know I've been guilty of that several times.

 

[kickassfrog]

Stranger: "Do you think you look attractive dressing like that?"
Me: "Not any more, I don't."

I think I shared a bond with that person: they looked genuinely shocked and almost sympathetic toward me because I managed to get to the punchline before they did. Strange times.

Most stupid question I ever got asked was by a snotty girl on tills who seemed to enjoy rolling her eyes whenever I spoke. I approached her with a week's worth of food for myself and my house-mate on the conveyor-belt:

Lady: "Do you want some bags?"
Me: "No thanks, I'll just eat it now."

Needless to say, there was a chill in the room afterwards that made the whole drawn-out experience eerily quiet and horribly awkward. Not sure if it was worth it at the time, but it makes me happy in recollection.

I've had that from the opposite end, and frankly, you come across as being the asshole there, from my perspective.
Because A) the staff are just doing their jobs, and frankly if you're on shop wages and someone comes in and starts being sarcastic to your face for asking a question you're told to do, it does not make you a happy bunny and B) some people are environmentally conscious and bring THEIR OWN DAMN BAGS ONCE IN A WHILE.

One time I had this exchange:
Me: Would you like a bag for those?
Customer: How do you think I am going to get them home, magic?
Me: I'm only asking, because some customers like to use their own bags
Customer: Well some of us don't like to be lectured on (I forget at this point, because it's largely suppressed rage)
[later]
Customer: You should tell your manager to give the bags for life away for free. (Like the fact that they paid nothing for the carrier bags and got away with something that, had I not been working, would have earned the full argument with raised voices and full sarcasm)

But thanks for setting me up with that excellent opportunity to vent.

 

[cerealnmuffin]

When I worked at a bookstore, I often got asked, 'Do you work here?' when I have on a name lanyard, and I'm scanning and shelving books. Once I even got asked it when I was standing behind the register area.

Oh here are a few others from that wretched job:

*customer gives me library card at the register and asks* "How long can I check these books out for?"

"Where is your photocopier? I don't want to buy the book. Just need ten pages copied from it."

"Can you help me find a book?" This is asked when I was honestly on lunch, lanyard off, phone in hand, soda in the other, listening to my ipod through one ear. I politely directed her to someone who could help her after informing her that I was on lunch. She then got all huffy and said this was just a quick question... there went five minutes of my lunch.

THE DUMBEST QUESTION EVER IS........."Is this read by the author?" Someone had an audio book of 'Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.

 

[The Funslinger]

"Have you ever sacrificed yourself?"

During my "Goth phase". No context was given beyond that. Suffice to say the question was too idiotic to respond to.

The fuck does sacrificing yourself even mean?

OT: "Why are you so fucked up?"

This being asked by the whoriest, bitchiest chav woman on the face of the earth, so I took it as a compliment.

 

[renegade7]

When a girl asks "What are you thinking about?"

Infuriating. What am I supposed to say? What I'm actually thinking about (Breasts, spaceships, etc.)?

 

[AngloDoom]

But thanks for setting me up with that excellent opportunity to vent.

Totally fine, and having worked in retail previously I understand your pain.

That said, I did mention before (though, in no great detail so it's my own fault) that the girl serving me was being rude and dismissive toward me before I was rude and dismissive to her. Although I know that most times it is best to rise above the occasion, I don't like attempts to ease the tension of a silent transaction being met with awkwardness.

 

[Pinkamena]

When a girl asks "What are you thinking about?"

Infuriating. What am I supposed to say? What I'm actually thinking about (Breasts, spaceships, etc.)?

And breast spaceships... Mmmmm. I just answer honestly to those questions. If they don't like the answer, perhaps they'll learn to stop asking stupid questions like that.

OT: A few months back, I was asked "why do you not have a girlfriend?". I was extremely surprised at such a question. Oh by all means, let me tell you all about my personal and deep-rooted problems with getting into a relationship and my fear of rejection!

 

[kickassfrog]

But thanks for setting me up with that excellent opportunity to vent.

Totally fine, and having worked in retail previously I understand your pain.

That said, I did mention before (though, in no great detail so it's my own fault) that the girl serving me was being rude and dismissive toward me before I was rude and dismissive to her. Although I know that most times it is best to rise above the occasion, I don't like attempts to ease the tension of a silent transaction being met with awkwardness.

Yes, I caught that bit but I thought I'd still like to take the opportunity to load that bit of information on the internet where one or two people might stumble across it. It is quite bad that the staff would be rude and dismissive towards you though. I know it can be hard sometimes when you're having a tough day, but you just need to hold the act together until you finish.

 

[Bvenged]

I've had that a lot, and still do, too, OP:

"You lived in Cyprus?"
"Yeah, the southern Greek side, but on a British base."
"So you're Cyprus(ish, ian, etc - never cypriot)?"
"No..."
"Greek?"
"No, I'm British - Welsh to be exact."
"But didn't you live in the UK?"
"YES! Yes - I'd lived all across southern England before going to Cyprus..."
"So you're English?"
"NO. NO, I was born in Wales!"
"Did you go to a Greek school?"
"No, eh - I..."

But I digress. It entertains me running circles around those who ask.