"there are no stupid questions"

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You've probably heard this old saw at some time in your life. Parents and teachers drum this into our heads when we're young. And it's obvious enough that questions --> answers --> learning, but how much is too much? Does this phrase (and its cultural ubiquity) discourage people from thinking, doing their own research, figuring things out without external help? I'm not anti-question; I just hate the idea that "you'll never learn anything if you don't ask," even if "asking" means irritating a coworker or superior who's being as helpful as he can but possibly might also have other things to do that don't involve holding your hand through life.

(This is brought on by a certain ILXor's annoyance at a nagging coworker today.)

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"but there are plenty of bullshit cliches"

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)

But there are stupid times to ask them...

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

anyone who thinks this is true should've sat through the cringe-fest that was last week's Sun City Girls Q&A (after their excellent films) at Anthology. First question: "Do you worship Satan?" I should've taken a cue from my friend Joel and just left.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

ilx has proved this old catchphrase wrong several million times.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

i was very grateful to a boss who had supplied me with the appropriate reference materials at the beginning and would always interrupt my questions to say "you've got the book; look it up." her mantra of "look it up" got me into the habit of not needlessly pestering her, and in the end both parties were happy..

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

there are no small parts, only small actors!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

cut to: picture of emmanuel lewis

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

There are no stupid questions,
only stupid people.

thank you South Park.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

There are no stupid questions,
only stupid people.

InDEED.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey I resent that.

― Dumb Ass (Ned), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)

What?

― Leee O'Aja (Leee), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

DOn't mind me; I'm fine. It's just that my foot fell asleep here. No, wait. It's my whole leg. More like my entire body, really. Including my head. I'll catch up in a minute.

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Everything I know is the result of my ignorance.

― Maria D., Tuesday, 20 April 2004 21:53 (twenty-two years ago)

How come I ask stupid questions?

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

There is no such thing as a stupid question, in the sense that this phrase is usually used. Something that is obvious to one person who has one frame of reference will not be obvious to another who spends a great deal of time thinking about things *other* than the thing in the question. The person who hears a question and interprets that question as "stupid" is doing so unreflectively, based on their own background knowledge and assumptions.

Why *should* other people share knowledge that you find self-evident? And if they need to ask something, why not answer them, if the question is sincere? And if they don't share the same knowledge, especially on a technical subject, they may not know where to look for the answer, or how to implement or interpret the answer that they see. They may simply have different assumptions about the world.

I think in many cases saying "That is a stupid question" is laziness. In the time it took you to pass judgement and spread more unpleasantness in the world, you could have already answered the question and enabled the asker to be a source of information should they ever be asked the same question themselves.

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 00:08 (twenty-two years ago)

seven years pass...

my God some people take "don't be afraid to ask the 'stupid' questions" to some extremes.

Maybe "but be afraid of being actually stupid" should be added to the end?

― Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:45 (fourteen years ago)

"don't be afraid to ask the 'stupid' questions but write down the fucking stupid answers so that 30 mins later and every 30 minutes after that you won't have to ask that particular stupid question ever again?"

― Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:46 (fourteen years ago)

"don't be afraid to ask google the stupid questions."

― Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:47 (fourteen years ago)

I think in many cases saying "That is a stupid question" is laziness.

guilty as charged

― dayove cool (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:47 (fourteen years ago)

i don't think it is lazy to ask your colleague to use their fucking brain once in a while when all the facts are in front of them and they just need to apply logic

― Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:49 (fourteen years ago)

no it's not, i was speaking for myself.

colleagues that ring you up at home when you're on leave to ask fucking stupid questions are even better.

― dayove cool (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:50 (fourteen years ago)

I had a long, inspirational talk with my son a few weeks ago when he was afraid to ask me a question because "it's stupid." And I was like "Noooo, there are no...etc..."

And then I had to have a separate, less inspirational convo with him about how this didn't apply to "How much longer 'til we get there?"

― getting good with gulags (beachville), Thursday, 16 February 2012 14:51 (fourteen years ago)

see even that question would have been fine if asked once, but then if an ETA has been given then really one should be asking "are we still on target for xxx time" maybe.

― Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 16 February 2012 15:10 (fourteen years ago)

I am reminded of the girl who asked, after hearing it was not allowed to use a cellphone while driving, "So can I do it while driving backwards?"

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Thursday, 16 February 2012 22:26 (fourteen years ago)

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