Ben Carson: Bungling Surgeon

Like I said, you're actively ignoring things. And that's fine. I know plenty of really smart people who are exceedingly ignorant of many things. I just find it hard not to at least be familiar with a wide variety of things because things just stick with me. Many of those things are of little to no consequence, but I enjoy the general knowledge. Makes for better conversation on the rare occasions people want to talk to me.

 

Pitfall is still all the rage, right?

 

A coworker in her mid-20s at the oldest claims to have never seen any of the Star Wars movies. I can buy that. But then she claims to have never heard of any of the characters. How can you not have heard of any of the characters? They are in ads, news stories, TV shows, etc. Just talking to people, someone would bring up Star Wars sometime. Darth Vader? You can't tell me you don't know who Darth Vader is.

 

How can you despise John McCain?

 

My mother-in-law is 75, raised three boys, has four grand sons, and I guarantee you she wouldn't know any "Star Wars" characters. She couldn't name a Beatle, either, when we put the challenge to her.

 

He's a war hero!

 

That's crazy. The Beatles were her generation.

I hope she deeds over the family cave to you, though.

 

She despises him. I'm kind of indifferent. But this is why: His part in supporting the coup that forced out the elected president of Ukraine. How would WE feel if a bunch of Russian diplomats went to, say, Mexico, to support an overthrow of their government in favor of one that would be friendly to Russia? We'd shit our pants. That, and all his warmongering talk since then about Russia is why she hates him.

 

Was she comatose in December 1980?

Lennon's murder was one of the biggest national (and worldwide) stories since RFK and MLK in 1968. Bigger than Elvis's death by a healthy margin.

Lennon's killing dominated the news for about half the month.

I can certainly buy that your MIL may not have cared much who Lennon was or what he did, but if you lived through December 1980 and didn't at least recognized his name you'd have had to be literally unconscious.

 

She had a 3-year-old.

I also think that would have been around the time that she got divorced. I'll ask her some time, but I question whether she even vaguely remembers a Beatle being shot and killed, let alone his name.

 

No way.

Our newspaper has historical front pages attached to the wall on the sidewalk around our building. Among them: Lindbergh flight, end of WWII, Hurricane aftermath, JFK assassination, 9/11, local team getting an NFL franchise . . . and Elvis' death.

Quick Google search:

"Elvis death" --- 57,800,000
"Lennon death" --- 18,300,000