An interesting anecdote about two days ago...

[Joel_Kirk]

I was on the phone calling for some information, and the person who answered was taking my first and last name. Paraphrasing:

Her: Kurt?

Me: 'Kirk' like the Star Trek captain.

(silence)

Me: K-I-R-K.

Her: I'm sorry, I don't know who that is.

Me (chuckling): No problem.

I assume that people know of the characters from the Abrams films, but there are people who have never even seen any films in the Star Wars franchise...so it's not farfetched.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^That poor girl. She doesn't know what she's missing.

--Sran

 

[R. Star]

Meh, the mindset that if someone doesn't like the same things you do that they're missing out on something is the height of hubris.

Not everyone's going to like the same things. Bet she likes some things that we wouldn't. It doesn't make it's wrong. I'd probably do the same thing if someone said "(name) like the famous music star."

 

[Pondwater]

Years ago, I validated a check from a woman named Lisa Simpson. The woman didn't know there was a cartoon character of the same name.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Meh, the mindset that if someone doesn't like the same things you do that they're missing out on something is the height of hubris.

My post was meant in jest.

--Sran

 

[Finn]

There are downtrodden poor neighborhoods in DC where residents don't know who Obama is. One of my old classmates did student teaching in one of those neighborhoods. She told about how some people knew nothing of White house and the Congress despite being only a few miles away.

Extreme survival mode, I guess

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^Sadly, that problem is more widespread than most people would like to believe.

--Sran

 

[Greg Cox]

Don't get me started on the telemarketer who tried to sell me "Exena" merchandise. It took me a couple of minutes to realize she meant "Xena."

Helpful hint: learn how to pronounce the product you're trying to sell!

 

[Shawnster]

Years ago, I validated a check from a woman named Lisa Simpson. The woman didn't know there was a cartoon character of the same name.

She obviously never Googled her name.

There are downtrodden poor neighborhoods in DC where residents don't know who Obama is. One of my old classmates did student teaching in one of those neighborhoods. She told about how some people knew nothing of White house and the Congress despite being only a few miles away.

Extreme survival mode, I guess

I'd say pretty extreme. It's not like the White House or it's location are a big secret or anything. It's been in plenty of movies, TV shows, on the news and in the newspapers. I would assume plenty of DC area DJs mention the White House once in a while.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^I'm just amazed a telemarketer was trying to sell Xena merchandise.

--Sran

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

She obviously never Googled her name.

Slightly OT, but I wonder how many people actually do that. If I Google my name, I find only myself.

--Sran

 

[Greg Cox]

^I'm just amazed a telemarketer was trying to sell Xena merchandise.

--Sran

Even more amazing: it worked! I ended up ordering the first season on VHS.

(This was some years ago, obviously!)

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Even more amazing: it worked! I ended up ordering the first season on VHS.

Nice! I remember the show, but never got into it much.

--Sran

 

[Nerys Myk]

She obviously never Googled her name.

Slightly OT, but I wonder how many people actually do that. If I Google my name, I find only myself.

--Sran

I share my name with a couple of celebrities, so they get the top spots.

I've had customers named Mel Gibson, Fidel Castro and Gene Simmons.

 

[Metryq]

 

[JarodRussell]

So some people have other things in their lives to do than watching films or TV shows. A big surprise.

nuTrek 2009 made 250 million in the US. Average ticket price in 2009 was $7.50, so roughly 33.3 million tickets were sold. And a lot of fans have seen the film multiple times. So roughly 10% of the population went to see the film. Right, only ONE OUT OF TEN American citizens has seen Abramstrek in the US. In other words for everyone who has seen the film you meet NINE people who haven't. The chance of meeting someone who doesn't know who Captain Kirk is is a lot greater than the chance of meeting someone who does.

 

[AntonyF]

So some people have other things in their lives to do than watching films or TV shows. A big surprise.

nuTrek 2009 made 250 million in the US. [blah blah] The chance of meeting someone who doesn't know who Captain Kirk is is a lot greater than the chance of meeting someone who does.

It's just a little anecdote, you can come down off your high horses now.

Dear GOD what is wrong with you people! You and R Star, take a fucking chill pill! And that is such stupid logic that I'm surprise you don't get a headache.

You don't need to watch Star Trek to know who bloody Captain Kirk is. Most people - even non Trek fans - will know him. I've never watched the Incredible Hulk, but I know the green fella is.

Which is why the original post works. It's strange that someone doesn't know who he is.

The fact that you resort to maths to even try and prove 9 out of 10 people don't know a cultural icon from the last 50 years is embarrassing.

 

[JarodRussell]

The fact that you resort to maths to even try and prove 9 out of 10 people don't know a cultural icon from the last 50 years is embarrassing.

Embarrasing? It's just the way it is. Not everyone knows the "icon", and that's perfectly fine.

The people on the high horses are those who chuckle or find it strange when someone doesn't know their "icon".


Entertainment (and pop culture) is indeed a big bubble, but it's still a bubble, and there are A LOT of people who are not in it.

 

[scotpens]

I suppose it's possible that some people will give you blank stares when you mention the name "Captain Kirk." But even non-Trekkies know that Mr. Spock is some guy with pointed ears.

I think I've mentioned this before, but there was the time I was having a diagnostic imaging procedure and I happened to be wearing a red shirt. The patient ahead of me and the technician were also wearing red shirts. I looked at the three of us and said, "Well, I guess one of us is going to die in the next fifteen minutes."

Both of them got the reference. But then this is L.A., where half the population has something to do with the film and TV industry, so you won't find too many Trek-illiterates here.

I share my name with a couple of celebrities, so they get the top spots.

I've had customers named Mel Gibson, Fidel Castro and Gene Simmons.

I once sold some model kits to a guy named James Taylor. (Not the one who sings.) But then, according to the latest census, there are more than 14,000 James Taylors in the U.S.

 

[Greg Cox]

I was surprised to discover that our next-door neighbors had no idea who "Yoda" was, which was startling. I mean, I like to think I have a pretty good sense of perspective where such things are concerned. I don't expect non-fannish types to know who "Aeryn Sun" or "Odo" or "Zatanna" are, but Yoda? He's on lunchboxes, paper plates, and greeting cards for Obi-Wan's sake! I thought Yoda was mainstream.

Then again, my girlfriend's mom had no idea who "Mr. Spock" was, even after I showed her a photo of Nimoy with the ears. And my mom thought that "Smallville" was a show about little people. (Really!)

(On the other side of the coin, I recently got into a discussion of Doc Savage with the receptionist at the vet's office. That startled me, too!)