Is it really “Common”? – Biohazard: Ambivalent Gibberish

“Common Knowledge”. Really??? What is that? I know! I know! It’s those things that “everyone should know because it’s, well, it’s common!” Well, I’ve got news for anyone reading this (as if it’s that common! Ha!). There is NO SUCH THING! Why do I say that? Because what is common in Ohio may not be common in New Jersey, or what’s common to a farmer may not be common to a hairdresser. Ok, so I concede that some things MAY be common knowledge, like “the sun exists”, but it may not be common knowledge that the sun doesn’t actually “rise”, but just appears to due to the rotation of the earth (unless you believe we live in a simulated world constructed by some other power, but then THAT may be “common” in your circles!). So, before you go off half cocked (that phrase’s origin is common to gun enthusiasts) about people not understanding or knowing something that, to you, is so obvious it shouldn’t need said at all, remember that “common knowledge” is probably only what YOU think SHOULD BE common.

A case in point, I recently caught part of a show that was studying twins with one on and one off of a vegan diet (with the premise that identical twins eliminated the genetic variables), and they concluded that a healthier diet and exercise resulted in being healthier (of course,
everyone in the study most likely ate healthier, at least on a subconscious level, while conducting the study). I thought, “Duh! And in other news yesterday was the day before today!” Yes, there were other findings in the study, of course, but the fact that this particular finding needed to be pointed out seemed ridiculous to me. But, is that just my own “common knowledge” bias at work, and did other people need to hear that.
Maybe, or was it already “common knowledge”?

So, can we stop looking down our noses, mocking, or condemning people for their lack of “common knowledge” please? We all have things that we do and don’t know, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think it’s pretty exciting to know that I will, in fact, not know everything. It means I’ve always got something new to learn.
Here’s a quick list of other fun facts that are “common knowledge”, in certain circles:

– Fire, in zero gravity burns in a sphere and at a slower rate than in gravity.
– MENSA members all have an IQ of at least 132
– In general, the distance to the horizon you see is about 2.75 miles away from you.
– Cilantro and Coriander come from the same plant (one is an herb, the other a spice)
– Wikipedia can be edited by anyone. (you have been warned!)
– There is a type of haircut called “Octopus”
– Diesel fuel (don’t call it “gas” in those diesel circles!) does not use a spark plug but the actual compression of the air & fuel mix to ignite in internal combustion engines
– Steam locomotives are powered (usually) by external combustion engines
– The biohazard symbol (according to Wikipedia, see above!) was developed by the Dow chemical company in 1966 and has very exacting dimensions to be “official”

I’m sure I could make this list go on indefinitely, but the point is, as I said, to stop being so judgemental and condescending just because someone you interact with doesn’t know something that is blatantly obvious to you. Different lives, different educations and different experiences all impact us, but in the end we all live together, and because of that alone we should strive to be kind to each other.

To quote an excellent song:
Different eyes see different things
Different hearts beat on different strings
But there are times for you and me
When all such things agree