this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2025
113 points (99.1% liked)

No Stupid Questions

39767 readers
1242 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here. This includes using AI responses and summaries.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

For example when you're catching up with friends after a while

top 48 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] jenesaisquoi@feddit.org 2 points 3 hours ago

I tell the truth. Nothing. I don't care to expend the energy to make up an excuse.

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 7 points 5 hours ago

Usually a brief "I just read/played/watched such-and-such"

If they know it, we can chat about it. If they don't, and they're interested, we can chat about it. Otherwise, the conversation moves on and the social rite is concluded successfully.

[–] indepndnt@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

This reminds me of the time that I learned that the correct answer to "what's up?" is "what's up?" At least in the context of that one coworker who would say that to me as we were walking past each other.

I've since learned to recognize these things as a "bid for connection". It generally has little to do with the content of the question or the answer and everything to do with relating.

So basically there is no wrong answer. And there are lots of good examples in this thread!

Personally I tend to answer "not much" as a knee-jerk reaction, but sometimes I'll remember to say something else after that.

[–] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 5 points 6 hours ago

"I'm a normal user of sidewalks."

[–] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

In general, switch the question to, "What's new in the world?"

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 10 points 9 hours ago

I'm functioning within normal parameters.

[–] oppy1984@lemm.ee 10 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

The court order was very clear that I am not allowed to discuss that. How about you? Anything new?

[–] CheeseToastie@lazysoci.al 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

This wins the thread !lemmysilver

[–] Opinionhaver@feddit.uk 11 points 12 hours ago

"Nothing's new - same old"

[–] janus2@lemmy.zip 3 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

"just the time and date and some cells in my hair follicles"

[–] kinther@lemmy.world 19 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

The cosmic horrors persist, but so do I

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)
[–] kinther@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

I stole it from somewhere else, so seems only fair

[–] half@lemy.lol 99 points 1 day ago (6 children)

I am autistic, which you probably could have just derived from the rest of this comment. Questions like these are so terrifying to me. So I always have a fun fact on hand.

"What's new?"

"I just learned that only female cats have a calico pattern!"

Then you can talk about cats instead of your life.

[–] sirimeow@lemmy.world 29 points 23 hours ago

That's a great idea honestly. I'd love it if more people gave replies like that.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world 6 points 18 hours ago

It's not an absolute rule, but it's true in the vast majority of cases. The coloring is on the X chromosome, and males usually have only one, but some males with have an extra X chromosome (XXY) and those can be calico. It's rare.

[–] illi@lemm.ee 17 points 1 day ago

That's quite ingenious actually

[–] EpeeGnome@lemm.ee 6 points 20 hours ago

You're right, that does sound particularly like something an autistic person would say. It's also something I'd be perfectly happy to hear and engage with.

[–] liverbe@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

Same with tortoiseshell coloring, and orange tabbies are usually male!

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 8 points 23 hours ago

That's me too. And personally, I think you're my type of person to talk to.

[–] MoreFPSmorebetter@lemmy.zip 8 points 16 hours ago

"I am unfortunately still here" is my go-to. People seem to leave you alone if you joke about killing yourself.

[–] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 37 points 22 hours ago
[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 8 points 17 hours ago

Nothing much, you?

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 43 points 1 day ago

Something is always happening in your life.

What you really mean is "When you don't think that anyone would be interested in what's happening in your life."

If you've been absorbing media, tell us what you've been watching/reading/playing. If you have this encounter out in public, say where you're going now, or what you're looking forward to doing when that's done.

Hell, even if you've been laying in bed for a week and someone asks, say you've been catching up on some sleep.

There's always something, and as mundane as you think your answer might be, it'll be easier for them to continue the conversation on that one piece of information than saying "you know, same old".

[–] TrojanRoomCoffeePot@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago

"Livin' the dream."

[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 37 points 1 day ago

I usually go with "oh, same old same old" or "nothing fun" and try to divert back to something someone else talked about. But to be fair, I am a terrible conversationalist.

[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 29 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's not a real question that requires an answer. You say 'not much' or 'same old same old' and move on.

[–] tyler@programming.dev 25 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Lots of times it is a real question, especially if the other person cares about you at all.

[–] JollyBrancher@lemm.ee 3 points 15 hours ago

Yeahhh we're all weird at some level. But if it's someone you were at least somewhat close with, give them a least a couple deets! I moved around for a handful of years and it's easy to get caught up enough to forget JUST how long it's been. It's part of being human. No shame in it.

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 11 points 21 hours ago

"But I haven't seen you in over a decade!"

I said, SAME. OLD!

[–] LavaPlanet@lemm.ee 15 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

"you know, new day, same old, how about you?" think of it as a game of catch, throw the ball back, if you don't want to / or have a quick answer.

[–] EpeeGnome@lemm.ee 6 points 20 hours ago

"New toilet paper, same shit" is how an old boss of mine used to say it. Good for if you want to go clever yet crude.

[–] J52@lemmy.nz 8 points 19 hours ago

You know how at times no news are good news, I've only got good news.

[–] TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 day ago

If it’s someone I haven’t seen in years, talking about the big picture should be interesting enough. You know, like where I live, what do I do for a living etc.

If it’s someone who definitely knows all that, I can mention something small but recent. Like, I just bought some weird carrot salsa, and it was surprisingly good.

[–] tonyn@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 3 points 23 hours ago

I'm partial to "the devil shits on the biggest pile"

If things are really bad it's just "living the dream"

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 7 points 21 hours ago

Song lyrics are always fun.

"I'm another older and deeper in debt." [16 Tons]

"I'm tired of living and sacred of dying.'" [Old Man River]

"I'm a material girl..." [can't remember the title...]

[–] miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Tell them about the wicked fart you released yesterday.

Rectum? Damn near killed 'em!

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 23 hours ago

“Same old same old. You?”

[–] 0x01@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 day ago

Things do happen in your life, nobody lives in a vacuum. You are alive and are experiencing things every day including the stuff that's happening to all of us. Recent economic news, political drama, geopolitical events, etc are all fair game

I used to think nothing happened in my life then I started to keep a diary/journal and realized that a ton happens all the time!

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 5 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

I hate that kind of question, as if you are expected to live in the fast lane, and all sorts of things should have happened.
It's probably not meant that way, but it can feel that way. I'd probably answer something along the lines of: "Nothing dramatic. how about you?"

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 5 points 23 hours ago

I take a short breath and pull out my phone.

I notate when I last saw them.

I then pull out my document of every major event that occurred to me from point A to point B.

They look confused.

I comfort them.

I gently remind them that I'm on this ride with them. And if they didn't want to be informed, they shouldnt have asked.

I clear my throat, and start at the top of the list.

[–] dwindling7373@feddit.it 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A lot of different cell types actually!

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

You start groping yourself ... touch your chest, your face, your arms, reach around to you back, touch your shoulders

HEY! .... I'M STILL ALIVE!!!

[–] Little8Lost@lemmy.world 3 points 23 hours ago

in case of catching up with friends: "just recently a few minutes ago i meet a friend and am really happy about it and i think its going to be amazing" maybe

could be cringe tho

[–] capc8m@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

Living one day at a time