"I Lost My Faith In Humanity That Day": Adults Are Sharing The Wildest Things They've Had To Explain To Other Adults, And Yiiiiikes

Yahoo

11-06-2025

Everyone's trying to figure life out, but common sense and knowledge do go...a long way. Recently, BuzzFeed Community members shared the things they couldn't believe they had to explain to other adults, and some of these are so baffling that all you can really do is chuckle:
1."I had to convince a college student that Louie Armstrong was not the first man on the moon."
—bubblychicken804
2."I was at a party playing Cards Against Humanity when someone pulled a card that said 'Hiroshima' on it. She was so confused; she turned to me and asked, 'Who is Hiroshima?' I lost my faith in humanity that day."
—Alex, 35, Nevada
3."My ex-husband thought that Christmas was on a different day every year, like Thanksgiving. This was in the '90s before smartphones, and we only had the internet at work, so the best I could do was show him a three-year calendar that showed Christmas always being on the 25th. In 10 years, I was never able to convince him that he wasn't right."
—shinygoose103
4."I once had to explain to someone twice my age that chocolate milk does not come from brown cows. The amount of people in the US who believe that is incredible."
—Anonymous
5."My brother thought that babies and moms were 'snapped' onto each other's belly buttons on the inside. He was in his 20s at the time."
—Anonymous
6."My college-educated ex-husband thought that driving uphill meant he was driving north. He thought that since north is 'up' on a map, it must be the same on the ground. I asked him what direction we'd be heading when we crested the hill and went down the other side. He had to think it through for a long time before understanding."
—Martha, 73, Florida
7."I had to explain to a man in his 60s that Japan is part of Asia."
—deanf48acdde6c
Related: Adults Are Sharing Their "I Can't Believe I Have To Explain This To Another Adult" Stories, And I Need A Break From Life After Reading These
8."I had to explain to a former sister-in-law that quitting 'cold turkey' did not actually include turkey."
—Anonymous
9."In my mid-30s, I went back to school to finish college. I had at least three classmates ask if I was Italian, since my last name is Madrid. I explained each time that Madrid is the capital of Spain, and not a city in Italy. I just received blank stares from them."
—Anonymous, 57, California
10."I had to explain to a coworker that going down on a guy wouldn't get them pregnant."
—Anonymous
11."While preparing to move to Alaska, a coworker of mine asked what type of currency is used there. I told her that Alaska is a US state. She said she knew that, but she figured since it was so far away, they had their own currency. Can't make this up."
—arcticbabe20
Related: "It Was Driving Everyone Bonkers With Mystery": 49 Times The Internet Came Together To Identify Weird Items That Had Everyone Completely Stumped
12."I had to explain to an older woman I was chatting with in a grocery store that, no, it is not the Democrats' position that being pro-abortion rights means you have a right to kill your baby after birth if you don't want it."
—Anonymous
13."We asked our adult coworker to let us know when it was a quarter till one (12:45). Promptly at 12:35, she let us know that it was a quarter till. We all just kind of sat there, looking at her, before asking why she had alerted us at 12:35. She explained that a quarter till was 25 minutes before, saying, 'You know, like how a quarter is 25 cents.' She hasn't lived that one down since."
—Anonymous
14."I had to explain to a NURSE that someone with a red meat intolerance cannot eat beef. She kept arguing that beef isn't red meat because 'it's brown.'"
—Christina, 33, Florida
15."The number of times I've had to explain to people that West Virginia is a state entirely separate from Virginia due to the events of the Civil War is truly mind-blowing."
—adrienoelle2258
16."I once had someone tell me that they didn't vote because the only votes that really counted were the ones from the 'college kids.' I asked if she was referring to the Electoral College, and she said yes. I tried to explain, but she said she learned what she knew from government class in high school, and she passed with flying colors, so I must have it wrong."
—Anonymous
17."A man who claimed he'd been vegan for over five years refused to believe me when I told him that lactose-free yogurt is still, in fact, a dairy product."
—paulau4fbdfb725
18."That narwhals are real. An adult friend of mine believed they were fake since they were called the 'unicorns of the sea,' and laughed at me for insisting they exist. Good ole Google helped settle that debate."
—Anonymous
19."I was working in a law office as a paralegal, and the paralegal next to me said the US has 52 states. Mind you, we were both in our 30s. I tried explaining that there are only 50, but her response was: 'We have 52, and I'm not counting Mexico and Canada.' I printed out a blank map of America and gave it to her to fill out in her free time."
—Anonymous
20."I once went on a date to see the movie, Titanic. My date was someone I worked with who, at 40, held a pretty prestigious position within the company. When the movie was over, I mentioned how tragic it was and how so many people lost their lives. He looked at me and said it was just a movie, so it's not like it happened in real life. When I told him that the Titanic actually sank, he refused to believe me and argued with me about it. Needless to say, our first date was also our last."
—lunallee212
21.Lastly: "That olives are NOT pickled grapes."
—Anonymous
Well, that was fun. What's something you couldn't believe you had to explain to an adult? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using the form below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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