“Wow, you are the champion of useless information” – some chump, dismissively.
You’ve heard that. Probably more than once. You’re in a group of people where somebody wonders aloud who sang this song or who directed that film, and you helpfully chime in with the correct answer. You beam with pride at everyone around you, waiting for the inevitable praise to come. But rather than congratulatory accolades at your keen intellect, you get the above phrase thrown at you, usually followed by a chuckle and an eye roll. Head down, you retreat to the bar, cursing your damnably awesome memory.
You beam with pride at everyone around you, waiting for the inevitable praise to come.
But wait! Why are you the bad guy here? It’s not your fault you knew the answer and these other chuckleheads just stood there, mouth agape, basking in awe at the words hitting their ears. If they didn’t want the question answered, they wouldn’t have asked, right?
And that’s the point of information, whether learned scholastically or at a party. It’s never useless when applied to gain knowledge heretofore unknown. Even if it’s not the most vital piece of information, it still has worth. And it might get you some sweet cash at Last Call Trivia night. So don’t ever get too self-conscious when somebody rolls their eyes at your big brain. They just don’t know any better. And with trivia, knowing is way more than half the battle.