I took latin for a year in high school with the intention of cotinuing it into college since latin seemed to be the only language at which I was excelling besides that of the language of music. Then I moved to a different country with no courses in latin at all save for one super expensive private high school for the rich and privelegded (WHY???). Sooo, here I am, latin-less and envious of those of you with a grasp of the language. I feel left out and cheated of something I sorely wanted to understand and treasure. One day though ... Nothing is ever too late in this prescious life.
As for the subject of this post. Yea, there are people like that out there who truly don't know what one would think are the "basics of knowing" in countries above that of third world. If one does not learn it (besides just memorizing it for an exam and then letting it go afterwards), then one shall not know it. The thing is to not let it blow your mind, correct them and feel happy that you have enlightened someone. Afterwards sit back and reflect on things that about which you are ignorant that others may know and think are things that everyone should know (besides the spheres of school and science, but in social spheres and beyond as well). Too many times I've seen people inflating their egos just because some people do not know what one would think are "basics of knowing." It makes me mad (not trying to say you were doing that though =^.^=
)There is a reason they do not know and it is not because they are stupid or not as intelligent, it is because they just don't "know" and because it never seemed that important for them to "know". It's not like they teach you that stuff in high school. You learn it in primary school and then move on to higher levels of school that assume you were a good student in elementary school and properly learned that basic scientific concept. There are people out there (minus ones who have not had access to I guess you would call it the "education of orthodox and accepted science") who still think the sun revolves around the earth. Blame the system and society (a convenient scapegoat)!
Now if the world we lived in was Discworld ... turtle soup would be sacreligious!