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I think your examples, while possibly somewhat contrived, fall quite flat.

I personally would be proud of the fact that I completely ignored anything related to "How I Met Your Mother" to delve deeper into the field of mathemetics, for example. I don't know why ignorance on a subject is so unforgiveable in your opinion.

That said, I quite enjoy HIMYM, but I certainly wouldn't fault anyone else for not having seen it.

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It's not the ignorance in and of itself. Nobody is judging patio11 based on his (lack of) knowledge of metal singers. It's (1) the proud announcement of ignorance and (2) posting it in a message as if it contributes to the discussion. If all you can add to a conversation is "Is this something I'd have to own a TV to know about?", do us all a favor and don't click the reply button. There's no requirement that you post in every thread, and an article on A/B testing will come down the pike in just a few minutes.

Ignorance is not unforgivable, flaunting it as a badge of honor is.

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