This happens to me from time to time, and I’ve noticed a curious thing about it. It’s always a guy, never a woman who knows what’s what and just has to set you straight. That’s probably not a coincidence, given our society and the way males are conditioned.

I just shrug and move on. I proceed by questions, not by assertions of unquestionable certainties. Those assertions by people who have settled on ironclad verities that enable them to feel superior is common in our culture. We all grew up with such people. It’s how human growth is stymied.