“You don’t know who sang this song? How could you not know!?” I’ve heard it before and tried not to roll my eyes as yet another guy mocked me for my lack of music history knowledge. As if the doings of Pearl Jam and the FooFighters should be on the top of every person’s mental priority list.

And not just music – I’ve been seen lacking in most popular culture areas: reality tv shows (except Project Runway), actors, producers, celebrities, and almost all areas of sports.

In my head, it is interesting to know that Sean Penn won his second Oscar in the 2008 Gus Van Sant movie Milk or that Napoleon’s horse was named Marengo after the 1800 battle, but I never considered it must-have information.

But, when I talk with people, they look at me as if I have a third head because I don’t know the name of the eldest Kardashian (I actually do know but enjoy claiming ignorance on that one) or who won the Olympic record for the 400-meter hurdles or when Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.

To those who have mastered memory and could star on Jeopardy, I admire your talent. Seriously, I’m sure if we were competitors on the show, you’d make a lot of money while I would watch my score turn red and dive deeper into debt.

But, in everyday life, could you stop making people like me feel stupid or crazy for not knowing the same bits and pieces of your favorite trivia?

By all means, share your knowledge. Don’t hold back. That is great!

But if you could stop with the expressions of consternation, frustration, and bewilderment. And stop the “I can’t believe you don’t know this” comments. It would be much appreciated.

To those who have mastered memory and could star on Jeopardy, I admire your talent. Seriously, I’m sure if we were competitors on the show, you’d make a lot of money while I would watch my score dive into bright red, negative numbers…But if you could stop with the expressions of consternation, frustration, and bewilderment. And pleeeeease stop the “I can’t believe you don’t know this” comments. It would be much appreciated.

Knowing trivia is helpful at a party or to win Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but it doesn’t prove you are smarter or better than another person.

Although granted, you have more interesting things to share. You can probably carry on a fascinating conversation about the Ili pika in the Tian Shan mountain range in China (it looks like a bunny with short ears) or the 15-story car vending machine in Singapore (I wonder if it ever gets jammed).

I’m getting better at trivia, which has helped me with Trivial Pursuit, some crosswords, and understanding more conversations around the office. But I can’t say it has enriched my life in any meaningful way. Other than helping me stump a few of those know-it-alls who enjoy pointing out everything I don’t know.

Now, when I jump in with the correct response, I want to look at them and say with a child-like glee, “See, I know stuff.” I will neither confirm nor deny the urge to stick out my tongue.