interesting questions

i'm going to try to compile a list of interesting questions one could ask another.  they're not universally interesting....  their relevance depends on who ur asking and what you think is interesting at the time.  anyway here goes:

1)  where were you when MLK got shot?

- of course you need to ask this to an old person.  it's a cool question on several levels... for one, it gets the person to start answering in a narrative, and it's always cool to hear old people tell stories about their lives.  secondly, it gives u some insight as to that person's values and experiences as they pertain to race in america.  thirdly it's an awesome way to remember the legacy of one of the greatest americans of all time.  

2)  have u ever got hit on?

- i just asked a friend this and she gave me a pretty cool story.  she was at the library and asked a guy to watch her stuff while she went to the bathroom.  when she got back (she must have been taking a dump), her stuff was gone, so she went to the front desk to inquire.  lo and behold, her stuff was waiting there for her, because the guy had to leave and wanted to make sure her laptop and books were looked after.  relieved, she opened her laptop and inside was a poem for her and the guy's number.  A for effort and creativity.... but ultimately he failed.  

3)  how long does it take you to get dressed in the morning?

- ask this to a girl and watch her spout half-truths... "oh, usually not that long but i mean, sometimes it takes me a little while, but that depends on blahbalhblahbalh."  it takes me two minutes to get dressed...  but i wear the same thing every day.

4)  do you like california?

-  if the person says "yes", the conversation will get boring really quickly.  but if the person says "no", then it's clearly because of californians.... cuz everything else about california is verifiably awesome.  then, you will know this person is awesome.

- another question you can ask is, "have you ever lived outside of california?  how did you like it?"  it kind of gets to the same thing.

5) how can they make women's basketball more fun to watch?

- if you've ever seen a women's basketball game on ESPN or something, you'll think you're watching high schoolers.  no knock on women, but they just don't move as fluidly as NBA players, and the game isn't as beautiful to watch.  this question walks the fine line between sexism and utilitarianism, since suggestions for improving the entertainment value of women's basketball usually presuppose some physical advantage men have over women.  i had this conversation with an ex-femenist today, and after i suggested they lower the rim to allow women to dunk, she said, "i'm getting really pissed off at you right now."  yikes!

6) do you think white people could ever understand barack obama's speech on race?

- if the answer is anything but "no", what you'll get is an uninformed, defensive attempt to downplay the impact that race has on our lives as individuals and in society.  if the answer is an emphatic "no", what you've got is someone who's been humbled by the impact race has on him or her and how it invariably defines people in ways too deep for us to realize explicitly most of the time.  

- the trick to this is it applies to white people as well.  if they answer "no", then either they're just honest and self aware, which is great.  or, they understand their place in american society as people who may never understand, but can always try to, which is cooler.  

7) what's worse - a self-righteous liberal, or an intolerant conservative?

- this question is awesome, but if you live on a college campus you're probably going to get a defensive answer.  i think you need to ask someone who you can't describe as a self-righteous liberal or an intolerant conservative.... so self-righteous conservatives and intolerant liberals are fair game.  my answer to this is that a self-righteous liberal is worse, even though in the end i probably agree with his/her views.  i'd much rather hang out with an intolerant conservative and just bear with his or her political or social stance.  (self righteous conservatives drive me crazy though...  think ann coulter)

8) do you like the rain?

- most people will answer "yes" because rain is romantic, but the next time it's raining, find that person and ask them again if they like being soggy and wet.  ask them if it's cool that they can't go outside without an umbrella and galoshes.  i guess rain is cool if you're a farmer and you need it for your crops, of you're in a desert and you're dying of thirst.  otherwise, rain sucks.

ok that's all i got for now.  any thoughts?  interesting questions?