> Do they mean that people actually pretend to be surprised about someone's lack of knowledge? Yes, I think so, or at least the common reaction is usually over

> Do they mean that people actually pretend to be surprised about someone's lack of knowledge? Yes, I think so, or at least the common reaction is usually over-dramatized. I've observed this behavior in friends, colleagues, and in myself. When learning about someone's lack of knowledge, it's very common for the other party to react with "Really?! You don't know xyz??" I think 99% of the time the person saying this is not actually surprised, and does not actually need confirmation by asking again "You don't know xyz??" It's just a social tic ends up being kind of exclusionary and negative. > Just tell participants that they may encounter people from a variety of backgrounds, and they should not assume that every understands what everyone else is talking about. This is fine and well, and I'm sure the people running HS would agree with this, but tbh it is a little obvious sounding. The thing with avoiding "feigning surprise" is that some people (like myself!) might not even realize that they do this. After I read about this rule of theirs last year, I've been trying to cut down and was a bit saddened to realize how much I do it. It's a pretty similar attitude to this comic, in the sense of adding a twist to the more general form the rule that you proposed. Recognizing that this is a positive opportunity for sharing some neat factoid instead of an opportunity to put someone down is not obvious, unfortunately. http://xkcd.com/105/ http://xkcd.com/105/