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Maybe the old adage is correct an there really ain't no cure for stupid...
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672401957/new-mexico-id-temporarily-rejected-as-foreign-by-d-c-clerk
The emphasis in the above sentence is mine. I can see how one person could be this ignorant, but her supervisor was this dumb too? What are the odds? Wait, don't answer that question.
The other thing that gets me is the amazing self confidence of these people in their ignorance. People screw up, and even smart people can have amazing gaps in their knowledge, but one would think that, upon making such a mistake and asking for a passport and being told, "No, I'm from the STATE of New Mexico," the person would save face by saying, "Oh, my mistake, sir. I misheard you." Instead, these idiots double down. Years ago, a friend from another country commented that many Americans seem to suffer from self-esteem poisoning, in that they are proudly confident in their ignorance.
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672401957/new-mexico-id-temporarily-rejected-as-foreign-by-d-c-clerk
A New Mexico man applying for a marriage license in Washington, D.C., this month had his state driver's license rejected as a form of identification because a clerk and her supervisor believed New Mexico was a foreign country.
Gavin Clarkson, a Las Cruces, N.M., resident, said he was at the District of Columbia Marriage Bureau on Nov. 20 applying for a license to wed his then-fiancée when their nuptial plans hit a brief snag. The clerk told him he would need an international passport on the apparent belief that he wasn't a U.S. citizen.
"She thought New Mexico was a foreign country," he said of the clerk as quoted by the Las Cruces Sun-News. "All the couples behind us waiting in line were laughing."
The emphasis in the above sentence is mine. I can see how one person could be this ignorant, but her supervisor was this dumb too? What are the odds? Wait, don't answer that question.
The other thing that gets me is the amazing self confidence of these people in their ignorance. People screw up, and even smart people can have amazing gaps in their knowledge, but one would think that, upon making such a mistake and asking for a passport and being told, "No, I'm from the STATE of New Mexico," the person would save face by saying, "Oh, my mistake, sir. I misheard you." Instead, these idiots double down. Years ago, a friend from another country commented that many Americans seem to suffer from self-esteem poisoning, in that they are proudly confident in their ignorance.
Clarkson and his now-spouse, Marina, a naturalized citizen from Argentina, said the whole encounter lasted about 20 minutes and ultimately they were married with a good story to tell about the process.
Clarkson's citizenship was not the only thing questioned by the clerk. Marina Clarkson speaks fluent English, but with a slight accent. However, the clerk complimented Gavin, not Marina, for his command of the language. That left Marina wondering: "Why are you complimenting him on his English?"