The Pursuits of Triva, Or Trivial Pursuits.

   
    "Trivia Night! Come one, come all, for the most relevant trivia in all the land! Learn only things that you need to know, and absolutely nothing that you don't! Everyone will know, and everyone will win."

     Not a terribly enticing advertisment for a trivia night, hm? That's because it really isn't. The point, I feel, of a trivia night, is to not only see how much you know, but how much you don't. A lot of people are thirsty for knowledge, and school isn't the only place you can pick up things like "As of 1990, what was the recorded population of China?" (1,143.3, according to http://www.chinability.com/Population.htm) or "What was Captain Kathryn Janeway's first name prior to Kate Mulgrew taking on the role?" (Nicole. This is not only something I knew, but according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Kathryn_Janeway). See? Some of you may not have known that. Refreshing, isn't it, to learn something new?

     I bring this up because I work in a place where we offer up a trivia question every day, with a prize so minor that it really isn't necessarily worth researching. It's nice to know, sure, because you get that ten cents off or whatnot, but it's not really such a worthy prize that people should leave the place frustrated. You'd be surprised, however, at the amount of people who get severely aggrivated at the things they don't know, or who become incredibly defensive at their own lack of knowledge ("Seriously? Why on earth would I know the statute of limitations of medical malpractice in the state of Maine?" (3 years) "Well...maybe you've had bad surgery and may not know you can still sue your doctor."). It's amazing to see the reactions over ten cents off ("That's barely anything!"), and wonder why on earth they even feel the need to try answering if they're downplaying the reward so much.

   So many pubs and bars have trivia. I've never been to any trivia nights, nor do I plan to, but the competive sides much be amplified tenfold when people are in large groups and/or completely schnockered (that's right. Schnockered. You get it.). I mean, put people in groups and they become the most irrational idiots possible, and if you add alcohol to the mix they just forget how to be anything at all except the noisiest of fools. No offense intended, of course, to those who do partake. I myself have been known to, although I like to think I just get silly. But I'm never participating in anything like a trivia night or whatever. I'd like to imagine, however, that people at those trivia nights don't exclaim, "Hey! Why the hell do I need to know what the capital of New Hampshire is?" (I won't even suggest that anyone wouldn't know that, although I'm sure...ok. There are people who don't. There are people who don't know the capital of Maine. Or what an ampersand is. But I'm getting away from myself.). I'd like to think that the people at those trivia nights take the trivia as exactly what it is- good, old fashioned fun.

   Whatever happened to that? Good, old fashioned fun? Did it go the way of the Game Boy? No longer are we satisfied to simply play with a wooden hoop and a stick? No longer are we satisfied with a trivia question unless it comes complete with a reference? Is this world becoming a 'cite your source' kind of world, when most people can't even write a source page for a term paper without the assistance of some sort of program? Maybe we don't need to know what Agent Dana Scully named her only child, fathered by Fox Mulder (William), but it sure makes it fun to try and guess!

 Loosen up. Go to Mainely Brews on a Thursday night (I think between 7-9) and have a blast! Have a burger. Enjoy! And don't get frustrated at yourself if you can't guess the actress who voiced Meg Griffin in season one of 'Family Guy' (Lacey Chabert).

**As you probably noticed, I didn't cite sources for the last few items in parenthesis. The reason for that is...well, I was lazy. I usually take the informaton from wikipedia.com, or my own mind. Google it if you like.**

"Why is it trivia? People call it trivia because they know nothing and they are embarrassed about it."
                                                                                                                         -Robbie Coltrane