Ignorance is bliss, episode number 38,096

When I popped into a convenience store yesterday morning in search of The Wall Street Journal, I didn’t necessarily expect the guy behind the counter to be a devotee. Nor did I expect him to know that the WSJ is a business-oriented publication, or that it’s based in New York, or that it’s been around since 1889. I didn't even expect him to know that it takes its name from the street that has come to symbolize financial markets.

But I did expect a base-level familiarity with the world in which we live, rather than ignorance that was so sweeping, so complete, so abysmal it left me speechless.

I didn’t see the WSJ in the newspaper rack near the door, so instead of walking out without uttering a word while the clerk stared at me, I figured I should at least say something, in the interest of civility. I decided to ask the obvious question.

“You don’t have The Wall Street Journal, right?” I asked.

The clerk’s face took on a decidedly bemused look.

“I don’t know what that is,” he mumbled. "So, probably not."

The disappointing pleasantries dispensed with, I left the store as quickly as possible.