What Is The Point Of Trivia?

Posted on December 4, 2009 | Category: Trivia

Or perhaps, what might be a better starting point for this discussion would be to define exactly what trivia is. I’m sure most people have some sort of definition for what would be considered trivial information, and what would be considered vital information. The problem we get into here, is that decision is largely a subjective decision. Not to stereotype people, but I suspect that a doctor would have a different idea of what is trival than a garbage man would. But then again, President Obama probably again has a totally different definition the our good friend the doctor.

I thing there are a few good points we could all agree on though. First of all trivia facts are those which are amusing, but not altogether important relative to the current situation. Now even that definition is a little tricky, as it means the importance of certain facts can change from situation to situation. For instance, let’s say the percentage of successful brain surgeries that take place between 12pm and 2pm is significantly lower that those that take place between 8am and 9pm. Now if your playing the game of Trivia Pursuit, than that fact would certainly be trivia worthy. If however, your the operation room scheduler for the largest hospital in New York city, that it’s a very vital piece of information to have.

So, does that all information could be considered trivia given the right context? I would suggest, that yes it is. Given the right circumstances, even highly offensive and/or sensitive information could be considered trivia. I think a more important factor for determining what is trivia, is that the facts should be presented in such a way as to be considered entertaining. Or at the very least interesting and thought provoking. They should shed light or even teach us something of value.

And, that is the point of trivia. To teach and illuminate. We tend to remember things better, if it’s presented in an entertaing or even shocking manner. Take the above statistic regarding brain surgeries I mentioned above. If that were a true statistical fact, and your brain surgeon tried to schedule you for a life saving brain operation in New York city between the hours of 12pm and 2pm, wouldn’t you be a little concerned? I would. So, you see. Trivia can not only be entertaining, it could also in the right circumstances save your life.

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