Revisiting The Quaker Questions: Say What? Naked Who?

/ Ally Bean

This is a photo of a deer standing on the side of the hill in our backyard. This deer is not being a pest per se because he’s eating shrubs that grow wild. He is naked, but to my knowledge is not a Quaker.

• • •

Sometimes, I dunno.

I looked at my WP list of Top Searches wherein I can see the list of questions and queries that, through the magic of search engines, have brought people to The Spectacled Bean.

I generally get people looking for information on deer as pests OR information on replacing door handles on interior doors OR [oddly enough] issues Americans can agree upon.

However, and this is where it gets interesting, to my knowledge no search engine has ever sent anyone here who wrote as their query: “naked quaker questions and answers.”

Let’s unpack this query, shall we?

I can explain the Quaker Questions part.  You see, years and years ago I wrote a post [HERE] about answering the Quaker Questions.

Z-D and I were in the process of joining a Presbyterian church and instead of having everyone in the new members group jibber jabber about who he or she was, the leader of the new members group had us answer the Quaker Questions.

But I can assure you that the questions in question were intended to be questions answered while wearing clothes. There was no nakedness involved with these questions nor with our answers. Plus, and I’m assuming here, the Quaker who originally asked these questions was [probably] fully clothed.

It’s an odd subject to be researching, but that’s not what worries me about this particular query.  What I’m wondering about is the twisted reality underscoring a search engine’s algorithms so that it sent someone to find the answer to that query on my sweet little PG-13 blog.

Naked deer I got.  Naked doors I had.  But Quakers?

The ones I’m familiar with wear clothes. 🙄

• • •

THE QUAKER QUESTIONS

[We were asked the following questions. My answers are in the comment section below. Do what you will with this information.] 

Where were you born?

When you were 7 years old how did your family heat your home?

What person in your real life growing up influenced you in a way that makes you who you are today?

• • •

151 thoughts on “Revisiting The Quaker Questions: Say What? Naked Who?”

  1. As promised here are my answers to the questions:

    1. I was born in Ohio.

    2. When I was 7 y.o. we lived in an upstairs apartment, over my father’s medical practice, in an old house. The front part of the house was about 100 years old, the back part was newer.

    The front part of the house was heated by a gigantic furnace in the basement that sent heat to hissing radiators in each room, while the back part of the house was heated with a coal-burning fireplace.

    3. My 10th grade English teacher had a big influence on who I am today. I’ve mentioned her a few times before. She was an encouraging soul who thought every kid could, and should, write. So she taught us how to do it.

    Liked by 6 people

  9. Chicago. A furnace. My fifth grade teacher who encouraged my writing.
    Wow. You never know what will turn up in a search engine. I usually watch Wired’s Auto Complete Interview on their YouTube Channel. The things people search for are fascinating.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. The questions are a bit odd especially the first two. I haven’t looked at my stats in ages. When I started to blog the biggest hit was on a post where I used a primitive airplane drawing. That drawing was copies over and over again. I didn’t get it. That’s when I decided that perhaps I should not dwell on statistics here. I am impressed that you seem to know about naked Quakers. I am married to (non-practicing) one. I’ve been to services and no one argues. I like that. Especially in today’s world.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Kate, the questions were a great way to get people talking. They got people to open up in ways that were personal but not overly private. I rather enjoyed hearing the answers, although being Presbys everyone had lots to say. Much detail. 🙄

      The ways of the search engines baffle us all. I rarely look at the searches but this one caught my eye. I’ve never been to a Quaker service, but now if there are naked ones there, I know I won’t be going.

      Liked by 2 people

  11. My only interesting search was “she was a giver” … Now on my coaching site I could get that, but no idea how they got to me on this one.

    Love the Quaker questions & I can really see how that led into an excellent getting to know one another session. But the combo of naked + quaker = bizarre 😀 Nice way to make me chuckle Ms Bean!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deb, that’s a very specific sentence for someone to use as a search query. I like it, truth be known.

      Yes, the answers to the Quaker Questions provided insights into each of us. Once you’re an adult I think it’s easy to forget that not everyone grew up the same way as you did. But go around a circle and answer these questions, and you’ll be amazed.

      Liked by 3 people

      • I was talking to someone about being your authentic self across all online outlets yesterday and wonder if even when I try to keep them separate, who I am will out 🙂

        I’m pondering whether to use these Quaker Questions for an ice-breaker on a workshop I’m putting together. I think they could do rather well – thank you.

        Liked by 3 people

  12. I think your distinction is absolutely spot on. Authentic is good, showing your all not so much. I’ve been hugely open in the past forgetting that the forum I was using could be seen by the public. It was nothing I wouldn’t say to another person face-to-face, but I decided it was better not to be on record and judged for something without context.

    I think it is possible to hide behind a well-crafted identity, but maintaining that level of consistency must be hard work and terribly stressful. I suspect most give themselves away by only doing a half-baked job of it and while people may not know what is wrong, but they will get the feeling that something is.

    I’ll come back to you on the workshop as that’s exactly what I liked too.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I couldn’t sustain a well-crafted identity, of that I’m sure. Nor could I write this blog and keep it a secret from the people who I know irl. I’d find it much too stressful and bothersome to not be open… to a degree, of course.

      Liked by 2 people

  13. When I first blogged, I was anonymous and told no-one, for I was doing it to learn how. After a while, I told a couple of people and then felt absurd for the identity I’d chosen (Himself’s pet name for me). I’m a lot more comfortable now.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I was born in a hospital (LOL) and I don’t remember ever living in a house without gas to heat it except at the cottage where there was no heat source at all. And growing up my most influential person was my dad.

    I try not to use the word ‘naken’ or ‘sex’ in my blog post titles just to keep people from landing on my blog who don’t belong there.

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Berkeley, CA

    When I was 7, we lived in Fairbanks, Alaska. We moved a lot, and I am not sure of the heating arrangements in various houses…at one point we were on a homestead, with a coal burning stove. At another point we lived in a basement apartment in town, no idea how that was heated. I like the fact that you know how your house was heated, and that the front and back of the house were different. Interesting.

    My mom. She was deeply flawed, as indeed we all are, but she was brave and kind and not afraid to use her brain for the betterment of the world. She was opinionated and know-it-all-ish and extremely loving. She stood up to bullies. She spoke truth to power. She found happiness in small delights, and shared that happiness freely. I am not all of those things, but having her as an example in my life influenced me greatly.

    Liked by 1 person

    • J, I’d forgotten you lived part of childhood in Alaska. I find that intriguing and fun to know. I haven’t met many people who can say that, so that makes you special. No doubt it shaped you in some ways, good ones, of course.

      I liked your mom and can understand why & how she was a big, positive influence on you. Her blog was great. She was so smart and had a sense of humor that jumped off the virtual page. She spoke truth and seemed to be an advocate for fairness in whatever she did. Gotta love that.

      Like

  16. My blog is supposedly not searchable (my preference) so I shouldn’t be able to do this. 🙂 I find the idea entertaining though. I’m mostly my authentic self on my blog, but Margaret Lite on Facebook and Instagram. Those questions are intriguing because they seem innocuous, but will get people to share more than they think. (especially question 3)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, I like your distinction between Margaret Lite and Margaret. There’s something to be said for understanding yourself well enough to be able to do that.

      The questions were a good way to get people to open up, but because they weren’t overtly intrusive it was a pleasant experience to listen to the answers. No angst or whining. Like you said, the questions seem innocuous, but the answers to them do give you a clue into what makes someone tick.

      Like

  17. 1) born in Sturgeon Bay as Mary Jane but the doctor who delivered me told my redhead mom (if you know redheads you understand that was ballsy) she can’t name me Mary Jane because “…it’s what they’re calling marijuana these days.”
    2) we had a beautiful drafty stone fireplace, electric baseboard heaters (because in the ‘70’s homeowners got tax credits for installing electric baseboard heaters), and a wood-fired cast iron stove called The Squirrel” in the basement. We still had plenty of throw blankets and dogs to help keep us warm in Wisconsin winter nights.
    3) it depends how I’m feeling about myself as to whom I attribute to influencing me and how. So many people. For now I’ll say my Dad. He recognized very early in I’d talk to anyone so he’d take me to do his rounds at the hospital sometimes and I’d interview his patients no matter how hooked up with tubes they were.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I’m going to have to check out my top searches… I think… I’m kind of scared to.

    Those seem like really odd questions but, since you asked (you did, didn’t you?):
    1) San Diego 2) I’m not sure exactly, but heat magically came up out of floor grates that were heavenly to stand over in the winter 3) I have to go with my mom here.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, 99% of my searches are harmless and generally focus on practical things we’ve done around the house. I think that’s why this particular one caught my eye. So absurd.

      I didn’t know you’d started out in San Diego. I knew you were there now, of course. My grandpa’s house had those magical grates. I did love standing on them. Many commenters are answering the third question with a family member. I don’t remember that being the case when we were in the new members group, though. Hmmm…

      Like

  19. My grandfather was raised Quaker, but at some point he became a Lutheran. He was a man who talked little, puttered constantly, and had a mischievous streak a mile wide.

    That second Question seems so far out in left field. I guess it sparks a lot of collateral memories, however; that must be its value.

    For the record: 1. Ohio; 2. gas furnace; 3. my older sister.

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, I wonder what the similarities are between Quaker and Lutheran religions. I’m not going to research it, mind you. Just musing.

      The thing about the second question was that at first it seemed odd until people started talking, then it became endlessly fascinating. Ever meet someone who lived in a teepee? [Parents were teachers on Navaho lands.] Or in a hut? [Parent was in navy stationed on small island.]

      Thanks for sharing your answers here. I didn’t know you had an older sister. Nice to find someone who liked theirs.

      Like

    • Jan, at least the people who find you are looking for answers to questions that I believe are good questions to ask. I like tuna noodle casserole. But if you’re looking for naked quakers, I fear this is the wrong place to find them. We here at The Spectacled Bean prefer our Quakers with clothes on. 🙄

      Like

  24. The question and search of the universe is a strange and weird and funny situation. Sometimes I just don’t know. (How cool – the deer isn’t just a lawn ornament – it has a productive job! Nice picture)
    (We lived about an old Drug store/pharmacy near Boston for a bit. Coming from the land of wide open spaces I was sure we lived in a slum as there was only an alley for kids to play in. It wasn’t – a nice area in a college town with such an old elegant building – there was a sun room with rattan furniture for winter and a hoist to swing out the back porch to load furniture with – the clothes line swung out over the alley. Strange and wonderful place….even if you can’t get off the sidewalks at the parks.)

    Liked by 1 person

    • philmouse, I liked the pic of the deer, too. I took it earlier this summer but never found a use for it. Somehow naked deer seemed in keeping with naked quakers– at least in my mind.

      Your childhood memory about the way you lived near Boston is much different than how I grew up. We lived over my dad’s medical practice but it was in a small town, nothing at all like your experiences in the Boston area. If nothing else answering these questions demonstrates that we each grew up differently and that it’s important to take that into consideration when working with other people.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Best thing about living there was 1. the owner of the drug store would pay kids to fold the cardboard delivery boxes flat – and with the money we could dash across the busy 4 lane street to the ice cream place (older brother would yell when to go both there and back – it was his self assigned job) – which had almost 50 flavors – I’d nerve seen anything like that before. Black raspberry- my favorite and have yet found one as good as those from that local ice cream chain.
        Being in different places with different ways of living is important. Does help to know background to make it easier to get along.
        It was fun living in different places – as long a see got back “home” eventually.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Oh good ice cream and the ability to buy it yourself! That’s kid heaven. How wonderful that your older brother got you there safely.

          I agree about living in different places. It’s only because I’ve lived in different areas and in different buildings that I have such an amazing appreciation for where we are now. Sometimes people will assume that all suburbanites are shallow, but for me this house in this suburb is the epitome of wonderfulness and stability.

          Liked by 1 person

  26. I avoid the stats as much as possible. I don’t drink coffee (so I can’t do what Jill suggested) and I’m confused enough as it is. The search items make us realize that there’s a lot of, um, weidos out there. But, as I read your post, I checked and the first search item I saw on my stats was “hot potato man.” See? That’s just too weird. ;-0

    Liked by 1 person

  27. I’m sad. I got nothin. No one searches for me for anything, usual or unusual. I’ve got to get out more 🙂 Born in SF but moved to the burbs before I was 2. Had a gas furnace I think. Who pays attention to that when they are 7? Have to say my mom was the biggest influence.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, don’t be sad. Un-weird searches are the best ones. This one was odd.

      I knew you were in SF. At that age I paid attention to how the house was heated because occasionally I had to go outside to the coal bin and bring in coal– without getting dirty. As if. Many people are talking about family members in answer to the third question. I get that.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. Well I’m sure not the life of the party as I have no searches Ally … hmm.

    I took the Quaker quiz and was not eating oatmeal at the time either. 🙂 I was born in Toronto, Ontario and I know it was a gas furnace, as shortly after we moved there (I was two at the time) my mom often told the tale that she was getting horrific headaches and when she went outside for some fresh air, the headache seemed to vanish. There was a crack in the furnace heat exchanger and a small carbon monoxide leak. Scary since it was a brand new subdivision, brand new house/furnace, etc. After the furnace was repaired or replaced, no more headaches. I have a picture of me standing in front of a register that was on the kitchen wall – seemed like a strange place to put it vertically, instead of a floor vent, like the living room. I have a picture in front of the Christmas tree and the floor vent is showing. My mom was the biggest influence in my life. I come from a very small family and have no siblings and am the only one left with no relatives.

    Like

    • Linda, made me smile with the reference to oatmeal. Good one. I agree that it’s disturbing to contemplate a carbon monoxide leak– and what could have happened. I can’t figure why they would have put a vent on the wall, but obviously they did. I’m like you in that I have no siblings and am the last one left in my family. Odd place to be in life, isn’t it?

      Liked by 1 person

      • Ally, I had to say it because I thought of oatmeal before I did the religious group. In Canada we have the Mennonites and I have passed through their towns, stayed in a bed and board in St. Jacobs, Ontario which town was very quaint and the people were down to earth and welcoming. My mom mentioned that leak every year as it got time to turn on the furnace, so shame on me not yet replacing the carbon monoxide detector after it went on the fritz back in August. I need to order one from Amazon as they don’t sell the model with elongated prongs for a recessed outlet around here. This post reminds me to do it soon. It is an odd place in life … end of the line as I never had kids and that ship has sailed for any Mini-Mes running around.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, well once you’re properly caffeinated you can answer the questions. Or not. If nothing else you now know they exist and I can guarantee you that asking them will start some interesting conversations. These comments, case in point.

      Like

    • Pam, I thought this search was hilarious, too. I had to share it here– had to I tell ‘ya.

      As for where I found it: on my WP Dashboard, underneath the Stats bar graph, to the right of the list of Top Posts is Top Searches. There in a wordy paragraph with many commas I see my Top Searches. They change daily, I guess.

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Well, thank you, Ally, you’ve taught many of us something new. Actually a lot of new stuff. My search words aren’t that weird, except I did get “worms for dinner!”. It took a few clicks to get to find the list, but dang, girl, thanks! It’s kind of fun to read the list. Hmm. And, I wish I would’ve had your 10 grade English teacher, mine was the exact opposite of yours.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Shelley, once you realize that you have a grouping or a list of Top Searches it’s interesting to see what the heck is going on. Most of mine are mundane, but this one made me stop and take notice.

      I was lucky with that 10th grade teacher, she was a force for good who had a way of explaining things that made sense to me.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I’m very intrigued and thankful you pointed the search feature out. It explains a few things to me now that I know where to look for the connections. No naked stuff happening though.
        Yes, you’re fortunate – I wish all teachers could be like that for their students!

        Liked by 1 person

    • Dan, the questions are good ones to start conversations because while they’re personal they’re not nosy. I learned about my fellow new members in ways I’d never have thought about without the questions. And that’s good.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. Ally Bean is a Quaker? Did I not know this? Of course, I could be reading this wrong. I’m so sleep-deprived, all the little squiggles are running together here.

    Weirdly, when I read your third question, the first person I thought of was Walt Whitman. Of course, I didn’t know Walt, but apparently, my brain thinks his poetry had a great effect on me. There are probably people IRL, too, but my brain can’t think of them right now.

    Liked by 1 person

  37. There’s a wonderful blogger in England (https://notesfromtheuk.com) who occasionally will list all the recent internet searches that brought people to her blog. Her responses to that are hilarious!

    My answers to your Quaker question: Born in Detroit; we had an oil furnace (I loved watching the tank being filled once a month by the service man); my father probably had the most influence on me as a person. – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marty, thanks for the link to a kindred spirit. Sometimes you just have to wonder about why people are looking for what they’re looking for.

      Your answers to the Quaker Questions are perfect. Thanks for playing along. I’ve never lived anywhere with an oil furnace so to me that sounds exciting and different. Many, many commenters have mentioned a family member as having the most influence on them. Interesting trend.

      Liked by 1 person

  38. Ally,
    I’ve got questions, but I’m not a Quaker. And this is a family friendly site, so I won’t ask my questions, because… Still, my questions were pretty good questions. This is all about breaking the ice when you’re in a small group, though, is it not? This isn’t limited to Quakers answering the questions or those wanting to become Quakers answering, I presume. Because at first I thought this was some kind of vetting test to determine if the responder is worthy of becoming a Quaker. Then I thought, I didn’t know Ally was a Quaker. Ha. That’s why I looked Quaker questions up. Learned something new today! You’re not a Quaker are you, Ally, or are you? *still scratching head in bewilderment* Mona

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mona, when we were joining a Presbyterian church we were asked these questions as an ice breaker in a new members group. The questions were called the Quaker Questions, but I don’t know why. They were, and are, a good way to get people talking.

      I am not a Quaker, more of a lapsed Presbyterian. I got thinking about these questions because of the odd query that brought someone to this blog, looking for an answer. 😐

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Now I’m flummoxed because my search terms area is blank. Well, for today. If I search the past 30 days then mission space epcot turns up but that’s WAY less cool than “naked quaker questions and answers”. Now I’m wondering what your SEO search terms look like on google. Bwahahahaha!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, no Top Searches for you? I don’t pay enough attention to mine to know if there’s something there every day or not. I happened to notice “naked quaker questions and answers” because it was unique. Now if it’d been merely “naked quaker questions” that would have been one thing, but the plea for “answers” made me take notice. 🙄

      Like

  40. That’s pretty tame compared to a lot of the search terms I get. All you gotta have is one or two of the keywords (or something close), and Google just might throw you somewhere near the top of a list of search results.

    My all time favorite search term that showed up on the list for my blog:

    “can you make a tooth pick from a possum penis”

    And no, I’ve never tackled that interesting and thought-provoking subject on my blog before….

    Liked by 1 person

  41. I’ve discovered a few typos on my blog as a result of search engines. I notice that someone who made a query misspelled a word – and, bam, I discover that I had misspelled the exact same word in a post.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Sheryl, no kidding? I’ve never noticed that, but now that you mention it I have to wonder how many typos I’ve made that are connected to a search query. I’ll keep track of that in the future.

      Like

  42. I had an extra few sips of coffee to make sense of the Quaker questionnaire:) Your answers seem very wholesome, Ally. The boss of search engines is likely having extra fun with us. At this stage of blogging, I don’t even know where to find my stats and what they would mean. Hmmmm…..lots to think about:)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Erica/Erika, the Quaker Questions are something I’d forgotten about, but do like them– if only because they get people talking in pleasant ways. I agree with you that search engines are playing mind games with us. Fortunately I don’t spend much time paying attention to my queries so I’m indifferent to the games.

      Liked by 1 person

    • I’ve no idea why these were the three questions, but they stuck with me. They maybe seem odd but they do open up the conversation which I think is a good thing. It’s not like they’re asking for the password to your checking account, they’re just polite inquiry.

      Liked by 1 person

  46. Interesting questions. I haven’t had a look at my search terms on the stats page in a long while. (Haven’t looked at my stats in a long while, either.) Mine are not nearly as interesting a naked Quakers. The best I can do is: beach teasing goes too far by oppy-n-rose. I have no idea what that means. Maybe I better look it up. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Robin, that’s a weird thing for anyone to be searching for. I’ve no idea what that means, either. I sometimes wonder if unusual queries are just typing mistakes that someone decides to follow up on. No real meaning, just a goof.

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Did YOU write the post about Quakers’ population dwindling due to the uh, Quaker-ness of the sect? Who was that? Did you read that? Wasn’t you?
    Deer caption was Most Excellent.

    Liked by 1 person

  48. On my other site, I wrote a blog post about whether eels have a purpose (this was many, many years ago), and so I was finding lots of searches about eels, naked eels, drugged eels, how to kill eels . . . very odd.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.