# And here's your Dec. rants thread - Merry Christbitchmas! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 1, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693 "2011-12-01T13:07:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![thursday\_next](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@thursday\_next](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thursday_next)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/541 "2011-12-26T10:32:12Z")
Dear, sweet, tap dancing Jesus, please let us get through the rest of my bro’s visit without an explosion of anger. We were all sad and worried when he moved cross country (he’s a bit immature) and everyone’s been looking forward to his visit, but when a LABRADOR filled with love (and Christmas treats) is tired of your crap, there’s a problem. **Flatlined** , you did the coolest thing by helping that family with their pup. Maybe a bulldog is in your future. I do know that if my “little” one was missing and we were having a major crisis like that family I would crack. You probably picked up their crappy Christmas. **Curlcoat** , my pup (adult lab to be fair) weights in at 130 lbs and snores so loud, that on occasion, if you hold your hand close to his face you can feel vibrations. He is a master snorer. **Chimera** , high five! I said almost the same thing about mein pontiff. Thanks for the link, I wanted to show my sweet pea and for some reason couldn’t find it earlier. For everyone else in the thread, I hope that whatever’s got you down, ect gets better. Totally looking forward to my bro going “deer hunting”\* with dad for three days, but am going to miss my pup and dad so much. Hopefully bro will be … more pleasant when they get back. \*No deer will be harmed during this hunt, but the guys will get to hang out in the country and get to bond while they pretend to hunt. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/542 "2011-12-26T13:44:07Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > This is going to sound like a stealth brag, but it’s not. It’s definitely a first-world problem. > > I’m getting an iPad for Christmas! Yay! It’s supposed to be a surprise! Boo . . . > My husband went to Best Buy, and secretly bought me an iPad, and secretly secreted it somewhere. I don’t know where it is. What a sweetheart. I’ll be so happy when I’m surprised on Christmas morning! > > \*Fucking Best Buy emailed me the receipt. \* I didn’t really have any trouble acting surprised. I cried like a baby anyway. It was as if I hadn’t known, when the realization of what he’d done hit me. He made such an effort this year, I was stunned. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/543 "2011-12-26T16:26:25Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > Well, here’s my Christbitchmas. > > My mother sent me the ugliest crap I’ve ever seen for Christmas. She wanted to know what I wanted, so I sent her a list of Etsys I love filled with stuff that I covet. Let me state here that I don’t care about the money. I would’ve cried with happiness to get a $10 pair of earrings hung with old Ottoman coins. A nice card would’ve been better than what she sent me. > > My mother painstakingly went through those Etsys until she found the ugliest crap they had listed for sale. She sent me this bizarre looking crotched thing. I am not exaggerating when I say I spent 15 minutes trying to figure out if it was some kind of skirt, or if it was supposed to be worn on my head, or what. I had to call her to find out what it was. It’s a scarf, she claims. Wow, I would never have guessed that. Also I knit and for what she paid for this fugly thing, I could’ve bought yarn and knitted myself something ten times as nice. > > She also sent me two necklaces on gold chain (I hate gold), one with fugly yellow stones, another with slightly less fugly blue stones. They look like costume jewelry. I don’t like anything chunky and brightly colored and costumey. I like delicate, feminine, gothic jewelry. She cannot understand this despite me only buying and wearing delicate, feminine, gothic jewelry for myself. > > Like I said, I don’t care about the money. What upsets me is how these hideous things are physical proof of how out-of-touch my mother is with me. She has NO concept of what I like. The simplest and most basic elements of my sense of style and hobbies are totally foreign to her. I sat down and cried over this realization today. It’s the thought… if my mother had put thought into buying these things, she’d remember that I’ve knitted for about three years now. I don’t want some ugly tube crochet thing! My best friend is a MASTER KNITTER! If I needed a scarf, my BFF could make me something unique and spectacular that would be the envy of anyone. I’m seriously considering frogging the thing and sending the yarn to her so she can knit into something that’s not so hideous. Ugh, my mother did something similar to my daughter this year. I have three kids, and grandma got one an ipod, the other a nice desk and chair, and for my daughter she picked out…two DVDs. It really isn’t the money spent, but how could you make those giving decisions and not realize you’re going to hurt someone’s feelings? Watching my daughter try to keep a stiff upper lip and say thank you was crushing, but I was so proud that she managed it. Both of my siblings have disconnected from our mom, and yesterday brought home exactly why they made that decision. I wonder if I’ll ever have the nerve to do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/544 "2011-12-26T17:21:11Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > Thanks, **flatlined** , \*\*curlcoat \*\*and **Morgyn**! I thought people were gonna rip me a new one for not being desperately grateful for having received anything at all. Of course I’m glad I got gifts. I just wish that at any point my mother had rubbed two brain cells together and gotten a spark. She wasted a lot of money. > > To add to my Christbitchmas, my ex took me to see _The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo_ tonight. I walked out after Lisbeth’s second, brutal rape. I thought I was going to puke. I hadn’t read the book and was expecting an espionage thriller. I was really excited for Lisbeth’s character, thinking I was going to get to see her being awesome and unusual and kicking ass. I didn’t know that half the movie was her being graphically and brutally raped. Wow, it’s a good thing I wasn’t planning on seeing that movie, because if I was, I would be a little snippy about such a massive spoiler coming out of nowhere in a thread where I couldn’t be expected to see one coming. Do you go around telling people who killed Dumbledore, too? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lovely_Margo_Lane)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/545 "2011-12-26T18:00:38Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Wow, it’s a good thing I wasn’t planning on seeing that movie, because if I was, I would be a little snippy about such a massive spoiler coming out of nowhere in a thread where I couldn’t be expected to see one coming. Do you go around telling people who killed Dumbledore, too? Assuming it’s the same as in the book, that’s not a spoiler, it happens very early on and isn’t part of the mystery/thriller plot at all, it’s setup and ‘character development.’ \*\* Mississippienne,\*\* it’s bullshit someone took you to that movie and didn’t clue you in beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/546 "2011-12-26T18:35:17Z")
> [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](#): > > Assuming it’s the same as in the book, that’s not a spoiler, it happens very early on and isn’t part of the mystery/thriller plot at all, it’s setup and ‘character development.’ > \*\* > Mississippienne,\*\* it’s bullshit someone took you to that movie and didn’t clue you in beforehand. Yeah, brutal rape is pretty much a standard theme in his works, from what I’ve read, and thus I haven’t read the books or seen the movies. Way too triggery. I’m glad I found out beforehand. Frankly, I’d compare it to someone not telling you there’s a graphic rape in **The Accused**. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/547 "2011-12-26T19:14:54Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Wow, it’s a good thing I wasn’t planning on seeing that movie, because if I was, I would be a little snippy about such a massive spoiler coming out of nowhere in a thread where I couldn’t be expected to see one coming. Do you go around telling people who killed Dumbledore, too? Actually, first rape was a blow job that realistically took maybe 3 minutes. The second [not counting any replays on DVD] took some 5-7 minutes, with the DVD replays tending to be mainly her being tied down seen scattered with shots of the viewers face, and sounds, with Mikael watching was maybe a minute and a half, and in court the same amount of time, other than a buttshot, mainly sounds.] No, the rape scenes are NOT half the damned movie. Thanks for exagerating it for effect though. On the whole, speaking as one of the dopers who has been raped, it was a reasonable version of the book. I prefer the Swedish versions though. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/548 "2011-12-26T19:43:59Z")
I generally try to keep my expectations for myself low, so I don’t really have a rant on my own behalf. Got one for my daughter, though. The HS Chamber choir that she’s in had their Christmas party on Thursday, and Secret Santas had been chosen a couple of weeks in advance. Since she has no job, I was the one who went online and bought the _My Neighbor Totoro_ hat that she had chosen for her buddy. No problem with that. I’m grateful that this is financially within my reach. The tenor who picked her name had been pumping her best friend in choir for information about the kind of things she likes (which is how Michaela deduced that he was her Secret Santa), and we supposed that she would receive something pretty cool. And she DID receive something pretty cool. A DVD of the film _Across the Universe_. Cool, right? It’s not brand new, but that’s all right. Nothing wrong with picking up a previously viewed DVD at the store. On Saturday, Michaela pops the movie into her PS2 to give it a look. She gets about halfway through when it freezes up on her. Well, the PS2 is a refurbished one from GameStop, and some of her movies it won’t play at all. Let’s not panic just yet. She brings it out to the living room, puts it into the regular DVD player, and cues it up to where she left off. From this point on, it’s nothing but trouble with the movie. :mad: I examined the disc and tried to polish off the many scratches and artifacts I found on the plexiglass, but not to much effect. I’m trying to persuade her to investigate through her bff whether if came from the “used” bin at Blockbuster, and perhaps can be returned (if the tenor coughs up a receipt), but I’m beginning to suspect that he just pulled it out of his personal collection. Classy, kid. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/549 "2011-12-26T19:49:26Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Wow, it’s a good thing I wasn’t planning on seeing that movie, because if I was, I would be a little snippy about such a massive spoiler coming out of nowhere in a thread where I couldn’t be expected to see one coming. Do you go around telling people who killed Dumbledore, too? :eek: Dumbledore’s _ **DEAD???!!!???** _???!!!??? Thanks a LOT, @$$hole! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/550 "2011-12-26T20:48:39Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Actually, > > first rape was a blow job that realistically took maybe 3 minutes. The second [not counting any replays on DVD] took some 5-7 minutes, with the DVD replays tending to be mainly her being tied down seen scattered with shots of the viewers face, and sounds, with Mikael watching was maybe a minute and a half, and in court the same amount of time, other than a buttshot, mainly sounds.] > > No, the rape scenes are NOT half the damned movie. Thanks for exagerating it for effect though. > > On the whole, speaking as one of the dopers who has been raped, it was a reasonable version of the book. I prefer the Swedish versions though. Oh hey, I’m also one of the sexual assault survivor Dopers! And let me tell you, that movie was NOT something I needed to see. That was disgusting. I was expecting Lisbeth to be an interesting and awesome heroine, and instead I had to run out of the movie after the second rape because I was about to puke. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/551 "2011-12-26T22:45:34Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > I guess the bulldog thing isn’t really a rant, but I really did want to toss his collar out the window and take him as mine. So my rant is that I’m so honest that I can’t stand myself. You do NOT want a bulldog! They are every veterinarian’s best friend. Totally rife with horrible health issues. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/552 "2011-12-27T00:29:24Z")
> [@thursday\_next](#): > > Dear, sweet, tap dancing Jesus, please let us get through the rest of my bro’s visit without an explosion of anger. We were all sad and worried when he moved cross country (he’s a bit immature) and everyone’s been looking forward to his visit, but when a LABRADOR filled with love (and Christmas treats) is tired of your crap, there’s a problem. > > **Flatlined** , you did the coolest thing by helping that family with their pup. Maybe a bulldog is in your future. I do know that if my “little” one was missing and we were having a major crisis like that family I would crack. You probably picked up their crappy Christmas. I hope we only hear nice updates about how much you enjoyed bro’s visit. But if a hunting accident happened, we want to hear all of the details 😃 There were be no dogs in my future for a long time. I’m gone at least 10 hours a day. It wouldn’t be fair to any dog. As I understand from the very nice lady who came to get her dog, dog wasn’t in the accident. After I talked to her first, I thought dog had been and carefully examined every part of his body for injuries. Dog loved that. The husband was in an accident and the dog got put out to pee and during the confusion about going to the hospital, nobody put the dog back in and the gate was left open. The kids cried and kissed the dog. Dog slobbered all over everyone. I was really happy that I was able to return the dog to his home. Its so rare to find a dog with valid tags or phone numbers. **Avarie537** you are right that I shouldn’t want a bulldog. They are so inbred that their life spans are about 7 years. It takes a c-section just to be born. Its morally wrong for me as a rescue person to want an expensive and high maintenance dog when there are so many wonderful mutts that need homes. I still want one. I think they are about the best dogs ever. I love how ugly they are, I love how friendly they are and I love how they wag their bodies when they meet a new friend, because everyone new is a friend. But, its a moot point now, because dog is at home, comforting his kids. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/553 "2011-12-27T00:55:25Z")
**flatlined** I hope those people know how lucky they are that you are the one who stopped for their dog. And congratulations on being able to be the angel of mercy to those kids. Hope the dad is ok. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/554 "2011-12-27T01:30:07Z")
I pit my computer, which is slowly decaying into a heap of memory and hardware errors. Crashed while I was on the dope at 3am and took until a short while to get operational again. I have to start it up, and hope like hell I can keep it going for about 10 minutes without it doing a system dump, at which point I can sign onto the dope. If I sign on here within 5 minutes of startup, the odds of it crashing are 100%. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/555 "2011-12-27T02:09:48Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > **Avarie537** you are right that I shouldn’t want a bulldog. They are so inbred that their life spans are about 7 years. It takes a c-section just to be born. Its morally wrong for me as a rescue person to want an expensive and high maintenance dog when there are so many wonderful mutts that need homes. Two nit picks - I don’t know if Bulldogs are inbred or not since I don’t know their pedigrees, but their health problems are not caused by inbreeding as inbreeding, outcrossing and/or linebreeding don’t “cause” anything. And many of those wonderful mutts turn out to be expensive and high maintenance - coming from a shelter and/or being mixed breed certainly doesn’t preclude long term vet bills. Oh, another one - a good case could be made for it being morally wrong to get a pet from a shelter (and yes, I’ve done it many times). Sorry, sore points. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/556 "2011-12-27T05:22:41Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > **flatlined** I hope those people know how lucky they are that you are the one who stopped for their dog. And congratulations on being able to be the angel of mercy to those kids. Hope the dad is ok. Thank yo for the good wishes for the dad. I don’t know anything else about him. I do know that the kids were very happy to get their dog back. That was enogh to make me happy. > [@curlcoat](#): > > Two nit picks - I don’t know if Bulldogs are inbred or not since I don’t know their pedigrees, but their health problems are not caused by inbreeding as inbreeding, outcrossing and/or linebreeding don’t “cause” anything. And many of those wonderful mutts turn out to be expensive and high maintenance - coming from a shelter and/or being mixed breed certainly doesn’t preclude long term vet bills. > > Oh, another one - a good case could be made for it being morally wrong to get a pet from a shelter (and yes, I’ve done it many times). > > Sorry, sore points. While I hate to disagree with such a smart and well educated person as you…we must. Purebred bulldogs are usually delivered by C-section. Their heads are too big to do normal birth. This tells me that us humans messed up. Bulldogs also have many health issues and don’t live long. As to the mutt thing, you are very right. Mutts can be very expensive…I know this because I’ve paid the vet bills for moggies. In a perfect world, all pets would have a good home waiting for them. They don’t. Most of them die. I understand that responsible breeders improve the breed. I really do get that. I just cannot buy a pet while there are so many on death row. And…I can’t have a dog anyhow. Dogs need more time and attention than I have. Now, the kittens…I’m getting a new phone next week and I understand that I’ll be able to make phone and comp get along. Be sure to have insulin handy because these kittens are the cutest ones in the world!!! ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/557 "2011-12-27T07:42:39Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > While I hate to disagree with such a smart and well educated person as you…we must. Purebred bulldogs are usually delivered by C-section. Their heads are too big to do normal birth. This tells me that us humans messed up. Bulldogs also have many health issues and don’t live long. I don’t disagree that Bulldogs bred solely for show tend to have a long list of issues, what I disagree with is that it was caused by inbreeding. It has to do with selection for exaggerations, not whether or not they are inbred (most aren’t, unless you are using the geneticist’s definition). > [@](#): > > In a perfect world, all pets would have a good home waiting for them. They don’t. Most of them die. I understand that responsible breeders improve the breed. I really do get that. I just cannot buy a pet while there are so many on death row. OTOH, every time someone makes a point of going to a shelter to get a pet, they are supporting the belief of the irresponsible that anything they dump off will get a home. No matter how many times you tell them that X% of these animals get killed, they refuse to believe it because there are so many organizations (at least claiming to be) working on finding all shelter pets homes. Yet thousands die, mostly mutts and the top five of the pure breeds, not because of a lack of homes but because people are shit - always have been, always will be. I used to spend a lot of time working in shelters, fostering dogs and all of that, but gave it up due to a combination of the feeling of trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon, and the growing animosity towards responsible breeders. I do still get my cats from the shelter but that only because I can tell myself I’m not directly supporting irresponsible owners due to our large feral population… :dubious: > [@](#): > > And…I can’t have a dog anyhow. Dogs need more time and attention than I have. Now, the kittens…I’m getting a new phone next week and I understand that I’ll be able to make phone and comp get along. Be sure to have insulin handy because these kittens are the cutest ones in the world!!! Gah, I so want a kitten, or twelve! grumble, mutter, whine ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/558 "2011-12-27T07:59:38Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I don’t disagree that Bulldogs bred solely for show tend to have a long list of issues, what I disagree with is that it was caused by inbreeding. It has to do with selection for exaggerations, not whether or not they are inbred (most aren’t, unless you are using the geneticist’s definition). What definition would you use when talking about medical issues, if not the medical/genetist’s definition? The issue here is not doggie incest, it’s doggie health. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/559 "2011-12-27T08:11:20Z")
> [@moejoe](#): > > Ugh, my mother did something similar to my daughter this year. I have three kids, and grandma got one an ipod, the other a nice desk and chair, and for my daughter she picked out…two DVDs. It really isn’t the money spent, but how could you make those giving decisions and not realize you’re going to hurt someone’s feelings? > > Watching my daughter try to keep a stiff upper lip and say thank you was crushing, but I was so proud that she managed it.\ I agree - that was quite thoughtless of your mother. Yeah, you’re supposed to be grateful for a gift and not compare with others and stuff, but damn; that just isn’t right. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693/560 "2011-12-27T08:13:19Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > What definition would you use when talking about medical issues, if not the medical/genetist’s definition? That part of my post applies only to the word inbred - a geneticist considers any purebred animal to be inbred, but that isn’t how the word is defined by most everyone else. None of that applies to medical issues. > [@](#): > > The issue here is not doggie incest, it’s doggie health. For me, the issue was that a type of pedigree - inbred - was being blamed rather than completely irresponsible breeding stock choices. The only reason an inbred pedigree would create a dog with a bunch of medical issues is if the dogs _in_ that pedigree also had (or carried for) a bunch of medical issues. Also, in the case of Bulldogs, some of their health issues are directly related to exaggerations desired in show animals, so have nothing to do with whether an individual dog is inbred, linebred or outcrossed. There are plenty of people who think if they buy a pup from an outcrossed litter, they will be getting “hybrid vigor” and the best of health, so I try to speak to that misunderstanding when ever I can. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-heres-your-dec-rants-thread-merry-christbitchmas/604693.md?page=29)