# Anything infuriate you beyond proportion? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657 "2009-10-13T15:10:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/81 "2009-10-14T05:38:55Z")
> [@Audrey\_Levins](#): > > There’s a particular joke, or “line” really, that people feel compelled to say when they hear my first name. Mulva? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/82 "2009-10-14T05:53:57Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll continue to mention it until legislation is passed to abolish this practice: > > When a stranger tells me to smile. > > I’m sorry, but do I know you? Who are _you_ to tell _me_ what to do with my face? If I feel like smiling, I smile. If I don’t, I don’t. See how this works? A person chooses their own facial expression. This is not a publically decided thing, like who wins on American Idol. For all you know, my mom could have died this morning from a fire that incidentally consumed all my worldly possessions. And you’re telling me to smile? Presumptuous is not even the word. What do you think I am, some clown whose sole purpose in life is to go around amusing you? Well, we’re all out of clowns here, bub. If it bothers you that I don’t look like Bobo the Fool with a perma-grin plastered on my face, how about you get to stepping to the nearest carnival. Lots of phony smiles going on there. _ **This is the most perfect combination of username/post ever!** _ This happens to me all the time (and I’m a man). And then there are the people who sit in their cars, blocking a parking lot aisle, waiting for a particular spot to open up. This happened to me a few days ago, and the moron didn’t even realize that there was already an open spot CLOSER TO THE STORE. So . . . as soon as he got into his spot, I got the better one. And oh yeah, the people who stop when getting off a crowded escalator. Then they’re all affronted when I can’t help but bump into them. (Actually, I tend to bump into them a little harder, just to make a point. :)) And people who chew gum with their mouths open. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/83 "2009-10-14T06:14:09Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > On the other hand, how many women vs men have been told to “wipe that shit-eating grin off your face?” > > (and I _have_ been told to smile, usually by those “somebody’s got a case of the Mondays” office-cheerleader type females. > [@Kolga](#): > > Yes, and when I’ve used this as an example of various aspects of social interaction in some of my classes, my informal polls of my students indicate that almost every woman has had a stranger suggest or order that they smile, while few of the men have experienced the phenomenon. As you can see, in my original response, I used “almost every woman” and “few of the men,” rather than “every single woman” and “absolutely none of the men.” And thanks for illustrating another thing that infuriates me beyond proportion, which is the unerring ability of some people to deny the existence and/or validity of other people’s experiences because it does not match their own. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/84 "2009-10-14T06:29:10Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > 12 hour clocks in the US. > > At home in Europe/MidEast, the stove and microwave both show time in a 24 hour format. In the US they show 12 hour format and there is no way to change it. > > I feel strongly enough about it that when test driving cars in the US, I asked each dealer if the car model we were considering could display the time in 24 hour format. It doesn’t infuriate me, but I feel the exact opposite you do. I grew up with good ole US 12 hour time and moved to a country with 24 hour time. It constantly confuses me even though it’s extremely simple. Sometimes my wife asks me what time it is and I have to count out the 12 hour time in my head: (clock says 17:45) Me: Uh, it’s…5:45! Another time I was enjoying a long break from work at home (I live across the street from my workplace, so I just go home during extended breaks) and I was supposed to be back at 3:30 (15:30). I noticed the clock on my computer read 14:27 (2:27) but I was like, “Holy shit, it’s almost 4:30??? I’m so late!” I rush back to work and get commended on returning so early. Joke was on me. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/85 "2009-10-14T06:49:45Z")
Here’s one thing that really makes me angry: When someone calls you and asks “Who is this?” God, that is the stupidest question! ::ring ring:: Me: Hello? Guy: Hi. Who is this? Who is this? Who the hell did you call, you idiot? Do you not know phone protocol? I get to ask who YOU are because you’re disturbing me, not the other way around. I can’t stand people like that. Honorable Mention: -Cell phone users at the movies. Turn your phone off, jackass! Or, if it really is an emergency, go outside and make your call. Ugh. -People who look down on other people for not caring about something they think is important. No, I don’t give a shit about Tibet. No, I don’t care about global warming. No, I don’t care about animal rights. No, I don’t care if a Korean-American plays a Chinese character in a movie or TV show. No, I don’t care about Israeli kids killed by Palestinians or Palestinian kids killed by Israelis. I don’t care about any of that and I don’t need you to call me “insensitive,” “naive,” “uninformed,” or a “racist” because I don’t care. Just shut up. -When women ask you if their hair or clothes look nice, tell you to “be honest,” and then get upset if you say you don’t like it. Why ask someone to be honest if you’re just going to get angry when they answer you honestly? -People in general. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/86 "2009-10-14T07:59:38Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Mulva? Virginia ? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/87 "2009-10-14T07:59:39Z")
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned people who don’t read through the whole thread before responding, expecially if they’re surprised that somebody hadn’t yet mentioned their pet peeve or topic. Does anyone else get ticked off by this? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/88 "2009-10-14T09:37:07Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Every fucking car has a goddamn ashtray in it; learn to use it. I have been known to get out of my car and throw the butt back in the offender’s vehicle. > > 😃 Mine Doesn’t 🙂 I bought it new and it don’t have. Other cars I have owned I have taken out the ashtray. I don’t smoke, and even if I did I wouldn’t toss my butt outside - I only like butts inside thanks very much 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/89 "2009-10-14T09:59:28Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Really, I posted too soon. I just realized what sends me into fits of enraged frenzied ranting. > > Any time someone starts a sentence with “I feel like…” when they are not: > a) referring to a tactile sensation; or > b) referring to their health; or > c) describing an emotion. > > It comes from the Precious Snowflake Self-Esteem movement where everyone is a winner and everyone has to couch their language in terms of feeeeeeeelings so as to avoid hurting someone else’s feelings, with, you know, a strong opinion or even a corroborated fact. Some examples: > > “Where is John?” > > “I feel like he’s in the shower.” > > “Well, my work is finished for the day, I feel like I will go home.” > > “I feel like the sky is blue and the grass is green.” > > People. Just stand behind your opinions. State your facts. Don’t try to pretend you are talking about emotions when you are not. I reserve the right to inflict violence on the next person who does this in my presence. > > That is all. I personally see a big difference between a statement with or without “I feel”. If I say “You made a mistake”, I am pointing out something I am 100% sure of. I could prove it if you asked me. If I say “I feel like you made a mistake”, I mean I have a gut feeling that something went wrong. It’s something intuitive. And when I say, “I think you made mistake”, I mean there is something that might be a mistake, but I am unsure. I know you said it mostly bothers you when someone has a strong opinion (or even a fact), but is pussyfooting around. But I wanted to make sure you knew there actually is a reason to use the phrase in that way. I _feel_ like you might be a bit overzealous. ETA: (As I heard y’all don’t like multiple posts) As for the smile thing, I find it works better if you try to do something to make the other person smile. I do wonder if I’m an offender, though, as I’ll sometimes ask people why they look so down. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/90 "2009-10-14T10:04:50Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned people who don’t read through the whole thread before responding, expecially if they’re surprised that somebody hadn’t yet mentioned their pet peeve or topic. Does anyone else get ticked off by this? I see what you did there. (y’all will just have to take the multipost. I’ve always wanted to say that.) ---
**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:** [October 14, 2009, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/91 "2009-10-14T10:35:59Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > FH: > > I can see it in my head: > > SeatGuards(tm, patent peg) > > You’d get a pair of rigid, nonmetallic, thin barriers that would side mount in your seat. Then again, you’ve identified the proper use of airline magazines. > > By the by, the asshole was irritated at my defense of my space. His elbow was inside the armspace, and he was irritated at me. Grrrr. Let’s add the option to extend them forward far enough to block along the whole armrest length as needed, to prevent more determined intruders, and I think we have a product! It’d go like hotcakes at those newsstand stores at the airports. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/92 "2009-10-14T13:44:36Z")
I get told to smile ALL THE TIME. I’m a librarian, and it’s always male patrons. Usually ones you can spot as assholes when they get off the escalator. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/93 "2009-10-14T14:01:57Z")
Not a people-related thing, but I get much more irritated than I should by very small delays from electronics and other hardware. My PC takes 10 seconds whirring away rather than _just opening the damn file_? I feel like smashing my hand through the monitor. They recently installed new ticket barriers at Waterloo station are a prime example. The old barriers on the Tube are great - you insert your card in the front, it gets sucked in at high speed and pops out the top at hand height, you take it and _immediately_ the barrier slams open with a satisfying thunk. Londoners are attuned to this - we can do it blindfold without the slightest break in our stride. The new barriers? A very similar design, but some moron decided that (a) the machine would wait a fraction of a second before sucking the ticket in, but, much worse, (b) when you take the ticket out of the top of the machine there’s a pause of maybe half a second before the barrier slowly swings open. Half a second, it doesn’t seem much, but it is SO ANNOYING. Every time it makes me think, “Huh, it’s not wor…oh”, and not only that but it forces you to break stride and pause momentarily. The knock-on effects in a busy station are huge. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/94 "2009-10-14T14:09:06Z")
> [@Cattitude](#): > > And don’t ask me to push the button for your floor, push it yourself and leave me alone. Thought of another elevator-related hate: Our elevators have two banks of buttons, one for each side of the door. So if there are a grand total of three people in an elevator, why the \*holy fuck \*are you leaning into my personal space trying to hit “9” when you could just shift over into that cavernous space on the other side of the elevator to do so?!? ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/95 "2009-10-14T14:12:39Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > On this one, I agree. Does anyone really say that? > > This also sounds off to me, as in “raises my Chomskyan universal grammatic hackles.” It just doesn’t sound like a normal expression in English. But if you mean, “My work is done and I feel like going home”, then I would have to agree with those who say it’s just an expression. It goes back long before anyone ever heard of est or placed an inordinate value on feelings. Admittedly it’s a bit casual, and I wouldn’t expect to see it in formal writing or any kind of public discourse. > > No argument here. Yeah, all of those instances sounded weird to me, too, like the speaker was deliberately attempting to butcher the English language. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak like that when stating fact; I can see why that would really get annoying. Of course, “I feel” statements when you’re ticked off can be helpful (“Sometimes I feel like my opinion doesn’t matter,” instead of, “You never give a crap about my opinion.”), but if someone said “I feel like I’m going to go home,” I might have to slap them. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/96 "2009-10-14T14:12:48Z")
I don’t know if it’s out of proportion, but walking into a kitchen nobody is using at the moment and seeing dirty items (or a dirty floor) makes my blood boil. Specially when I see things like some freshly-washed items and, just on the other side of the sink, dirty ones. The kitchen should be clean enough to eat soup lapping it up from the floor, damnit! ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/97 "2009-10-14T14:15:04Z")
My new infuriating pet peeve is people who grossly overreact to a situation. Not like the stuff listed here where you mentally pummel the crap out of someone for something because having thoughts like that and not acting on it is absolutely normal and acceptable. I am talking about the assholes who freak out if you accidentally touch them with your purse on the train (because the train is packed so full you are being forced to stand shoulder to shoulder with strangers) or the ones who feel the need to lecture you about how disrespectful you are because you walked between them and their friend while they were talking and taking up the entirety of the sidewalk, forcing you to either walk between them or get hit by a cab. We live in a big freaking city with a fuck-ton of people and sometimes you might actually have to come in contact with one of them briefly and it would behoove you to get over it instead of screaming at the person who lightly touched your shoulder for half a second this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/98 "2009-10-14T14:20:49Z")
Waiting for lottory players in stores and gas stations. It brings about an irrational rage that wells up in my chest and threatens to turn me into a rude asshole. It almost never spills out, though. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/99 "2009-10-14T14:30:33Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > Well, sort of along those same lines. My husband and I attended a couple of shows recently on our anniversary weekend away, and on both nights, the last two people to be seated in our row were the ones with the middle two seats. Didn’t piss me off; it’s just something I noticed. > > However, at both shows, both before the show and all during intermission, many people were just texting away on phones and blackberries. It shouldn’t bother me; doesn’t affect me as long as they don’t do it during the show, but it irks me nevertheless. Can they really, truly not go two whole hours without texting someone? Really? > > The only thing at the theater that irks me to the point of saying something is the talkers, though. I mean, really - you’re not at home in front of the t.v., so shut the eff up and let the rest of us hear the show, you moron! Oh, sorry. That one does rile me up, but appropriately so, I think. Ooooh those talkers, hate 'em! So we were at an outdoor concert, thorogood and his destoyers with Johnny lang. It was festival seating and we squeezed in front of the sound stage because it had a freaking enormous canopy above it in case of rain. Effectively ruining the view for everyone behind. It’s a loud show, I guess that s why the sound guy had to raise his voice to keep talking BS about life on the road. I heard his annoying voice more clearly than I heard Lang on stage. Grrrr, I finally caught his eye and mouthed STFU to him. I have friends who tape shows and in virtually all of shows one can hear the chatty buzzed patrons yakking away all through the concert. I understand the reunion aspect of seeing old friends and being excited to see the band yada yada. But save the chit chat for after the show please! ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657/100 "2009-10-14T14:31:59Z")
This is a new one that I’ve noticed only within the last few years: jagoffs who don’t _cross_ the street, they _saunter_ across the street, never at a crosswalk, forcing you to slam on the breaks, just daring you to hit them, while they take their time to mosey along without breaking a stride. Listen, I know it can be inconvenient to walk a half-block to the crosswalk, and you’ll probably half to wait at least two minutes for the light to change, and it will shake the the romantic notion that you’re a a rebel who plays by his own rules, but damn, buddy, my car is two tons of steel, and if you knew the fantasies I’ve had of explaining to the police, “I’m sorry, officer, he came out of _nowhere_,” I think you’d take your sense of entitlement a tad less seriously. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-infuriate-you-beyond-proportion/513657.md?page=6)