# Are you freaking KIDDING me, or are you that stupid? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 12, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159 "2011-02-12T20:57:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/61 "2011-02-13T20:46:54Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Now you’re being condescending. > > Here’s the thing. The hoses would have reached had she pulled to the proper side of the pump. That doesn’t seem like a piss-poor design to me. **Travis** , **FromOR** , here’s the other thing: it’s not a piss-poor design. You are correct. The comment I made was playing on the fact that the comment being replied to sounded just ambiguous enough that it left the door open for a smart-ass remark. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/62 "2011-02-13T20:48:33Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > **DaftPeople** is choosing to read my post literally, not understanding the implied "no hose can reach her tank **without her moving the car**. > > Joe I will have to give you credit, when people get annoyed with my posts, they usually call me “Rafter” or something like that, but “DaftPeople” made me laugh. Well played sir. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/63 "2011-02-13T20:57:28Z")
I think I owe everyone an apology. To everyone in this thread with an emotional investment in gas pump hose design, I sincerely apologize if anything I have posted offended you in any way. It is my firm belief that we have the right to “root” for whatever gas pump hose design we each find most pleasing, and we should not feel undue pressure to switch allegiance to some alternate design. It was never my intention to discredit the amazing accomplishments of the current standard gas pump hose design currently in place. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/64 "2011-02-13T20:58:12Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > I will have to give you credit, when people get annoyed with my posts, they usually call me “Rafter” or something like that, but “DaftPeople” made me laugh. > > Well played sir. I may be too lazy to switch some dumbass’s gas to the other pump, but by god, I can come up with a mocking name. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/65 "2011-02-13T21:03:15Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > I think I owe everyone an apology. > > To everyone in this thread with an emotional investment in gas pump hose design, I sincerely apologize if anything I have posted offended you in any way. > > It is my firm belief that we have the right to “root” for whatever gas pump hose design we each find most pleasing, and we should not feel undue pressure to switch allegiance to some alternate design. > > It was never my intention to discredit the amazing accomplishments of the current standard gas pump hose design currently in place. How would you have it designed? Elastic, so that each and every hose can stretch from here to Hong Kong? Nobody could ever fuck up! Parked out on the sidewalk? No problem! There’s 417 feet of hose in there! Joe ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/66 "2011-02-13T21:16:28Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > **Travis** , **FromOR** , here’s the other thing: it’s not a piss-poor design. You are correct. > > The comment I made was playing on the fact that the comment being replied to sounded just ambiguous enough that it left the door open for a smart-ass remark. 🙂 I totally missed that it was supposed to be smart-ass. Sorry. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/67 "2011-02-13T21:16:44Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > How would you have it designed? Elastic, so that each and every hose can stretch from here to Hong Kong? Nobody could ever fuck up! Parked out on the sidewalk? No problem! There’s 417 feet of hose in there! > > Joe My design would employ elements of efficiency, flexibility, durability, robustness, humor, sarcasm, pain, joy, invisibility and all of the “Key 13” tenets of good engineering. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/68 "2011-02-14T01:10:46Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Does anyone have any idea why they aren’t all on the same side, anyway? I’ve never been able to decide if this would make things more or less chaotic at gas stations, but my guess is less. > > And I’d like to live somewhere where the hoses would stretch around to the other side, because they sure don’t around here. Your second suggestion would be a helluva lot easier than the first. Why the hell don’t they just make all the hoses long enough to go around MOST cars??? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/69 "2011-02-14T03:23:57Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > …you stick it where you’ve got extra room. Now that’s a rotten thing to say to the poor confused customer. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/70 "2011-02-14T04:25:31Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > HGily carp I wish they’s put a sticker on the dash of rental cars saying what side the cap is on. Yes. They should put a sticker on the dash pointing to the indicator on the instrument panel. Brilliant! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/71 "2011-02-14T15:29:13Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > If I invented a time machine, I wouldn’t assassinate Hitler–I’d put a bullet in the head of the moron who coined the phrase: The customer is always right. As luck would have it, it was Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/72 "2011-02-14T15:30:34Z")
HA! Perfect. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/73 "2011-02-14T15:45:13Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > I have _long_ advocated that gas tank receptacles always be on the same side of the goddam car. Better yet, have one on **each** side of the car. Problem solved forever, no matter if someone is dyslexic, driving a rental, blind, hungover, a Pommeranian or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/74 "2011-02-14T16:41:28Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > I can’t help but share my experience working as a pump jockey. About once a week someone would pull up, and their tank would be on the other side. I’d tell them this, and ask them to pull around to the other side. They’d drive in a circle, facing the opposite way on the other side of the pump. This didn’t resolve the situation. > > :smack: Ummm…a friend from college did this once. She’d never put gas in a car before. A nice guy at the next pump over was trying to help her by explaining the concept of coming in again this time with things lining up correctly, but she was so embarrassed that she drove away in shame to try at another gas station. Or so I heard. From my…friend. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/75 "2011-02-14T16:55:25Z")
What if it was one of those popular gas stations, at noon, with cars lined up waiting at all pumps? And you go in to pay and wait in a line of working men buying sub sandwiches, for 10 minutes, and when you go outside and see you’re parked on the wrong side, and you have to go back in and the driver of the car waiting for your pump is giving you the stink eye…oh, it’s a nightmare just to think about! ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/76 "2011-02-14T17:03:13Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > Ummm…a friend from college did this once. She’d never put gas in a car before. A nice guy at the next pump over was trying to help her by explaining the concept of coming in again this time with things lining up correctly, but she was so embarrassed that she drove away in shame to try at another gas station. > > Or so I heard. > > From my…friend. I too once drove away in shame from a gas station. But it was because I’d asked for $20 on a pump, and could only put in $18 and my tank was full. I was too embarrassed to go back in and get my change. (I have no idea what bothered me about it, it just did at the time) I did have a friend who didn’t realize that the indicator in the car that said “Fuel Door \>” was actually showing her where the gas cap was. She didn’t make the connection. I think “Fuel Door” sound kinds cooler… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/77 "2011-02-14T17:25:06Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > I think “Fuel Door” sound kinds cooler… Only because you’ve never driven a car with an “Energon Interface Port”. At least I _think_ it was a car… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/78 "2011-02-14T17:31:09Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > I did have a friend who didn’t realize that the indicator in the car that said “Fuel Door \>” was actually showing her where the gas cap was. [Friend] _It’s greater than what?_ [/Friend] ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/79 "2011-02-14T17:48:45Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > If I invented a time machine, I wouldn’t assassinate Hitler–I’d put a bullet in the head of the moron who coined the phrase: The customer is always right. Absent a time machine, you could make your displeasure known on a more limited scale by stealing the towels from a Ritz-Carlton hotel; the phrase was essentially coined by César Ritz, who said “le client n’a jamais tort” (the customer is never wrong). ---
**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:** [February 14, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159/80 "2011-02-14T17:54:33Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Sounds like a poor design if there are no hoses that can reach the gas tanks. It’s okay, **DaftPunkle** - your post made me laugh out loud. SOME of us got it. 😃 When I noticed that my 2005 Corolla had the indicator arrow to show me where the gas tank was, I thought that was friggin’ brilliant. And, in closing, I had to teach a young-ish woman how to pump gas last summer - she was just plain stuck. It’s not rocket surgery, but I can see it being fairly intimidating if you’ve never done it before. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-freaking-kidding-me-or-are-you-that-stupid/571159.md?page=5)