"I just don't get ___ " "I can explain that to you. But I just don't get ____"

In My Humble Opinion
61

Well, I don’t have a child to name, but I do know that if I did, I wouldn’t want to saddle him or her with a name that would make him/her a target of ridicule. That’s not to say that only “common” names are acceptable, or that they can’t also be used to make fun. But we’re all familiar with them, most of us (at least the literate ones) know how to spell them, so there should be less trouble dealing with government agencies, schools, employers, banks, whatnot getting the name wrong. Also, there’s nothing “bad” about those names - they have tradition and meaning, and can be used to honor a living or deceased relative or someone else the parent admires.

I tend to be in the opposite camp, anyway - trendy, “creative” names sort of make me wonder what the parents think they’re trying to prove, and since they go in popularity “waves”, can seem to be such a faddish thing that I’m unimpressed.

OK, y’all have done a pretty good job helping me understand why some people enjoy gaming (to a limited extent, anyway). Now for another (and I’ve got a nearly limitless supply):

What’s so appealing about the PT Cruiser? It’s not even remotely a sexy car, I doubt it handles well or is that much fun to drive, it’s not sporty: to me, it’s a minivan in disguise. It says “Mom” or “Dad” all over it. I mean, no skin off my nose if you’re proud to be a mom or a dad, but what I’m saying is, there seem to be people who are people who are just as jazzed over the PT Cruiser as others are over Corvettes or 350Z’s. :confused:

62

I’ll take a stab at a simple answer. I assume you’re talking about relativity, rather than the notion that things are “relative.”

What relativity says is that motion through time (the passage of time) and motion through space are not separate. The universe has a “speed limit” that equals the speed of light. So, your combined speed of motion through time and space (spacetime, to use the physics term) can never exceed that speed.

This means that if you’re completely motionless in space, you are moving at “full” speed through time.

If you’re moving at great speed through space, your motion through time has to be proportionally reduced to keep you at the speed limit.

Therefore, people on a fast-moving rocket experience slower elapsed time than people standing still.
What I don’t get is fashion. Why would anyone buy a T-shirt just because of a brand name, or dress a certain way because they saw it in a magazine. To me it just broadcasts a need to be similar and a willingness to overpay for clothing.

63

I have a fairly unusual last name, and I’m very happy my parents named me John (which was my mother’s father’s name): it takes Agamemnon Wochjakowski a lot longer to book an airline reservation than it does Dick Smith.

I can understand your concern if you have a very common last name. A colleague of mine had the last name Rader, which isn’t like Smith or Jones, but a lot more common than mine. He was adamant about giving his kids distinctive first names.

64

Oh, and as for something I don’t get: cricket.

65

I don’t find flying to be stress-free, but I find driving much more stressful.

When you’re driving, you have to navigate. I have no sense of direction whatsoever, so that’s not easy, especially somewhere I’ve never been before. I’m reluctant to make stops in areas I don’t know well for that reason- there have been many times when I’ve gotten lost and very frustrated trying to find someplace that I saw the sign for from the freeway, or gotten lost trying to find my way back to the freeway. The route to the airport is familiar (and almost all freeway), so the only real navigation is generally:

  1. Remembering that I’m going to the airport, not to work
  2. Remembering to turn off for daily parking, not hourly

You also have to deal with traffic when driving, and you have to pay attention to the road. On a plane, you can read or nap. I can’t wait until they invent a car that drives itself, so I can read or nap on the way to and from work- I’d much, much rather do either of those things than drive. I’m naturally kind of a spacy person, so I’d rather be in an environment where I don’t have to be attentive and alert all the time. I manage to deal with such environments, but I don’t like them. For example, I almost never play computer games that rely on fast twitch reflexes, or that can’t be paused.

Worst of all, with driving, there’s the possibility that something could go badly wrong and it would be my fault. But then again, I regularly have nightmares about getting into car accidents that are my fault (something I’ve managed to avoid in reality, fortunately). If something goes wrong on a flight, it’s almost certainly not going to be my fault (unless I forgot to turn my cell phone off, which I’m pretty religious about checking).

Also, on trips, I like to be decisive and get going. I like that, with air travel, there isn’t the option to stay home a few more minutes to check email, et cetera. That way, if I’m travelling with someone who likes to dawdle (yes, YOU, Mr. Neville), I can hurry them along and get the travel part over with, which is what I want to do.

As far as destinations go, I’d almost always rather go somewhere where I won’t be driving than somewhere I will. I like to visit downtown areas with unique shops and restaurants- the kinds of places where it’s very difficult to navigate, and almost impossible to find parking (I’m no better at finding parking in an unfamiliar area than I am at navigating in one). Our vacations tend to either be like that, or to be visiting relatives, in which case they drive us around because they know the area (and so we can spend more time together).

66

Oddly enough, that’s what I like about driving. I have some control. I know that I’m a good driver. I take all the precautions I can and drive as safely as possible. I ispect my own tires, my own lights, my own engine. I know I’m sober, well rested, and focused on the road.

Did the pilot have something to drink? Does he have a new baby and hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a week? Is the mechanic careless? Malicious? An idiot? How old is this plane? How well is it cared for? Is the runway just a little too icy, but the airline doesn’t want to lose money? On an airplane, my fate is 100% in someone else’s hands. I hate that.

67

I think I am finally beginning to understand the difference between people like me and people who like driving:

You enjoy being in control. When I am in control, I worry about doing something wrong, or something going wrong and not knowing what to do about it.

Now, I just need to win the lottery, so I can hire one of you to drive me everywhere :smiley:

68

The worst is “Wow, already seven posts in, and I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned _____!” And someone already has. Three someones, in fact. :rolleyes:

69

The other thing I don’t get on the Dope is why people feel the need to make a new post to correct typos that are obvious from context. Do you really believe I’m going to think you’re so terrible at English that you spell “horse” “hosre”?

70

It is just the same as the way English people allways talk about the weather. No one really cares about the typos, but in order to start up a sdmb conversation they like to swing their lexicographical dick around by showing how well skilled they are at spellink.

I, myself, wonder why English people talk about the weather so often?

71

I always felt the same way, but then drove one as a rental. It’s not a bad little vehicle at all. Decent gas mileage, at least highway (that’s most of what I drove that trip). Decent storage capacity and it’s not a bad drive. Sticker price of around 15k for a 2006 model makes it overall not a bad deal. I have no desire to buy a car at this time, but I would consider a PT if I was in the market.

72

That and in many parts of the country, they are looked at as faux gangster-mobiles. Don’t apply your usual sedan or minivan logic to them. Younger males like them because they are different, masculine, pretty cheap, and they can hold tons of stereo equipment. They are marketed towards soccer moms.

73

They aren’t marketed towards soccer moms.

74

I thought they were painfully doofy until I actually spent some time in one. They’re a pleasure to drive around in, and for a vehicle that’s largely practical there’s still a lot of fun customisation and the like to be had. They’re also distinctive enough that those who genuinely like the look can invent a certain fraternity to each other, and thus the Cruiser specific shows and cult of personality.

I could never see myself owning one personally (and the convertable was a disappointment) but I like 'em now, despite initially thinking they were an eyesore.
(Though I really don’t get the placement of the rear window controls- can anyone explain that?)

75

I can explain that. It’s force of habit. I’ve done it a couple of times, just out of frustration that I can’t go back and edit my post. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to spelling, and I’m angry when I don’t spot a typo before submitting my post.

Also, some posters may do it to up their post counts. Speculation only.

But I just don’t get lower back tattoos on women. They’re designed to be displayed only in the presence of low-riders and butt cleavage, which most sane people find gross. It’s a college-age girl thing, I think, but I was just there a couple of years ago and never saw the appeal. In ten years, kids everywhere will be wondering…what is that on Mommy’s back that only shows when she tries to reach something high up on the shelf? There’s already been derogatory slang invented for this bizarre phenomenon: Tramp Stamp!

76

I’m going to have a try at this one. Keep in mind that I come from India, where cricket isn’t just a sport - it’s a religion, and among the most fanatical.

I think, in the end, that all sport ultimately boils down to some sort of feeling of tribal collectiveness - it’s Us versus Them, and naturally I’m going to be rooting for Us. Cricket is just another way of expressing this tribal solidarity.

I find the game fascinating because it’s incredibly intricate, suffused with its own terminology, strongly tactical, and often unpredictable. It can look like an incredibly boring game, with long stretches of absolutely no action, but there’s always the possibility of dramatic moments, of amazing turnarounds, of nail-biting showdowns. I’m not saying other sports don’t have this, but in cricket things seem more dramatic. A team can go from a strong, almost unassailable position to ruinous defeat, or vice versa, in the space of minutes.

International cricket is divided into Test matches (5 days long) and One-Day Internationals (about 8 hours). I watch both, when I have the time, and they are different. ODI cricket is more about swashbuckling bravado; about pulling out all the stops and running near the edge of survival, about going down in flames. Test cricket is a much slower, far more tactical game that’s played as much in the head as on the field - it’s about studying and knowing your opposition, about planning and orchestrating a victory, about realising that often things are out of your control and life is frustrating, and overcoming in spite of those odds.

Of course, all this is a somewhat rose-tinted romantic view of things - but that, I feel, is the feeling that keeps any sport alive. If the players and spectators had no hope, endlessly renewed, then no one would play any sport. It’s all about the possibility of glory, and I feel cricket delivers.

As for something I don’t get - fashion statements that confer immediate membership of a social class. I wear what I wear because it’s comfortable and practical, not because I want to make a statement. What exactly is the point of trying to associate with one group or another? The only message it gives to me is (pardon my frankness here; I’m not trying to give offense) that you have no confidence and strength in your own individuality, and seek to identify with an already existing group to because you are looking to fill that gap.

77

Me, too - but I don’t know about all those other idiots on the road. I only have control over me, not the other drivers.

Well, some of us who feel that way went and got our pilot licenses… :smiley:

I usually enjoy flying a lot more when I’m the one at the controls, for all the reasons you list - in that case, I know the pilot is OK and I’m in control. The exceptions being when the weather starts getting crappy or something else out of my control goes wrong, because there’s nothing like flying to put the kibosh on your illusions that you are 100% master of your destiny.

The form of travel I find most relaxing is train - I’m not in charge, but in the case of conflict with another vehicle, the train almost always wins. I sit in the back, under the theory that that part is most likely to be last to arrive at the scene of the accident.

78

You’ll probably get over it, eventually.

Why people want to increase traffic, I can scaracely fathom. All you have to do is post something about Bush, et. al., pro or con, and you’ve got a guaranteed trainwreck.

Hey, don’t call my mom a “tramp”! I’m sure she had her reasons. (But I am really curious what that thing is supposed to represent…)

79

I don’t understand the appeal of casino gambling. It’s no secret that it’s carefully, consistently, absolutely rigged against you. Yet many otherwise intelligent folks seem to find it surprisingly attractive. I can easily see doing it now and then (for small stakes) out of a desire to experience something vaguely glamorous and exotic. But where’s the appeal in handing hard-earned money to billionaires (i.e. casino owners)?

80

I have only gambled causally at casinos a few times but I have friends and family that have had gambling problems.

  1. Casinos are an exciting place to be with lots of excited people, free drinks, lights, shows, and more.

  2. Most people know that the casino has an advantage but most have a poor grasp of statistics and believe that good strategy or divine intervention can push them ahead.

  3. The odds on most casino games aren’t that terrible in the short term. The house can have a 0.5 - 3 percent advantage on a given game. That allows people to rack up some nice short-term gains that they selectively remember while they lose track of those steady long-term losses. The repetitive type of play with almost guaranteed losses over the long-term lets people believe they had some fun even if they lost money. They can be right if they play a certain way.

  4. Casinos can hook people on adrenaline rushes and both ways work in the casino’s favor. Lay that last $100 on one blackjack hand. If you win, people make you feel like a king and you get a rush. If you lose, you need to find a way to get that $100 back. Trying to get back lost money can be the start of sure disaster.