# Mundane Pointless Things that Elude Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640 "2014-03-13T20:38:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/41 "2014-03-18T02:00:57Z")
Today it seems many dopers are proud of having a limited vocabulary. Apparently any words they don’t know are not actually words but rather “jargon”, whose only purpose is to confuse them. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/42 "2014-03-18T02:12:02Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Today it seems many dopers are proud of having a limited vocabulary. Apparently any words they don’t know are not actually words but rather “jargon”, whose only purpose is to confuse them. :rolleyes: Careful, maybe jargon is too technical a term for some. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/43 "2014-03-18T22:08:34Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Today it seems many dopers are proud of having a limited vocabulary. Apparently any words they don’t know are not actually words but rather “jargon”, whose only purpose is to confuse them. :rolleyes: > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Careful, maybe jargon is too technical a term for some. You mean **PatriotGrrl** , who think it means a word someone doesn’t know? You may think that the OP of that thread was acceptable, but you can’t argue that “direct report” or “C-level” are general vocabulary terms. They are business jargon. They are terms used in a specific field and not by the world at large. The evidence was right in front of your face, where people with large vocabularies didn’t know the term unless they were in the field in question. No one in that thread bragged about their ignorance. If they bragged about anything, it was in knowing what terms everyone knows or how to write an OP that everyone can understand. They bragged about their knowledge, not their ignorance. This topic only fits this thread if you use a strawman. We did at no point argue that the OP was wrong to use words we didn’t know. The argument was that the OP used jargon where it was unnecessary. If people get confused by what you say, it means you did not effectively communicate. It has nothing to do with bragging about ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/44 "2014-03-18T23:00:15Z")
A lot of people in the world have an embarrassing lack of self awareness.The Internet simply makes it easier to observe these people acting naturally. Imagine if this was a video forum how truly dysfunctional it might be. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/45 "2014-03-19T03:34:03Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > [Threads like this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=717869) seem to be phrased more in a “My vulcan mind doesn’t understand the logic in this activity” vs a genuine curiosity. Well, I don’t really get the appeal of being drunk, either, and I found this thread quite interesting. For instance, although I understand the deshinibition part, I had no clue people found being drunk in itself “fun” . I had no clue either that some people enjoyed having sex while drunk. Or listening to music. Actually, I would have expected the contrary to be true. And in fact I’ve consumed substances that make everything very fun and others that make sex, or music, particularly enjoyable. I simply didn’t know that alcohol could have this effect on some people. Alcoholic intoxication becomes very quickly unpleasant to me, and the general behavior of drunk people doesn’t look like fun, or sexy, or anything positive really. Not even counting that alcohol tastes bad. So, yes, my “Vulcan mind” has difficulties understanding the appeal. Basically, it comes down to “not everybody is like you” so there are plenty of things you get that other people don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/46 "2014-03-19T06:31:08Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Today it seems many dopers are proud of having a limited vocabulary. Apparently any words they don’t know are not actually words but rather “jargon”, whose only purpose is to confuse them. :rolleyes: Exactly. “What is this mystical word ‘direct report’ you use to confuse me? Begone with you sorcerer!” This is a perfect example of what the OP is talking about. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/47 "2014-03-19T07:25:48Z")
But we’re _all_ those annoying “I don’t get drinking” or “I can’t determine the safety of foods that are either past their expiration date or have been left unrefrigerated for some short amount of time” posters _to someone else._ For instance, I’m one of those people who knows first-hand that dogs are disgusting, smelly, noisy, clumsy animals that knock everything over and will happily lap up my vomit as if it’s some rare delicacy. I’m sure my bafflement over why anyone would prefer such brutish slobs over cats seems horribly naive to some majority of the population. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/48 "2014-03-19T14:22:01Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Today it seems many dopers are proud of having a limited vocabulary. Apparently any words they don’t know are not actually words but rather “jargon”, whose only purpose is to confuse them. :rolleyes: > [@Polerius](#): > > Exactly. “What is this mystical word ‘direct report’ you use to confuse me? Begone with you sorcerer!” Is that the thread you’re talking about? “Direct report” is pretty self-explanatory, but honestly, “C-Level” is one of those things that really is industry-specific. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/49 "2014-03-19T15:35:52Z")
Yeah, I thought it was some kind of report. Not the person you report to. I’m must be an idiot, clearly! Apologies all around, for seeking clarity. Won’t happen again. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/50 "2014-03-19T15:45:37Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Yeah, I thought it was some kind of report. Not the person you report to. I’m must be an idiot, clearly! Apologies all around, for seeking clarity. Won’t happen again. That’s not what happened. The first few posts including people asking for clarification and getting it, nicely. It was when someone dumped on the OP for choosing to use terms that some people didn’t know, and acting like it was crazy that the terms were familiar to a lot of people that the argument broke out. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/51 "2014-03-19T22:13:22Z")
“What soda do you prefer Coke or Pepsi?” Answer; “I am too good to drink either, you lowbrow plebes.”:rolleyes: “What new TV show do you like?”. Answer “I don’t even own a TV but when I watch it’s always PBS, you lowbrow plebes.”:rolleyes: I not only consider that sort of answer to be threadshitting but insulting to boot. Look, it’s Ok if you don’t drink soda. \*Then don’t post in the fucking favorite soda thread. \* And, I’ll bet most of those responding with “I rarely watch TV” have HoneyBooBoo tivoed, and own the complete DVD collection. Signed. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/52 "2014-03-19T22:21:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > “What soda do you prefer Coke or Pepsi?” Answer; “I am too good to drink either, you lowbrow plebes.”:rolleyes: > > “What new TV show do you like?”. Answer “I don’t even own a TV but when I watch it’s always PBS, you lowbrow plebes.”:rolleyes: > > I not only consider that sort of answer to be threadshitting but insulting to boot. > > Look, it’s Ok if you don’t drink soda. \*Then don’t post in the fucking favorite soda thread. \* > > And, I’ll bet most of those responding with “I rarely watch TV” have HoneyBooBoo tivoed, and own the complete DVD collection. Signed. I know this has become a Doper meme, but it sure would be nice if we had examples of it happening. And not just someone saying, “I don’t own a TV” but the “lowbrow plebes” part. I’m not saying this has never happened. But if the bragging/put-down behavior is as common as you and the OP have made it out to be, there should be many examples to cite. Care to share any? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/53 "2014-03-19T22:38:45Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I know this has become a Doper meme, but it sure would be nice if we had examples of it happening. And not just someone saying, “I don’t own a TV” but the “lowbrow plebes” part. > > I’m not saying this has never happened. But if the bragging/put-down behavior is as common as you and the OP have made it out to be, there should be many examples to cite. Care to share any? Of course they don’t \*say \*"lowbrow plebes’:rolleyes: but when you post “I don’t even drink soda” in a “Coke or Pepsi” you are implying it. Or, you’re just a reading impaired moron, or you just have to post in every thread. Mostly the first, tho. > **[What do you do when you can't get your cola of choice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=718466)** > > So, you sit down in a new-to-you restaurant, and the waiter comes by to take your drink order. “I’ll have a Coke,” you say. The waiter apologizes and tells you “We only have Pepsi products. Will that do?” If you prefer Pepsi, imagine the opposite... > **[Which of these 16 ending TV shows will you miss the most?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=713370)** > > We Miss 'Em Already: ‘Justified,’ ‘Boardwalk Empire,’ ‘The Newsroom,’ and 13 More Shows That Will End Soon for details, but who really cares? One vote only. Make it count. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/54 "2014-03-19T22:55:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Of course they don’t \*say \*"lowbrow plebes’:rolleyes: but when you post “I don’t even drink soda” in a “Coke or Pepsi” you are implying it. Or, you’re just a reading impaired moron, or you just have to post in every thread. Mostly the first, tho. Only a hypersensitive, highly insecure, embarrassingly pathetic person would infer that I was bragging or boasting. Only someone who sees himself as a “lowbrow plebe” would infer “lowbrow plebe” from such an innocent remark. If anything, it’s a self-denigrating post because I confess that the only thing keeping me from Taco Bell is its Pepsi products. How in the world could that possibly be construed as _bragging_ or putting anyone down? I even said “not gonna lie” as a way of expressing how stupid my behavior is. My guess is that you suffer from a inferiority complex. That’s sad, but that’s \*your \*problem. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/55 "2014-03-20T00:48:28Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Only a hypersensitive, highly insecure, embarrassingly pathetic person would infer that I was bragging or boasting. Only someone who sees himself as a “lowbrow plebe” would infer “lowbrow plebe” from such an innocent remark. > > If anything, it’s a self-denigrating post because I confess that the only thing keeping me from Taco Bell is its Pepsi products. How in the world could that possibly be construed as _bragging_ or putting anyone down? I even said “not gonna lie” as a way of expressing how stupid my behavior is. > > My guess is that you suffer from a inferiority complex. That’s sad, but that’s \*your \*problem. My wife has a saying, _sin querer, queriendo_; to attribute supposedly unintentional things done deliberately. People on the SDMB have consistently mentioned their disdain for such pedestrian things as television (aside from BBC or PBS), alcohol, parties, and wiping one’s butt a certain way. Their contempt is subtle but not isolated to some recent poster in a drive by post. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/56 "2014-03-20T02:47:56Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > My wife has a saying, _sin querer, queriendo_; to attribute supposedly unintentional things done deliberately. That’s funny, because I often get this sense from _you_. “I’m not really saying fat women are lazy and sloppy! But maybe if they weren’t so lazy and sloppy they wouldn’t be so fat!” Followed by a winking smilie, like that somehow makes everything okay. > [@](#): > > People on the SDMB have consistently mentioned their disdain for such pedestrian things as television (aside from BBC or PBS), alcohol, parties, and wiping one’s butt a certain way. Their contempt is subtle but not isolated to some recent poster in a drive by post. And yet the only examples offered have been incredibly lame. The contempt is apparently so subtle that this attitude can only be “inferred” with much anal straining. Now, the one thing I have noticed is that the board has a number of extrovert-bashing introverts. I’m an introvert, some would say pathologically so, but I really try hard not to bash my louder, bolder sistern and brethren. I don’t think introversion is anything to be ashamed of. I’m glad that I’m an introvert. But I don’t think it makes me superior to anyone either. There are quite a few Dopers who are militant in their introversion and aren’t afraid to bash people over the heads with it. But then again…there are also some Dopers who are obnoxiously extroverted, who have a penchant for ridiculing introverts. Do you know a Doper who is like this, **Incubus**? I’m thinking you do. _You_ are the last person who should be complaining about anyone being judgmental or holding others in disdain, explicitly or otherwise. I immediately associate your usename with “judgmental” and “disdaining”. Whenever you post a thread and I see your name, I know you’re going to be talking shit about someone’s tastes, lifestyles, thoughts, feelings, or aspirations. Which is fine. Sometimes you post something that’s half-way entertaining and I even chime in with my own two cents. It’s your schtick. But why is it alright for you to act like this, but it’s not alright for the other dorks and nerds around here to carry on in a similar fashion? Why is it that you CONSTANTLY talking about your hot Latino wife is not eye-roll-inducing bragging, but someone talking about how they don’t drink alcohol or watch television automatically is? That’s what I’m not getting. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/57 "2014-03-20T03:03:49Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Threads like the Keruig thread have this predictable sequence: > -I don’t understand why people are so into [thing] > -I don’t understand why fussing over different versions of [thing] matters. I can’t tell the difference! > -Why even bother with [thing]? Even though I’ve never tried [thing] but still don’t see the point in anybody else being interested. As the initiator of the last Keurig thread, I was only asking question #1 above- I genuinely didn’t understand what the attraction was. They aren’t cheaper, and to me, they didn’t seem convenient enough to be worth the extra cash. It didn’t occur to me that flavored or different sorts of coffee are a big enough deal to people to warrant the buying of a machine that facilitates the switching of types on a per-cup basis. I’d have never known that had I asked- everyone I know just drinks whatever coffee’s around. I don’t personally have a problem with basic questions like “What’s the point of a keurig?”, but I do get a little irked with questions phrased to incite a dogpile of some type- the ones titled charming things like “Why are gun owners such idiots?” There’s no reason for threads like that other than to get the usual echo chamber going, and to hate on a group. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/58 "2014-03-20T04:18:22Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I really try hard not to bash my louder, bolder sistern and brethren. > > _You_ are the last person who should be complaining about anyone being judgmental or holding others in disdain, explicitly or otherwise. I immediately associate your usename with “judgmental” and “disdaining”. Whenever you post a thread and I see your name, I know you’re going to be talking shit about someone’s tastes, lifestyles, thoughts, feelings, or aspirations. “One of these things is not like the other.” ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/59 "2014-03-20T05:14:07Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I know this has become a Doper meme, but it sure would be nice if we had examples of it happening. And not just someone saying, “I don’t own a TV” but the “lowbrow plebes” part. Implied in the following. This is just a small sampling. > **[An American Sinner; I don't watch TV](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=48976)** > > Confession time. I don’t watch TV. None. We have a TV at home, but its reception is lousy. Yes, we could get cable, but on our budget, it’s a bit expensive and do we really need it? I get my news and weather from the 'Net. The main reason we turn it... A lot of “TV is mindless drivel” and “I only watch PBS” in this thread. > **[I don't like TV.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=93299)** > > I don’t have a TV and neither do any of my chums, so the only time I ever see one is when walking by the bars on the main street of my town. I have watched, all in all, about ten minutes worth this month. I watched loads as a kid and can honestly say... Some quotes from the thread: " I think TV rots my brain. I watched it for a few hours last month after the attacks and I don’t believe that did me much good either." “Anecdote: In one of the media theory classes I once took in university, we had to log our media input for a week. I came up with a grand total of 30 minutes of tv, gleaned at some friend’s place. The professor publicly questioned my honesty, claiming my results were unrealistic.” “I don’t care for TV either glowbug, and quit being a serious watcher about 20 years ago. There may be a few programs that aren’t boring, insulting or insipid but since I live in a TV wasteland (can’t receive any channels), I haven’t seen them.” “I don’t watch TV. The shows are inane. The commercials are insulting and manipulative. The news is simplistic and bland. And yes, I am a snob about it.” “TV blows for the most part. Can you say “live vicariously?” To each thier own though. For me, it seems to cause and increase violent imagery in my imagination. The cheesy moronic nature of tv added to how much time it wastes made me drop it. The internet is next.” > **[TV sucks and it's only getting worse!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=686291)** > > For quite a while, I have been aware that interesting, entertaining television shows are dying out. But I didn’t take the time until now to actually realize just how bad things are! There are only four shows that I watch regularly. Three of those... "I don’t watch any of these: never have. Television doesn’t exist to entertain; television exists to sell advertising. Once you realize this fundamental fact it really changes how you perceive television shows. " > **[Is Modern Life Rubbish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=57617)** > > I was born in 1970. I am fascinated by the previous decade, that being the the 60,s. Not just the music, but everything…films, culture, books, lifestyle and the celebrities. I look back on a time when I didnt even exist with great fondness and... “Do I care about Kate Who? No, I don’t own a TV, this insulates me from a lot of extraneous nonsense I don’t care about. I like the convenience of my cell phone, I enjoy the internet, I like the engineering of new cars. Rubbish? Not at all.” > **["I don't own tv" people](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=709918)** > > So, what are your thoughts on people who don’t own a television? I have noticed that a lot of people who blog about not owning a tv tend to gloat about it or act like they are superior to everyone else because they don’t watch television. Am I the... "I think that I’m superior, not because I don’t watch much TV, but because I read much more than the average person. " > **[Do people here have a life?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=61785)** > > Not to be picky about the personnel who frequent this boards–you’re all fun great people Im sure. The problem I have is that all the boards are about…well how should I put this…Geek TV Stuff. I mean, The Mole? THe Lone Gunmen? DVDs, watching movies... "Of course, I don’t watch TV, either. In fact, if I had to choose between life and TV, I’d choose life. It’s not nearly as stupid. " > **[I don't have a TV, deal with it.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=285127)** > > That’s right. I don’t have a TV! And yet I somehow manage to survive! It’s not that I have anything against TV. I grew up watching TV, my parents have a TV, my dad gets pissed if I call during the Simpsons, and I have my favorite shows. But when... “Seems to me that suggesting that unless a person sees that much TV that they’re not living, that they’ve got it ass backward. As a friend of mine used to say when someone would tell him he missed something on TV, he’d say “No, I didn’t miss it, I just didn’t see it”. Just ignore them or tell them you’re too busy actually LIVING life to be content being a couch potato.” “How do you manage that? If I have the one-eyed monster on, it sucks my brain right out. I can do some motor intensive activities - modelling, for example, while the TV is on, but if my brain has to be involved, like for reading, I cannot function while the idiot box is on. Hell, I can barely have a conversation in the same room as a TV.” > **[TV Zombies on Wheels](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=73045)** > > On exiting a local restaurant and returning to our car last Saturday, Mrs. Pyrrhonist and I noticed a strange flicking whitish light coming from the Ford Excursion parked in front of us. There was a whole family inside watching TV. They were parked,... "On exiting a local restaurant and returning to our car last Saturday, Mrs. Pyrrhonist and I noticed a strange flicking whitish light coming from the Ford Excursion parked in front of us. There was a whole family inside watching TV. They were parked, transfixed, and presumably eating take out. Now I’ve heard of TVs being built in cars before, but really wanted to believe it was only an Urban Myth. Could people be so addicted to TV that they have to have it in there car too? What kind of brain addled TV Zombies will arise from being unable to separate themselves from the idiot box while jaunting to mall?. Or even, heaven forbid, on an eight hour road trip? I quit watching TV in October 1995 and haven’t turned on the idiot box since, so maybe I missing something. What is so freaking essential that some people can’t live without it even in their cars? " ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640/60 "2014-03-20T07:22:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Or, you’re just a reading impaired moron, or you just have to post in every thread. Mostly the first, tho. > [@monstro](#): > > Only a hypersensitive, highly insecure, embarrassingly pathetic person would infer that I was bragging or boasting. Only someone who sees himself as a “lowbrow plebe” would infer “lowbrow plebe” from such an innocent remark. BOTH of you quit the subtle insults and take any beefs you have with each other to the Pit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-things-that-elude-dopers/683640.md?page=4)