# Stuff that seems common, but outside your life experience **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968 "2012-03-16T15:15:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/41 "2012-03-17T02:49:53Z")
Videogames. For anyone under 40 they just seem to be part of the cultural landscape, so much so that when Google did a front page based on Pac-Man they didn’t include any instructions for how to play. Oh, and health clubs. Completely baffling. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/42 "2012-03-17T12:39:32Z")
Scrapbooking. Who’s doing this? Here in L.A. I even see actual scrapbooking stores. Are there really enough people scrapbooking to keep these stores afloat? Can’t you just buy all that crap at Big Lots or Michaels? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/43 "2012-03-17T14:14:36Z")
Meanwhile here I’m all confused about large groups of people who never went to summer camp and, in fact, _didn’t think anybody did_. Weren’t you in Girl Scouts? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/44 "2012-03-17T14:42:34Z")
Everywhere I go, I see people playing with their Smartphones. I have never owned a Smartphone. What is so important on their Smartphone that they have to completely disengage from their environment? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/45 "2012-03-17T15:06:27Z")
Just this morning I took the trash out to the curb. Head pounding from drinking too much alcohol the night before, I spotted a guy jogging. Ran right by me. I thought to myself: “Man, we are from two COMPLETELY different worlds.” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/46 "2012-03-17T15:16:09Z")
watching sports television cosmetic surgery junk food fast food driving for pleasure ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/47 "2012-03-17T16:49:41Z")
Lawyers and accountants. I’ve never known anyone who just “has” one of these. You just look one up if you need one. Also, kids on sports teams, where the family goes and cheers at all the games and the community is all into it. That kind of thing wasn’t big where I grew up in Montreal, but on TV it seems like it’s the normal American experience, so maybe I’ll start seeing it as my friends’ kids get older? Oh, and that thing where a stranger at the bar buys you a drink. Or even a guy you just meet at a bar. I’ve never ever had someone (other than friends and guys I was officially dating) buy me a drink at a bar. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/48 "2012-03-17T17:03:45Z")
Going on an organized holiday. I deal with these people every day. Their flights are booked through their agent, their transfers to the hotel, they have a rep at the hotel, they book tours through the tour desk. Of course I’ve been on holiday, camping, staying with friends, guest house for a couple of days but never a package tour, never a hotel. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/49 "2012-03-17T17:37:31Z")
**Breakfast.** I’m not talking about something like a muffin or a bowl of cereal in the morning, however I don’t do that either, but are there really people that make eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes, hashbrowns, etc. every morning, like something out of Leave It to Beaver? It is very rare that I’m even hungry when I wake up, let alone making a meal out of the occasion. Also: **Brunch.** WTF? Who does _brunch_ anymore? Is it a formal thing? Did it start out as a hoity-toity thing then turn into a hoi polloi thing? Is it a hobbit thing? Will “linner” soon be a thing that people do? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/50 "2012-03-17T17:44:35Z")
As someone in business I have an accountant and a law firm I have a business relationship with. I don’t have a lawyer “on retainer” though, who has a lawyer on retainer? I guess really wealthy people might have a personal lawyer on retainer. In some scenario where I became a L&O defendant I’d definitely call the “lawyer I’ve worked with” through my business. He isn’t a criminal lawyer but I’m sure he’s competent enough at the early stages and will get me in contact with a criminal lawyer. I’d think anyone who has ever used a lawyer’s services at all might do the same, like if you get arrested you might call up the guy who helped you with your will. Not because he’s necessarily the guy you’d want defending you in court, but you know him (and may have his number available) and I’d expect he’d be able to refer you to a good criminal defense attorney. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/51 "2012-03-17T17:49:57Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > **Breakfast.** > > I’m not talking about something like a muffin or a bowl of cereal in the morning, however I don’t do that either, but are there really people that make eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes, hashbrowns, etc. every morning, like something out of Leave It to Beaver? > > It is very rare that I’m even hungry when I wake up, let alone making a meal out of the occasion. > > Also: **Brunch.** > > WTF? Who does _brunch_ anymore? Is it a formal thing? Did it start out as a hoity-toity thing then turn into a hoi polloi thing? Is it a hobbit thing? Will “linner” soon be a thing that people do? We always did it after church on Sundays when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/52 "2012-03-17T17:55:18Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > As someone in business I have an accountant and a law firm I have a business relationship with. I don’t have a lawyer “on retainer” though, who has a lawyer on retainer? I guess really wealthy people might have a personal lawyer on retainer. In the years I had a my own business I had a lawyer, accountant, insurance agent, travel agent, limo driver, marketing consultant, etc. But none of them were on retainer. They were just long term relationships with professionals. It’s not at all unusual for a businessman. I also had a guy who specialized in ‘odd removals’, but rarely had to use him. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/53 "2012-03-17T19:58:51Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Oh, and that thing where a stranger at the bar buys you a drink. Or even a guy you just meet at a bar. I’ve never ever had someone (other than friends and guys I was officially dating) buy me a drink at a bar. I think this only happens if you have big tits. (Supposedly this is how my sister became an alcoholic before she was legally allowed to drink, but she’s a notorious liar). ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/54 "2012-03-17T20:40:44Z")
I’ve never had a bird crap on my head. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/55 "2012-03-17T20:49:23Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > In their Food segments, “How to prepare a fast, fun gourmet meal to surprise your family!” And then they list ingredients like “1/3 lb of fresh yak butter, 2 ounces of gold flakes from India, 6 lbs of thinly sliced Kobe beef, a cup of leftover Crystal champagne and four petals from a Swiss Edelweiss bloom crushed up…” > Sure - and I will be certain to serve it with the recommended bottle of 1864 French Cabernet. There’s this woman on the Cooking Channel who has a show called _French Cooking At Home_ or something like that, and she once had a program on luxurious foods, which she mentioned several times as being affordable. Among these luxuries were foie gras and lobster and salmon roe. Man, let me tell you, when I need an affordable pick-me-up, I run straight to the goose liver pate. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/56 "2012-03-17T21:04:47Z")
> [@Silver\_Tyger](#): > > I think this only happens if you have big tits. (Supposedly this is how my sister became an alcoholic before she was legally allowed to drink, but she’s a notorious liar). Yeah, I have those, so who knows what the problem was. The other stuff that is “common” but completely outside of any of my experiences with reality are those [idiots in infomercials](http://www.weightymatters.ca/2010/04/compliation-of-informercials-best.html) who can’t function like normal people when they’re using the old, unimproved version of a blanket, potholder, or what have you. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/57 "2012-03-18T00:28:53Z")
> [@Silver\_Tyger](#): > > I think this only happens if you have big tits. (Supposedly this is how my sister became an alcoholic before she was legally allowed to drink, but she’s a notorious liar). I’m barely an A, but I’ve had this happen several times. I must just look like I’ll put out or something. ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/58 "2012-03-18T00:51:24Z")
Along the lines of the lawyer comments, having my people call your people. I can’t imagine having a personal assistant. I think it’d be simultaneously cool and pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/59 "2012-03-18T01:43:07Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > I’m barely an A, but I’ve had this happen several times. I must just look like I’ll put out or something. Obviously - nobody whose name I don’t know has ever bought me a drink. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968/60 "2012-03-18T02:44:11Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Meanwhile here I’m all confused about large groups of people who never went to summer camp and, in fact, _didn’t think anybody did_. Weren’t you in Girl Scouts? I was in Boy Scouts, and our camp lasted for a week. A lot of the kids I knew spent a week at church camps and such, but never any longer than that. All the TV shows and movies I saw and stories I read about kids going away to camp had them going for many weeks at a time. I didn’t know anybody who did that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-seems-common-but-outside-your-life-experience/615968.md?page=4)