This is a return to a thread I started about…5? 6?..years ago. Rather than resurrect that long dead thing, I’m back with part two because you know…I still don’t get some elements of this society.
So, post those things you just do not get that are common if not prevalent in society. Be sure to play nice! This isn’t the BBQ Pit. Meanwhile…I, for one, do NOT get:
Expensive purses and shoes. Those Louis Voitton (or however it’s spelled; I don’t particularly care) bags are huge, cumbersome, unattractive, and impractical IMHO. Add the four-digit price tag, and I’m out. I’m happy with my $40 Kohl’s purse.
Then there are the super-expensive little strappy shoes. Now, I’m all for spending good cash on good quality footwear, but $100-$500 for uncomfortable spiked heel sandals? I’m out. Don’t get it.
Ironing jeans. Seriously, people.
Princessy attitudes. The whole, take-care-of-me, buy-me-stuff, spoil-me-rotten thing seen in some women’s approaches to life. Work? BAH! Why work when daddy…I mean, my hubby/boyfriend…can take care of me so I can fill my days with salon appointments and shopping? This perspective is especially noticeable in weddings–people assume it’s my Princess for a Day moment. I went batty with all the people telling me “it’s your day” B.S. Um…aren’t two people getting married today?
Soap operas.
Running up credit cards into 5-digit figures and not knowing where all the money went. ??? I can understand if times are rough needing to use a CC to cover bills and groceries, or to use them to make large purchases like stereos and computers, but my aunt (a banker) tells me there are countless people who come in with $10,000-$30,000 in CC debt who have no idea what the money was spent on.
A holdover from the old thread: People who think OJ is innocent. WTF?
Teaching pet peeve: Parents who tell me, “Well, I asked him if he had homework, and he said no,” or, “I asked him if he had homework, and he said he already did it” each time I call to let them know Baby hasn’t turned in crap for me all week.
Vanity plates.
Diet programs that are all about prepackaged food.
Snobbishness at any level, in any area. I am ver active in the horse world, and there are some genuinely snobby people. Funny thing is, the really bad ones are not the ones with the most money. I knew someone whose hubby had just sold his business for $1 billion (yes, that’s a b), and she was the most down-to-Earth human being in the room. We all drink and piss, eat and shit, folks. I don’t care how you decorate the package.
Rabid sports fans. I like a good football game, don’t get me wrong, but people whose entire week is ruined because their team lost? I don’t get it.
The H2, and even moreso, the H3. Just get the real thing, wouldja? It’s the only thing that should ever be called a Hummer (erm, well, the only vehicle that is).
Similarly, massive 4WD trucks that have been lifted, fitted with giant tires, extra towing capacity, more powerful engine, stronger suspension, etc. just to be driven (strutted) around town. Sure, it’s pretty, but it seems pointless to me. My full size truck is a workhorse–hauling hay, shavings, sand, and hopefully next summer, a horse trailer. It’s beat up from use, but hey, it’s paid for (just last month) and it does the job.
Teeny weeny doggies,specifically the ones that get dressed up and carried around like they’re infants. I rarely see dogs that size on leashes, come to think of it. I love dogs and nearly all animals in fact, but ouh-lease. We can thank Paris Hilton for this becoming so popular and visible.
Putting ketchup in macaroni and cheese. Canadians, WTF?
Why the HELL the boys of Jackass are still alive and Steve Irwin is dead. So. Effing. WRONG.
So, fire away–what is just a big giant “whoosh” for you?
Any vehicle costing over $30K. Actually, any vehicle costing over $10K offends me, but I don’t want to drive a 1973 Pinto.
On that subject, people who feel they need a Mercedes, BMW or Porche SUV just astound me. Do these people not do their consumer homework before buying?
The celebutant status of the likes of Paris Hilton and associates, and the attendant constant publicity they garner.
The obsession with the sordid lives of Anniston, Afleck, Lopez, ad nauseum. Do you really care about these people? Really?
People who would rather buy a 60" TV than pay down their already staggering debt load.
People who continue to bash the French. It’s so Bill O’Reilly. Do you know anyone of French nationality? No? Then STFU.
Designer luggage. Have you seen what they do to bags at the airport? Do you really think it’s a good idea to flaunt your wealth in a place where predators abound?
Conspiracy Theorists - We landed on the mooon. Lee Oswald shot JFK. 9/11 was not done by the U.S. government! How can people believe such foolish things?
CSI - These shows are so horrible! How can they pull ratings at all?
Country Music - I just can’t imagine what anyone hears in this. I’ve tried…I really have.
People who go to an event (concert, play, movie, sporting event) and ignore the event. There were two woman and a child who sat behind me at hockey games last season quite often. One of them would wear a floor length fake mink with a miniskirt so short I was afraid to turn around for the entire game. The kid played his gameboy the entire time he wasn’t asking for money to go to the concession stand, and the women talked the entire game. For this they paid $16 each for three second row seats. WTF?
Another recent event here in town was a performance by two internationally known opera singers. (I’m sorry I don’t remember the names - I don’t follow opera.) Some idiot had the bright idea to bring a child less than a year old to the performance. Naturally the child started crying. Other idiots didn’t have the sense or courtesy to turn off their cell phones. One of the divas stopped the performance to give the audience a lecture on proper concert manners. These two ladies are only doing 3 concerts together in the US. Someone who had the money to buy box seats for the show either didn’t have the money to hire a babysitter, or didn’t have the sense. People like this are the reason the South has the reputation for being backward and uncultured.
Another I don’t get it: parents who live through their kids. Maybe you didn’t get a chance to get your picture taken with Cinderella and Prince Charming when you were a little girl. I’m sorry about that. However, your little girl doesn’t know those two strangely-dressed people up on that stage, and she isn’t interested in leaving you to go stand with them. Telling a 3 or 4 year old you’ll never take her anywhere again if she doesn’t do what you want doesn’t make you sound like a very good mother. It makes you sound like an abusive bitch. And keeping your screaming, sobbing child in line just scares the kids behind her, who aren’t sure about the whole thing anyway.
Ann Coulter fans and Soldier of Fortune magazine fans, placed together because I suspect there’s quite a bit of overlap.
People against any kind of immigration reform whatsoever.
People who get off on being hated (as opposed to people who get off hating, whom I understand but despise.) I’m thinking of Fred Phelps here, but also some screw-ups I knew in high school.
People who have been married and divorced more than twice. Once I can understand, but after two failed marriages you really should take the hint.
Carrot Top and Larry the Cable guy’s ability to actually make money at what they do.
And I’ll second conspiracy theorists and attention paid to celebrities although I do like country music as long the people performing it (a)know how to play their instruments and (b)Actually grew up in the country, as opposed to downtown Nashville.
I don’t get people who try impose their values on others. Like, well… you.
You don’t get it, so ignore it.
(This doesn’t mean I own a yippy dog, an H2, expensive purses or shoes, or any of the things you folks “don’t get.” I’m just defending the rights of those who do.)
That’s a little harsh. The OP started as a fairly lightsided social commentary. I don’t think she’s trying to impose her values on anyone.
Linty, I’m not a big fan of country music, but there have certainly been some awesome musicians who came out of that genre. Guitarists like Merle Travis and Chet Atkins showed everyone the way it’s done.
[ul]
[li]Staying in an expensive hotel. All I need is a place to sleep and shower. As long as it’s not a rat-infested dump I’m fine. Just give me a clean room and a comfortable bed.[/li][li]Designer clothes that are the “latest style.” I like my clothes to look nice, but I can’t justify paying extra money just to show people that I go along with the latest trends.[/li][li]Obsession with sports, especially football. I’m not into sports myself, but I won’t knock a guy who spends his Saturday afternoon watching “the game” with a modest wager on the outcome. But some guys take it too far. When guys lose control of their emotions because “their” team lost and their whole world around them falls apart, their priorities are really screwed up. Riots over the outcome of a game are the most absurd example of extreme sport fandom.[/li][li]Rap music. Really, Just what is so great about this shit that kids are listening to these days??? Even as a teen I hated it during its inception. I really, really hoped it would be a passing fad in the 80s that would die off as quickly as it became popular. How I wish my prediction could have been right.[/li][li]Sending jokes, funny pictures, and worst of all, glurge to 20-some odd people in an email. I don’t recognize any of the other names in the “To:” field. 99% of the time I don’t even bother to read these quasi-spam emails. What encourages these people to do it? I can’t imagine anyone replying with, “Thanks for the inspirational message. That really made my day. Keep 'em coming!”[/li][li]I’ll second soap operas. My sister used to be hooked on soap operas and God forbid if she ever missed “her soap.” I have my own problems to deal with. The last thing I have time for is to live vicariously through the troubled lives of fictional characters.[/li][/ul]
Having gone through a wedding myself I think you might be the first female in the history of the human race to have this attitude.
While I am not into this kind of thing at all I can understand it. Some people, guys mostly, like to work on or modify their motor vehicles. It is just another example of the hot rod phenomenom. It’s not necessarily the finished product that they enjoy but the journey they took to get there.
How timely - we had a conversation yesterday at the sailboat show with a rep of a company that does custom boat work. He told us about someone who had a fancy-pants wheel made - to the tune of $22,000! That’s not a typo - twenty-two thousand dollars for a steering wheel. :eek:
I don’t get it, but I didn’t have to pay for it and the buyer obviously had the money and the wheel gave him pleasure.
Other things:
My coworker who sticks her tongue out much as a kindergartener would do to show defiance. This woman is in her mid-40. She’s an engineer working on her masters. WTF???
People who assume that you think the way they do because you happen to have something in common. Yes, I’m an employee of the Dept of Defense. No, I do not agree with the Sec of Defense or the Commander in Chief, so don’t act all shocked when I express my opinion about them. My job doesn’t require a loyalty oath, just a security clearance and an engineering degree.
Carlos Mencia - I guess he’s suppose to be “hip” or “with it” or something because he makes broad generalizations about ethnic and racial and other social groups. But a) He’s not funny and b) He reminds me of a junior high school boy trying to be shocking. How did that man get his own TV show??
Cell phone cameras - in fact, cell phones that do all kinds of crap. “I can talk to anyone from anywhere, but that’s not good enough. I need to take pictures, too. And check my stocks. And email my mom. And clean my teeth. And rotate my tires…” I’m not a technophobe. I just don’t get it.
Cell phones for me too. Yeah… I have one. So does my Wife. Ask me what the number is and I’ll have to think for a minute. My cell is only on if I think that I may be needed. I sure as heck can’t imagine chatting on one.
Rap is up there as well. I have desire to listen to ‘music’ by people that wouldn’t recognize harmony if it hit them at 60mph.
These things, especially the ones with the straps that go all the way up the calf, are the sexiest footwear ever invented. Please keep wearing them.
I’m with you on everything else.
To add to this, why the hell do parents take very young(younger than 2 yrs old) children ANYWHERE? How does this benefit anyone? My parents make a huge deal about how I’ve been all over the place before I was 3 or 4 or whatever, to this mountain and that temple and all that shit and guess what, I don’t remember a goddamn minute of it! You put up with all the crying and barfing and daiper changes and other disruptions to your vacation for nothing! Thanks a lot fuckers! :mad:
I hope if I ever have children, there’s some kind of daycare service where they can just sedate the little trolls and throw them in a filling cabinet somewhere for a few days while I’m on vacation. My parents could have done the same thing to me while they went on vacation and I’d be none the worse for wear.
Everything else has already been covered by other posters, pretty much. Let’s see if there’s a few of my own…
Why “ownership is important” on assets that either have guaranteed depreciation. i.e. Cars. I have nothing against what kind of cars people buy, but when a car salesman told me this it just left me shaking my head in bewilderment.
People who buy new cars with the intention of “driving it until it dies”.
Why people expose themselves to enormous risk via leverage in order to invest in a single enormous, no-diversifiable, non-portable, illiquid asset whose value fluctuates wildly at the whim of a single man in Washington. i.e. Houses.
I pretty much agree with the OP, but I’d like to add a bit of commentary about liking soaps.
I, too, used to be unable to comprehend some folks obsession with soaps. Then I remembered how I agonized over the relapse into drunkenness of a favorite character of mine on Babylon 5. I actually hollered at the TV “Michael, don’t drink that!” But he did, and I was *actually worried * about the fate of a non-existent person on a fictional TV show.
So I can’t mock the soap fans, I’ve been there myself.
Here’s about all the financial advice you’ll ever need: Cars are an expense; houses are an investment. And don’t get into debt.
I agree with you on the cars; I disagree on the houses. A large part of our retirement plan is having a comfortable, appropriate, paid-off house to live in (and reverse mortgage, if we’re so inclined at that point). We bought a house just before the housing market here went absolutely nuts; on paper, we have made (that is, PROFIT) over $150,000 for living here for three years (plus we had a place to live for three years). We are in the process of accesssing that equity to consolidate our other debts, at a very low interest rate. Are you starting to see some point to buying houses?
(I don’t get the point of children, either, and I certainly don’t get the point of bringing them everywhere before they’re old enough to enjoy it, and they’re young enough to bug everyone around them.)
