# Tell Me Something You’re Not Supposed To Say **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 25, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064 "2022-12-25T03:34:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/161 "2022-12-29T12:25:49Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Maybe use pots with tempered glass lids No! That makes it tempting to watch the pot; It’ll never boil. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/162 "2022-12-29T12:35:25Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I don’t see what makes you worthy of adoration You know, I mostly agree with your post and I have always found the whole (largely American) 'Thank you for your service" thing a little weird, but do you really not see how literally laying your own life on the line is perhaps a greater service than delivering the mail? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and value all service personnel, but I think there is undeniably something a little special about the armed forces (and emergency services). I also agree with Baker - that’s the best succinct summary of why we don’t have to preserve statues of distasteful people that I’ve ever seen, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/163 "2022-12-29T13:03:46Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Yes, I made a point of taking pictures of every cat I saw. There was one old beat up street cat in Singapore, and another cat in Bangkok who was in a hurry to get someplace. He just went zooming by. Not in a panic, but just a hurry. The Bangkok cat was probably in a hurry to get _away_ from someplace…like a restaurant kitchen. > [@Ulfreida](#): > > I am indifferent to cats, and to pictures of cats, memes about cats, jokes about cats, videos of cats. Cats can disappear from the earth as far as I’m concerned. You are dead to me. Something a neurosurgeon is not supposed to say during an awake craniotomy: _“whoops.”_ ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/164 "2022-12-29T13:17:23Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > You know, I mostly agree with your post and I have always found the whole (largely American) 'Thank you for your service" thing a little weird, but do you really not see how literally laying your own life on the line is perhaps a greater service than delivering the mail? It certainly has a higher degree of risk than most other vocations, to be sure. And if we ever get into the situation where they have to fight for our freedom, I’ll be cheering them on and be ever grateful for their service. I respect those who chose military service as a career, I just find the current patriotic correctness that the military are the only people whose service should be honored to be way over the top and it’s excessive patriotism and adoration of the military that opens the door to wars of choice. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/165 "2022-12-29T13:26:17Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > But why waste even a small amount of heat when it’s so easy not to? I guess I’m going to be contrarian, but if I don’t need a lid, I don’t use one. Just something else to wash that takes time and energy. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/166 "2022-12-29T13:51:07Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > > [@Ulfreida](#): > > > > I am indifferent to cats, and to pictures of cats, memes about cats, jokes about cats, videos of cats. Cats can disappear from the earth as far as I’m concerned. > > You are dead to me. > > Something a neurosurgeon is not supposed to say during an awake craniotomy: _“whoops.”_ See, I knew I wasn’t supposed to say it. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/167 "2022-12-29T14:02:37Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Something a neurosurgeon is not supposed to say during an awake craniotomy: _“whoops.”_ My wife, a hair stylist, occasionally mentions that that’s a rule in most salons. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/168 "2022-12-29T14:25:48Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > but do you really not see how literally laying your own life on the line is perhaps a greater service than delivering the mail? The vast majority of people in the military never put their life on the line. Active combat is not the norm. People who serve in the military can do heroic things, but being in the military is not heroic. (And if we have to genuflect at those who served, we are going to include a whole host of horrific people, including several serial killers) ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/169 "2022-12-29T14:29:57Z")
Fair enough, I agree. I lean very much pacifist myself. > [@Moriarty](#): > > The vast majority of people in the military never put their life on the line. Active combat is not the norm. > > People who serve in the military can do heroic things, but being in the military is not heroic. Also true - although I think for most people in the military, the risk does exist that you’ll be sent to the front line, and it’s not going to be easy to just duck out at that stage. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/170 "2022-12-29T14:58:46Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Also true - although I think for most people in the military, the risk does exist that you’ll be sent to the front line, and it’s not going to be easy to just duck out at that stage. I wonder what the ratio really is between military personnel who serve in actual combat duty (i.e. shooting at and/or being shot at by enemy combatants) and those who never do (e.g. quartermasters, aircraft/vehicle mechanics, supply clerks, administrative personnel). ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/171 "2022-12-29T15:21:51Z")
What you’re asking for is the " Tooth-to-tail ratio". > **[Tooth-to-tail ratio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-to-tail_ratio)** > > The tooth-to-tail ratio (T3R), in military jargon, is the amount of military personnel it takes to supply and support ("tail") each combat soldier ("tooth"). While both "tooth" and "tail" soldiers may find themselves in combat or other life-threatening situations, and both may spend much time in non-combat duties, "tooth" soldiers are those whose primary function is to engage in combat. The ratio is not a specific measure but rather a general indication of a force's might in relation to the resou... For the US, it’s ranged from as high as 28% to as low as 6.5%, with much lower numbers more recently. Which makes sense when you consider the increasing complexity of weapons systems, that need a lot more support personnel who tend to stay behind the lines. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/172 "2022-12-29T15:46:12Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > wonder what the ratio really is between military personnel who serve in actual combat duty (i.e. shooting at and/or being shot at by enemy combatants) and those who never do (e.g. quartermasters, aircraft/vehicle mechanics, supply clerks, administrative personnel). My brother served in the military during peace time. He was in Turkey and Germany, but there was no active conflict. They were training just as if there was war going on, though. A friend of his died during training. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/173 "2022-12-29T16:13:06Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > > [@Tibby](#): > > > > Something a neurosurgeon is not supposed to say during an awake craniotomy: _“whoops.”_ > > My wife, a hair stylist, occasionally mentions that that’s a rule in most salons. Honestly, if you’re getting a craniotomy at a hair salon, it was a bad idea right from the start. ---
**Author:** ![Sooner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sooner/32/7875_2.png) [@Sooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sooner)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/174 "2022-12-29T16:16:06Z")
Long ago I was in the Air Force Reserves, to help pay for college. I am happy to take the 10% discount at Lowes; but I do cringe a bit when it is followed by “thank you for your service” Believe me there was nothing particularly heroic about it. And as a transplant to a small southern town, I fully endorse your position on statues. I can see a 40 foot marble obelisk dedicated to “our Confederate soldiers” out my window right now. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/175 "2022-12-29T16:24:45Z")
I think that’s probably pretty common. No denying that for those that want college without the debt, the military can be a great option. I’m all for giving veterans great benefits, I just think we’re a bit over the top in the hero stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/176 "2022-12-29T19:15:52Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > > [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > > > You know, I mostly agree with your post and I have always found the whole (largely American) 'Thank you for your service" thing a little weird, but do you really not see how literally laying your own life on the line is perhaps a greater service than delivering the mail? > > It certainly has a higher degree of risk than most other vocations, to be sure. And if we ever get into the situation where they have to fight for our freedom, I’ll be cheering them on and be ever grateful for their service. I respect those who chose military service as a career, I just find the current patriotic correctness that the military are the only people whose service should be honored to be way over the top and it’s excessive patriotism and adoration of the military that opens the door to wars of choice _Thank you_, yes. I’ve never really been able to put into words what irritates me about American fetishization of veterans and the military. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/177 "2022-12-29T21:50:44Z")
Also, aren’t there more dangerous jobs? Construction? Manufacturing? Long-haul fishing? (I have no idea, but it looks intense on those cable TV shows.) ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/178 "2022-12-29T21:55:48Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > do you really not see how literally laying your own life on the line is perhaps a greater service than delivering the mail? I was curious, so I went and looked it up - the death rate in the military is higher than for delivery drivers and mail carriers, but not as much as you might think. The death rate in the military varies pretty considerably based on whether it’s wartime or peacetime, but is usually between 60 and 100 deaths per 100,000 personnel. It depends on the source, but generally loggers come in around 120, fishermen around 90, aircraft workers and roofers around 50, and delivery drivers around 30. Other emergency service personnel? Firefighers around 5 per 100,000, cops and EMS workers both around 12. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/179 "2022-12-29T21:57:08Z")
> [@keeganst94](#): > > Firefighers around 5 per 100,000 I generally hold firefighters in high esteem. ‘Greater love hath no man’ and all that. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064/180 "2022-12-29T21:59:47Z")
As do I - especially the hotshots and other wildland firefighters. I’m not saying they don’t deserve respect, just that some jobs aren’t as dangerous as we think, and some jobs are much more dangerous than we think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-something-you-re-not-supposed-to-say/977064.md?page=10)