# Things that infuriate you well beyond their actual importance **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712 "2024-09-04T02:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 149
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2961 "2026-06-29T20:35:45Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > The whole “bring your clean plastic grocery bags back to the store and put them in the recycling bin there” thing never made any sense to me. If you’ve brought your clean grocery bags back to the store — why not just take them in and use them for your shopping? I have some reusable cloth bags I use for shopping. The plastic bags I’m bringing to the store to recycle are mostly things like bread bags and other packaging, not necessarily plastic grocery bags. Although people not reusing their plastic bags was exactly why California decided to just do away with plastic bags altogether. The first bag ban got rid of the thin single use plastic bags, but instead you could pay 10 cents for a thicker “reusable” plastic bag at the checkout. The idea was that people would then bring the reusable bag back to the store to use on their subsequent shopping trips. But in practice most people weren’t doing that, because for most people 10 cents is a trivial amount of money, so they were just getting new “reusable” plastic bags every time they went shopping. Since those bags were thicker than the old disposable plastic bags, they were probably consuming more plastic than before. So now we’ve gotten rid of those and switched over to paper bags. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2962 "2026-07-02T06:20:54Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > The whole “bring your clean plastic grocery bags back to the store and put them in the recycling bin there” thing never made any sense to me. If you’ve brought your clean grocery bags back to the store — why not just take them in and use them for your shopping? The city I visited in Japan had intentionally limited rubbish collection. There was only one kind of plastic collected (plastic bottle plastic). If you had something else, you had to figure it out yourself. So the _shops_ only used one kind of plastic bag (plastic bottle plastic), or reusable bags. The plastic we use for making plastic bottles isn’t great for bags, but what you gonna do? Nobody wanted other kinds of plastic bags, because of the disposal problem. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2963 "2026-07-04T08:20:46Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > If you had something else, you had to figure it out yourself. Japan has days for nonburnable trash as well. Usually people will put plastic in burnable trash. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2964 "2026-07-04T16:39:22Z")
One of my mother’s aunts was the family cheapskate, pinching pennies as hard as she could. She lived in Los Angeles and in those innocent days had an incinerator out back where instead of paying the monthly charge to get it picked up she burned her trash and garbage. But she couldn’t burn the tin cans so for those she’d flatten them, put them in a trash can, and every six months call for a one-time pick-up. It must have weighed 300 pounds and after two cycles the garbage men knocked on her door and told her if she didn’t tell the company they’d pick up her can every other week for free. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2965 "2026-07-05T03:53:21Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Japan has days for nonburnable trash as well. Like many other places, Japan has different rules depending on which city / town you live in. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2966 "2026-07-05T04:46:29Z")
I frequent a couple of local thrift stores. They haven’t raised their prices sky high like Goodwill has- men’s shirts are still only $2.75. The last few times I went in, there were _ **women’s** _ flannel shirts in the men’s shirts rack! It’s not hard to tell the difference! Men’s shirts have the buttons on the right side and women’s have them on the left. Of course I moved them to the women’s section. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2967 "2026-07-05T05:03:25Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > It’s not hard to tell the difference! Men’s shirts have the buttons on the right side and women’s have them on the left. I took over my sister’s school shirts when we both changed schools. Apart from a sales clerk at a clothing store a couple of years later, no one noticed. At age 13, the buttons were pretty much the only difference. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2968 "2026-07-05T06:43:47Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Men’s shirts have the buttons on the right side and women’s have them on the left. As an aside, anyone know why that is? I’m too lazy to Google even though it would be just as easy. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2969 "2026-07-05T06:51:38Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Like many other places, Japan has different rules depending on which city / town you live in. A cite for the town you stayed at. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2970 "2026-07-05T11:24:38Z")
Supposedly it’s because when buttons first became really popular, women of status wore complex outfits and were dressed by their maid, while men would more commonly put on their own shirts. It’s probably easier for right-handed people to button stuff up if the buttons are on their right, so men’s shirts were standardised to be easier for them to put on, and as per usual, women’s clothes were standardised to be annoying. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2971 "2026-07-05T11:52:01Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Like many other places, Japan has different rules depending on which city / town you live in. A town that is famous for trying to be zero waste is [Kamikatsu](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/travel/kamikatsu-in-japan-is-transforming-into-a-zero-waste-town) in Tokushima, and they currently recycle over 80% of their trash. They have 45 different catagories for recycling: > Kamikatsu residents are encouraged to separate their garbage into a whopping 45 categories, including one for metal caps, one for diapers and sanitary napkins, and another for mirrors and thermometers, to aid recycling. The town also recommends residents to either avoid using disposable items or purchase products that can be disposed of safely and easily. I have read about places that require this, but have not heard about one that refuses to accept plastics other than PET bottles. I look forward to your cite. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2972 "2026-07-05T18:18:00Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > As an aside, anyone know why that is? I’m too lazy to Google even though it would be just as easy. > **[Men's Shirts Button on the Right. Why Do Women's Button on the Left?](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mens-shirts-button-on-the-right-why-do-womens-button-on-the-left-180957361/)** > > Nobody knows for sure, but plausible theories include swords, servants and saddles > According to one popular theory, it might have to do with how middle- and upper-class European women used to dress. During the [Renaissance](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-so-many-renaissance-portraits-multisided-180984096/) and the [Victorian Era](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/10-victorian-inventions-never-quite-took-180953865/), women’s clothing was often much more complicated and elaborate than men’s—think petticoats, corsets and bustles—and therefore more difficult for the wearer to secure themselves. > > “Women—particularly wealthy women—wore elaborate items and often enjoyed the luxury of being dressed by a servant,” as _[Mental Floss](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/64666/why-are-shirt-buttons-different-sides-men-and-women)_’ Caitlin Schneider wrote in 2015. To make it easier for servants (right-handed ones, that is) to button up their employers’ dresses, clothiers might have started sewing buttons on the opposite side. Men’s shirts, meanwhile, were designed for wearers to button on their own. Eventually, as mass-produced clothing became more and more common, the design became standard. > While this explanation is among the most common, many other theories have been proposed. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2973 "2026-07-05T18:37:07Z")
Thank you both for that! ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2974 "2026-07-14T20:41:27Z")
Went to microwave lunch today. The cooking instructions font was 2.5 pt at best. At least include a QR code so I can pull up the directions on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2975 "2026-07-14T20:44:17Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > The cooking instructions font was 2.5 pt at best. > > At least include a QR code so I can pull up the directions on my phone. Heh. I’ve begun using my phone to take pictures of the cooking instructions, then enlarging the photo. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2976 "2026-07-14T20:46:10Z")
I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I assume that applies to most people over 50. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2977 "2026-07-15T00:40:37Z")
I keep a cheap pair of reading glasses in my kitchen for just this purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2978 "2026-07-15T01:59:39Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I keep a cheap pair of reading glasses in my kitchen for just this purpose Shit, I’ve been using reading glasses for the last decade! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2979 "2026-07-15T02:46:12Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I assume that applies to most people over 50. Can confirm. I’ve had some difficulty reading menus, particularly when lighting is dim. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/2980 "2026-07-15T02:49:57Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I keep a cheap pair of reading glasses in my kitchen for just this purpose. Sadly, me too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712.md?page=148) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712.md?page=150)