# 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:** 160
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3181 "2026-10-12T16:15:22Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > > But I have noticed that the handmade soaps often last three or four times as long as a bar of equivalent size bought at a standard store > > Here’s what drives me crazy. I love the handmade soaps, but they seem to melt. They do not last longer for me. A store-bought bar that I’d have in the shower, will be dry when I take my next shower. The homemade soaps don’t seem to do that. I have tried putting them out of the way of the shower spray and I’ve used different types of soap holders. It’s not long before they’re a mushy glob I guess that’s going to depend on who makes the soap and how they make it. Try somebody else’s, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3182 "2026-10-13T17:23:00Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > If you are a legit person calling for a real reason, leave me a voicemail and I will call back. If you don’t, then clearly it was not _actually_ anything important. We still have a land line, with voicemail. I would like to have the greeting message be “If this call is important to you, leave a message. If it’s important to us we will get back to you.”, however my wife has vetoed it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3183 "2026-10-13T17:26:32Z")
Truth is labeling is (almost) always a virtue. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3184 "2026-10-15T17:28:32Z")
This may well actually be important, but I didn’t really want to start a new thread, so I’m posting here. It’s annual enrollment time – for those of you outside the US this is probably a foreign concept. It’s the time of year when you sign up for your health insurance plan and other benefits for the following year, from the limited list of options your employer decided to offer. And while going through that process, I just learned that my employer decided to change dental insurance providers. And it looks like my current dentist, which I’ve been going to for well over a decade, is not in the new provider’s network. Of course they say “you can see any dentist you want, but it will cost you less if you go to one that’s in-network”. So if I want to go to an in-network dentist I’m going to have to cancel my upcoming appointment scheduled in early January with my current dentist, and find a new dentist that’s in-network. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3185 "2026-10-15T17:46:14Z")
Contact your current dentist and ask if them joining your new network is doable. If enough employers in your area are making the same switch, that might be worthwhile for the practice. Might. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3186 "2026-10-15T19:30:06Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > So if I want to go to an in-network dentist I’m going to have to cancel my upcoming appointment scheduled in early January with my current dentist, and find a new dentist that’s in-network. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Contact your current dentist and ask if them joining your new network is doable. If enough employers in your area are making the same switch, that might be worthwhile for the practice. Might. If you have Delta (the single largest dental insurer in the USA), depending on the plan you may be shit out of luck. Delta’s recent changes to cap their costs has resulted in many dentists now regarding the mandated network payments to be grossly inadequate. Many are now very loath to become shackled to a Delta network as a result. It’s becoming a real problem, at least in my region. I retired just over a year ago and Cobra’ed my normal dental insurance for the allowed 18 months - my regular work Delta plan was adequate, the retirement one is not. There was discussion of searching for a new dental insurance carrier at my job, so I was hoping the situation might improve. Doesn’t look like it will. So in a few months I will be able to start using my retirement Delta plan that costs ~$38/mnth. Said plan will pay $26 for a biennial exam and $48 for the cleaning for a total of $74 2x a year or $148 off my annual bill. My dentist charges $307 combined for those services each time. So for the cost of playing $456/yr to Delta I get to pay another $466/yr to my dentist as well or $922/year. Or you know I could just not get that insurance and pay my dentist $614 in cash 😀. There are other potential costs as well of course - maybe if I got seven or eight fillings/year it would almost even out. But as it is, it’s just ridiculous. My retirement dental plan is garbage and talking to folks this is becoming increasingly common. At least in my pricey urban area. I do find it quite infuriating 🙂. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3187 "2026-10-15T19:44:03Z")
Wow. That sucks. Sorry you’re going through this. Thanks for the heads up. I too had a decent Delta plan as an employee and now have a Delta retiree dental plan that has been decent so far. I haven’t been paying attention, so I have no idea what, if anything, has changed or is changing and on what schedule. Time for some research. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3188 "2026-10-15T19:49:35Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > If you have Delta (the single largest dental insurer in the USA), depending on the plan you may be shit out of luck. Actually, Delta is my current insurer. The new insurer as of next year is MetLife. Given when you just said about Delta, maybe my dentist would be up for switching… ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3189 "2026-10-15T20:58:15Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > the new provider’s network. That’s one thing that annoys me – this whole idea of networks. Glad I don’t have to deal with it! When did they start doing that nonsense? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3190 "2026-10-15T23:00:31Z")
Decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3191 "2026-10-16T04:33:33Z")
> [@jerseymule](#): > > A month or so ago, ABC was supposed to move from channel 30 here in St. Louis, to channel 32.1 instead. However, the ABC network is not on any over-the-air channels that I can access. > […] > But I wanted to continue watching Will Trent. 32.1 doesn’t show any ABC programming. Can you access 32.1? From what I found looking around the ol’ interwebs, ABC network programming in St. Louis moved to channel 32.1 on Sept 1, 2026 as you mentioned. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to watch _Will Trent_ over-the-air on 32.1 unless there is a problem with your receiver (TV set/antenna) or some other odd issue. ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3192 "2026-10-16T07:01:57Z")
Maybe there’s some odd issue with my relatively old television set. Because I can access channel 32.1, but the programs are not the ones that are ABC shows. Instead, it looks like a channel for automotive enthusiasts. 32.1 does show commercials for all the great specials that ABC offers, such as Super Bowl and various awards shows. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3193 "2026-10-16T13:48:56Z")
Two little things that annoy me recently: 1. People beginning a sentence with “I mean” for no apparent reason: “I mean, [city] has awful traffic.” I see this in online comments more often, but I’ve heard a few people talk this way in real life. You don’t need to say “I mean” when nobody asked you to explain something in more detail/better. 2. Use of the word “actually” for no apparent reason either. A person suddenly says “I am actually going to try [restaurant] later” when there is no reason for it to be surprising/unusual for them. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3194 "2026-10-16T13:55:05Z")
> [@jerseymule](#): > > Maybe there’s some odd issue with my relatively old television set. Because I can access channel 32.1, but the programs are not the ones that are ABC shows. Instead, it looks like a channel for automotive enthusiasts. I think you need to rescan the channels in your area. Your TV probably doesn’t know that the new channel 32.1 exists, and (based on what changed) that the old channel 32.1 is now channel 32.2. This will be buried somewhere in the settings menu on the TV. Edit: If you can’t find that, try manually entering channel 24.7. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3195 "2026-10-16T14:03:53Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I think you need to rescan the channels in your area. Your TV probably doesn’t know that the new channel 32.1 exists, and (based on what changed) that the old channel 32.1 is now channel 32.2. Yes, definitely rescan, look for “Antenna” or “OTA” settings. Back in NTSC days, a channel number mapped exactly to a frequency. Nowadays with ATSC, channel numbers are all virtual, so your TV may be showing you “channel 32” for what is now “channel 48” even though that broadcaster is still using the same frequency. It’s supposed to be seamless, but hah. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3196 "2026-10-16T14:07:55Z")
Recently? Bunch of my friends used those filler words when we were in high school. 50 years ago. Both of them are filler words used as intensifiers. English has tons of those kinds of words that make no sense when taken literally. Idioms are like that; they deliberately don’t “make sense” if interpretted literally. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3197 "2026-10-16T15:24:03Z")
I mean, I use both of those linguistic fillers pretty often, both verbally and in writing. So I think you’d actually hate having a conversation with me 😏 In my defense, I think I at least use ‘actually’ in a way that makes linguistic sense. For example, if I say “I think I’m actually going to try the Greek salad” it’s said as shorthand to those who already know I normally can’t stand beets, so eating a Greek salad full of nasty beets would be a surprising thing for me to do. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3198 "2026-10-16T17:08:12Z")
> [@solost](#): > > In my defense, I think I at least use ‘actually’ in a way that makes linguistic sense. For example, if I say “I think I’m actually going to try the Greek salad” it’s said as shorthand to those who already know I normally can’t stand beets, so eating a Greek salad full of nasty beets would be a surprising thing for me to do. Exactly - this is a perfectly reasonable way to say the word. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3199 "2026-10-16T17:24:48Z")
I’ve heard people use “I mean” as a filler word _after_ they began talking. Hearing it as the beginning of a sentence has been less common for me, but this is just my experience. It’s interesting how these things can be different in different times/areas. I usually hear “jerk” as a term for a rude person, a bully, etc., but I think it used to mean that someone is being a wimp/pushover. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/3200 "2026-10-16T17:58:44Z")
> [@LavenderMagnolia](#): > > 1. A person suddenly says “I am actually going to try [restaurant] later” when there is no reason for it to be surprising/unusual for them. One way that sentence would make sense to me would be in response to you asking them if they want to try the new restaurant with you right now (say for lunch). Answer: “I’m actually going to try [restaurant] later today [or later this week]!” In other words, they already have prior plans and don’t want to go twice in one day (or week). That response would also be appropriate if you asked them if they’d consider trying the new restaurant with you sometime. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712.md?page=159) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712.md?page=161)