All Scion XB advertising seems to be directed at very young adults, but I only see middle-aged men driving the things. What’s the deal with that?
If a man showed up on my doorstep with an engagement tractor, I’d swear my undying love on the spot! What was it Dorothy Parker said about one perfect rose?
Thanks to all who’ve responded; this wasn’t intended to be a thread to make people defensive about their choices, just to think a bit about what makes us all tick. I certainly haven’t been offended by the posts, but as others know, my sense of humor and ability to judge offensiveness is a bit off. 
In re: adults who run home to mama the second things get even slightly tough…
Well, yeah, I suppose it is. But that doesn’t make it good.
What you’ve said is a bit like saying, “Well, yes, my SO cheats on me–but I guess it’s better than having them beat me!” Believe me–I was with a guy who had a serious mama’s boy streak to him. I ended up in this weird emotional tug-of-war with his mom. This guy would drop everything and run home to Mama whenever we had an argument. He’d also ditch plans with me because his mom requested something of him. He once did a last-minute cancellation of a romantic dinner with me because his mom wanted him to rake the leaves in her yard. No, I kid you not. I was young and stupid when I was with this guy, but I wised up fast enough to dump his sorry butt.
Don’t underestimate just how rotten it can be to be involved with someone who hasn’t really individuated him- or herself from his or her parents.
I don’t get that no one here has asked for your friend’s phone number yet.
But seriously, my list:
People who hate things not based on experiences with them but because it’s cool to hate them. (computers, software, clothing brands, car brands, etc).
People who insist on leaving their cell phones on during meetings, movies, church services, operas, what have you.
Baseball
Soccer
“moral” vegetarianism - I understand if it’s part of a larger belief system you were rasied with (like religion), i understand if it’s a physical dietic need due to allergies or other issues. But to just descide not to eat meat because it’s “wrong” seems odd to me. Maybe more because of the people i know who live that way.
Another anti-gay one here
Eh, I’m not offended. I just think it’s interesting how much of a class divider fake nails have become, along with TransAms and blue eyeshadow.
Blue eyeshadow? ewwwwwwwwwwwwww
I don’t get advertising that tries to induce me to buy something based on how popular it is.
“The best-selling SUV in America!” Why the hell would I want to drive a car that everyone else on the road drives??!? I could understand the logic if they were telling me that it’s the “best” car, but the “best-selling?” What the heck does that prove? Three’s Company was the most popular show on TV at one time; popularity does not equate to quality!
“Pepsi, preferred in taste tests 2-to-1!” Well now that makes sense; I should drink Pepsi, not because I like its taste better than Coke, but because so many other people like its taste better??
“The #1 TV show in the country!” or “The #1 DVD!” or “The #1 movie for the third week in a row!” and on and on. I just don’t get it. What the heck do other people’s tastes have to do with whether I’m going to like this thing or not?
So where did that heirloom ring come from in the first place? A store, maybe? Just teasing.
I am with you on this one. I think it looks like a giant Lego car.
I was not into the whole natural childbirth thing, but I chose not to have an epidural or rely on other painkillers for a variety of reasons. I don’t get anyone who just goes with the flow and lets a movement, a friend, a midwife or doula, or a single doctor dictate how they will manage their pregnancy and delivery. I did research.
Factors about me and my pregnancy
[ul]
[li]This was my first and likely only baby.[/li][li]I had gestational diabetes.[/li][li]I tested positive for Group B Strep.[/li][li]I was and am obese.[/li][li]I wanted to nurse my baby exclusively for as long as the doctor recommended, or as long as I could at least.[/li][li]I don’t like not being in control of my body.[/li][li]The pain of premature labor or the many contractions leading up to the real thing did not overwhelm me.[/li][li]My baby was in the best position for delivery.[/li][li]I did not have elevated blood pressure associated with obesity and pregnancy.[/li][/ul]
Factors about Epidurals that concerned me:
[ul]
[li]Women who do not use epidurals have shorter labors.[/li][li]Women who have epidurals are at risk for various complications from spinal headache to death (unlikely) and obese women more so. [/li][li]Epidurals may reduce blood pressure.[/li][li]Babies of mothers who receive epidurals seem less alert[/li][/ul]
Longer labor was a serious concern to me because of the group B strep and obesity. Group B strep can kill new born babies, as some women on this board can tell you. The less time the baby spends in the birth canal, the less the chance of transmission. Obesity increases the chance for shoulder dystocia (the baby getting stuck at the shoulders) Quick labor might reduce the risk of that complication.
The alertness of the baby was a concern because of my wanting to nurse. Babies of mothers who have gestational diabetes are likely to be born hypoglycemic. The treatment for this is get some nutrition in the baby immediately. If you are not able to nurse your baby in the first hour, they will stick a big bottle of formula in its mouth. This will change the flora and fauna in the baby’s digestive tract. Colostrum is not only is chock full of nutrients, buy also augments the immune system. A less alert baby may not nurse enough to avoid the big bottle of formula. A baby who eats a big bottle of formula may be less interested in nursing for quite sometime just when nursing can do the mother and baby the most good.
On top of those reasons, the benefits of the epidural, pain relief and reduced blood pressure, were not attractive enough for me to bother with it. I wanted to experience everything. I wanted to be in complete control in case there was something I would need to do. If the doctor told me to push, I wanted to know that I was doing the best I could and that I was not held back because of drugs.
For me this worked beautifully. My labor was smooth. I dealt with the pain, and was not overwhelmed. When the time came to push, I was ready. My baby was born quickly and suffered no complications, not even the fairly common coning of the head. I was able to nurse her for most of the first hour of her life. I had no spinal headache, and had no drugs to work out of my system. My head was clearer than it had been for months.
Unlike many, I do get that my answer is not the answer for everyone.
I’ve heard this exact argument many times on this board, and it’s one of the things I don’t get. I mean, unless you are personally involved in the production of all the movies, tv shows, books, plays, and concerts you spectate, it strikes me as a hypocritical disconnect.
That’s a great refutation. I usually point to “popularity with the masses” as a sure sign of lack of quality. McDonald’s is not the best restaurant cuisine. Budweiser is not the best beer. This comes in very handy in football/athlete threads when the inevitable European makes a snide commet about how much more popular soccer is than any of the American sports.
Soccer is the Big Mac of the sports world. Yeah, I said it.
I think some popular things can be of quality, but I’ll never understand why people buy Budweiser when they can buy something much better for the same price. Or for that matter, why Wonder bread and Folger’s coffee. I’m not a bread or coffee snob; I just like flavor. (If you live in a metropolitan area, you can usually get flavorful products without spending too much.)
There’s an experiment where you can find out the density of taste buds on your tongue. On average, about half of people in the US have medium taste bud density (presumably medium taste sensativity). About a quarter have low and about a quarter have high. I can understand if you can’t taste the difference, why not go for the product that has the highest profile? This might explain it partially, but why are the bread, coffee and beer so much better in Europe? Do they have different tongues? I don’t get it.
I did the taste bud experiment with my students (testing students and teachers) and found general a correlation between taste bud density and cuisine preference.
Loud, loud bars, restaurants and clubs. People are gravitated to businesses that play music at uncomfortable or deafening levels, making conversation impossible and their ears ring with pain. What’s so appealing about being in such an environment? Most people don’t enjoy being prodded with sticks, having bright lights shines in their ryes, or being subjected to sulfurous farts from the vegetarian in the adjacent cubicle. Why is auditory masochism just fine, though?
Dale Earnhardt beatification. People are still displaying shrines to The Intimidator in the back windows of their pickup trucks, years after he died. Why?
Smooth jazz. Others here will complain about rap, heavy metal, or techno music. I’m wondering what the appeal is of smooth jazz. To me, it all sounds the same – a bunch of saxophones played slowly – and I can’t tell the difference between one song and another unless someone plays a cover. It’s elevator music for yuppies; the only people I know who actually like it are the upper-middle-class “I’m soooo upscale” crowd.
The elderly and technophobia. Elmer easily operated the heater in his 1950 Oldsmobile, which was controlled by three unmarked knobs, two unmarked dials, two vent pulls underneath the dashboard, and a big chrome level labeled “Climat-o-matic”. Why can’t he operate a push-button phone, anATM, or a self-service gasoline pump?
I’ve seen stickers on cars and trucks around here that have his number (8? 3? whatever…) and the phrase Gone to “race” in a better “place” - yes, written exactly like that.
The awful glurgey sentiment is bad enough, but the misused quotation marks make me want to beat my head against the steering wheel.
To my dying day, I will never understand in the least how a person can be offended by simply hearing or reading profanity. I mean, I can understand if it’s directed at them; “You’re a shitty person” is insulting and offensive. But if I stub my toe and say, “Oh shit!” when you’re standing next to me, how on Earth can that be offensive to you??!? If I’m telling you about my bad day, and that I was late for work because “my fucking car wouldn’t start”, how can that possibly be offensive to you?!? It’s just a word, just a word! How is it different from saying “my dang car wouldn’t start?” One is offensive, and one is acceptable; why?
I’ll never get it.
I’m with Bruce Daddy - I don’t get Rush either. And while we’re on it, add Led Zeppelin to the list. And Kansas. And most of the Eagles - except that sone “Outlaw Man” on an early album.
I don’t get the blues. I understand why it’s relevant, historical and important, I just think it’s boring as crap.
I don’t get people with closed minds who have never bothered to understand or learn about the things they condemn.
I don’t get James Joyce. Swear to God, I’ve tried and tried but it’s not there.
I don’t get the passion over soap operas.
Or sitcoms.
I don’t get smoking. I mean, please someone explain to me is the nicotene rush worth the: smell, bad breath, rotten teeth, destroyed lungs and addiction?
I don’t get fashion. I dress comfortably, but probably look dated to some.
Heavy Metal Music If I listen for more than about 12 seconds I’m ready to confess to crimes I didn’t do. How you can go to a concert and subject your ears to that torture for hours is beyond my comprehension.
Libertarianism Look, if it had any merit it would have been tried by at least one soverign state in the history of the planet. But it hasn’t, and never will. Yet it’s presented on these boards as an intellectually superior position.
Wikipedia A bunch of people write articles and make an online encyclopedia. Without editorial control and verification, it has no more weight behind it than Joe the Bartender’s observations. Yet on this board, it’s presented as an authoritative cite.
Buying lottery tickets when the jackpot is huge If you win any lottery jackpot your life is going to change dramatically. But taking home $200 million isn’t going to change your life much differently than taking home $20 million. So why do people line up for tickets when the payouts get astronomical.
On a similar note, I don’t get the obsessive-compulsive behavior of jam band fans. Sure, a Rush or Kansas fan may have every one of their albums, and see their shows when they roll into town. Fans of the Grateful Dead, Phish, and Widespread Panic, on the other hand, frequently travel long distances for concerts, and they’re obsessive about collecting as many recordings of live concerts as possible. “Hey, man, I’ll trade you a '77 Red Rocks for a '69 Bennington!” When they finally get a full collection of the thousands of concerts the bands have performed, they try to find better quality recordings. “Hey, man, this was recorded straight off the soundboard!”
ObIDon’tGet - How Canadians are so insecure of their status as Canadians. For example, they have to incorporate the maple leaf into the logo of every business and non-profit organization. We Americans love the flag, eagles, and olther patriotic symbols, but we don’t incorporate them into every corporate and organizational logo. When Mister Rogers died, “generations of those who grew up with him felt a little bit empty.” When Mister Dressup died, it was “the passing of a great Canadian institution.”
People who don’t like going outside when it’s a nice day. In New England, you don’t know when the next one will be–enjoy it!!
People who try to make me eat meat. I haven’t eaten meat in 6 years–not for moral reasons, I just never really liked it. It’s not a phase, I’m not going to suddenly grow out of it!!
People who drive recklessly because they think it’s fun. Are you stupid?
Omigod, I get to cite a thread that I participated in. The short answer to your question is that such people are misusing the concept of “expected value”. Go to this thread and start with post #63. Then read and enjoy…
Wow. Lots of things I agree with here. Mostly, though:
Obsession with other people’s lives. Why do you care what brand of shoes some actor buys? Or whether my son wore the same shirt two days in a row last weekend? Or which singer is sleeping with which actor? Or whether other people get tattoos? Someone berated me for wearing my hat in a restaurant the other day. It’s clean, classy, and goes with my outfit. There’s no place to hang it up. How does my hat affect his dinner from clear across the room?
Equating cost with value. I wouldn’t like my wedding ring any more if it cost $20,000. I wouldn’t like my computer any less if it cost $50. And I really don’t care whether your car cost more or less than mine.
Trendiness. On TV this morning, they said that pizza for breakfast is a hot new trend. I’m sure thousands of people will now begin eating pizza for breakfast, and that thousands more who currently eat pizza for breakfast will stop so they don’t appear trendy. If you like pizza for breakfast, who cares whether anyone else does?
Drinking to the point of sickness. Sure, I’ve had too much to drink a few times. Gotten sick, threw up, felt awful all weekend, the whole nine yards. It was unpleasant, and I didn’t do it again for years–until I got yet another ugly reminder of how flaming stupid it is. How can people do this over and over and over?
Obsessive over-attachment to sports teams. “We won! We won! We’re better than you!” No. Those guys out on the field won. You drank beer, ate nachos, and watched. You’re not better than anyone.
Property destruction/defacement as entertainment. Graffiti, vandalism, etc. Just don’t get it.
Voting the party line. Are there really people who believe strongly in every single position their party takes? Who like every single candidate their party proposes? I like this about the Democrats and that about the Republicans and that about the Libertarians… Voting the party line is as silly (to me) as zero tolerance.
Lack of curiosity. I want to try new foods, read new books in different genres, travel to different places, learn new things. I just don’t get people who don’t want to try new stuff.