# Things You Shouldn't Have To Tell People **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320 "2010-02-09T19:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/121 "2010-02-15T00:46:53Z")
Sidewalk and corridor behavior. Walk on the right, pass on the left. If you have no idea where you are, who you are or what you’re doing, stop on the far right, not in the middle of the traffic flow. And use your turn signals. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/122 "2010-02-15T02:46:01Z")
After you get off the bus, do not cross the street until the bus pulls away. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/123 "2010-02-15T03:37:46Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > …but in all the countries of North and South America we drive on the right side of the road. Nitpick: in Guyana they drive on the left. 🙂 [Cite.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic) ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/124 "2010-02-15T04:02:20Z")
CLOSE YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU CHEW! (really, that one needs to be yelled, since the person I am thinking of is an adult) Don’t ask me every freaking week if it is ok if you use the restroom in the waiting room. What, do you think I am going to tell you no this week? What do you think it is for, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/125 "2010-02-15T04:15:56Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Sidewalk and corridor behavior. > > Walk on the right, pass on the left. If you have no idea where you are, who you are or what you’re doing, stop on the far right, not in the middle of the traffic flow. > > And use your turn signals. 🙂 Getting an idea for an invention - pants with blinkers on the bum. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/126 "2010-02-15T05:23:07Z")
> [@audit1](#): > > After you get off the bus, do not cross the street until the bus pulls away. I remember when our city first got public transportation. They had to conduct a re-education campaign about this, because prior to the bus service starting, the locals’ only experience with buses was _school_ buses. And with school buses, you cross in front of the bus while the driver has the STOP sign displayed. So it’s just the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/127 "2010-02-15T06:12:23Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Please, even if it’s not a high-class restaurant, please don’t blow your nose at the table. \*NOBODY \*wants to hear that. Sorry, that was me. The hot food always makes my nose run. So, _snerk_ unless _snork_ you want _smerp_ me sniffing _smerk_ back _snurff_ runny snot _snurr_ every _smirf_ few seconds, I’m going to blow my nose. I’ll try to do it as quietly as possible. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/128 "2010-02-15T14:24:19Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > I personally think adults shouldn’t have to be told to chew with their mouth closed. I don’t want to know what you’re eating. If I did, I’d ask. You don’t need to show me. And I sure as hell don’t want to hear it. I shouldn’t be able to tell you’re eating if I’m not facing you; if I can hear that you’re eating beyond the initial crunch of, say, an apple, you’re not making enough of an effort to keep your mouth closed while eating. If you can’t keep your mouth closed at your current intake, take smaller bites. Blech. > [@flodnak](#): > > If I can hear your music even though you’re wearing headphones, it’s too loud. And remember, it’s not my hearing you’re damaging - it’s your own. I get this all the time at the library; I know that it’s nice to have portable music, but I really don’t want to hear it. I especially don’t want to be drowned out by it if you come to me for help for anything, as you need to pay attention to me when you ask me for help. Also, parents: don’t do your kid’s homework for them; they are never going to learn to do anything on their own if you don’t let them. > [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > It is not necessary to douse yourself in perfume before a workout. > \ > If you’re afraid of smelling, wear deodorant. This. If you think you smell, wash yourself properly before you go work out and wear deodorant. (These days, I mostly encounter elderly ladies who wear too much perfume, rather than the college-aged girls who’d douse themselves in perfumes and touch up their makeup before working out.) > [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > You must have a different breed of immigrant where you live. Here in my town in Central Washington, the Hispanics show much more skill in getting out of the way than the American locals. The majority of the time when I’m approaching a group of Hispanics on my bicycle and I call out a warning (“Compromiso!”) the group smoothly splits down the middle as they all move completely off the path to allow me to pass. By comparison, the local American teenagers/20-somethings are all, “What, _me_ move for _you_?” and the adults scamper back and forth in apparent panic and with absolutely no idea what to do. I find that it varies greatly, depending upon where I’m at in this region. In my neighborhood, none of the kids who walk home from school seem to know that we have sidewalks, and thus all of them walk down the middle of the road to get back home. The parents can be equally clueless as well, but unless the child is elementary school aged, they are not accompanied by adults beyond the school zone crosswalk. When I’m walking in the local historic downtown area, those whom I pass are much more likely to be aware of the fact that there are other people and will make an effort for us not to collide into each other. ETA- **Pullet** : I, too, get a runny nose at times when I’m eating hot or spicy food. My solution is to excuse myself to the restroom and blow my nose. If this doesn’t fix it relatively soon, I compromise by dabbing at my nose with my napkin so as not to draw attention to myself with rude behavior. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/129 "2010-02-15T14:59:41Z")
> [@zagloba](#): > > I think you want _con permiso_ (“excuse me”), not _compromiso_ (“commitment”) Actually - in my experience, yelling ‘Commitment’ at a group of men will indeed get them to part like the red sea as well 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/130 "2010-02-15T15:54:20Z")
> [@zagloba](#): > > I think you want _con permiso_ (“excuse me”), not _compromiso_ (“commitment”) Ah, thanks. I got the word straight from a Mexican’s mouth, rather than saw it in print, so I can see where the two sound very much alike, so I’m not surprised I misunderstood. Still, people seem so far to know what I mean when I yell “compromiso”, though I bet context has a lot to do with it. Interestingly, I equated “compromiso” with “compromise”, which seems appropriate in the trail situation - “Let’s compromise, you take that side of the trail and I’ll take the other, until we’ve passed each other”. Other interesting tidbit: If I set my translation widget to Spanish =\> English and type “compromiso”, it indeed translates that as “commitment”. But if I set the widget to English =\> Spanish and type in “commitment”, I get back “consolidación” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/131 "2010-02-15T16:31:52Z")
I’m sometimes tasked with reconciling the weekly expense reports when my boss is too busy/lazy to do them. Do I really need to tell some of you guys that a $40.00 bar bill will not be reimbursed? Also staying at a Holiday Inn when a perfectly fine Super 8 had vacancy is always going to be questioned. One more: With Google maps and Mapquest it’s pretty easy for me to see that it isn’t a 300 mile drive from St. Louis to Kansas City. ---
**Author:** ![Arglefraster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Arglefraster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arglefraster)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/132 "2010-02-15T18:52:31Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > When shoveling snow off your car – especially if it’s a deep snow – it’s NOT OKAY to dump the snow you’ve removed into the freshly-shoveled public sidewalk to save yourself a few steps. Ever. For any reason. What are you, stupid? Similarly, it’s not ok to dump the snow into the parking space behind/next to/in front of you. If I spend a friggin’ hour digging out my car so I can get to the grocery store, I do not want to come back to find my parking spot full of snow again. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![MitzeKatze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/133 "2010-02-15T19:16:22Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > One more: With Google maps and Mapquest it’s pretty easy for me to see that it isn’t a 300 mile drive from St. Louis to Kansas City. Depending on where in Kansas City (and if we include the suburbs that could spread even further) and where in St Louis, it is pretty darn close to 300 miles. I get 263 miles from my house to the center of St Louis city. If I were closer to Olathe (which is often considered part of “Kansas City” even though it is not) and going to say…St Louis Hills (I am using Jamieson Ave just as a reference) taking I-44 would put me at 333 miles… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/134 "2010-02-15T19:23:09Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > (though that’s another thing that bugs me–waitstaff who sit the next customer/group down right next to my table even though the place is otherwise empty.) They do that for the sake of the server. In an empty restaurant there is probably only one server on duty, and they don’t want to be running around the entire restaurant. Sure right now there may only be 2 tables, but have a couple more parties come in sitting in all corners of the place and it can be a nightmare if it’s a medium or large-sized restaurant. When that happens just ask the host for the table you would like to sit at, and they’ll usually be happy to accommodate you. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/135 "2010-02-15T19:31:11Z")
[quote=“zagloba, post:119, topic:528320”] > [@Rigamarole](#): > > They do that for the sake of the server. In an empty restaurant there is probably only one server on duty, and they don’t want to be running around the entire restaurant. Sure right now there may only be 2 tables, but have a couple more parties come in sitting in all corners of the place and it can be a nightmare if it’s a medium or large-sized restaurant. > > When that happens just ask the host for the table you would like to sit at, and they’ll usually be happy to accommodate you. I get sitting near another party in a restaurant - but not sitting right next to them. There’s no reason why you can’t put one table between them. For example - say one wall has 5 booths - you could sit people at 1,3,5 and then go back and do 2 & 4 as more parties come in. As a hostess, that’s how I used to seat people. The tables were still fairly near each other - but not on top of each other until business picked up. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Crap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.crap/32/3131_2.png) [@Dr.Crap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Crap)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/136 "2010-02-16T03:06:23Z")
_I can’t process that right now._ I can only tell you how stoned I’m not, and the answer is not at all. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/137 "2010-02-16T05:22:57Z")
As I’m sitting just outside my garage with the door open, I shouldn’t have to say “no, thank you” to the Mormons just to have to go inside and around to the front door where they have just rung the bell and set off all my pets just to say “No, thank you” AGAIN! ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/138 "2010-02-16T07:22:02Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > It’s very irritating to me to find a good seat at a near-empty theater and have some person (extra irritation points if it’s a group, and even more extras if it’s got small children in it) park themselves right next to me. Behind or in front is fine, but dammit, I don’t want to sit next to you! You’ve got the whole _place_ to choose from, including several equally good seats one row behind or in front of me. Maybe they want a good seat too? If you’re sitting in the middle row where there is an aisle, the one with all the legroom and sometimes a railing to put your feet on, I’m going to sit next to you. Not directly next to you, of course, as I’m certain you don’t wish to cuddle, but thats prime real estate, don’t be surprised if people pick it as well. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/139 "2010-02-16T19:54:49Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > When shoveling snow off your car – especially if it’s a deep snow – it’s NOT OKAY to dump the snow you’ve removed into the freshly-shoveled public sidewalk to save yourself a few steps. Ever. For any reason. What are you, stupid? Ahh yes. Have you experienced the know-nothing moron who shovels it into the freshly plowed street? It’s even better! I encouraged them not to do so “since it will freeze again” and was informed they’d been shoveling “almost an hour”. Ya don’t say! These people were not meant to be home owners. The credit crisis is doing good in this one, small way. When I shovel my car out from under 30" of snow, which takes me 3 1/2 hours with the help of a wonderful SO and the unhelp of my tendinitis riddled knee, and leave a chair asking you politely to not take my spot, DON’T TAKE MY FUCKING SPOT. The SO had to stop me from breaking their window. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320/140 "2010-02-16T20:06:32Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > When I shovel my car out from under 30" of snow, which takes me 3 1/2 hours with the help of a wonderful SO and the unhelp of my tendinitis riddled knee, and leave a chair asking you politely to not take my spot, DON’T TAKE MY FUCKING SPOT. The SO had to stop me from breaking their window. I completely agree with you. Unfortunately, you’ll find that this is not a “Thing You Shouldn’t Have To Tell Someone” here…I’d say, from past threads, that this is, like the shoes in the house thing, an issue with about a 50/50 split on this message board. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-have-to-tell-people/528320.md?page=8)