# Things You Shouldn't Need To Tell People **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674 "2021-07-04T19:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/324 "2021-08-14T11:47:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If you left them alone they would invariably park in a row three deep, trapping the cars in the middle. My Wife and I had a beautiful wedding on top of a mountain at a ski resort. When all was done, we got back to our car and yes, some moron blocked us in by parking three deep. I was SO pissed off. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2021, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/325 "2021-08-14T20:08:14Z")
I have noticed people do kind of the opposite in a multi level parking garage. They’ll be driving up the ramp and see someone approaching their car, and they will stop and put their turn signal on and sit there and wait, while other cars entering the garage stack up behind them, while the people about to leave are loading their bags, strapping the kids into their car seats, getting in, buckling up, starting the car, and finally leaving. It’s not as if the garage is anywhere near full; there are abundant empty spaces if they just go up another level or two. I suppose snagging a spot on one of the lower levels feels “closer”, but the garage does have an elevator if they don’t want to carry a bunch of heavy bags up multiple flights of stairs back to their car. In fact if they went up to the top level where hardly anyone parks they could have gotten a spot right by the elevator and actually had a shorter walk. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/326 "2021-08-14T20:20:10Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > If I honk my horn at someone two cars ahead of me because the light is green and they’re still not moving, if you’re the person in the car ahead of me but still behind the problem car DON’T automatically assume I’m honking at you and start getting pissed off. Nope. You are wrong. You should re-evaluate your assumptions. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/327 "2021-08-14T20:38:46Z")
To the person in front of me (on the freeway, getting off a plane, getting off a boat, etc.). I know that you think you are being polite by letting every one go in front of you, but it is pretty rude to the rest of us stuck behind your ass. ---
**Author:** ![leswax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@leswax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leswax)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/328 "2021-08-16T02:39:13Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > > [@Asuka](#): > > > > DON’T automatically assume I’m honking at you and start getting pissed off. > > I tend to disagree here. In my experience, honking is always at the car in front of (or right next to) you. At best, you are honking at me to get me to honk at the ding-a-ling holding the line up. My immediate thought in this case would be “what do you want me to do about it? I can’t move either!”. > [@Icarus](#): > > > [@Asuka](#): > > > > If I honk my horn at someone two cars ahead of me because the light is green and they’re still not moving, if you’re the person in the car ahead of me but still behind the problem car DON’T automatically assume I’m honking at you and start getting pissed off. > > Nope. You are wrong. You should re-evaluate your assumptions. I’ll make a brief honk at a car up to two cars ahead of me that isn’t moving after a light turns green (after a generous grace period). I’ve never noticed the middle car’s occupants mistake this for a honk at them. After two cars back, I generally can’t tell what’s going on up there. I give the drivers ahead the benefit of the doubt that there’s something gumming up the works out of their control (or they’d be honking to get #1 in line to stop texting and start driving). ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/329 "2021-08-16T08:46:22Z")
If you are in a queue with people behind you and you let someone in, fine. In that case you should either put yourself at the back of the queue or take the time to ask everyone behind you if it is OK to let the person in. By simply letting them in without doing any of the above you are inconveniencing _everyone_ behind you and that’s not really your call to make. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/330 "2021-08-16T12:49:24Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > By simply letting them in without doing any of the above you are inconveniencing _everyone_ behind you and that’s not really your call to make But did the folks behind you yell “no cuts”? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/331 "2021-08-16T13:14:52Z")
> [@leswax](#): > > I’ve never noticed the middle car’s occupants mistake this for a honk at them. > > After two cars back, I generally can’t tell what’s going on up there. “I’ve never noticed…” “I generally can’t tell…” So, when in doubt, don’t honk! Really, all you are doing is annoying/confusing the car directly ahead of you. Potentially, the driver directly in front of you will now focus their attention on their mirror to try to figure out what the driver behind them is up to, instead of focusing on the driver ahead of them. As a result, the driver ahead of them could pull out and they would now be delayed because they are not focused ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/332 "2021-08-16T15:29:14Z")
How was your yard sale? Good? Make some money, get rid of stuff? Cool. Now- go take your signs down! Don’t leave them there to rot! It’s a kind of littering. On top of that, how about when folks are out the next weekend looking for garage sales? Notice that there’s lots of cars cruising past your house? No? Take your signs down! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/333 "2021-08-16T16:18:54Z")
But if you ARE going to have a garage sale and decide to post signs on busy corners, **MAKE THE PRINT LARGE ENOUGH TO READ FROM A MOVING CAR** Preferably with a bold black marker on white or yellow cardboard. And don’t just say “Saturday & Sunday” – give the dates. Position the sign so someone SITTING in a car can see it easily. Don’t post at _your_ eye level when you’re standing up on the curb. (Same with Lost Dog signs… post at the eye level of a car driver.) You really shouldn’t have to tell people this stuff… 🤦🏽‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/334 "2021-08-16T16:29:10Z")
Agreed. My wife and I make a point to thank people who make good signs. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/335 "2021-08-16T17:37:56Z")
Not only yard sales but panhandlers too. I see them around town, on the street next to Walmart or the grocery store or corner gas station, and they have a cardboard sign about the size of a record album cover with two or three sentences written on it with a sharpie. I can’t even read it when I am stopped at a stoplight, 10 feet away from them. No way someone in a moving car can read that. (I don’t usually give money to panhandlers, but stupid crap like that makes me even less inclined.) ---
**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:** [August 16, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/336 "2021-08-16T17:44:00Z")
Something I wish more people understood is that “I personally don’t like [thing]” is not the same thing as “[Thing] is bad.” I see this sort of thing all the time in online reviews, and even on this board. For example, I saw a one star review on Amazon for a certain cornbread mix. The review said something along the lines of “This is a Southern style (unsweetened) cornbread. I prefer sweetened cornbread.” The fact that it was an unsweetened Southern style cornbread was clearly stated in the description and on the packaging, so it’s not like he was complaining that it was unclear. He was literally giving it a negative review because it isn’t the type of cornbread he likes. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/337 "2021-08-16T18:17:24Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Not only yard sales but panhandlers too. I’ll never get a better opportunity to share this picture that I saved ages ago. Gotta give this guy credit for imagination. (But not for legibility or correct use of apostrophe.) [![](https://i.imgur.com/w4QX898.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/w4QX898.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/338 "2021-08-16T20:12:34Z")
> [@Jumpbass](#): > > Now- go take your signs down! Don’t leave them there to rot! It’s a kind of littering. We live on a corner and people like to put their yard sale signs on the stop sign in our easement. If their sign doesn’t go away within a few days, I take it down then go around and find all the other signs and take them down to return them. I don’t feel the obligation to tell the owners to clean up after themselves, I just fling all the signs and scraps and tape and other garbage into their yard and drive away. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/339 "2021-08-16T20:28:35Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > just fling all the signs and scraps and tape and other garbage into their yard and drive away. I completely agree and applaud your initiative. A true community service. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/340 "2021-08-16T20:43:23Z")
> [@Jumpbass](#): > > Cool. Now- go take your signs down! Don’t leave them there to rot! It’s a kind of littering. > > On top of that, how about when folks are out the next weekend looking for garage sales? Notice that there’s lots of cars cruising past your house? No? Take your signs down! Preach it brother! ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/341 "2021-08-16T21:25:34Z")
That’s what my wife and I want to do, but we never do. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/342 "2021-08-16T23:52:31Z")
My town has a lot of people who, leading the left turn lane, seem stunned when the green left turn arrow lights up. Even though this happens in a common and systematic way. I’ve seen cars sit there the entire cycle, oblivious to the car horns behind them. Many Canadians outside of cities are polite and rarely honk. I drive in cities and will wait a few seconds before giving a short, single reminder honk. I rarely get angry while driving. I think the implication is obvious and if there are intervening cars, they seem to generally understand what is transpiring. If they did get angry, I would stay relaxed since I consider it the job of the car behind the lead car to give a reminder honk. If no one does so, I will step up. The aggressive drivers, furious at the lead car for not turning more promptly, will occasionally tailgate them or move into the other lane so they can give the driver the icy stare. I do not feel the need to do either of these things. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/343 "2021-08-17T00:13:38Z")
Me sitting down in the break room and pulling out a book is not an invitation for you to start a conversation with me. If I’m reading, it’s because I _want to read_. Not talk to you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674.md?page=18)