# 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:** 19
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/364 "2021-08-17T16:15:05Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Somewhat related to this: cruise control is not a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. If you are driving on the highway with your cruise control on, and are in the left lane because you are going 1 mph faster than the car next to you, and faster traffic is coming up behind you, _it’s OK to step on the gas_ so that you can complete your pass and get over. Not if I’m driving the speed limit it’s not. That would be speeding, which is illegal. And the faster traffic coming up from behind is also speeding. I have no obligation to break the law to enable your lawbreaking. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/365 "2021-08-17T16:38:32Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I _hate_ when people ask, “Whaddya reading?” There’s no good answer to that question “Words, words, words.” ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/366 "2021-08-17T16:41:24Z")
I always wondered who the folks were putting along at the speed limit (or below) in the left lane forcing me to pass on the right. Nice to meet ya! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/367 "2021-08-17T16:47:28Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I used to work with a woman who was well known for walking into the break room, seeing you sitting there reading, and would say “Oh, reading a book?” Not “what are you reading?” or “how is it?”, just observing that yes, you are in fact reading a book. We used to call her “The Master of the Obvious”. - Was she married to a Captain, by any chance? ---
**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:** [August 17, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/368 "2021-08-17T16:49:17Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > And the faster traffic coming up from behind is also speeding. I have no obligation to break the law to enable your lawbreaking. Laws vary by state, but in many places, if you’re camped out in the left lane, [you _are_ breaking the law](https://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html), and quite possibly more of a danger to other drivers than someone who’s going a bit above the speed limit. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/369 "2021-08-17T17:49:03Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I always wondered who the folks were putting along at the speed limit (or below) in the left lane forcing me to pass on the right. Nice to meet ya! No, that’s not happening. You misunderstand. I’m not driving in the left lane if it’s clear for me to move to the right. But if there’s another car there, I’m typically not going to exceed the limit to clear that vehicle more quickly. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Laws vary by state, but in many places, if you’re camped out in the left lane, [you _are_ breaking the law](https://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html), and quite possibly more of a danger to other drivers than someone who’s going a bit above the speed limit. Again, that’s not the situation. I’m talking about the situation described by Shoeless where I am passing another vehicle. I am under no obligation to speed in order to allow you to drive even faster. I will merge right as soon as it’s clear, but you should not expect me to speed in order to do so. Also, tangentially, if I am obeying the speed limit and other vehicles are speeding and that is causing a hazard…the problem is not me. This is definitely something I shouldn’t need to tell people. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/370 "2021-08-17T17:50:57Z")
Even worse, and related to _ThelmaLou_ and _Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle_’s point about people not understanding reading for pleasure, I used to read when I had free time in high school, people would come to me and ask “what are you studying?”, “do you feel well?” and the always popular “What are you reading?”. There was one girl though, who didn’t ask stupid question when I read books… I married her 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/371 "2021-08-17T17:54:26Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > There was one girl though, who didn’t ask stupid question when I read books… I married her 😛 Thank god there was only one, or you’d have to become a Morman! 😉 ---
**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 17, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/372 "2021-08-17T17:54:47Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > “do you feel well?” 🤦🏽‍♀️ Good grief. > [@](#): > > There was one girl though, who didn’t ask stupid question when I read books… I married her Awww… 💞 ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/373 "2021-08-17T17:56:20Z")
well, there were others, but they didn’t know who Lovecraft was and hadn’t read The Lord of The Rings! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/374 "2021-08-17T18:09:25Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > But if there’s another car there, I’m typically not going to exceed the limit to clear that vehicle more quickly. That’s **much** more dangerous that just bumping up your speed a little bit for a few hundred yards. More dangerous for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/375 "2021-08-17T18:12:43Z")
All the mentions of car parking reminded me of the one and only time I managed a car park. The hospital where I worked had a very well-supported League of Friends (known to the management as The League of Fiends) and they had an annual fundraising garden party in the grounds of the chairman’s house. She lived in an old mill with a beautiful garden and the event was a chance for the ladies to show off their bling and the men to dress up as penguins. The farmer next door was persuaded to allow parking on the adjacent field, separated by a small stream with a bridge over. The field gate was tricky if approached from the wrong direction so I positioned myself there, in full DJ and high-viz vest, while my two teenage helpers (working for snacks and probably a sneaky glass of champagne) organised them into lines. We had two problems: I - several drivers ignored my signals and were forced to reverse, annoying the people behind them. This, of course, was my fault. 2. My helpers soon gave up on trying to get them to line up and just left them to it, coming up to help me out which was probably more use anyway. Just when we thought it was all over a car pulled into the field entrance and stopped. “I’m not driving over that,” says the driver in a posh voice. “I will go in the front entrance to drop mother orf.” I explained that since people would be wandering about on the front drive, the gates were locked. At that point, ‘Mother’ climbed out of the low-slung car, apologised for her son’s bad manners and set off across the field in her long dress and high heels while sonny Jim watched and then roared off. I did send the teenagers with her to lend an arm in case she needed it. ---
**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, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/376 "2021-08-17T18:14:18Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > There was one girl though, who didn’t ask stupid question when I read books… I married her 😛 Literacy has its benefits. I once met a woman named Ariel. Rather than making the obvious _Little Mermaid_ joke, I instead asked her if she were a “bright and ardent spirit”, which raised her eyebrows. Turns out her parents _did_ actually take her name from _The Tempest_; she said that getting the Shakespeare reference instead of the Disney one was how she’d decided whether or not to date a guy. Alas, cultural literacy doesn’t translate to social intelligence - I completely missed the hint. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/377 "2021-08-17T18:16:20Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Alas, cultural literacy doesn’t translate to social intelligence - I completely missed the hint. Well there’s a _reason_ why I didn’t marry my wife until we were both 8 years out of high school… ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/378 "2021-08-17T19:06:44Z")
And be careful with the spelling / formatting, or you might get Yard Sard / Yale Sard / etc… [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yard-sard/photos](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yard-sard/photos) ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/379 "2021-08-17T19:08:48Z")
I encountered the exact same thing over the name Ariel, but it was for a colleague’s daughter. I asked her if it was from Shakespeare, she’s all "Yep. Few people get that. Most assume it’s from _The Little Mermaid._ Taught me to always aim high when going for cultural references. ---
**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 17, 2021, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/380 "2021-08-17T19:12:39Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > Which baseball team is the home team? The second listed team. Visiting team is listed first because manners. The convention as far as I understand it is for the visiting sport team to be listed second. Is baseball an exception? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/381 "2021-08-17T19:17:37Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > > [@Locrian](#): > > > > Which baseball team is the home team? The second listed team. Visiting team is listed first because manners. > > The convention as far as I understand it is for the visiting sport team to be listed second. Is baseball an exception? - Not in the US, as far as I know. All the major pro and college sports list the visiting team first, then the home team, mostly in the format of New York at San Diego, or Rutgers College at Yale, or something similar. When a sports score is displayed on the scoreboard or on TV, the visiting team will be displayed at the top and the home team at the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/382 "2021-08-17T19:18:16Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > The convention as far as I understand it is for the visiting sport team to be listed second. Is baseball an exception In the US, the convention is home team second. You can replace vs. with “at” to see where the game is being played/who is the home team. But I don’t think this is a thing you shouldn’t have to tell people. _Ninja’d_ ---
**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 17, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/383 "2021-08-17T19:19:14Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Not in the US, as far as I know. All the major pro and college sports list the visiting team first, then the home team, mostly in the format of New York at San Diego, or Rutgers College at Yale, or something similar. When a sports score is displayed on the scoreboard or on TV, the visiting team will be displayed at the top and the home team at the bottom. I suspect it is USA thing then, so unless the person you are speaking to is from the states then indeed, you will need to tell them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674.md?page=20)