What Are Your Superficial / Snap Judgement Criteria?

In My Humble Opinion
81

vegetarian smokers - though I know a few. I have no problem with vegetarians (as long as they aren’t “martyr vegetarians”) and while I wouldn’t kiss a smoker - its their body. The problem is the inconsistancy in the combination. And I suppose maybe they aren’t vegetarians for their health but for ethical reasons - in which case, why are you exposing human beings to your second hand smoke!

People who don’t bother with hygeine. Washing yourself every few days and brushing teeth and hair are basics.

Women “of a certain age” who dress like sixteen year olds. Really, no one over 30 should shop in the Junior’s section - and it gets worse as you add decades.

Men who don’t own any collared shirts - and all their tshirts say something.

Women who let their thongs show from under their hip huggers. I know some people find it sexy (and on the right girl, it is) but it does sort of scream “slut” to me. Not that I’m judging…

And women who order milk in bars - maybe I’m shallow, but that is strange. Water…ginger ale…diet coke…none of those would have been odd.

82

I don’t do/have three of the above. Can I get a pass on the “getting married young” part? I got married five years ago at 22 and was neither immature nor hyper-religious. Not religious at all, actually. And what’s wrong with having been raised in a “traditional” family? I assume you don’t mean “traditional” as in a mom, dad, and 1.2 kids.

83

I was going to protest some of the things some people mentioned, then I realized, “wait, this is about SNAP JUDGEMENTS, Incubus! And I’d be just falling into it myself!” so instead of giving snipes with “hey that is stupid” I’ll just adress one particular thing- books.

I like to read. However, my reading has generally shifted from books to the internet over the years. I prefer nonfiction, though only because I have a better handle of what I’m reading. As far as fiction/novels go, they are often hit or miss, either I LOVE the novel, or loathe it and can’t get through it, and so I’m not really inclined to read new books that much. I do have a bookshelf, but hardly read any of the books in it anymore, and will probably give most of them away because they are taking up space. Does that make me stupid? Just because I’m picky about what I read, and so wouldn’t have much of a collection of books? Where the hell is the translation? one book for every point of IQ you have? Come on. :stuck_out_tongue:

My snap judgements

-Smokers: Every smoker I know has started because of some utterly retarded reason, which leads me to the conclusion there is no rational justification to take up smoking whatsoever. I have a cousin who started smoking when he was 16 on a bet, believing he could quit just like that. Well 6 years later the guy smokes like a chimney and still can’t quit :wally

-People who read TOO much: Yeah you heard me. I don’t have a problem with bibliophiles, people who enjoy reading and maintain their own personal library. More power to them. But reading is a solitary activity and my idea of a fun time with somebody (be it a friend or significant other) is not watching them with their nose buried in a book. Reading is not an interactive activity, and frankly whether the person is spending 10 hours a day reading a book, playing a video game by themself, or masturbating like a mother fuck the bottom line is all the same. So when someone tells me how they spend all their free time reading books, I’m out the door. I read too, but in moderation. I don’t read to the point of shutting other people out. I don’t bury myself in a book at inappriate moments- I find people reading books while sitting at a dinner table with friends/family INCREDIBLY rude, akin to masturbating in public.

-People who NEVER want to have kids: Just rip out your ovaries/testes and be done with it! I guess what I hate are people who think in such absolute terms. What if you fell in love with someone who wanted to have kids badly? Would that be a dealbreaker? How would you comprimise? I’m not saying people SHOULD have kids, but rather keep an open mind about things in general.

-Grammar Nazis: I saved the worst for last. I hate hate HATE grammer nazis. Yes I was an English major in college and have bad grammer. Well you know what? I’m doing it just to SPITE the grammar nazis, so there! :stuck_out_tongue: I hate leet speek as much as many people here do, but at the same time, I believe many people can really go overboard when it comes to coming down on other people’s grammar. I’m not trying to impress anyone here with my meager command of the English language, so unless you are my uni professor, calling me on it will just make you look anal retentive in my eyes.

84

I was going to protest some of the things some people mentioned, then I realized, “wait, this is about SNAP JUDGEMENTS, Incubus! And I’d be just falling into it myself!” so instead of giving snipes with “hey that is stupid” I’ll just adress one particular thing- books.

I like to read. However, my reading has generally shifted from books to the internet over the years. I prefer nonfiction, though only because I have a better handle of what I’m reading. As far as fiction/novels go, they are often hit or miss, either I LOVE the novel, or loathe it and can’t get through it, and so I’m not really inclined to read new books that much. I do have a bookshelf, but hardly read any of the books in it anymore, and will probably give most of them away because they are taking up space. Does that make me stupid? Just because I’m picky about what I read, and so wouldn’t have much of a collection of books? Where the hell is the translation? one book for every point of IQ you have? Come on. :stuck_out_tongue:

My snap judgements

-Smokers: Every smoker I know has started because of some utterly retarded reason, which leads me to the conclusion there is no rational justification to take up smoking whatsoever. I have a cousin who started smoking when he was 16 on a bet, believing he could quit just like that. Well 6 years later the guy smokes like a chimney and still can’t quit :wally

-People who read TOO much: Yeah you heard me. I don’t have a problem with bibliophiles, people who enjoy reading and maintain their own personal library. More power to them. But reading is a solitary activity and my idea of a fun time with somebody (be it a friend or significant other) is not watching them with their nose buried in a book. Reading is not an interactive activity, and frankly whether the person is spending 10 hours a day reading a book, playing a video game by themself, or masturbating like a mother fuck the bottom line is all the same. So when someone tells me how they spend all their free time reading books, I’m out the door. I read too, but in moderation. I don’t read to the point of shutting other people out. I don’t bury myself in a book at inappriate moments- I find people reading books while sitting at a dinner table with friends/family INCREDIBLY rude, akin to masturbating in public.

-People who NEVER want to have kids: Just rip out your ovaries/testes and be done with it! I guess what I hate are people who think in such absolute terms. What if you fell in love with someone who wanted to have kids badly? Would that be a dealbreaker? How would you comprimise? I’m not saying people SHOULD have kids, but rather keep an open mind about things in general.

-Grammar Nazis: I saved the worst for last. I hate hate HATE grammer nazis. Yes I was an English major in college and have bad grammar. Well you know what? I’m doing it just to SPITE the grammar nazis, so there! :stuck_out_tongue: I hate leet speek as much as many people here do, but at the same time, I believe many people can really go overboard when it comes to coming down on other people’s grammar. I’m not trying to impress anyone here with my meager command of the English language, so unless you are my uni professor, calling me on it will just make you look anal retentive in my eyes.

85

People who make double-posts! Don’t you wonder about them? :wink: :stuck_out_tongue:

86

-People who feel evolution or church/state separation can be argued or expressed fully by a bumper sticker

-People whose books, regardless of how many or how creased, are all by one author or on one subject

-Pro-environment bumper stickers on a VW bug (I used to see this one all the time in Little Five Points, Atlanta and in other neo-hippie hangouts)

-Che Guevara T-shirts (do most of the people who wear them even know who he was?)

-People who pride themselves on never watching popular movies or reading bestselling books (just because it’s popular doesn’t necessarily mean it sucks)

-Flesh tunnels (a term I learned from the Gen.Q forum here)- they literally repulse me (as do facial tattoos)

-People who say “lugubrious” or “chthonic” when “depressing” would work better

-People who have been to Europe as kids or young adults and can’t remember the names of the castles, palaces or cathedrals they’ve seen but can tell you which beaches are cool

-People who clearly enjoy being externally depressed (I’ve suffered from clinical depression and those around me never suspected- you don’t have the right to bring others down intentionally)

-Academics who seem to confuse “complete lack of humor” with “deep”

-Academics who whine about their salary (you spent 6 years getting a doctorate and didn’t realize that you’d earn less than $40k when you emerged? Who the hell’s fault is that?) or who assume that all students are trust-funded rich kids

-Trust funded rich kids (I know they can’t help it, and I certainly would want my own children to have trust funds, but it’s an irrational prejudice that would I could shake)

-People who meet black people and are telling them within 3 minutes about every black friend they’ve ever had

-People who overuse the words “like”, “well” and or “you know?”

-People who wear T-shirts that features words you can’t say on television (I’ve heard them, I’ve used them, this is for shock value and I’m not shocked, please go elsehwhere)

-People I’ve seen in public barely able to walk or complete a sentence they’re so drunk but who complain about cigarette smoking

-People who wear WWJD? jewelry of any kind

-People who have inspirational posters bearing corporate cliches on their office wall

87

Sampiro, a big, huge fat WORD for your comments on academics!

Also:

Early marriage (knocked up). By a “traditional” family, I mean a family that raises daughters to be wives and/or treat their daughters like chattel to be sold off.

Perpetual students with no career plans/aspirations (from money or coddled from childhood with mommy and daddy paying their way).

Academics who make six figures and yet bitch and moan about prices of mundane items (I know, being cheap is probably how they make their money but for Christ’s sake don’t complain in front of kids who are barely getting by).

Anyone who says a cruel comment and thinks tacking on “Just kidding.” erases the cruelty (passive agressive morons).

88

I was nodding my head with you unti these two points. The first is kind of a non-sequiter, but the second is totally out of line. What control does a person have over their name (other than having it changed, that is)?

89

Similarly, people who restate what they did or the obvious (“I said something I shouldn’t have…”) and think they apologized.

90

This might be a hip-hop thing.

Erykah Badu
Jay-Z
Mystikal
Ludakris
Kommon
J.Lo
P.Diddy
India.Arie

91

Liking Wally Lamb’s books.

Bragging about fighting. (No problem if you were actually trying to defend yourself–major problem if you got into a fight because someone looked at you and you decided to teach them a lesson because of this.)

Showing me your pus oozing sores where you’ve injected the heroin. (Yes, people actually do this. It’s not a great way to get a lady to go on a date with you.)

(OK, maybe those latter two aren’t superficial.)

Actually believing that crystals have magical powers.

Talking about energies and auras.

Conspiracy theorizing. (Yeah, it can be fun to contemplate conspiracies but when someone is so hooked on one that anyone who doubts it is considered “one of them” it gets old fast.)

92

I’ll add to this - I hate people who perpetuate the use of those White Ovals which use made-up codes or codes that are really for other nations. That’s the key here, if you are not a recognized nation/dependency you do NOT have a valid code.

Sorry Vermont, VT is your US postal abbreviation, you are not a country.
Block Island, BI may be some local abbreviation but you’re just a part of Rhode Island (and for a long time I thought drivers with this sticker were advertising their own bisexuality).
Myrtle Beach - MB - just go away!

93

I’ll consider stopping, but you gotta tell me why. I listened to I Know This Much Is True as an audiobook and was riveted, although I’m not so sure I would have finished it on paper.

94

Oh. Okay. I’m with you now. I was definitely not one of those (dad’s goal in life was to make sure his daughters all went to college so they’d never have to “live off” any man). But most of my husband’s cousins on his dad’s side were raised to be wives and baby machines. And, come to think of it, I make snap judgments of them for it.

95

Mine are apparently pretty common: Smoking, absurdly long nails on women or heels in the wrong situation (who wears high-heeled boots on icy days?), heavy use of makeup, lack of books, heavy drinking.

Tattoos or piercings when taken to excess. I’m OK with a discreet nose piercing or an unobtrusive tattoo. But something about a multitude of tattoos, especially down the arms, creeps me out.

I’m perfectly willing to accept that these are snap judgements and override them if necessary.
For the record, I’d fail to pass muster for at least several of the people posting here. Walls are blank, not, I think, because I’m uncreative but because I just never think of doing anything about it. And business casual is the very * best * I ever obtain as far as dress goes.

96

Many of mine pet peeves about people are music-related:

If someone doesn’t listen to music, they drop a peg in my eyes. I honestly know people who don’t seek out music, don’t purchase music, don’t listen to the radio (which is FREE), and have no interest in music whatsoever. I will never understand these people.

Just as bad: people who listen to contemporary Christian music ONLY, which in my limited experience seems to encompass pop singers who aren’t as good as secular pop singers, rock bands who aren’t as good as secular rock bands, and vice versa. Look, there’s a lot of wonderful music out there that won’t offend your tightly-held religious beliefs. Give it a chance. Just because your artists perform songs with the word “baby” replaced with the word “Jesus” doesn’t mean they’re any good, and just because mainstream music might not be all about God doesn’t mean it’s an affront to Christianity.

Almost as bad: people who listen to “soft rock” and “adult contemporary” exclusively: Celine Dion, Josh Groban, that horrible song “Butterfly Kisses” from a few years ago… nothing but bland, watered-down glurge. I just don’t get it. Also, it seems like some people hit the magic age of 35 and automatically get programmed to like this stuff. Businessmen, soccer moms, judges… heaven forbid they get caught listening to music with a little bit of passion and fire and technical prowess behind it!

Also, anyone who claims to not read, not watch movies, not watch television… what are you trying to prove, and to who? Don’t even get me started on people who are astounded or amused that I, a 26-year-old attorney, still read COMIC BOOKS.

Maybe the worst of these are the yuppie scum who shell out big bucks for the biggest HDTV plasma screen televisions, the finest surround sound Bose speakers, only the best in home theater equipment… and then their music collection consists of “Rod Stewart’s Greatest Hits” and a Spice Girls album someone gave them, and the only movie they own is Armageddon (in full-screen, no less). All the money in the world won’t buy taste.

Girls (especially on dates) who pick at their food, or leave large portions uneaten. If I take a girl on a date and I’m paying, I won’t care if she orders the lobster or a cup of soup, but I will be annoyed if she doesn’t eat it. One girl on an ill-fated date once made a rude comment to me when I took some unfinished food home in a to-go bag, as if leaving it there to be wasted was “classier.” I never called her again. Ladies, listen: It’s okay to eat. It is attractive to have an appetite. It’s not about us guys being cheap, but the wastefulness is a concern, and the fact that you don’t seem to enjoy eating (which should be one of life’s pleasures, which in turn lets us know how you may handle other pleasures) is a major warning sign.

Finally, assholes who let their big dogs jump all over you, stand up and push you with their paws, slobber on you, keep barking or growling when you’re trying to have a conversation. “It’s okay, Barky’s just getting to know yuh! He wants to be PALS!”, the oblivious dog owners will say as Barky is figuring out the best way to digest me. “You’re ALLERGIC? Oh golly gee, nobody ever gets too sneezy when Duchess is around! You’ll be fine!” Take Duchess away, or I may be forced to boil her. Thank you. “Aww, you’re going to make Little Prince sad! Why are yuh pushin’ him off your lap? He’s just full of love!” Because Little Prince has bad breath, he drools, he farts, and he’s prone to taking chunks out of people too. Fucking oblivious dog owners. They’re full of something, all right.

97

Is it okay if I have a Josh Groban CD mixed in with my music collection that includes a little bit of everything from 70s rock and 80s pop to country to classical and opera to indie rock and Lilith Fair-type stuff? :wink:
I do draw the line at Celine Dion, though. I have some taste.

98

Hey, I like Styx and Meat Loaf, so I’m not saying everyone has to be perfect. :slight_smile: But you said it yourself: you have a “music collection that includes a little bit of everything.” I tip my hat to you!

99

I’m over 30 and have never been married. I have no desire whatsoever to date anyone like my father. I don’t think of him as the perfect man–not even close. Some women over 30 may be holding out for a guy just like their perfect Daddy. Others of us have had very different lives from those women and are single for other reasons.

100

[hijack]

OK, DungBeetle, I didn’t like *She’s Come Undone * because I found the main character deceitful, manipulative, and ungrateful towards people who tried to help her. This made me wary of any of Wally Lamb’s other books and of people who read them (the thread is about superficial judgements rather than reasonable well thought out ones.)

However I’d be willing to give *I Know This Much Is True * a try if people can say why it’s a good read. (Perhaps a thread in Cafe Society?)

[hijack over]