I believe that anyone who likes country music must be a stupid, inbred redneck. This does hold true for a large percentage of country music fans, of course.
Many of these are mine, unfortunately. I have a lower opinion of:
- Someone who doesn’t use standard English grammar in conversation or written communication. I am much less likely to have a lower opinion of someone who mispronounces a word that they clearly have only ever seen in writing before - I love autodidacts.
- Someone who doesn’t read books. People who don’t have books in their house scare me. Especially if they have that sneering anti-intellectual attitude about “book learnin’.”
- Anyone who genuinely believes in a conspiracy theory or something that’s clearly been debunked ad nauseam. Pick one - 9/11 Truthers, the “vaccines cause autism” crowd, the “pharmaceutical companies are making you sick to make a profit” people, the moon hoaxers - any of them make me :dubious: of someone’s intelligence.
(this post obsessively scanned for typos or misspellings that would invoke Gaudere’s Law).
Red Sox fans. I’m automatically suspicious of them, and wonder what could be wrong with them.
People who never, ever, listen to classical music . . . or dismiss it as being “boring.”
People who subscribe to a very traditional, orthodox religion.
People who drive slowly and don’t signal.
People who chew food or gum with their mouths open.
People who deliberately play their music loud enough to annoy other people.
People who have great health insurance, but whine about the co-pay, especially if they’re whining to someone who’s uninsured.
It seems that Kolga could very well be my long lost twin.
Add to that zealots of any stripe. Even those who’s basic belief I agree with.
I once dumped a really nice, really pretty girl for not knowing what “perplexed” meant. I used it in conversation, and she asked me what it meant. She never knew why I called it off. She was quite upset.
I have often thought I was unduly harsh. I’ve actually had moments where I look back and regretted it. But I am inheretly biased against people with a stunted vocabulary.
I have some that I’m aware of which I TRY not to be obvious about. But like a lot of you:
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Overtly religious and preachy people. Aside from some things that were mentioned here, I also tend to think that they’re arrogant for thinking THEY know the ONE true answer to everything. What makes you think you’re right and millions of Jews (or whatever) are wrong?
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People who don’t speak/write English well. I’m a professional writer though, so this is a gimme.
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Skinny people. Yeah, this is really weird. I used to weigh 300 pounds and now I weigh 128 pounds. Awhile ago I took the Harvard University’s “automatic bias test” (I’ve been searching for a link to these and can’t find it!) and found that I have a slight automatic preference for overweight people. I have no idea why. I figure I’m more comfortable with myself around people who aren’t “perfect.”
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Yankees fans. What’s the deal with you people?
Very religious people and kids from rich families. I know that both are irrational prejudices- that religious people aren’t necessarily simplistic or stupid [and almost never have had charmed lives] and that rich kids can drive $45,000 SUVs at 17 but still have legitimate real problems and not necessarily be spoiled shallow little princes/princesses, but it’s a prejudice no-less.
I tend to think that people who don’t share my taste in music must be intellectually or emotionally stunted somehow. This applies both to people who like music I detest and people who dislike music I enjoy. From an intellectual standpoint, I understand that tastes differ and there are no aesthetic absolutes, and I’ll publicly state that there is nothing wrong with somebody’s preferences, but I secretly think “what is wrong with you?”.
And Yankee fans. But that goes without saying.
For me, number one is vegetarians. Hate everything about them. It broke my heart when my sister went off to a yoga cult for a month and came back vegetarian. Now every time we have family dinners there has to be a whole separate meal that she and her boyfriend can eat.
The other one is people with tattoos. By all means live your life the way you want but unless the question is “where can I score some drugs?”, I’m not taking advice from someone with tattoos. Especially girls. Come on, the female form is beautiful enough without “artwork” that looks like a bruise from more than two feet away. Yeah, I know guys tell you how sexy they find your tat, but that’s just because they want to sleep with you and they know it’s a safe compliment. You looked better without it, I promise.
But then again I don’t read for fun and think classical music is boring, so what do I know?
*Girls who wear glasses like this are vapid valley girls.
*Guys who dress like this are complete and utter tools.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I live on the North Shore of Chicago and work at a bar frequented by Northwestern University students so I see this type a lot and not once has my prejudice EVER been wrong. Last night a group of 6 of them came in, sat at a table for three hours and tipped 90 cents on a $70 dollar tab after being snotty to every person who interacted with them.
The country music thing is hard for me. On the one hand the US99/“My Country Right or Wrong”/ Kill the fags and furriners" types fills me with loathing and contempt. However, I have a deep love for bluegrass and roots music which in some unfathomable way was a formative influence on modern country.
My first impression, upon meeting someone who is smoking, is that that person is gullible, unwise, and selfish: gullible for having been talked into starting, unwise for continuing, and selfish for inflicting smoke, ashes, and litter on others.
I know that’s not necessarily true, and I forcibly remind myself that it’s not necessarily true all the time, but that’s my first emotional impression. After all, if you were brought up here, and you’re younger than I am, there’s no possible way you wouldn’t have heard of the bad effects of smoking. And I’ve seen what it does to peoples’ health, homes, and finances.
Thank you so much!
I have a difficult time trusting people who put down their family members to their friends or coworkers. I’m not talking about abusive parents, or trusted friends you turn to when you are having serious family issues or disputes.
There is a thread in the pit right now that is a good example of what I’m talking about. You can’t miss it. It’s a gentle put down and I’m sure the OP loves his mother. But I find it in poor taste. And if i knew the OP personally, my trust level would be low. If you talk bad about your mother…
I chuckle to myself when someone who smokes cigarettes wants to give me advice about health, nutrition, vitamins, etc.
Grammar/spelling police. Yeah, you know all the rules of writing. A gold star for you!
Another bias, of which I am forcibly reminded after going outside: loud vehicles. Anyone who deliberately makes their vehicle as loud as possible comes across as an immature asshole. Fart-can muffler, loud pipes: it doesn’t matter. It’s jerkish. At least the owners of monstrous sound systems can turn them off.
USC fans. Alumni is on a case by case basis, but I always start out suspicious.
People in trailer parks. It came from my parents actually. My mom loved to say “you can be poor without being trashy.” Of course, the trailer parks that both in sight distance of the home I grew up in were mostly rentals that were not taken care of properly by either the owner or the renters. (One had a trashed bar right on the property.) The kids from these places were also the snots at the bus stop.
If I got desperate enough I would rent a trailer in a park. But I’d have to be very, very desperate and I’d hate every second of it.
People who chew with their mouths open. Egads, it makes me insane.
Bad table manners in general. You don’t have to be perfect, trust me, but know how to hold and use a knife and fork.
Anyone who fits into a tight little cubbyhole. Be it the emo kid, the doctor’s wife, the goth girl, the gay guy. Really, are you that easy to classify?
Overtly religious/political folk. I was raised that that shit was PRIVATE. Not just because well, it should be, but because whatever understanding of either of those things (especially religion) should be so mindblowingly, deeply personal, that you are incapable of articulating it in a flippant manner.
Yeah, really overweight people. I’m sorry. My husband struggles with his weight, I mean the really, really overweight folks. I just don’t get it.
People who lack basic manners. A polite society is a nice society.