I usually pride myself on my lack of offendability. I don’t know whether it’s because of apathy of arrogance, but I usually just let things roll of my back.
Except for one thing. I get offended when some people assume that all priest are child molestors. Yes, the scandal/cover-up was very wrong. It should have never happened, but not all priest do that sort of thing.
I think the reason that it gets to me is because religion is a very personal issue. I don’t mind a nice, civilized discussion about religion, but I hate it when people make ignorant remarks like that, in all seriousness.
What makes your usually cool demeanor in an uproar?
What offends me is when religious marketers (not necessarily marketers who are religious) come to my door and try to convert me. Damn that pisses me off.
Teenage boys who let farts rip within earshot/olfactory-shot of their mother. (This is not the ‘top’ of my list, but has just occured and therefore is somewhat topical for me…) Same goes for them hanging ‘Girlie Calenders’ in our bathroom. Honestly, no matter how often I tell them that it is the absolute pinnacle of disrespect, they haven’t clued-up yet. I despair for their future partners, really I do!!
People who make disparaging remarks about those who have psychiatric/intellectual disabilities, knowing damned well that the person with the disability can hear them. This REALLY pisses me right off. I live in an area that has a decent proportion of people who are clients of the Mental Health Service, so it’s not exactly a rarity to encounter someone with a ‘novel’ approach to life. Just because someone likes talking/singing to themselves, or might smell a bit whiffy is NO excuse for abject rudeness.
Threads on the SDMB that ‘poll’ various sexual proclivities.
People who say the nicest things, but are still racist, homophobic assholes.
People who leave shopping carts ten feet away from a shopping car deposit.
Voicemail.
Telemarketers.
Spam.
Office donations for gifts.
Smartass salespeople who can’t afford what they are selling, but still have an attitude.
People who use bad language about other people. That includes swearing, negativity, and all slurs. People may do dumb/mean/asshole things, but most people are not dumb/mean/assholes.
I cannot stand Dubya.
I don’t mind being witnessed to, but when I tell you the Bible is very negative about women, don’t try to tell me it isn’t. As Stephen King once wrote “An asshole is someone who doesn’t believe what he’s seeing.”
When someone KNOWS that something he’s doing annoys someone else, but does it on purpose anyway – in a workplace no less. Now if someone tells me that something I do is annoying, I have the brains and the consideration to apologize and to stop doing it in his/her presence and I sure as hell don’t do it just to piss him/her off. But this one jerk I work with not only keeps doing this stuff, but makes sure I know he’s doing it for no other reason than that it bothers me (believe me, ignoring it and him doesn’t help; he just persists). Example: putting rap “music” (which I hate) on the radio, cranking it up, singing off-key, then standing next to me and singing. And then telling me I “love it” even though I’ve taken him aside and politely told him it bothers me and asked if he’d please stop.
No, my boss won’t stop him. She just says “he’s young” (he’s 25 and old enough to know how not to act like an asshole, if you ask me!) and excuses him for that reason. I perish to think of what brats her own two sons are going to turn into with that attitude.
Not something that offends me to the point of seeing red, but it happened last night so I thought I’d post it; when people (usually guys who are trying to pick me up) try to speak to me in Chinese.
A. They always say “ni hao ma”
B. They can’t say it properly.
C. They have this smarmy “I’m so witty” look on their face
D. It’s old. Really.
That’s about it. I’m offended by ignorance, racism, and so forth mostly in an abstract, Ivory Tower kinda way. They don’t elicit the same gut-level rage that the relatively trivial offenses listed above do.
People who ridicule or put down religion or religious beliefs. Not the people who have intellectual disagreements, those people are fine. What I’m talking about is people who are either mean spirited or rude, or insensitive to those with religious beliefs.
When members of one political party demonize the other.
All the Bush bashing that goes on in the SDMB.
Related to 3, making outrageous claims with absolutely no proof, I.E Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction.
People with no tact. Yes, there’s nothing wrong with people speaking their mind or telling the truth, but unless somebody deserves it, you should try to be polite about it.
The phrase “I’m not being mean, I’m just being honest.” Uhm, the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
The phrase “You work her voluntarily, and if you don’t like it here, you can always get another job.” Yes, I suppose I could quit and go work at McDonald’s, but with the cut in pay, my wife and I would have to give up little luxuries, like, oh, our house and car.
When I have caught some one lying to me or betraying a confidence and they refuse to admit it when confronted.
If they would simply own up to it and apologize I could get past it easily (most likely). Continue to lie and it insults my intelligence, then it becomes offensive.
Dishonesty. I don’t appreciate how accepted and even expected it is in everyday life, as if it’s socially appropriate. It offends me to no end to be lied to, even about something small and trivial, but especially about something important.
Condescension and patronization, particulalry from someone that doesn’t know me well enough to feel so superior.
Proselytizing. Your life is yours to live and I respect that, but keep it to yourself.
Stereotyping/generalizing/compartmentalizing people based on 3 seconds of appraisal. This is the biggest reason I hate job interviews.
I do not follow fads, nor do I bend to social pressures to dress, act, appear, talk, behave or anything else like everyone else. I believe in individuality, true individuality, not the kind where you believe slightly different than the majority and exaggerate that belief to appear different and call it individuality. As such, I am regularly exposed to those that will make a snap judgement of me based on simple evidence and I find it irritating. I enjoy nothing more than to blow these preconceived notions out of the water, but I despise having to hear things like, “You’re smarter than I thought,” or “You’re pretty cool afterall.”
Deliberate ignorance.
Bigotry/racism/hatred of anyone that’s different. This goes sort of hand in hand with another one, clinging to ideals given to you by another. Many bigots and homophobes I’ve met are that way because their family/community taught them to be and rather than thinking for themselves they just continue the cycle of hate.
There’s more, but I’m sure that someone out there is offended by posts that are too long
Same goes for them hanging ‘Girlie Calenders’ in our bathroom. Honestly, no matter how often I tell them that it is the absolute pinnacle of disrespect, they haven’t clued-up yet. I despair for their future partners, really I do!!