What pisses you off and what have you done about it?

[madmonk28]

The Republican party and its cynical use of bigotry, fear and Christian fanaticism to destroy our nation pisses me off, but I think we’ve reached a tipping point, so what I do about is just kind of watch in horror.

[Moonlitherial]

My memory which is so terrible that after getting to the end of the thread on Homicidal killers I spent a couple minutes trying to figure out how I was reading a zombie thread without any sign of a ressurecting post.

Also, idiots.

[Becky2844]

@tdn

When my sister and I were little we were filling out a questionaire that had this question. We gave each other puzzled looks, then wrote down “Snooky.”

Snooky was our dog.

lolol

[drbhoneydew]

People who use special case reasoning to make a general point. I’d write in to the newspapers but am convinced that using special case reasoning to make a general point is the only way to get on the letters page.

Everyone who complains about speed cameras on the grounds that “they’re just out to make money”. Really? Have you considered confounding “their” scheme by not sodding well speeding? That would really show them!

Anyone who appeals to quantum physics and/or superstring theory when talking about stuff like crystal therapy.

[cmyk]

Scientific ignorance on what and how the scientific method is and works. I hear enough of it as if they’re somehow threatened by science, as they understand it, from certain friends and family, that I posted a little non-specific diatribe on my Facebook page in the notes section.

It’s just a peeve, but at the time, certain discussions on this very board inspired me to write it. I tried to make it as non-threatening as possible, so as not to push the close-minded further away.

In case you’re curious:

@cmyk

You Are a Scientist.

No, really, you are. And, listen, I know science isn’t easy to stomach for most, but it’s not only that we’re surrounded by it in almost every way, it’s the way we all live our lives.

Science gets a bad rap. But why? Because it’s for nerds? Tell that to Shawne Merriman next time he juices up for another season with the Bills.

Okay, that’s a bad example. But he can flick your head off with his pinky, so don’t call him a nerd.

Anyway, back to why you’re a scientist. It’s simple really: You base every action, every decision, every bowel movement on what most people would call “facts.” Now, it’s not uncommon, to think that facts are the product, the very end-game of a proven theory. But I have news for you, pally: It’s the other way around.

“Say what?!”

“I know, right!”

For the purposes of this illustration, I’ll use the word “fact” to mean anything that’s self-evident, or directly observed to be painfully obvious. Like, the sun in the sky (or that gnarly mole on your back you should really get checked). We’ll say that’s a “fact”, and that’s where the science actually starts.

Also, let’s clear the air right now – a theory is never “proven” in the sense most people think, and I think this is where those who are dubious about controversial theories find umbrage: In the very thing that isn’t even a part of the scientific method. That’s right – theories are never “proven”. What you should be calling “proof”, if anything, is what you find as evidence to support your theory, but I digress…

Let’s say you’re at a restaurant to meet a friend for lunch. It’s a fact you have a friend (hopefully), it’s also a fact that you know he can drive. But this is where things start to get shaky. You know what kind of car he drives – that silver SUV, and so this is what you expect to see pull into the lot as you’re looking out the window waiting for him to arrive. You’ve just formed a hypothesis, and you didn’t even know it, you huge, dorky nerd, you.

It’s a hypothesis, because you’re not sure if he took his wife’s car for some reason. Or, maybe he sold it last week for a new one, and didn’t tell you. Or maybe it broke down, and he hitchhiked to the restaurant, because that’s what kind of a friend he truly is.

Ahh! There it is, the familiar silver SUV. You now have a piece of evidence, but it’s not very strong, is it? Maybe some stranger happens to be pulling in the lot in the same kind of vehicle. That is, until it parks, the door opens, and out walks your friend. Ala-Shazam, your hypothesis has just been upgraded to a theory. It’s a theory, because you have evidence that would be very hard to refute. Sure, it could be it’s someone who looks extremely like him. It could be an impostor. That’s extremely unlikely, so it’s safe to file that one under E for Evidence.

Now, here he comes in through the door, sits down, and you guys pick up right where you left off. Even more evidence. Your theory is practically water-tight. You recall old times, some inside jokes, even the food he orders is his usual dish. The evidence is so overwhelming now that this is truly your friend, to come up with another hypothesis as to fit in with all the evidence you’ve now acquired would bring you into the realm of him having to be a clone who was made by aliens to deceive you in some complex plan that involves you to take over the world. I exaggerate, but now you see how a theory can never be “proven”. Where would you stop? How far could you even take the accumulation of evidence to be able to say with 100% absolute certainty this is truly your friend? What are you going to do, test his DNA? No, of course not, that’s hella expensive (and quite a lengthy process). And it’s still not going to bring you to 100% certainty.

And that is why you are a scientist. That is why most theories are as accepted as they are now, because all the evidence acquired to support your theory, not only has to work within the bounds of your original hypothesis, but must corroborate with every other theory in existence.

That is why most substantial, and yes, even controversial scientific theories are widely accepted.

It’s also why theories sometimes change or are refined over time. Even over centuries as new evidence comes to light, it might send a ripple throughout all disciplines and change our entire world view (Such as when Einstein revolutionized physics, not by throwing out Newtonian, or “classical” physics, but by refining it even further with his theories on Special and General Relativity; allowing you to use your GPS to find the nearest Taco Bell).

The irony here is that many critics of science, and its theories is that this is some sort of weakness, but it’s really its strongest feature. The empirical evidence, direct or indirect observation, and repeatable experimentation allow theories to be tested over and over, even by you (assuming you have the means and knowhow) so that it can be refined ever further and allow room for a big picture change, if required. And, sometimes it is.

So, next time you hear, “It’s a scientific fact”, raise that eyebrow, because science doesn’t go there; a fact is not an end-product of a theory but the seed that starts it all off.

Now go forth and nerd out. It’s just the way we all roll.

[Maiira]

@cmyk

Scientific ignorance on what and how the scientific method is and works. I hear enough of it as if they’re somehow threatened by science, as they understand it, from certain friends and family, that I posted a little non-specific diatribe on my Facebook page in the notes section.

It’s just a peeve, but at the time, certain discussions on this very board inspired me to write it. I tried to make it as non-threatening as possible, so as not to push the close-minded further away.

In case you’re curious:

This is awesome. That is all. Er…the stuff in the spoiler box, I mean.

[Becky2844]

@cmyk

Scientific ignorance on what and how the scientific method is and works. I hear enough of it as if they’re somehow threatened by science, as they understand it, from certain friends and family, that I posted a little non-specific diatribe on my Facebook page in the notes section.

It’s just a peeve, but at the time, certain discussions on this very board inspired me to write it. I tried to make it as non-threatening as possible, so as not to push the close-minded further away.

In case you’re curious:

I don’t write anything of this calibur but do tend to expostulate w/o really thinking it through…I call it drive by posting. That’s why I check the number of my Friends periodically to see if I’ve been “unfriended,” and by how many.

[Bri2k]

I got really steamed about an email sent to the entire team at work that seemed to insinuate someone was slacking off. I’ve been going full-tilt for weeks now, so I was ticked. At first, I thought I was just being immature, so I let it go until a co-worker told me the email had them upset as well and others on the team felt the same way. Yesterday I had a one-on-one with my boss and brought it up. He was actually very good about it and said no one was slacking off and the email was merely meant to keep everyone one on track. He agreed it could be very easily misunderstood. He said in the future he’d be more precise.

Bri2k

[codgerone]

So called psychics and the people who believe in them.

Conversations with bleevers about how some self-styled psychic ejit “helped the police solve a missing persons case”, based entirely on what said ejit wrote in one of their crappy books always lead to a confrontational arguement when I insist that there has never, once, been a documented, evidence based scenario where this has happened. Instead you get the usual vague predictions (she’ll be found near water, near a rocky ridge etc.) which later, when the poor unfortunate has been found by normal police detection techniques, get retro-fitted into a claim that a prediction was made.

When poor little Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal, dozens of British psychics promptly headed out there to “offer their assistance” in the search.

Sadly she’s still missing.

[cmyk]

@Becky2844

I don’t write anything of this calibur but do tend to expostulate w/o really thinking it through…I call it drive by posting. That’s why I check the number of my Friends periodically to see if I’ve been “unfriended,” and by how many.

Well, I certainly didn’t advertise it in any way, and didn’t tag my entire friend list on it. It was just something I wanted to get out of my system, and for lack of a better place, I wrote it in the “notes section”… not a “status update”.

I think it was largely ignored or missed.

[Procrustus]

I get pissed off at severly overheated airplane cabins. It’s 70 below zero outside and a sauna inside. Wrote a letter once, got a $75 voucher.

also lissed off at office drama. Just do your job and get along. Is that so hard?

[Uber_the_Goober]

I’ll throw in another vote for genuinely unintelligent people. I am really pissed at how legitimately stupid people can manage to muddle through life with the same level of general success as smart people simply because of the people they know who take sympathy on them.

It’s fracking bullshyte. And the problem really becomes peeve-worthy when these stupid people are in positions of authority above me…rendering anything I do of any intellectual merit completely worthless.

It’s in these times that I fall back on the other part of the OP’s question: what I do about it. I play dumb. I only put forth as much effort/intelligence as the idiot is able to comprehend.

Damn dumbasses…I swear the USA is breeding a generation of morons. It’s getting bigger and bigger every year…they’re spreading like the plague. It’s in my mind the single biggest piece of evidence against evolution as it’s commonly understood - as a species I believe we are getting dumber and dumber, and weaker and weaker. Eventually we’ll just be a bunch of mindless drones when the world structure (economy, religion, politics, etc.) crumbles and we can’t deal with it. But maybe I understand evolution poorly enough to not realize if there’s allowance for some type of devolution within the theory of evolution.

[kayaker]

Not understanding the word “everything”.

Any time I have ever been to Subway, when they ask what toppings I want, I reply “everything”.

They then ask, “Jalapenos?”. I always wanna shout, “I SAID EVERYTHING!!”

[MsWhatsit]

@kayaker

Not understanding the word “everything”.

Any time I have ever been to Subway, when they ask what toppings I want, I reply “everything”.

They then ask, “Jalapenos?”. I always wanna shout, “I SAID EVERYTHING!!”

Don’t be mad at the Subway employees. Be mad at the countless customers before you who have said, “Give me everything” and then said, “Wait, stop, no! Why are you putting jalapenos on?! I don’t want those!”

[BigT]

People being assholes. Unfortunately, “how I deal with it” has devolved into being an asshole back on several occasions. And then I feel too ashamed to say I’m sorry, or am too worried that they’ll think they were right to do what they did.

Very few people know how much I beat myself over that stuff. I really am sorry.

[Clothahump]

@Becky2844

What’s your pet peeve?

Liberals.

[Jenaroph]

Willful ignorance and the insistence on spreading it.

I spotted an anti-evolution billboard the other day in downtown Detroit (no question what the message was, it had the “apes evolving into man” figures in a red “NO” slash circle next to the phrase “In the beginning God created…”) and I’ve been trying to figure out who I need to call to complain to. Christ, people, that is wrong on so many levels.

[Agent_Violet]

clueless people.
people who wander around aimlessly never considering there might be someone behind them trying to get somewhere quickly.
those annoying freaking stick figure family stickers on the back of minivans and suvs. HOW many kids do you need???!! seriously! and WHY do i need to know about your family and what your kids do for extracurriculars?

[purplehorseshoe]

@Jenaroph

Willful ignorance and the insistence on spreading it.

I spotted an anti-evolution billboard the other day in downtown Detroit (no question what the message was, it had the “apes evolving into man” figures in a red “NO” slash circle next to the phrase “In the beginning God created…”) and I’ve been trying to figure out who I need to call to complain to. Christ, people, that is wrong on so many levels.

I’ve been trying to figure out who I need to call to complain to: Christ.

See? Change one little punctutation mark and the problem is solved.

[Jenaroph]

@purplehorseshoe

I’ve been trying to figure out who I need to call to complain to: Christ.

See? Change one little punctutation mark and the problem is solved.

How about “I’ve been trying to figure out who I need to call to complain to: Christ people? That is wrong on so many levels.”?