# What unshakable prejudices do you have? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2006, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351 "2006-07-06T12:25:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/221 "2006-07-08T00:33:22Z")
> [@kevegan](#): > > Watching the World Cup reminded me of one of mine: people who put their hand on their “heart” when the national anthem is played. [Why would this bother you?](http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode36/usc_sec_36_00000301----000-.html) ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/222 "2006-07-08T00:35:24Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > I think I’m superior to people who drink Coke. [It’s on!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337796) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/223 "2006-07-08T00:43:58Z")
> [@Reloy3](#): > > I’m not sure how I miffed the coding. Any mod who could make me look less foolish? Just an FYI, you didn’t close any of your tages. Should be: {quote}blah blah blah{/quote} Replace the {} with . ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/224 "2006-07-08T00:59:38Z")
> [@Grossbottom](#): > > Also, everyone named Jared is a relentlessly self-promoting obnoxious prick. This one makes no sense, but I haven’t been able to meet an exception so there it is. Along those same lines, anyone named Britney, Brittney, Britni, Brytne, Brittnnee, Brytny, Britnee, etc, is a dumb, vapid slut. I actually work with a law student named Britni who is one tough, funny, smart cookie and a serious athlete to boot… but still. I see “Britney” and automatically mentally deduct 30 points from their IQ. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/225 "2006-07-08T01:00:34Z")
Fundamentalists of any religion, especially those who are very vocal about it. Scientologists. Protestors who feel the need to use graphic, gory images to get my attention. “Prarie Muffins,” or any other group or religion that forces women into a subserviant lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![Viridiana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Viridiana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viridiana)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/226 "2006-07-08T01:00:34Z")
I’m severly prejudiced against netspeakers. I assume they’re stupid (I don’t mean people who are bad at English, just the ones who do it on purpose) and am a little less friendly than usual in dealing with them. I only had one friend who did that, ever, and only because she started doing it after we’d been friends for a while. Yes, I complained about it. I also auto-roll my eyes at everyone who brings up their sex lives or how much they ‘party’ in normal live conversation. Actually, I think of attention whores in general with some disdain. People with asscrack tattoos or tongue piercings count towards that somewhat. I try to escape talking to very religious people for long, as I know _something_ will come up… I get annoyed more readily at people I perceive as spoiled. I feel weird around people with no particular creative outlet. I sort of wonder what they do all day. For some reason I expect all obese people to be mean. So I’m pleasantly surprised if they’re nice. I’m also prejudiced against people named Julia or Liz. I’m sorry, it’s past regression and I don’t mean it, and I’ll work through it with you if you let me (unless you are the original Julia or Liz). I also get scared by thuggish looking guys following me. I’ve been mugged before and I don’t like it. They can be any color. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/227 "2006-07-08T01:17:21Z")
(Hit submit too soon…) People who don’t read, especially those who are proud of not reading. People who don’t bathe, especially those who think deodorant or cologne is a good substitute for bathing. Women who take pride in being stupid. Men who think that changing the oil in a car requires dangling genitalia. People who can’t be bothered to mechanically maintain a car. (I don’t take exterior maintenance into account, despite its importance – my city just ended massive water restrictions, so no one could wash cars at home.) Conspiracy theorists and creationists (lumped together because I’m convinced that both groups consist of people who spectacularly failed all of their high school science classes). Telemarketers. People who insist that people of certain colors “have their place.” “Pro-family” or otherwise homophobic people. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/228 "2006-07-08T01:43:18Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Why would this bother you? For one thing, I’m pretty sure he’s British. ---
**Author:** ![kevegan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e68b1a/32.png) [@kevegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevegan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/229 "2006-07-08T01:45:49Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Why? Because it’s the wrong place to put their hand during their national anthem, or because of feigned (or real) respect being shown? Well, it’s a _prejudice_, after all, but, hand on heart, it’s too showy by half for me. If you really “love” your country (and most of the players have a problem loving the man standing next to them), it doesn’t need this gesture to prove it. Plus, so many of the countries whose players do it are, shall we say, far from being places that respect the political process. Indeed, they’re the sort of countries that the players escape from at the first opportunity. It puts me in mind of another prejudice of mine, that countries with the words “People’s” or “Democratic” in their full title think that merely by saying something repeatedly you can somehow bring something into being. The link would be that by placing your hand on your chest this action in itself somehow makes you more “patriotic”. Generally, I dislike all group-think, or group-action, of this kind, and see showiness not as the confirmer of deeply-held conviction, but as its disconfirmer, if you will. Perhaps with the United States of America it’s different, but, hey, it’s my prejudice and I’m sticking with it! ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/230 "2006-07-08T02:22:20Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > In all seriousness though… why would someone who doesn’t care for guns need to learn about them? Do you feel the same way about Frisbees or hacksaws? As far as I am aware, there are no moves afoot by an uninformed Coalition for Frisbee Control or Anti-Hacksaw League to restrict the lawful ownership and use of said items. 😉 The gun laws here are written by people who know _nothing_ about firearms- I don’t mean the technical minutae of whether 7.62x51 NATO and .308 Winchester are interchangeable calibres, but a basic ignorance of _anything_ at all about firearms, beyond the knowledge that they go “bang” when fired and seem to be very popular in movies these days. Imagine if the road rules were written and legislated, by people who not only didn’t have drivers licences, but have never driven a car or even seen one outside _The Fast & The Furious_. That’s what our gun laws are like, and why I’m not fond of people who hate guns, know nothing about them, and aren’t interested in at least trying to find something out to form a balanced opinion. > [@Anne Neville](#): > > won’t own a gun, because of my history of depression. I probably wouldn’t go to the firing range with you, because I’ve never handled a gun before, I’d probably be pretty inept with it (I’m a klutz), and I don’t want people laughing at me. Loud noises also startle me… Well yes, a history of depression is a valid (and also legal!) reason not to have a gun- but it’s not the same thing as _hating_ guns for no particular reason. Guns are easy to handle. There’s more mechanical skill and complexity involved in starting your car and making sure the volume on the radio isn’t too loud. And I get startled by loud noises, too- except for, ironically, gunfire. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/231 "2006-07-08T02:25:02Z")
A lot of things mentioned in this thread are irksome for me, but not in the “unshakable prejudice” realm. There is this _one_ thing, though, that just drives my mind to think really badly of the person doing it: Guys who whistle aimlessly in public. Perhaps women do this as well, but it’s usually middle-aged white guys. Just whistling away, usually way off of any sort of tune, incessant and loud. My prejudice is that I think they are clueless boobs for inflicting their bad warbles on everyone’s earbones, and want them to stop it. As things go, though, I soften up, thinking, “Well,they just want to have some music, and are past the IPod age, so lighten up a bit.” Still, what the bejeesus is that older guy whistling thing about??? ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/232 "2006-07-08T03:51:56Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Well, I love hardback books and think that comics are truly second-rate literature. If you want to read about alienation, read Kafka (or, hell, _Carrie_), not the story of Peter Parker, high school student _cum_ Spider Man. You’re thinking of the wrong kind of comics. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/233 "2006-07-08T04:40:07Z")
> [@Reloy3](#): > > My news prejudice is for people who think they are informed when they get most of their news from Jay Leno/David Letterman monologues of from _The Daily Show_. Please recall the cardinal disclaimer uttered by Jon Stewart, when told that some horrifying percentage of young people got their news from TDS: _“Don’t do that! WE MAKE STUFF UP!!”_ Would that other news orgs were that honest. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/234 "2006-07-08T05:23:12Z")
I just got back from a night out with some co-workers, and, being a little bit drunk (my first not-completely-sober post! wo0t!), have another prejudice to report: men in bars who say they are impressed with my handshake. I’ve experienced the female “fingertip” handshake, so I’m not doubting that they might actually be impressed, but saying so out loud is kind of lame (IMHO). ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/235 "2006-07-08T05:27:20Z")
> [@F.U. Shakespeare](#): > > Would that other news orgs were that honest. One news org in particular. You know. The one that starts with an “F”, ends with an “l” and has an “ox News Channe” in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![mrald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrald)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/236 "2006-07-08T05:41:15Z")
Skinny women that are always saying that they are fat, and do it in front of an overweight person… intentionally. People that flaunt the fact they have plenty of money to spare, right after they hear me tell someone I cant buy that flat screen they have for sale becuase I had to pay my car insurance. Okay I get it, you have more money than me, fine. Don’t be an asshole about it. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/237 "2006-07-08T17:21:23Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > That’s the most unabashedly racist statement I’ve heard in a long time. > > Is there a relative preponderance of one-track minds in the SF/fantasy scene, or do they stand out because obsession with boring things is… > > That’s human nature. There was a fascinating article several… > > :eek: Wow. There are no words. > > What if they live in the Bronx? (Everywhere else, though, yeah, I agree with you.) > … Add to my list people who come into a thread about people admitting their irrational prejudices and then judge them for those prejudices. We KNOW they aren’t rational or even true. > [@Martini Enfield](#): > > …That’s what our gun laws are like, and why I’m not fond of people who hate guns, know nothing about them, and aren’t interested in at least trying to find something out to form a balanced opinion. Not to hijack, but what does a person really need to know about a gun other than when you pull the trigger, a deadly projectile is going to fly out and damage, seriously injure or kill whatever it happens to be pointed at at the time? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/238 "2006-07-08T21:03:24Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Add to my list people who come into a thread about people admitting their irrational prejudices and then judge them for those prejudices. > > We KNOW they aren’t rational or even true. Then why do you claim them as statements of fact, like “any single woman over 30 is mentally damaged” or whatever it was? I recall you called something else “gay” and said several other things _are_ whatever they were. Not “I know this is kind of silly, but I think a little less of somebody\* over 30 who’s still single”, but throwing around slander and accusing various large groups of people of being insane and/or homosexual–and why is that an insult anyway? I, for one, have no respect whatsoever for people who can’t bring themselves to debate something further than calling that thing/group of people “gay”, “crazy”, “slut”, etc. Plus the guy who has “had a couple of bad experiences” with French Canadians and is now an unabashed racist. Do you think this thread would still be civil if he said he had “had a couple of bad experiences” with black people and now avoids them? I can’t believe I’m the only one who’s noticed this. - I noticed, too, that men get a free pass. What’s the difference? Women need strong men in their life because they’re worthless otherwise? ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/239 "2006-07-09T00:32:18Z")
I didn’t give my response near enough thought. I realized I have lots. Must be due to the bile build-up in my system as I’ve gotten older. Let’s see: \*\*Music: \*\*I hate anyone who listens exclusively to rap or hip-hop. **Religion:** The very religious are unhappy, weak-willed people that want someone else to blame for their miserable little lives. **’Gangstas’:** Guys who walk around with their pants around their knees should be treated like thugs that just knocked over a gas station. \*\*All Japanese men \*\*have the emotional intelligence of a 12-year old, are pedophiles, and cheat on their wives/girlfriends. \*\*Obesity: \*\*Sorry, 99.999% of them do it to themselves because they’re lazy, weak-willed, and don’t give a shit about what they do to their body. \*\*Drug users & Smokers: \*\*Hate 'em. \*\*The South: \*\*After far too many unpleasant trips to the south, I now assume that anyone from there are uneducated, prejudice white trash until they convince me otherwise. \*\*Gun owners: \*\*They are immature adolescents trying to compensate for having teeny weenies. **Older Middle-Eastern people:** Finally - I have yet to meet any middle-eastern person aged 30 or older who wasn’t an arrogant, stubborn prick with a superiority complex that didn’t go on and on about how everyone else needed to bend to their religious needs and views (Og forbid anyone ask them to bend to theirs :rolleyes: ) This one really bothers me deeply, because it’s only been in the last 5-10 years or so as I’ve had more and contact with them that it’s become almost racist. I’ve really tried hard on this one, and am trying to convince myself that I’m just unfortunately surrounded by a few of the bad apples… ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/240 "2006-07-09T00:46:36Z")
**fetus** , every post is in response to a request for an irrational prejudice that you can’t shake, even though you know it’s silly and wrong. I think we’re all clear on the concept and no one needs to clarify that the statement they’re making is irrational and wrong. If they didn’t think it was, they wouldn’t be adding it to the thread, they’d be posting it under the “crystal clear convictions and self-evident truths that are firmly grounded in fact and inarguable under any circumstances” thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351.md?page=13)