# 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:** 14
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/261 "2006-07-10T12:09:20Z")
> [@Mirror Image egamI rorriM](#): > > Oh, I thought of another–furries! Especially people who wear a collar/ears on a headband/tail in public. I think they have something seriously wrong with them and they deeply disgust me. Okay, I’ll ask, though I know I’m going to regret it: what’s a furry? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/262 "2006-07-10T12:35:39Z")
> **[Urban Dictionary: furry](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=furry&r=d)** > > There is no one single definition of what a furry is. Even within the furry fandom, people cannot always agree on just what makes a person a furry or not. Some would argue that to be a furry, you must think and talk like one (i.e. use furry specific... ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/263 "2006-07-10T12:48:02Z")
Mine: people who insist on alternative spellings for their children’s names. “Amy” becomes: Amee, Amie, Amiee, Aymee, Amea, A’mie… “Jennifer” becomes Jenifur, Jennipher, Jeniphur, Gennifurre… “Mary” becomes Marye, Marry, Merry, Mairee, Mayrie, Marrie… Just stop it. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/264 "2006-07-10T12:51:04Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > [Urban Dictionary: furry](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=furry&r=d) Thanks. I am now scrambling back to my pleasantly sheltered life! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/265 "2006-07-10T13:43:57Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I’ve been a Yankees fan for the past 25 years (since I started going to games), and for 25 years I haven’t been able to talk about baseball without hearing some arrogant jerk sneer about “bandwagon fans.” I’m sick to death of having to defend my fandom. If you’d been a Yankees fan for the past two decades I bet you’d be “hypersensitive” to criticism, too. 😉 Only 25 years? Bandwagon Fan! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/266 "2006-07-10T14:28:21Z")
Vegetarians are pretentious, sanctimonious, snotty, self-satisfied egotists. Whether their reasons for it are ethical or health-related doesn’t matter – it is a bandwagon-jumping affectation for people who believe in psychics and crystals. Even if they never say word one about my eating habits, I just _know_ they’re looking down their noses at me. (Disclaimer before the inevitable chorus of vegetarians chimes in with “But _I’m_ not like that!”: one of my dearest friends is one, and she’s not only damn near the sweetest person I know, but intimidatingly intelligent, too.) I can second many of the other prejudices mentioned here as well, notably tattoos. The way **YaWanna** feels about smokers, I feel about tattoos: I’m always disappointed when someone I like, respect, or otherwise find attractive has one. (Disclaimer: my SO has one.) Also, I look askance at someone who doesn’t drink coffee or alcohol. I could make the same assumptions about them that I do about vegetarians, but that doesn’t seem quite right. Teetotallers and caffeine-abstainers don’t elicit eyerolls from me…I just find it ever-so-slightly odd. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/267 "2006-07-10T14:31:08Z")
My one prejudice is that I think that every person I run down in my Hummer thinks I’m an asshole with a small penis… ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/268 "2006-07-10T17:48:22Z")
> [@pendgwen](#): > > And I have the counter-predjudice. There’s something wrong with people who can’t grasp the concept that social interactions don’t have to involve alcohol. And really really loud music. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/269 "2006-07-10T18:20:07Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What about books that are MEANT to be hardcover and expensive? Like art books, or history books with lots of pictures and maps and such? I have a ton of them and I love them. I’ve also gotten a lot of them cheap at used or discount bookstores. True, and those types of books comprise a good deal of my roommate’s collection. I counter that by saying that I’m really not into art or photography, which usually makes people look at me like I have seven heads. Also, I seem to have been born without “the collector gene” as my boyfriend calls it, so I have no use for books once I finish them, and I don’t care about keeping them in good condition. To me, (most) books are disposable–I usually don’t reread them, and I don’t care how they look (almost all my books being text-only). Eh, different strokes. > [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > And really really loud music. WTF? Yeah, I know. When I go to a bar it’s to talk to friends and enjoy good beer, not slam down as much alkeehol as I can so I can get like totally wasted, man. The more upscale bars usually tone down the noise, but it is still far too loud to carry on a decent conversation without repeating every third sentence. I can’t imagine that the clientele there really enjoys it. What gives? ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/270 "2006-07-10T19:32:21Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Is it okay to do this (wear the headband with ears thing, not the being-a-furrie bit – although I see nothing wrong with either one) for Halloween? Because even though I’ve never tried the furrie lifestyle, I have been known to be goofy enough to wear those other things for special occasions, like the above or for a spin around the fair. No, I mean the sort of person who wears animal accessories because they want to be an animal, or think they were an animal in their past life, or think they are an animal trapped in a human’s body. I also know that not all of these people have sexual fantasies about animals, but it’s still too close to beastiality for me (probably related to my hatred of people who abuse animals). ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/271 "2006-07-10T19:48:03Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > All volunteer Army, Yes it was. They make you **buy** the vehicles you use in the Army? They must get paid well. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/272 "2006-07-10T22:08:47Z")
> [@davenportavenger](#): > > True, and those types of books comprise a good deal of my roommate’s collection. I counter that by saying that I’m really not into art or photography, which usually makes people look at me like I have seven heads. Also, I seem to have been born without “the collector gene” as my boyfriend calls it, so I have no use for books once I finish them, and I don’t care about keeping them in good condition. To me, (most) books are disposable–I usually don’t reread them, and I don’t care how they look (almost all my books being text-only). Eh, different strokes. Well, that makes sense. I’m a huge history buff, as most people here know-I’m obsessed with old European royalty and ocean liners. Ditto fashion history and _Star Wars_. So I have a bunch of “coffee table books” on them, and they’re just wonderful. I like to find books on my interests. I also love to re-read books. Even non-fiction. But not everyone’s like that, so it’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/273 "2006-07-11T14:01:34Z")
> [@davenportavenger](#): > > Yeah, I know. When I go to a bar it’s to talk to friends and enjoy good beer, not slam down as much alkeehol as I can so I can get like totally wasted, man. The more upscale bars usually tone down the noise, but it is still far too loud to carry on a decent conversation without repeating every third sentence. I can’t imagine that the clientele there really enjoys it. What gives? If it’s a meat market, it provides a good excuse to lean in close to your intended hook-up’s ear and shout sweet nothings. Plus, getting carried away by pumping music is a pleasure all on its own. And it allows people to sing along and not be embarrassed by less-than-perfect voices. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/274 "2006-07-11T16:51:58Z")
You know, I thought I had a lot of these, but I can only think of a couple that really are unshakable. **Soccer Moms** : Middle- to upper-middle-class white stay-at-home moms between 25 and 45 who wear tank tops and cotton gaucho pants (this year. Last year? Track pants, and before that, capris) and drive SUVs to the grocery store and the mall during the day in order to abuse the employees of said establishments. They buy in big to the whole “cult of the child”, and tend to utterly ignore everyone and everything that’s not their children. They talk in this irritated, dismissive tone of voice to the employees while at the same time fawning over their precious angels. These people embody everything that’s wrong with America, and I won’t hear different. This prejudice has been built up over years in retail; I find it a little distressing, because I pride myself on seeing people as individuals and not as stereotypes. But I won’t give it up. **Rush, Coulter, and O’Reilly fans** : Idiots all. I can be friends with these people, as long as we set boundaries on discussion. If they’re rabid about it, forget it. ---
**Author:** ![Dottygumdrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Dottygumdrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dottygumdrop)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/275 "2006-07-11T16:57:04Z")
I dunno if it’s a fact or an irrational prejudice, but all Saudi drivers are @$$holes! I truly believe that Saudi boys have their driving licence stamped on their foreskins before they are born, so they can have it snipped off and laminated for use later in life! They all (with NO exception) drive like they have an Og-given right to be on the road, regardless of their [lack of] skills! I live in Bahrain (an independent nation, which most Saudis treat as an extension of the Eastern Province). I am soooooo fed up with the insane ducking and weaving, zigging and zagging and stopping anywhere (including in the middle of a main road) to let the wife/wives and 12 children out to go shopping. They seriously drive (and park) like they were all Hummer drivers, even though a lot of them drive really nasty beat-up Crown Victorias or Lincoln Town Cars! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/276 "2006-07-11T18:42:52Z")
After reading [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=379220) , and wishing I hadn’t, I have to add that, yes, I do think that anyone who has sexual congress with animals must be mentally ill. I doubt anyone will shake me of that prejudice anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![shizaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@shizaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shizaru)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/277 "2006-07-11T19:50:12Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > All volunteer Army, Yes it was. I hope that you don’t mean that in a mean spirited way. Because I have an unshakable prejudice against people that belittle the armed forces with little or no reason. You don’t have to join the military, you don’t even have to like the military, but you should at least respect the people that are in it. People that do that I think are either to chickenshit to have joined so they try to cover that by making it seem like they’re too smart/hip/etc to do so, or plain stupid and ungrateful. Especially if they use any kind of conflict the military is in like “You kill people for oil”. Hah…impress me then and don’t use anything that is made with, from or uses oil in any way. (that includes electricity, heat, your car, etc) You don’t got to wave a flag, but understand your gripe with any war is with the government, not the guys and gals defending your right to be an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/278 "2006-07-11T21:40:33Z")
> [@Grelby](#): > > I don’t care about the ones who smoke [marijuana], as long as it isn’t a focal point of their very existence; it’s the ones who are _obsessed_ with it that bother me. … Yeah, it’s a prejudice, but I think people who are obsessed with their marijuana habit really need to grow the hell up. Corollary: Anyone who talks up how wonderful hemp is for everything from jewelry to clothing to food, and how the government conspires with manufacturers of synthetic fiber to “keep hemp down”, is really just saying “I love to smoke pot, but since I don’t want you to dismiss me as a mere stoner, I’m putting an environmentally-sensitive populist spin on my devotion to getting wasted as often as I can.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/279 "2006-07-12T02:01:35Z")
Well it’s more of a pet peeve than an unshakable prejudice, but people who are self-righteous about not drinking alcohol really annoy me. If I offer you a beer, you can simply say “No, thanks.” You don’t have to give me a sneering, “I don’t _drink beer_.” I actually have a celebrity story about this. I was a happy Duke grad attending the 1992 Final Four. After Duke won the title game, my date and I found ourselves sharing an elevator with Grant Hill. My girlfriend drunkenly offered Grant a celebratory beer, to which she received the icy reply, “_I_ don’t _drink_.” In fairness, Grant was only a college sophomore at the time, so we can make some allowances. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351/280 "2006-07-12T02:43:48Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Well it’s more of a pet peeve than an unshakable prejudice, but people who are self-righteous about not drinking alcohol really annoy me. > > If I offer you a beer, you can simply say “No, thanks.” > > You don’t have to give me a sneering, “I don’t _drink beer_.” > > I actually have a celebrity story about this. I was a happy Duke grad attending the 1992 Final Four. After Duke won the title game, my date and I found ourselves sharing an elevator with Grant Hill. My girlfriend drunkenly offered Grant a celebratory beer, to which she received the icy reply, “_I_ don’t _drink_.” > > In fairness, Grant was only a college sophomore at the time, so we can make some allowances. However, if you know me and know that I don’t drink, and continue to offer me alcohol (especially if you are drunk), that makes you a moron. And there is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unshakable-prejudices-do-you-have/363351.md?page=15)