What unshakable prejudices do you have?

[MrJackboots]

Huh, the BMW thing is interesting, especially as people compare them to Mercedes. I always figured it for the other way around - my mom has a rather expensive Mercedes, and it certainly looks the part, but a nice Camry feels about as comfortable and my freaking Civic (which is a piece of crap which has decent mileage and side airbags as its sole redeeming features) handles better. On the other hand, my friend’s BMW feels like quite a lot of fun. I agree that a lot of 3-series owners have that “trying-to-prove-something” swagger, but drivers in their other models aren’t so bad (except maybe the X-series, but that combines the worst of the BMW and SUV worlds).

Anyhow, my complete list is possibly a little smaller than Martini Enfield’s, but would probably get marked as hate speech were it published, so I don’t know where we stand, respectively. Highlights:

People who don’t use their turn signals do not deserve to be let into the lane. Hey, my car’s five years old and it’ll be their fault for merging into me; I don’t have much to lose. If they signal to get in, I’ll be more than happy to pull back and make some space for them.

On the flip side of Delly’s post, I have yet to meet a Slipknot or ICP fan who has any redeeming features as a human being. Anyone who likes Delerium or Momus can’t possibly be all bad.

People who get their news primarily from TV are a click stupider than people who get it from newspapers. People who watch Fox News are a couple clicks under that.

People who are proud of not reading fail at civilization and should be returned to the wilds. People who’ve only read Dan Brown, likewise. At the very least they should read newspapers.

I have the sneaking suspicion that the world would be a better place if we had a revolution one day and started handing out 9mm brain enemas to the Escalade drivers.

People who order books from Schoenof’s are probably smarter than I am.

[Lightray]

@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? Because it’s the wrong place to put their hand during their national anthem, or because of feigned (or real) respect being shown?

[davenportavenger]

@Anne Neville

davenportavenger is probably experiencing a selection effect- he (she?) is only likely to know that someone is interested in medieval history if that person talks his ear off about it. He’s not likely to notice that someone is into medieval history if that person never talks about it except with others who share that interest.

I think that is true. I guess I shouldn’t say “most SCA members” as much as I should say “anyone who is obsessed with something and won’t shut up about it, especially if it is something that doesn’t interest me.” Which is really more about the lack of social skills than the topic of the obsession. There is a preponderance of these inept people within the fantasy/science fiction “scene,” however.

OK, I thought of another one… people who believe in the supernatural, ghosts and psychics and stuff. I’ve had to suppress many a chuckle at people who are otherwise reasonable but go to and/or do tarot readings and seances. And then, sometimes I don’t suppress it. It’s okay if you do it in fun, but I know people who truly believe, even after they’re informed about cold reading and shown statistics proving that psychics can’t be real. And I have to say that my respect for people like that goes way down. I can’t respect someone who I think is a sucker.

(Nothing pissed me off quite so much as having my womanhood called into question after ragging on someone’s belief in the supernatural. Because see, “we women are spiritual” which means that it is easier to feed us a line of bull. Sadly, whereas a good portion of the women I know are suckers I don’t know any non-crazy men who believe in this crap. Come on ladies, stop being led on! You’re embarrassing us in front of the other genders.)

[Anne_Neville]

@DianaG

Several people here have mentioned public spitting. Hating people who spit in public is NOT an irrational prejudice. It’s disgusting, and unless I missed a memo, completely socially unnacceptable.

I’d say the same applies to people who deliberately hurt animals.

@Mirror Image egamI rorriM

No one cares if it’s 4:20 excpet you.

I don’t smoke pot, and I’m glad when it’s 4:20- it means it’s getting close to the end of the workday, which is generally a good thing.

@fetus

Do you feel similar about people who drive other expensive cars? (I understand if you don’t, I’m curious.)

No, I don’t even notice other expensive cars. I doubt I’d notice BMW’s, either, if I hadn’t had such a scary near miss with one.

@Martini Enfield

People who hate guns, know nothing about them, and refuse to learn

I 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…

@JohnT

Cat owners are anti-environmentalist. We have two cats around and they do nothing but try to kill the birds and the bunnies that we’re trying to keep around our house.

What about owners of exclusively indoor cats? The Neville kitties have never done anything to wildlife or birds (at least since we got them) except watch them and chatter at them.

[Missy2U]

Men who can’t seem to help themselves and ALWAYS have to make a comment regarding sex - in thread after thread - jesus christ - how old are you? TWELVE??? Give it a rest you nitwit.

Men who can’t seem to act like civilized members of society and say some really outrageous and frankly insulting things in public to make themselves appear “cool” when in fact, all they’re doing is degrading not only women, but themselves. Morons.

Constant flirting - dingalings. Jesus - life isn’t band camp - can’t people act like adults? Especially when they ARE adults??

[Mouse_Maven]

People who constantly play their MP3 player or ipod.

Just a moment ago, in the lab , I was shouting that there was a sample tube boiling over and taking it off the hot plate. The student this tube belonged to was within ear shot, but she was listening to her fucking ipod. (She’s also the same student that I lectured about appropriate clothing in a laboratory setting. I’m going to talk to the researcher responsible for this kid.)

whinemoanbitchcomplain. . .

[msmith537]

@LouisB

Texans who brag about being Texans. Texans who brag about Texas. Texans who compare every place in the world to Texas to prove that Texas is best. Texans who won’t shut up about Texas. Texans who defend Tom Delay.

YES!

I was at a weding in Austin where the bride’s side was all from Austin (the groom and our friends were all from NYC area) and they kept going on and on about Austin and how great Austin was until finally I was all like “NEW YORK IN DA’ HOWSE BITCH!!” and punched the bride’s father in the face. At least that’s how it played out in my mind.

Any single woman over 30 has serious mental issues

There is something wrong with people who have never played a sport or done anything athletic in their life (shit, I hate sports and I still golf, rollarblade, ski, run, play hockey and ran track in HS)

Goth kids - dude…so gay

People who don’t drink at all - You don’t have to be a drunken ass, but there’s something odd about a person who can’t enjoy a few beers with friends.

Gay male hairstylists - I will only have my haircut by a gay male hairstylist. When looking for a stylist I actually went from salon to salon with my girlfriend “yeah…he’s pretty gay…I think we can go gayer”.

[DianaG]

@Martini Enfield

People who hate guns, know nothing about them, and refuse to learn.

Better than people who love guns, know nothing about them, and use them anyway. 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?

I hate people who can’t go five minutes without being on their freakin’ cell phone. If they don’t *get * any calls in those five minutes, they feel compelled to *make * one. Are they afraid that people will see them without it?

[D_Odds]

@msmith537

Any single woman over 30 has serious mental issues

Corollary: Any single woman under 30 also has serious mental issues, just different ones.

@msmith537

Gay male hairstylists - I will only have my haircut by a gay male hairstylist. When looking for a stylist I actually went from salon to salon with my girlfriend “yeah…he’s pretty gay…I think we can go gayer”.

You need to find an old world barber, preferably Mediterranean origin. I still haven’t found one to replace my last, now retired, barber. The second someone considers themself a ‘stylist’ - I got no more use for youse.

[enipla]

@DianaG

I hate people who can’t go five minutes without being on their freakin’ cell phone. If they don’t *get * any calls in those five minutes, they feel compelled to *make * one. Are they afraid that people will see them without it?

GAAAAHHHHH. So true.

A Couple of examples.

My Wife will go hiking with a friend of hers in the woods, and the friend will still take/make phone calls.

Also, same friend and certain members of my Wifes family like to make calls when they are driving. They get bored, so they call. Thanks a lot. To make it worse, the call keeps getting dropped and they WILL CALL BACK.

Call me when you have the time and we can actually have a conversation.

[tremorviolet]

@msmith537

YES!

I was at a weding in Austin where the bride’s side was all from Austin (the groom and our friends were all from NYC area) and they kept going on and on about Austin and how great Austin was until finally I was all like “NEW YORK IN DA’ HOWSE BITCH!!” and punched the bride’s father in the face. At least that’s how it played out in my mind.

So, you’ve never been to Austin, I take it?

@FlyingRamenMonster

In the meantime, I discovered comics and video games, two mediums which were refreshingly unpretentious AND appealed to the budding artist in me, and comics contained ideas just as interesting and exciting as those from any book. The last novel I willingly read and enjoyed was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, almost two years ago. I’m sure there’s still a ton of books I’d enjoy, but (and this is true of anything) to get to the good stuff, I’d have to wade through the desolate seas of mediocrity piles of crap. And you know what? I don’t want to. I’d rather be drawing, or playing games, or hanging out with friends now that I actually have them. And that’s why I never read anymore.

You know, I’m the exact same. Huuuuuuuge reader as a kid and up 'til my late twenties; now it’s rare to find a ficiton book that interests me enough to make the effort. I’m much more interested in studying my newish passion, Japanese, when I have free time. The change is so extreme for me, I wonder about it sometimes.
My unshakable bias: I, too, have problems with very overweight people. I’m know it’s difficult and I have some overweight freinds but I don’t get it. I have trouble having sympathy when we eat out and I order a veggie burger and diet soda and they get the queso and cheese enchilada plate and then complain about weight loss difficulties. I gain weight easily and work hard to keep my weight down through diet and exercise and I don’t understand why others can’t.

[velveeta]

I tend to think less of

People with “W” stickers still on their cars - although I do get a kick out of the ones that look picked at and bedraggled.

People with “Kerry” stickers still on their cars

People with Jesus fish on their cars

People with magnetic ribbon anything on their cars

The driver of the truck I was stuck behind the other day with the giant “God Bless America! No comfort and aid to the enemy EVER! No WAY!” sticker. Dude, calm down.
…sensing a trend? I get stuck in traffic a lot.

[FlyingRamenMonster]

@Anaamika

But it’s not an either-or. I don’t draw - I can’t draw worth a damn - but I fill my life, every minute. I spend time with my SO, my friends, sew, bike, garden, play computer games, play video games, am currently working on refreshing my conversational Spanish, work of course, dance daily for exercise, and I read. I can do all that and more. I read much less varied stuff than I did as a child and am more careful with selecting my authors, yes, but I don’t just give up a lifelong hobby like that!

I’m not giving up a lifelong hobby. I mean… the other thing I really liked when I was a kid was horses, but I grew out of that too. Books don’t seem to hold my attention anymore. Here and there there is one that doesn’t make me wonder if I could be doing something more interesting, like cleaning the gutters or peeling vegetables. But the only person able to judge is me, and me would rather do other things. I also do a lot of stuff, like playing with my pigs, or going out for walks, or secretly reteaching myself Chinese, or reading two newspapers (okay, I guess that’s reading). Plus drawing has largely replaced the time I would have spent reading, since I didn’t draw as a kid. Basically, you don’t do a lot of things I do, and I don’t do a lot of things you do, and reading is one of them.

[Diamonds02]

@Missy2U

Men who can’t seem to help themselves and ALWAYS have to make a comment regarding sex - in thread after thread - jesus christ - how old are you? TWELVE??? Give it a rest you nitwit.

Men who can’t seem to act like civilized members of society and say some really outrageous and frankly insulting things in public to make themselves appear “cool” when in fact, all they’re doing is degrading not only women, but themselves. Morons.

Constant flirting - dingalings. Jesus - life isn’t band camp - can’t people act like adults? Especially when they ARE adults??

But you can be hornay at any age.

Actually when I was 12, I didn’t even care about sex. And, I thought oral sex was a fancy name for deep kissing.

[tashabot]

@msmith537

Any single woman over 30 has serious mental issues

Or…she has a high enough self-respect for herself to realize her existence doesn’t need to be justified by someone else in her life. Or maybe she just hates men.

@msmith537

There is something wrong with people who have never played a sport or done anything athletic in their life (shit, I hate sports and I still golf, rollarblade, ski, run, play hockey and ran track in HS)

I don’t do any of those things unless someone forces me to. I hate athletics. I’m unhealthy as shit, but it doesn’t matter, cuz I’m gonna get hit by a bus anyway. Although I will admit that occasionally I’ll dig out my dance pad and play some Dance Dance Revolution when no one’s looking.

@msmith537

People who don’t drink at all - You don’t have to be a drunken ass, but there’s something odd about a person who can’t enjoy a few beers with friends.

There are a lot of reasons why a person may not drink at all. Maybe they don’t like the taste of alcohol (that’d be me). Maybe they don’t like the feeling of the buzz (that’d be my sister). Maybe they’re a recovering alcoholic (that’d be my dad). Maybe they have a really low tolerance (that’d be my mom) or a gastrointestinal disorder like acid reflux that makes alcohol mess with their stomach (pretty much everyone in my family). I go to a karaoke bar every Saturday night and I’m willingly the Designated Driver. I don’t like getting drunk or drinking, and some of my friends and my boyfriend do enjoy a beer now and then, so they can have their fun, and I get to be around the people I care about. It works out for all of us!

[Ichbin_Dubist]

I worked at a gas station part-time in college. All the attendants shared the prejudice that while truckers were mostly nice, people who drove diesel cars were mostly jerks, and that people who drive American-made diesel cars were the worst of all. I found this to hold up pretty well in practice. I guess if you drive a diesel BMW you’re really considering that Prius at this point.

Since I found out what it means, I think anyone with one of those “ACK” stickers on their car is trying to give the impression of being a wealthy elitist and failing. It’s the airport code for Nantucket, apparently. I’d put “I’d rather be sailing” into that category too. Um, if you’re rich enough to own a sailboat, I’d think you were rich enough not be stuck in traffic on the Cross-Bronx right now.

I don’t believe that all single women over 30 are insane, but I Internet-dated for several years and I have the unshakeable prejudice that, regardless of what they say, all childless women between (say) 35 and menopause are looking for someone to fertilize them. I have also known many women who have Internet-dated, and I have the unshakeable prejudice that, regardless of what they say, all childless men between (say) 35 and 50+ want to stay that way. Actually, the prejudices I developed about what people say in their dating profiles and do on dates could take up 100,000 words, probably.

Any tattoo above the neck might as well just say, “I didn’t get quite enough formal education.” And if it said it in Chinese, that wouldn’t make it any cooler.

If you’re a Caucasian male and your head is shaved, you have male pattern baldness.

I’m not a hopeless music snob, but if you own no music CDs of your own I think you may be a robot or from another planet. If you own around 10 and they’re all soundtrack compilations or were obviously given to you as gifts, you are still probably a robot. I don’t feel this way about DVDs or videocassettes, though.

If you’re a Yankees fan, you’re a bandwagon-jumper who knows as much about baseball as I know about curling 8 times out of 10. (The standard test for these people is to ask them the name of the starting shortstop before Derek Jeter.) This also goes for Dallas Cowboys fans outside of Texas 9 times out of 10. This also goes for anyone wearing a Red Sox hat outside of New England that they bought in the last 2 years 10 times out of 10.

Salespeople are insincere. Anyone who’s anyone’s agent or manager, ditto. If you work in the arts or publishing, though, I will give you credit for more soulfulness than you probably have.

There are certain places that I feel if you are male and alone, you are as my Mom would say “up to no good.” Hiking, for one, and the beach. And I say this knowing that I have often done these thing alone and that I am not up to no good. I will amplify this by saying that if you are male and hiking and not wearing quite enough clothing or are at the beach and are wearing too much, you are REALLY up to no good.

[Elza_B]

Baby names. If I hear a parent has given their child a weird name or misspelled a traditional name to make it look YOONEEK (like Aidyn, Marrandah, or Benjymyn - all three spellings I’ve seen), I immediately assume the parents are idiots.

Anyone with a pro-life sticker on their car - I peg them for intolerant, fundamental a-holes.

And yes, non-readers who brag about hating to read.

E.

[D_Odds]

@Ichbin Dubist

If you’re a Yankees fan, you’re a bandwagon-jumper who knows as much about baseball as I know about curling 8 times out of 10. (The standard test for these people is to ask them the name of the starting shortstop before Derek Jeter.)

I’ve been a Yankee fan forever. I remember Bobby Murcer in centerfield. I remember Mel Stottlemeyer pitching. I even remember the second baseman before Willie Randolph - Horace Clark. I remember when Phil Rizzuto was a joy to listen to as an announcer, and when they would drive the relief pitcher from the bullpen in a Toyota. I attented Yankee home games in the Stadium before the renovation and in Shea.

However, I fail your standard test .

[Diamonds02]

@Elza B

And yes, non-readers who brag about hating to read.

Sorry, unless it is non-fiction (which I have like 50+ on my bookshelf), I personally just find reading understimulating and impractical. Those two things are lethal combo for me. One alone is okay, because I do a lot of things that are impractical but stimulating/exciting. An example, watching a short but intense horror flicks. And, I try my best to do things that are understimulating, but very practical. An example, reading books to gain practical knowledge for something that I consider as important.

[Misnomer]

Even after reading through this entire thread, the only negative prejudice I can think of is regarding people who smoke indoors around kids. Smoke if you want to, I don’t care (in fact, I might be the last single nonsmoker on Earth who doesn’t automatically rule out smokers as potential dates), but I tend to think of those who impose cigarette smoke on kids as being thoughtless/self-centered. That includes people who bring kids to smokey bars/pubs.

@gigi

I have a prejudice against people in the military. I keep it to myself because it’s not for me to hurt someone else, I just can’t understand the decision.

I have a prejudice for people in the military.

@Ichbin Dubist

If you’re a Yankees fan, you’re a bandwagon-jumper who knows as much about baseball as I know about curling 8 times out of 10. (The standard test for these people is to ask them the name of the starting shortstop before Derek Jeter.) This also goes for Dallas Cowboys fans outside of Texas 9 times out of 10. This also goes for anyone wearing a Red Sox hat outside of New England that they bought in the last 2 years 10 times out of 10.

So Dallas fans in Texas are ok, and Red Sox fans in New England are ok, but no Yankees fan is legit unless he can rattle off names and statistics? :dubious: