# What's something that people claim happens a lot, but you have rarely, or never, witnessed it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965 "2022-03-13T00:27:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/401 "2022-05-21T19:09:47Z")
You’re not. I haven’t either. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/402 "2022-05-21T19:15:13Z")
I mean, I’ve seen things in the sky that I could not identify, but I did not have any reason to believe that they were extraterrestrial. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/403 "2022-05-21T22:06:56Z")
My wife (of 58 years and counting) gently fed cake to each other. None of my three kids (married 30, 25, and 15 years to their original spouses) did it either. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/404 "2022-05-21T22:48:52Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Women randomly taking off their tops at places that aren’t Mardi Gras. I’ve heard of this. It’s a phenomenon known as “women trying on clothes in store dressing rooms”. I assume it happens a lot but I have rarely\* or never seen it. \*maybe once or twice while with a girlfriend shopping ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/405 "2022-05-21T23:09:23Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > > [@Jackmannii](#): > > > > People spitting on military personnel in uniform\* to show opposition to government policy. > > That was exclusively, or very nearly so, a Vietnam-era thing. True. But Americans are still getting their saliva all over random military personnel in uniform these days. Only now it’s from blowing\* them. \*or whatever gratuitous oral sex is indicated. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/406 "2022-05-22T00:08:42Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Many women I know report that they have been told by a man to smile. I’ve never seen that, or anything like it. I guess they don’t do it in front of witnesses? As usual, [Bill Hicks is on it](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1216250-i-just-have-one-of-those-faces-people-come-up): > _“I just have one of those faces. People come up to me and say,_ > > ‘What’s wrong?’ > > _Nothing._ > > ‘Well, it takes more energy to frown than it does to smile.’ > > _Yeah, you know it takes more energy to point that out than it does to leave me alone?_” ETA: what is that now, four posts in a row? Sorry, but my ADHD is such that I can’t organize things any better. I do try to add new “posts” into the previous ones if too much time hasn’t passed. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/407 "2022-05-22T02:35:25Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > I swear I am the only person in existence who has not seen a UFO nor a ghost. ☹ I haven’t either. A while back I spent 9 years living in my grandparents big old house; my great great grandma died there. 3 other family members who had spent time there said that the house was definitely haunted and they’d felt or heard spooky things there. Other people in the neighborhood thought that the place was haunted too. But I never felt any ghosts there at all. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/408 "2022-05-22T03:18:49Z")
My wife and I didn’t do the cake smashing thing either, but that was 40 years ago. Last weekend we saw something that we never thought we would see: at a birthday party for a two year old girl, the parents brought out two cakes, one a decorated sheet cake, plus a smaller round cake that the birthday girl posed with for pictures. When the pictures were done, the parents then each grabbed a chunk of the cake and proceeded to pelt each other with cake for the next five minutes, chasing each other outdoors and around the house while the girl cried. The parents aren’t married, and I worry for them as a couple if they ever do. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/409 "2022-05-22T03:40:37Z")
I worry for the poor little girl. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/410 "2022-05-22T03:41:02Z")
I have seen the cake smashing thing. None of my close friends did it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/411 "2022-05-22T15:13:58Z")
I have never seen a tornado and we get them regularly here in the Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/412 "2022-05-22T18:07:43Z")
I’ve often seen “hale the size of tennis balls (or softballs)” reported in my general vicinity, but while I’ve seen many, many halestorms, I’ve never seen it larger than the size of a small marble, and I hope I never do. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/413 "2022-05-22T18:27:46Z")
Biggest I saw were about ice cube sized, and only a few out of mostly marble sized hail. And that was bigger than average size for up here in the northeast where hail is usually pretty small stuff. I figured in the big hail regions of the country it’s mostly something ice cubed size with a few of the baseball and softball sized stones mixed in. There’s enough of those big ones for someone I know to spend the summer down south doing paintless dent repairs on cars and trucks. The insurance companies send him to their customers to work on. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/414 "2022-05-22T19:38:45Z")
One of my FBFs works at a big box store, and a couple weeks ago, she posted that a female passerby said, “Why don’t you smile? Things can’t be that bad.” She replied, “Actually, they are. My husband has stage 4 cancer…” and went from there. The woman tucked her tail away and walked off. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/415 "2022-05-22T20:35:25Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > My wife (of 58 years and counting) gently fed cake to each other. Your wife gently fed cake to each other ? What were _you_ doing at the time ? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/416 "2022-05-22T20:48:04Z")
Talking amongst himself? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/417 "2022-05-24T13:19:13Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Many women I know report that they have been told by a man to smile. I’ve never seen that, or anything like it. I guess they don’t do it in front of witnesses? It is in the same category as other harassments of women, men just never seem to see them although they are continual for women. There have been enormous threads on the subject. Most men remained unconvinced, despite the testimony of all six women left on the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/418 "2022-05-24T13:24:42Z")
I will frequently hear people say “Someone stole my \_\_\_\_!” Rarely has the object actually been stolen. The person has forgotten or misplaced the item almost every time. (To be fair, there are some neighborhoods/communities where stealing things is common. But not the places where I live/work/otherwise spend my time. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/419 "2022-05-24T15:15:26Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > It is in the same category as other harassments of women, men just never seem to see them although they are continual for women. There have been enormous threads on the subject. Most men remained unconvinced, despite the testimony of all six women left on the Dope. I’m not saying that I’m not convinced, I’m just saying that I’ve never witnessed it. It’s like being told that as soon as I leave the room, everyone puts lampshades on their heads, and when I return, they remove them and hide them. Bizarre and disturbing. It’s hard to grasp such an oddball thing that’s reportedly everywhere but I never see it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/420 "2022-05-24T15:24:57Z")
I’m a wedding photographer with around 350 or 400 weddings under my belt. It’s not something I see often with my clientele. That said, I did see it three weeks ago and was a bit surprised, as it had been a few years since I’ve last seen it. I would guess of all the wedding I’ve shot, I’ve seen this maybe 20 times, and most of those times were at the beginning of the wedding portion of my photography career in the mid-2000s. That tradition has faded away, although it does exist in certain circles (whom are not so much my clientele now.) I’m not sure who came up with the idea of celebrating a couple’s love by smashing an expensive frosted baked good into your soul mate’s face, nor why everyone went along with it. SImilarly, as weird as the bouquet toss is, what’s up with the garter removal ceremony? How the hell did _that_ become a thing, along with the associated toss to go with it? That’s another tradition that has gone mostly gone the way of the dodo, at least among my couples. I see it maybe 10-15% of the time now, and bouquet tosses are probably under 50% as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965.md?page=22)