# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/121 "2022-03-14T05:35:06Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I do think a lot of it’s dominance-related. Human smiles can mean a lot of different things, from being genuinely glad to see somebody to thinking something’s funny; but one of the common things they mean is polite submission. (Interestingly, there are also aggressive smiles.) The great thing about wearing masks: They are the Great Equalizers. No wonder the Maskholes object! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/122 "2022-03-14T05:37:24Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And what about gay men who lisp? I’ve known thousands of gay men, and can think of only one with a lisp. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’ve met thousands of gay men and i can’t actually think of any who lisp. Statistically, given the prevalence of adult lisping is somewhere north of 15%, that seems highly unlikely. I know several gay men who lisp quite strongly. But in none of them is it the stereotypical “gay lisp” (which isn’t actually a lisp), it’s much more the speech impediment kind. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/123 "2022-03-14T05:43:19Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Rabbits having sex.   > > Supposedly happens a lot. I’ve never seen it. 🐇 People having sex. Supposedly happens a lot. But how often, or how many people, have you seen doing it? (Must be something that doesn’t happen in public much? You know, kinda like reading the Bible.) ---
**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:** [March 14, 2022, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/124 "2022-03-14T11:04:25Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Catcalling of women. I think that used to be more common than it is now. It happened to me when i was in my twenties, but not too often. I tried to avoid it, though. My mom said it was common when she was young, and she liked it. None of my younger friends had complained of it, and i think they would. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/125 "2022-03-14T11:36:33Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Rabbits having sex. > > Supposedly happens a lot. I’ve never seen it Rabbits are **crepuscular** , most active at dawn and dusk. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/126 "2022-03-14T11:50:08Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > People having sex. > > Supposedly happens a lot. But how often, or how many people, have you seen doing it? You and I have obviously led quite different lives. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/127 "2022-03-14T12:04:55Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What I don’t get about those complaining about people buying steak with “food stamps” is what do they think happens to the price of the steak? For a short time I was on SNAP (food stamps), and yes I bought stake with it, also lobster which was somewhat of a test as it’s not supposed to be used to buy live animals (answer you can). I didn’t get it often, and such spending would quickly deplete it, but it something that really helped me being able to. When I could afford food (before SNAP), I would actually spend very little on food, and deprive myself, though I could afford anything I wanted barring very expensive stuff like gold plated truffled albino lobster. But really spent as little as I could. A large part of this was a self imposed feeling that I didn’t deserve good food, I was not worthy enough to have it and the good stuff was not for me. Change of circumstances had me apply for SNAP, which I found my balance growing though I was using it every chance I got. I was using perhaps 1/2 of the close to $200/month. At the same time I was working on myself and one day decided to use some of that to buy higher end foods. Over time I found where that monthly allowance landed. Mostly basic foods + some better stuff + a treat one a month sort of zeroed it out. From that I learned a great deal of my worthiness as a person in society was of higher value then my own view of my worthiness. It was very therapeutic and very helpful. Even if people on SNAP don’t make that realization, it has to help them not be on subsistance rations but know that society values them, so I don’t fault them for buying some luxury goods, after all it’s supplemental, and it’s also limited, so if they spend it on expensive food they have to make up the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/128 "2022-03-14T12:08:52Z")
Bad luck on Friday the 13th is definitely one. Despite its dire reputation, I can never remember experiencing anything awful on a Friday the 13th. If it happens just one time, though, I’m sure some people would say, “See, Friday the 13th!” ---
**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:** [March 14, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/129 "2022-03-14T12:36:50Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > People buying steaks/lobster with food stamps in line at the grocery store in front of them. Bonus points for loading them into their new Cadillac. I haven’t seen steak/lobster purchases on food stamps, but I’ve definitely seen it abused in the grocery store on numerous occasions. What I see is 2 people in line, obviously together. The first one uses their food stamp card to buy chips, soda, snacks. The second uses private funds to buy alcohol, cigarettes, and other non-food-stamp items (in large quantity). Based on the number of times I’ve seen this pattern, the obvious plan is that the SNAP customer is going to trade or share their government-paid food for alcohol and tobacco. It looks like they’re actually using SNAP for cocktails and party snacks, based on the fact that the “legit” purchases are sodas and chips. But of course some people subsist on junk food, so I’m not 100% confident guessing it’s a party. I have no problem with a SNAP customer buying steak or lobster. People need a little variety and enjoyment in their diet, not just calories, and I’m OK subsidizing that. But alcohol and cigarettes are purely harmful. If the government won’t ban them outright, the least we can do is not supply it for free. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/130 "2022-03-14T12:37:51Z")
Paying estate tax. Unless your estate is over $12M, your heirs won’t pay estate tax. Yet people on modest means are convinced that when they die, the government is going to wind up with all the money. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/131 "2022-03-14T12:47:59Z")
> I basically never see kids being allowed to run amok and scream in public places while their parents make no effort to control them. People complain about that, sometimes on this board, all the time. I certainly see children behaving badly, but AFAICT \>99% of parents respond appropriately. I work retail, and I like to eat out. I have seen A LOT of it. I’ve seen it as a shopper too, usually in big box type stores but occasionally in smaller establishments. I am not a kid-person, so maybe it grates on me more than someone who’s a parent and has learned to tune that stuff out. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/132 "2022-03-14T12:50:52Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > “I read the Bible every day.” It must always be in private. The only time I ever see someone with a Bible in public, they’re either cradling it like a kitten or holding it aloft and pounding the cover. It’s a great prop, but I never see anybody using it like a book. I use a bible app, and lots of time use it as a audiobook. I even talk to those JW that go door to door and they typically more and more use a digital version. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/133 "2022-03-14T13:03:39Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And what about gay men who lisp? I’ve known thousands of gay men, and can think of only one with a lisp. They don’t actually lisp, that’s a speech impediment, but a certain kind of gay man absolutely talks differently than either straight men or women. I grew up with a boy who came out (well, to me and his parents anyway) when he was about 17, and at that time started hanging out in the Castro whenever he could get out there. His whole manner of speaking changed then, from talking like everyone else to a sort of theatrical lilt. It happened in a few months. It’s not genetic, it is learned, a kind of tribal ID. I believe that’s what people mean when they say lisp to mean a gay male accent. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/134 "2022-03-14T13:29:37Z")
Echoing previous comments, I have a buddy who has worked in HVAC home repair/install for the last 10-15 years and says he’s never been propositioned (he’s fit and in the bounds of conventionally attractive) nor does he know anyone else with a credible account of it happening. Sort of related, the old saw about men who slip on a wedding ring and suddenly have women falling all over them. I’ve heard people pontificate on why it happens – forbidden fruit, power over the other woman, guy’s obviously a catch if he’s married, know you can have a fling without him getting attached, etc – but never known anyone this has actually happened to (myself included). While I don’t doubt that there’s certain women who do get a kick out of luring a married guy, I don’t think they’re thick enough on the ground that slipping on a ring will have them hitting on you become a commonplace occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/135 "2022-03-14T13:33:25Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I have a serious male case of “Resting Bitch Face” so a few times a month I’ll have random women tell me to “smile more”, so I’m guessing this is one of those things that happens to both sexes. People used to tell me this as well, often saying something like “What’s so awful?” Well, I might have answered, I filed for divorce this week and I have no idea what the future brings… Anyway a little thing called COVID came along and we started masking. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/136 "2022-03-14T13:41:13Z")
Not sure if this fits the OP, but there are things a lot of people claim that are primarily due to delusion: “I’m allergic to MSG. If I consume it I’ll breakout in sweating, flushing, etc.” “Diets don’t work for me. Even if I go on a calorie-restricted diet, I won’t lose any weight.” ---
**Author:** ![SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/137 "2022-03-14T14:10:09Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What I don’t get about those complaining about people buying steak with “food stamps” is what do they think happens to the price of the steak? It’s not magically gone. The money is still coming to the store and means that the person using assistance is lowering the amount of money available to buy other things. I don’t think that’s true. Most people who receive Food Stamps receive far more in benefits than they can actually use and end up either selling the excess (illegally) or (more common in my personal experience) offering them for free to friends and relatives, and if all that fails, just throwing it out. At this time in particular, with the economy struggling to produce enough to go around, this is particularly harmful. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Not so much food stamps, as WIC, which is for low- and moderate-income families with pregnant women and/or children under 5. Only certain brands are permissible under WIC, and I’ve definitely gone into grocery stores in low-income areas and it was really obvious what the WIC brands were, because the shelves were full of those brands of juice, cereal, etc. Beyond that, WIC recipients are price insensitive, because WIC pays for X number of items versus $X. So stores which cater to a lot of WIC recipients tend to jack up the prices of WIC-eligible items (which of course impacts other people shopping for those items). > [@Ulfreida](#): > > His whole manner of speaking changed then, from talking like everyone else to a sort of theatrical lilt. AFAICT, the stereotypical gay voice is more nasal and somewhat higher pitched. But I have no idea how valid the stereotype is, if at all. (This type of thing is particularly subject to confirmation bias, since you don’t know the sexuality of the vast majority of people you encounter.) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/138 "2022-03-14T14:30:12Z")
> [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](#): > > I don’t think that’s true. Most people who receive Food Stamps receive far more in benefits than they can actually use and end up either selling the excess (illegally) or (more common in my personal experience) offering them for free to friends and relatives, and if all that fails, just throwing it out. At this time in particular, with the economy struggling to produce enough to go around, this is particularly harmful. In Massachusetts the average SNAP benefit is $121 per person per MONTH. If that is “far more in benefits than they can actually use” they aren’t shopping for more than 50% of their food (i.e. they are eating in restaurants/takeout a LOT) We certainly have folks coming into our food pantry at the end of the month because they have run out of both SNAP and cash. And these aren’t people who I would think are blowing all their income on luxuries. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/139 "2022-03-14T14:32:10Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Is the “Pandemic Adoption and Return Later” thing real though? > > I remember seeing a ton of new stories about people who adopted a pet right at the start of the pandemic when they got laid off or had to work from home, only to try to return the animals after they went back to work. Our Great Dane, Huck, was one of those dogs. The former owners bought him as a puppy right at the beginning of lockdown. By January he was in the shelter. One of his “pros” on his list of pros and cons the shelter had from the owners was that he could stay in a crate for 10-12 hours/day. 😒 One of his “cons” was that he was too big. 🤔 He is not in a crate at all anymore and we love our big beast. 🥰 ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-something-that-people-claim-happens-a-lot-but-you-have-rarely-or-never-witnessed-it/960965/140 "2022-03-14T15:20:58Z")
Many years ago, I was single. When I couldn’t find anybody that I liked (who liked me in return). I thought, “It could be worse; I could be gay.” Meaning, look at the math. I think one estimate I read in college was that 7-10% of men are gay. So if I were a gay man, about 90% would not be interested in me (or any other man) from the git-go. In contrast, the percentages are that if a woman interests me, she’s probably straight and still a possibility. All that led me to wonder how gays spot each other in everyday situations? Many years later I encountered the term “gaydar.” I guessed that maybe a gay man lisping (or other affectation) was a way of putting out a signal. If I’m in the presence of a gay man and he isn’t interested in me or any other males in the room, maybe he doesn’t put out that signal or perhaps doesn’t exaggerate it. But now that a lot of them are out of the closet etc. they don’t need to. > [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](#): > > This type of thing is particularly subject to confirmation bias, since you don’t know the sexuality of the vast majority of people you encounter. Yep. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/59HpKD3u6ks/maxresdefault.jpg "Lyle, the Effeminate Heterosexual - Saturday Night Live") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59HpKD3u6ks) [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=6) [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=8)