# Winter's a-coming! Season of Death Mini-Rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 18, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833 "2010-09-18T09:03:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 51
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1001 "2010-11-22T20:49:10Z")
I’d like it better if it were _ **X-TREEM** _. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1002 "2010-11-22T21:21:42Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > And there is the Extreme. I did NOT say anything like the second line there. What you said was: > [@Chimera](#): > > There are people, usually extroverts, who simply cannot imagine NOT being around others, especially on holidays. \*\*They call you a loser \*\*if you’re not going out to the bars every friday and saturday night, because they think there’s something wrong with you (or in reality, \*\*fear there may be something wrong with themselves) if you (they) are not constantly surrounded by others. Their entire self-image is wrapped up in popularity \*\*and the support and presence of others. **Being alone is scary, and a sign of weakness and flaw**. There’s a difference between wanting to make certain that an acquaintance knows that s/he is welcome in your home on Thanksgiving if they choose, and calling them a loser for not being around people. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1003 "2010-11-22T21:23:37Z")
Dell, your website is fucking useless. The “Tech Specs” tab :rolleyes: for your laptops is fucking _anything but_. I’m trying to help my mother find a new computer, and your “details” are clearly designed for people who pick their laptops based on the color and finish of the fucking case. But thanks for giving me fifty shots of the glossy lid with \*nothing \*useful of the front/sides/back so that I could at least hazard a guess about the input and output connections, since apparently it’s more important to tell me that there’s no webcam than to enumerate the actual fucking features of the device. You fucking retards. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1004 "2010-11-22T21:33:05Z")
Dude, you’re getting a Dell! What did you expect? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1005 "2010-11-22T21:37:16Z")
Not at this rate, she’s not. 😃 Just looking at options for the moment. Somehow she had an idea that she’d be able to get a good laptop (laptop, not netbook) for like $300. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1006 "2010-11-22T21:40:01Z")
On Black Friday, maybe. If she’s willing to be at the store at 2 AM armed for bear. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1007 "2010-11-22T22:02:38Z")
\*Obscenely \*doubtful, for what she thought she’d be able to get. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1008 "2010-11-22T22:21:42Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > There are people, usually extroverts, who simply cannot imagine NOT being around others, especially on holidays. They call you a loser if you’re not going out to the bars every friday and saturday night, because they think there’s something wrong with you (or in reality, fear there may be something wrong with themselves) if you (they) are not constantly surrounded by others. Their entire self-image is wrapped up in popularity and the support and presence of others. Being alone is scary, and a sign of weakness and flaw. There are people, usually made of straw, that you simply cannot imagine NOT creating solely for the purpose of decimating with a few brave strokes of your keyboard. Their entire purpose is to help you put on airs of superiority in order to mask your own deeply ingrained and debilitating sense of inadequacy. Being a social outcast is scary and humiliating, so you recast your own loser’s pedigree as some kind of principle, much like the “celibate by choice” failbags who couldn’t get laid in a Nigerian whorehouse with a Centurion Card. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1009 "2010-11-22T23:11:44Z")
I’m confused now; are the imaginary losers the ones who ask people over for Thanksgiving, or the people who don’t want to be asked? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1010 "2010-11-23T00:05:47Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > There’s a difference between wanting to make certain that an acquaintance knows that s/he is welcome in your home on Thanksgiving if they choose, and calling them a loser for not being around people. Oh absolutely. When I was married, we made sure to have Thanksgiving with friends who didn’t have family (some by choice), and we never made anyone feel guilty for coming or for not coming. But there are people, such as the wife of a former friend, who think that people who like to spend time alone are ‘damaged goods’. I’m quite certain that she is a very rare specimen and there are more people who just think loners are wierd. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1011 "2010-11-23T02:22:54Z")
I don’t know if this happens to other people, but it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I’m really sick of the fake spiced apple scents that seem to permeate most department stores this time of year. And by “sick” I mean that literally: does anyone else get sick to their stomach and get a wicked headache when exposed to that crap? I end up feeling so awful after being assaulted by that stuff that I forget half of what I went to the store for, necessitating a return trip and another exposure to it…it’s a vicious cycle. So businesses, if you want people’s money, stop making them sick with these terrible “festive” smells! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1012 "2010-11-23T02:43:08Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I don’t know if this happens to other people, but it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I’m really sick of the fake spiced apple scents that seem to permeate most department stores this time of year. I only shop at Walmart for groceries (and the one down the road from me isn’t a full grocery store (ie, no produce)) and go in through the garden center side entrance, but… DAMN THAT SMELL IS STRONG! ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1013 "2010-11-23T02:49:48Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Not at this rate, she’s not. 😃 Just looking at options for the moment. Somehow she had an idea that she’d be able to get a good laptop (laptop, not netbook) for like $300. :smack: There’s always getting a laptop from a [police auction](http://www.propertyroom.com). It might not come with a hard drive, but hot damn, you can get a laptop there on the cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1014 "2010-11-23T06:40:50Z")
Let’s just close the schools, then. Let’s just shut down the fucking Lousy-D school system. Cutting **history**? Why, because students enjoy it and anything they don’t hate must not be doing them any good? (I realize that I may be shooting my mouth off before I have all the facts. I rather **hope** I’m wrong and there’s nothing to be angry about. Just wanted to vent.) ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1015 "2010-11-23T07:05:42Z")
Chain up your damn dog!! Yes, you’re outside city limits so there’s no law saying you have to. Yes, lots of farm dogs run free. But guess what? You’re outside city limits and the speed limit’s much higher. And most of those free-range dogs have the training/self preservation not to come charging in front of moving cars. Twice this week I’ve had to stand on my brake to avoid hitting your yappy ball of fur as it shot out of bushes towards my front tires. You keep your livestock behind a fence. So why doesn’t your dog warrant any precautions? Is it cause you’ll lose a shitload more money if one of your cows causes an accident? Idiots. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1016 "2010-11-23T11:41:57Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m confused now; are the imaginary losers the ones who ask people over for Thanksgiving, or the people who don’t want to be asked? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1017 "2010-11-23T16:07:05Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m confused now; are the imaginary losers the ones who ask people over for Thanksgiving, or the people who don’t want to be asked? Can’t it be both? > [@elfkin477](#): > > it’s a vicious cycle Circle. A vicious _[circle](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574248)_. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1018 "2010-11-23T17:16:27Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Can’t it be both? > > Circle. A vicious _[circle](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574248)_. No, a vicious circle is a group of smug, snippy literary critics. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1019 "2010-11-23T17:39:01Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > No, a vicious circle is a group of smug, snippy literary critics. Are you saying we gave Café Society the wrong title? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833/1020 "2010-11-23T18:46:58Z")
Speaking personally, I’m a smug, snippy \*language \*critic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833.md?page=50) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winters-a-coming-season-of-death-mini-rants/554833.md?page=52)