# Your greatest and most august mini-rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 1, 2017, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550 "2017-08-01T06:12:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/41 "2017-08-02T23:51:48Z")
Do y’all not understand what fidget spinners are for? This is a way for people to burn off nervous energy (ADD, anxiety issues etc.) and does not imply that the person fiddling with it isn’t listening. In fact, they’re designed to HELP people pay attention. I pull out my hair (a habit similar to biting your fingernails) and as soon as I find a decent spinner that’s small enough for my stumpy fingers to work one-handed I’m gonna carry that thing with me everywhere I go. To replace the impulse that leads to my trichotillomania. Granted, if the spinners make noise or if they’re using them to actively distract other students (tossing back & forth or something) then that’s not tolerable behavior, of course, but at that point it’s not the spinner it’s the asshole, and your ire could be directed towards Koosh balls or something. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/42 "2017-08-03T01:15:08Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > … and as soon as I find a decent spinner that’s small enough for my stumpy fingers to work one-handed I’m gonna carry that thing with me everywhere I go. To replace the impulse that leads to my trichotillomania. Are you familiar with [fidget cubes](https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Stress-Relief-Fidget-Cube/dp/B071XXLPGZ)? Check product comparisons if you might be interested in one of these, there are substantial differences in quality between the good ones and the cheap knockoffs. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/43 "2017-08-03T01:46:30Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Do y’all not understand what fidget spinners are for? This is a way for people to burn off nervous energy (ADD, anxiety issues etc.) and does not imply that the person fiddling with it isn’t listening. In fact, they’re designed to HELP people pay attention. Just like I couldn’t convince my mother that having the radio on in the car HELPS me pay attention, rather than DISTRACTING me. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/44 "2017-08-03T01:53:27Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Just like I couldn’t convince my mother that having the radio on in the car HELPS me pay attention, rather than DISTRACTING me. Actually learned that from a pastor who said "Actually, Meg listens better when she’s knitting, her husband needlepoints, Dave fills a page of his sketchbook every Sunday, and Pietro paces… “Those people who just sit there? I have _no_ idea what’s going on in _their_ heads…” Btw, my classroom has hit Minimum Ubiquitous Spinnerage, where there’s enough of them spinning that no one notices them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/45 "2017-08-03T03:40:16Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Are you familiar with [fidget cubes](https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Stress-Relief-Fidget-Cube/dp/B071XXLPGZ)? Check product comparisons if you might be interested in one of these, there are substantial differences in quality between the good ones and the cheap knockoffs. My daughter much prefers the fidget cube to the spinner. It was kind of fun for me too, to take part in the kickstarter campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/46 "2017-08-03T06:42:32Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Do y’all not understand what fidget spinners are for? This is a way for people to burn off nervous energy (ADD, anxiety issues etc.) and does not imply that the person fiddling with it isn’t listening. In fact, they’re designed to HELP people pay attention. > > I pull out my hair (a habit similar to biting your fingernails) and as soon as I find a decent spinner that’s small enough for my stumpy fingers to work one-handed I’m gonna carry that thing with me everywhere I go. To replace the impulse that leads to my trichotillomania. > > Granted, if the spinners make noise or if they’re using them to actively distract other students (tossing back & forth or something) then that’s not tolerable behavior, of course, but at that point it’s not the spinner it’s the asshole, and your ire could be directed towards Koosh balls or something. I understand that’s what those who sell them **claim** they are for. I also understand that those who are experts in ADD say otherwise. > **[Whirring, Purring Fidget Spinners Provide Entertainment, Not ADHD Help](https://www.npr.org/2017/05/14/527988954/whirring-purring-fidget-spinners-provide-entertainment-not-adhd-help)** > > They're kids' new best friend and some teachers' worst nightmare. And despite being marketed to help ease anxiety and ADHD, one expert says there's no research to support that claim. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/47 "2017-08-03T09:18:44Z")
Okay. This has finally gotten on my last nerve. I’m on vacation in South Korea, but the following is a common stunt I’ve seen in many places, including the US. So, I’m taking a taxi back to my hotel and there’s a rather clever and, I have to admit, cute little cartoon sticker inside the passenger side door. The sticker advises the passenger to watch out for scooter and motorcycle drivers passing the taxi on the right while the passenger is exiting the taxi. The buses here have those stickers too. The stunt is the morons riding the damn scooters/motorcycles and _passing a bus on the right when the bus is at a bus stop_ or _passing a taxi on the right while it’s obvious the passengers are exiting_. Seriously, how stupid do you have to be to not realize that a bus at a bus stop just might have passengers boarding or exiting the bus? And, anyway, why are you passing a stationary vehicle on the right in the first place? (Yes, traffic drives on the right in South Korea.) Brings to mind something that happened a few years ago in this very city (Busan). One young lady in my church ward had been absent for a couple of weeks. When she was present again, I asked her where she’d been. She replied that she’d been in the hospital for about a week because she got hit by a motorcycle passing her bus as she exited the bus. Well, we had to take the same bus route home after church. When we got to our stop, she exited first but she grabbed the handrail and kicked high and hard out the door. When we got off the bus, she told me she was hoping that she’d connect with some moron on a scooter or motorbike. Personally, I hope she’s continuing to do that and connects each and every time! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/48 "2017-08-03T15:56:59Z")
Eh, I’ve watched idiots on a sidewalk insist on walking right past the door of the bus while it is offloading passengers, stepping right in front of people trying to step off the bus. Selfish morons. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/49 "2017-08-03T15:57:52Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Okay. This has finally gotten on my last nerve. I’m on vacation in South Korea, but the following is a common stunt I’ve seen in many places, including the US. > > So, I’m taking a taxi back to my hotel and there’s a rather clever and, I have to admit, cute little cartoon sticker inside the passenger side door. The sticker advises the passenger to watch out for scooter and motorcycle drivers passing the taxi on the right while the passenger is exiting the taxi. The buses here have those stickers too. The stunt is the morons riding the damn scooters/motorcycles and _passing a bus on the right when the bus is at a bus stop_ or _passing a taxi on the right while it’s obvious the passengers are exiting_. Seriously, how stupid do you have to be to not realize that a bus at a bus stop just might have passengers boarding or exiting the bus? And, anyway, why are you passing a stationary vehicle on the right in the first place? (Yes, traffic drives on the right in South Korea.) > > Brings to mind something that happened a few years ago in this very city (Busan). One young lady in my church ward had been absent for a couple of weeks. When she was present again, I asked her where she’d been. She replied that she’d been in the hospital for about a week because she got hit by a motorcycle passing her bus as she exited the bus. Well, we had to take the same bus route home after church. When we got to our stop, she exited first but she grabbed the handrail and kicked high and hard out the door. When we got off the bus, she told me she was hoping that she’d connect with some moron on a scooter or motorbike. Personally, I hope she’s continuing to do that and connects each and every time! That sounds like a big public safety problem. Are there hefty fines or other punishments for people caught passing stationary vehicles on the right? Is there any way to try to get the police to enforce --or, better yet, prevent–motorcyclists from going around standing buses? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/50 "2017-08-03T16:02:07Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Last Tuesday I woke up at three in the morning in such pain that I could only lie on my side, sweat and vomit. Turned out to be a 7 by 9 mm kidney stone. > > I spent Tuesday and Wednesday night at the hospital, my urologist was not able to break the stone up using the laser. My ureter was apparently too narrow to accept the tools. So he put in a stent and sent me home. > > I never thought I would say that a good day was one when I didn’t have blood in my urine. > > Thursday morning I have a consultation appointment. I hope they can do something about this because it does hurt. > > (Anyone who follows me on Facebook now knows that morphine makes me read Lewis Carroll and make political posts.) I’m so sorry to hear about the kidney stone! I hope stone removal and recovery is as fast and painless as possible. When you get out of your appointment today, tell us how the situation looks. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/51 "2017-08-03T18:06:34Z")
Today’s appointment has been rescheduled to Tuesday. Fuck this shit. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/52 "2017-08-03T19:04:01Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Today’s appointment has been rescheduled to Tuesday. Fuck this shit. That sucks. Fuck kidney stones. And fuck rescheduling of much-needed doctor’s appointments. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/53 "2017-08-03T20:16:33Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Okay. This has finally gotten on my last nerve. I’m on vacation in South Korea, but the following is a common stunt I’ve seen in many places, including the US. > > So, I’m taking a taxi back to my hotel and there’s a rather clever and, I have to admit, cute little cartoon sticker inside the passenger side door. The sticker advises the passenger to watch out for scooter and motorcycle drivers passing the taxi on the right while the passenger is exiting the taxi. The buses here have those stickers too. The stunt is the morons riding the damn scooters/motorcycles and _passing a bus on the right when the bus is at a bus stop_ or _passing a taxi on the right while it’s obvious the passengers are exiting_. Seriously, how stupid do you have to be to not realize that a bus at a bus stop just might have passengers boarding or exiting the bus? And, anyway, why are you passing a stationary vehicle on the right in the first place? (Yes, traffic drives on the right in South Korea.) > > Brings to mind something that happened a few years ago in this very city (Busan). One young lady in my church ward had been absent for a couple of weeks. When she was present again, I asked her where she’d been. She replied that she’d been in the hospital for about a week because she got hit by a motorcycle passing her bus as she exited the bus. Well, we had to take the same bus route home after church. When we got to our stop, she exited first but she grabbed the handrail and kicked high and hard out the door. When we got off the bus, she told me she was hoping that she’d connect with some moron on a scooter or motorbike. Personally, I hope she’s continuing to do that and connects each and every time! When I read the first paragraph, I was going to suggest slamming the door open and hoping it hits a scooter passing by, but your friend beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/54 "2017-08-03T21:36:22Z")
Why do fucking people with fourteen fucking kids in a minivan use the drive-through. At noon. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/55 "2017-08-03T21:49:00Z")
Why do people, after waiting in line at a fast food place, walk up to the counter and only then begin looking at the menu and trying to figure out what to order? I feel like clubbing them over the head and throwing them to the back of the line. Fucking morons. You’ve been standing there waiting. You could have spent that time figuring out what you wanted so you could order it instead of showing everyone what a clueless jackass you are and wasting everyone’s time. That goes triple for idiots with kids. Don’t fucking wait until you get to the counter to ask what they want. And damn, even at the drive-though, if you go to McDonalds, Taco Bell or any other fast food place, you fucking know what they sell. Don’t sit at the speak arguing with your kids. Know what they want before you get there. But oh wait, you mean there are other people in the world? :eek: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/56 "2017-08-03T22:25:08Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Why do fucking people with fourteen fucking kids in a minivan use the drive-through. At noon. Why not? They could go inside and cause a major delay there, why is that better? Don’t worry, I know the answer, which is that it’s better because it wouldn’t inconvenience you. Who cares if it makes someone else unhappy? p.s. see the next post after yours for why it’s not a good idea to take a bunch of kids inside a fast food place during a rush. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/57 "2017-08-03T22:43:46Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Why do people, after waiting in line at a fast food place, walk up to the counter and only then begin looking at the menu and trying to figure out what to order? > > I feel like clubbing them over the head and throwing them to the back of the line. > > Fucking morons. You’ve been standing there waiting. You could have spent that time figuring out what you wanted so you could order it instead of showing everyone what a clueless jackass you are and wasting everyone’s time. Um. There are people in the world (like me) who have impaired vision. I can _barely_ make out the menu boards when I’m starting right at the counter, but not at all otherwise. Why can’t they post a copy of the menu on the wall somewhere in the lobby?:mad: With prices and calorie counts, too, that’d be lovely. Though, no, I don’t hold up the line. I just order the same things – if there’s a fabulous new special I’d love, well, hopefully I’ll see a commercial for it or something. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/58 "2017-08-03T22:55:14Z")
[QUOTE=Monty;2038793And, anyway, why are you passing a stationary vehicle on the right in the first place? (Yes, traffic drives on the right in South Korea.)[/QUOTE] Because that makes it so much easier to snatch the purse or wallet from the passenger and take off on the scooter. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/59 "2017-08-03T23:21:51Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Coupla first-world problems… > > I want to buy a concealed carry leather handbag. All the ones I can find are huge like briefcases, or small and crusted over with rhinestones and tassels and tooled leather, because obviously if I carry a gun it’s because I’m playing cowgirl. God I hate shopping. I guess now I’m an old lady of 47 I’ll have to carry a giant grandma purse and fill it up with Rolaids or lipstick or something. I thought I had a solution to this because my roommate has a nice concealed-carry purse she keeps her handgun in. Turns out she got it at Goody’s twelve years ago and it’s not technically a concealed-carry purse. It has a compartment at the bottom that used to hold a change purse, but is also the right size for a handgun. So my suggestion is to get a time machine and go to a Goody’s in 2005. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550/60 "2017-08-03T23:22:05Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Why do people, after waiting in line at a fast food place, walk up to the counter and only then begin looking at the menu and trying to figure out what to order? Because the menu on the wall is too small to see until you get to the front of the line! That’s because all the fast food joints have crammed so many other items onto the menu (trying to pretend they’re a real restaurant) that they have to keep the print small to fit them all in. And to leave about a quarter of the menu space for flashing, animated advertisements. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-and-most-august-mini-rants/792550.md?page=4)