Pet Peeves

[mjr]

What's your pet peeve at work? At home? Just in general?

At work, it drives me 'round the bend when someone takes the last of something and just walks away. Reams of paper, boxes of pens, all the little fiddly bits of office supplies are easily accessable to fill the baskets. Yet time and again I walk in and half the bins are empty. Aargh!!

Or people who can't figure out the copier so they hit pause and leave it for someone else to deal with. Doh!

Come on, give some rant!

[Shawn Powers]

Stupid people.

My brother in law told me recently, "You can't fix stupid." He was so right.

[Lilitu]

Oh god, how do I pick only one? Well, here's one that's fresh on my mind:

No one in my family is capable of closing a goddamn drawer all the way. They always leave them just a little bit open, except for the one next to the fridge, which is frequently all the way open. They also--especially my father and older brother--have difficulty with the idea of closing containers or ziploc bags all the way, so food goes stale faster. No amount of asking, pleading, shouting, or pointed slamming seems to sink in.

[Kate Baker]

I don't mind stupid people. Like someone mentioned, you can't fix stupid. However, rude people drive me absolutely nuts. You have choices when you interact with society and if your choice is to be an absolute ass-candle to your fellow man or woman, you immediately move to my shit list.

If you're a guy and you are in a house filled with women, there are two small things I require: Put the damn toilet seat down after use and replace the toilet paper if you happen to run out. Taking it out and placing it ontop of the empty cardboard does NOT count. It's two extra seconds to rip the thing off the rod and put the new one on. If you have time to read the sports page while in the bathroom, you have time to replace the Charmin.

People who bring their infants/toddlers to movies that aren't specifically designed for the infant/toddler crowd.

People who talk loudly at movies.

People who don't curb their dogs in a public area. Nothing worse than stepping in poo.

My list is relatively short, and they don't normally bother me that much unless I'm already in a bad mood.

[Shawn Powers]

If you're a guy and you are in a house filled with women, there are two small things I require: Put the damn toilet seat down after use and replace the toilet paper if you happen to run out.

I'm a guy that grew up with all women, and now have a wife and 3 daughters. I have been genetically imprinted (I think that happens with life long conditioning...) to not only put the seat down, but also the lid. In fact, the ladies in my household don't always put the lid down -- and it (mildly) annoys me!

I do not understand men that leave the seat up, but there are so many of them. I do think, however, that ladies should put the lid down. It's not fair they shouldn't have to do any seat work after using the throne. :)

[Tim Walker]

replace the toilet paper if you happen to run out.

It's funny, because the whole "men don't replace the roll" thing has never made sense to me, because I always-always-always replace the t.p. There are few things in life about which I'm totally sure I have a perfect record, but this is one of them. My dad, likewise, is a model citizen in this regard. Meanwhile, the ladies in my life . . . well, let us speak of this no more.

[Jeri]

Spelling errors - with a special place at the head of the queue for:

1 - Those who purposely misspell words to make 'cute' brand names (Kountry Kitchen, anyone?).
2 - And those who think they need to use an apostrophe + s to make a plural, like apple's.

[Kate Baker]

I particularly like people who haven't learned that you don't put an ' s after a proper name ending in S.

It's not James's toy or The Smiths's house.

It's James' toy and The Smiths' house, people! :)

[Ray]

OK here is one for you'all...
People who take credit for *YOUR* work....
or
Idiot drivers.
or
Liars.

These are the things that really get me fired up!
GREAT!!! NOW I'M ANGRY JUST THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS!

[WinterIsComing]

At work, elevator rudeness. Do not talk through me to your friend on the other side of the elevator...if you wanted to talk to them, why weren't you standing next to them in the first place? Do not get on, push the button for your floor, and step away, forcing others to lean in and hit their floor number before their chance is gone. Do not be a jerk and make stupid comments just to make the 35-second ride down easier for you. Do not, I repeat, do not pass gas in the elevator.

[Tim Walker]

I particularly like people who haven't learned that you don't put an ' s after a proper name ending in S.

I take your smiley face to heart -- but there is no dispositive answer to this question. I understand your position, and don't have any beef with it, but it is equally correct to say "James's toy."

But don't take my word for it: Mr. Strunk said so, and Messrs. White and Angell haven't seen any need to amend his opinion.

[Kate Baker]

Oh Tim,

Come on, doesn't it just look wrong? :) But you are definitely right, they're generally accepted as long as you maintain consistency throughout your work. You'll always have disagreement as to whether or not the apostrophe s is correct.

[Tim Walker]

Come on, doesn't it just look wrong? :)

I hear your pleas, but I'm a fairly staunch Strunk partisan, so I'm afraid we may just have to agree to disagree on this one. ;)

[Nikitta]

People who write "u" in stead of "you" or replace words or parts of words with numbers. This goes double for companies, brand names and the like. I once saw a some writing material with the name "Eduk-8". My irony meter has not yet recovered from that one.

[Randy]

Internet "grammar"....

There, They're, Their - There are THREE of them, they all have different uses. You learned them in third grade. USE THEM!

Are = Our - This one is REALLY annoying.... "We took are dog the vet today"......AAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH

Definately - ugh


I sometimes use these when talking with people I know that have the same pet peeve, but I do it intenionally and they know it.

[Randy Johnson]

Talking about incorrect grammar reminded me of something I've seen on Judge Judy(yes I watch it) a few times in the recent past. People will be suing for the recovery of a loan and they will say, "I borrowed them the money and they won't return it." Several different people have said that and it greats on my nerves every time I hear it. Unless that's a new modern usage of that word...

[Nathan]

Sorry Randy, but it grates on my nerves when someone talks about how it greats on their nerves. Great post otherwise. lol.

My real peeve. Nextels are so much more obnoxious that cell phones. You get to listen to both sides of a conversation you want no part of.

[Nathan]

"than" not that.

D'oh!

[Sergeant E]

I particularly like people who haven't learned that you don't put an ' s after a proper name ending in S.

It's not James's toy or The Smiths's house.

It's James' toy and The Smiths' house, people! :)

I was taught that, but it actually depends on the style manual you subscribe to.

Anywho, my pet peeve: people who insist on correcting me when I know I'm right.

[Zalandris]

People who change lanes or turn without using their turn-signal. It drives me completely bonkers. Especially when they change from the far left lane to the right to make the exit, in front of me at 90 mph. With NO WARNING!

I swear I had no gray hair before I started having to drive in Texas.

[Mulch]

Ah yes, the car.
From 0 to 60 on the fury scale.
Cut me off...

Details of when it really sux to get cut off:

There is no one behind me. Just wait 3 more seconds...
I'm going 55. I mean, clearly...
The driver thinks they can "just make it without causing a firey explosion" if I slam my brakes in time. Heaven forbid I'm currently fiddling with my bass settings.
Starting to cut me off, not cutting me off, realizing, hey, I can still cut him off, then cutting me off.
Having a car or much more likely, a minivan, full of kids, and cutting me off.
Being in such a rush as to cut me off, then going like 20 mph below the speed limit. Where's your hurry now?
Cutting me off, then immediately making a left or a right turn onto another road. You couldn't have waited 3 bloody seconds?

Hmm, I think that's all of em.
Feels good to get that off my chest. =)

[Snave]

I swear I had no gray hair before I started having to drive in Texas.

Driving in Texas didn't give me gray hair. Never a strand. It was only after I moved to Boston that my hair turned gray. (Of course, being 46 when I moved to Boston, and spending 10 years here might have had something to do with the hair color.)

I have so many pet peeves I could open a peeving zoo! The main one I picked up here is people cheating the yellow line. Just go to any curvy road in Massachusetts and see where the double yellow lines are worn out. They also cheat the corners on left turns and double-lane turns. Arrrghhh!

Which reminds me: If a person from Texas is a Texan, what do you call a person from Massachusetts? I recently found out the non-intuitive answer is "Bay Stater", but when I asked that question to a person from Maine (Mainerd? Mainiac?), he calmly said, "We just call 'em Mass-holes."

[Christian]

People who don't know when to shut off their fucking cell phones.

Hang up motherfucker, and drive.

You with the cart in the middle of the supermarket aisle talking loudly, hang up, or move your cart over.

I don’t care if you need to be reachable by the babysitter, don’t ruin my movie.

True Story: I saw the most beautiful thing earlier this fall. My wife and I usually take a little weekend getaway once year to Washington DC (it’s about a 90 minute drive from us), and we take in the sights. We had put off going to Holocaust Museum for years, because we knew it was going to a be depressing experience. Never the less, we took the plunge in September, and it was a heart wrenching experience – but I’m glad we did it. The way the Holocaust Museum works, they take you in groups of about 15 and put you on elevator to the 3rd floor – and from there you work your way back down to the front entrance. Each group is escorted up by a security guard (we had a rather tough looking young gal from Israel – probably ex-military) during the elevator ride, and she gave us a little speech on the way up. “No eating, no drinking, no gum chewing, NO cell phones, no exceptions”.

She then looked us all in the eye, and asked “Do you all understand what I just told you?”.

Everyone nodded.

So as you can imagine, it only took about 5 minutes before some worthless soccer mom decided she had to take a call. Like magic, security appeared and didn’t even say a word. They simply grabbed this lady by the elbows (one on each side, and one walking behind) and marched her to a black doorway that I hadn’t even noticed. She was flapping her hands and squalling about her rights, that this was unfair, she had to take that call, blah blah blah. Several people near me applauded, and I did as well.

.

[Sergeant E]

Several people near me applauded, and I did as well.

<Rant>
Sometimes ya gotta take a call. What if, like me, you're responsible for the care of an elderly relative? I doubt that was the case with the woman in question, but the kneejerk reaction that people who answer cell phones in normally inappropriate situations are all inconsiderate assholes is just plain wrong. There's been more than one situation in the last couple of years that the cell phone has been a blessing to my family. Don't look down your nose at someone for answering a call simply because it spoils your tranquility. It could be a serious thing that really needs to be addressed.
</Rant>

[Christian]

It could be a serious thing that really needs to be addressed.

This has been beaten to death a million times on any number of forums and blogs. IMHO, it always comes down to one argument:

What did people do before cell phones?

They obviously stuck around if there was something that needed attending to. Just because we have a new piece of technology, does not abrogate our personal responsibility for politeness.

In case you are curious, yes - I have a cell phone, and use it.

.

[Sergeant E]

What did people do before cell phones?

They obviously stuck around if there was something that needed attending to. Just because we have a new piece of technology, does not abrogate our personal responsibility for politeness.

There's nothing polite I can say to such ignorant arrogance, so I'll just note again that I disagree and we had better leave it at that.

[Nathan]

Christian,

I'll repeat that while I may hate people using cell phones in inappropriate and oblivious ways, I absolutely loathe nextels, where you get to listen to both sides of the obnoxious fucking conversation. I was in line at the register in a store recently where a woman was having a very personal fight with her husband/boyfriend (whatever) on her nextel. A few minutes in, he yelled, "Why do you always have to treat me like I'm an asshole?"

Four people in line hollered, "'Cause you're an asshole".

I liked that.

[Nathan]

And Sgt. E,

I silence my cell phone when I'm somewhere it shouldn't ring. When it vibrates, I look at the number to see who's calling.

If it looks important, I get up and walk out before answering if that's possible. If not, I let it go to voice mail and find a way to get somewhere I can return the call.

Your personal (potential) crisis does not excuse being a jerk to everyone else (who, by the way, have no way of knowing that you actually have a reason to answer your phone wherever you are).

BTW, when I was a kid (pre-answering machines, etc.), my mother wouldn't allow anyone to answer the phone during dinner. "If its important, they'll call back", she'd say.

I can live with that.

[Sergeant E]

And Sgt. E,

I silence my cell phone when I'm somewhere it shouldn't ring. When it vibrates, I look at the number to see who's calling.

If it looks important, I get up and walk out before answering if that's possible. If not, I let it go to voice mail and find a way to get somewhere I can return the call.

As I always have done. Do I need to explain that to certain people before I get read the riot act on "politeness"?

[Nathan]

Well, then obviously, you're not the one we're pissing about.

**pissing about? I don't know where that came from but I'm leaving it.**

[Sergeant E]

Well, then obviously, you're not the one we're pissing about.

Then why the lecture, especially since my whole point is that painting with broad brushes is less than the politeness you would have others believe you so esteem?

I aint sayin', I'm just sayin'...

[Snave]

There's nothing polite I can say to such ignorant arrogance...

...before I get read the riot act on "politeness"?

Sergeant E, you can't be as rude as that first excerpt and then complain about not being treated politely. Well, you can, because you did, but the complaint is not justified.

Similarly, you contradict yourself so that it's hard to understand what your point is. First you try to justify inappropriate cell phone use (use when someone explicitly agreed not to use) by saying,

Sometimes ya gotta take a call.

No, there are other ways to handle the situation. When informed of one of the ways, you agree,

As I always have done.

Which is it? Does someone have to take a call in an inappropriate situation, or are other ways to handle it?

Yes, you have other points. Cell phones can be useful. But I regularly assume that someone who is acting like an asshole is really an asshole. I may sometimes be wrong, but I'm right more often than not. If you think I shouldn't be that way, your expectations are unrealistic. No complained about their "tranquility" being spoiled, just that an asshole who was acting like an asshole got her just desserts.

So again, what's your point? Can people have pet peeves about inappropriate cell phone use, or not?

Is some cell phone usage inappropriate, or not?

Was the lady who agreed not to use her cell phone, then used her cell phone behaving inappropriately, or not?

Should you expect politeness after you've been rude, or not?

[Sergeant E]

Sergeant E, you can't be as rude as that first excerpt and then complain about not being treated politely. Well, you can, because you did, but the complaint is not justified.

Excuse me? I was intentionally and explicitly not being as rude as I felt like being. Let's not forget that Christian had just patronized me for having the temerity to suggest that he was broad brushing the subject. Calling that ignorant and arrogant isn't rude, it's stating facts.

Similarly, you contradict yourself so that it's hard to understand what your point is. First you try to justify inappropriate cell phone use (use when someone explicitly agreed not to use) by saying,

Sometimes ya gotta take a call.

No, there are other ways to handle the situation. When informed of one of the ways, you agree,

As I always have done.

Which is it? Does someone have to take a call in an inappropriate situation, or are other ways to handle it?

Once again, excuse me? Did you miss this part: "I doubt that was the case with the woman in question, but the kneejerk reaction that people who answer cell phones in normally inappropriate situations are all inconsiderate assholes is just plain wrong."?

(Emphasis mine.)

But I regularly assume that someone who is acting like an asshole is really an asshole.

Ya think? Perhaps you should scroll up a few and take a look at my contribution to the pet peeve list. I thought I was just making a cute little joke, but you're beginning to make me wonder.

So again, what's your point? Can people have pet peeves about inappropriate cell phone use, or not?

Certainly, as long as they don't assume that everyone's an asshole who finds him or herself answering a phone at an inopportune time.

Is some cell phone usage inappropriate, or not?

So you're calling me stupid, too?

Was the lady who agreed not to use her cell phone, then used her cell phone behaving inappropriately, or not?

I believe I covered that above.

Should you expect politeness after you've been rude, or not?

I think I should expect not to be patronized by someone for pointing out that he's not being very...discerning, shall we say. I think that when patronized I have every expectation to be able to point it out in terms that satisfy me, without somebody (now two somebodies) totally uninvolved in the conversation to be even more insulting in their "defense" of the patronizer.

[Nathan]

Certainly, as long as they don't assume that everyone's an asshole who finds him or herself answering a phone at an inopportune time.

Here's where you lose me, but I live in NY so my default position is to assume that everyone breathing the air I might want in a few minutes is an asshole :).

[Sergeant E]

Here's where you lose me, but I live in NY so my default position is to assume that everyone breathing the air I might want in a few minutes is an asshole :).

That's okay. My ex used to always bug me about being too judgmental. But now it seems not so much. Apparently I'm just a weasely schmoo too ready to suffer assholes.

[willywoollove]

OK here is one for you'all...
People who take credit for *YOUR* work....
or
Idiot drivers.
or
Liars.

These are the things that really get me fired up!
GREAT!!! NOW I'M ANGRY JUST THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS!

hey that was my idea..................Idiot Drivers is my top peeve.....1) not using turn signal 2) cutting into a line of cars that are waiting to turn right by passing them until they can cut in at the turn.

[zizban]

Women who think all men are the same. At work I hear women coworkers exchanging stories about how evil we are and I die a little inside. I'm not like that! Really.

People reading over my shoulder as I write emails, etc. Listen, I don't have any secrets, it's just annoying and makes my skin crawl.

[dulcinea47]

You with the cart in the middle of the supermarket aisle talking loudly, hang up, or move your cart over.

Last week I had a bad cold, and went to the store for soup and OJ. Let me tell you, I'm not normally vindictive, but it felt pretty good to put my germy, germy hand on that woman's cart handle to move it out of my way.

Tailgaters are my biggest driving pet peeve. They are not making me drive faster or getting where they're going any sooner, all they're doing is greatly increasing the chances of a wreck if I have to slam on the brakes for some reason.

[Nathan]

Tailgaters are my biggest driving pet peeve.

If you turn your headlights on and off, it looks to the tailgater like you're hitting your brakes. Do it a few times.

[ship]

Tailgators

Since I drive stick, I just throw the car into third gear when someone is tailgating me at high speed. They come within inches of hitting me and then slam on their breaks. The tailgating stops after that.