What little things drive you completely up the wall....?

[siamesecat2965]

Another thing. When people try to talk you into something and don't take "we can't afford it" for an answer. It's like to them "can't afford it" means "I'm too cheap to splurge".  The same couple, the CG buddy and his wife, go to Disney World so often that they purchased some sort of membership or something which means they get great deals and apparently even own a square foot of the whole park or something, I don't remember.  She said "Oh you and your DH should get it!"

I told her "Well it sounds nice but we can't afford it."  "But it's a great deal! You get this and this and this!" I gently said "Hon, do you remember my husband lost his job earlier this year and just started a new one? Now is not the time for us to be buying theme park memberships when it's going to be a challenge to afford Christmas presents." She dropped it.

I think trying to talk anybody into buying anything after they say 'no' would drive me crazy.  I don't feel I should have to explain why I choose not to buy something.  Even if I can technically afford something, it doesn't mean I am 'cheap' if I choose not to spend money on an item I don't particularly wish to purchase.

Oh I agree!  There are many things people I know spend money on, that I could care less about. And there are things I'm ok on splurging on, once in a while, that others have no use for. For example, I had a former CW try and convince me every day to get an iphone. Nope, sorry, not going to happen. Its not the cost of the phone, but the service! I barely use my phone, really have it more for emergencies, etc. and the fact I drive alone 8 hours to my mom's. So I have a nice prepaid smart phone I pay $25a month for, where the same service with a big carrier, would cost me about $100.

I also am cheap about cars. mine is 11 years old, but still chugging away. I plan on dirving it into the ground, but my limit for a new one is 20K or under. Yet I still have people saying "how about this one or that one" when it comes up in conversation. Nope, sorry, while i have no issue with others paying a lot more for something nicier and fancier than what I'm willing to get, I just can't bring myself to do it.

[Giggity]

The word "gift."

Where I'm from, this is a noun. If you give someone something, you GIVE. You don't "gift." GRRRRRR.

[snowflake]

I also am cheap about cars. mine is 11 years old, but still chugging away. I plan on dirving it into the ground, but my limit for a new one is 20K or under. Yet I still have people saying "how about this one or that one" when it comes up in conversation. Nope, sorry, while i have no issue with others paying a lot more for something nicier and fancier than what I'm willing to get, I just can't bring myself to do it.

*Raises hand*  That's me.  I've got a 14-year-old sedan that is just starting to be high maintenance.  It has over 200K miles on it and serves me well.  I got a terrific deal on it when it was 6 years old and I was able to pay cash for it.  With gas prices being out of control the past few years I'm not exactly wanting a car payment so I'm probably going to look for another 5-7 year-old car in good condition with a good recommendation from consumer reports that I can drive for a decade.

My father is horrified by this mindset.  Yes, he has complained about not having enough money all his life and now his big thing is that I need to buy a brand new SUV just to prove that I can.  Because what if someone sees me drive home in a "new used" car and thinks that I'm not making much money? 

Besides, what else would I do with the money?  He has pointed out that some of my other purchases are somewhat frivolous and not as important as a car.  (That is a valid point.)  Well, maybe I want to afford my silly scrapbooking stuff, my vain shoes AND a car?  I can have both if I do it my way!  Besides, my silly purchases are not as expensive as the payments on a brand-new SUV so I'm leaving some of the "extra" money in the bank.

Oh, and also speaking of car things that drive you up the wall: When it's really foggy and people think it's a good idea to turn on their brights and drive around and that the extra light is beneficial to all - especially for those other drivers coming from the opposite direction.  Thanks!  Now I REALLY can't see.  Yep, I nearly drove onto the sidewalk last night a couple of times!

[Kendo_Bunny]

Facebook debates where you're the only person on your side, and the person hosting sees nothing wrong with this. I am all for debate - I love debating, in fact. But it is very annoying to get asked specifically into a political debate when you're apparently the only person of your political persuasion that the person knows. So you get ganged up on, with everyone else patting themselves on the backs that they're all so right, when all they're doing is saying "I don't agree with the one person who is disagreeing, so all of us are obviously way smarter!"

I thought the purpose of polite political debate was to educate and inform about all sides of an issue, not to gang up on the one person who dares to disagree. In one of these, someone called me stupid and brainwashed as her only contribution, and the original poster actually gave it a thumbs up. If you want to be educated about all sides of an issue, then I am fully in support of that, and I will do everything I can to provide my viewpoint. But if you just want everyone to fawn over how right and righteous you are, and how stupid everyone else is, then don't even pretend that you're open-minded.

[Seraphia]

Facebook debates where you're the only person on your side, and the person hosting sees nothing wrong with this. I am all for debate - I love debating, in fact. But it is very annoying to get asked specifically into a political debate when you're apparently the only person of your political persuasion that the person knows. So you get ganged up on, with everyone else patting themselves on the backs that they're all so right, when all they're doing is saying "I don't agree with the one person who is disagreeing, so all of us are obviously way smarter!"

I thought the purpose of polite political debate was to educate and inform about all sides of an issue, not to gang up on the one person who dares to disagree. In one of these, someone called me stupid and brainwashed as her only contribution, and the original poster actually gave it a thumbs up. If you want to be educated about all sides of an issue, then I am fully in support of that, and I will do everything I can to provide my viewpoint. But if you just want everyone to fawn over how right and righteous you are, and how stupid everyone else is, then don't even pretend that you're open-minded.

I hate political discussions online in general. I have had several discussions about *very* hot topics with my co-workers on our way to lunch or in the break room, and we've all managed to continue speaking to each other as rational human beings for the entirety. But online? The limit for rational discussion seems to be about 15 comments. After that, somebody will feel compelled to jump in with a wall of illogical, generalized, insulting, confused slogans. The most laughable was a very polite conversation among some teachers I know about the costs/benefits of year-round school, torpedoed with one comment from a student which boiled down to "You stoopit &*%% how dare you take away my sumer vaycayshion!"

[BabyMama]

People with no personal bubble. I stopped by a new place for lunch today--it's a wait in line, order at the counter type of place. It was pretty busy. I got in line and started reading the menu. Then I sensed someone really, really close to me. Then that person whispered something in my ear. It was loud enough where I didn't hear what they said. At first, I thought I had maybe by chance stopped for lunch at the exact place and time my husband was at, because he was honestly that close, but my husband very rarely eats out so the chances were really slim. I stepped away from him and pretended I hadn't noticed anything (who knows, maybe he was pushed, or stumbled, or something, right?)

Then he did it again. The entire time we were in line, he kept stepping up directly behind me, so close that if he had put his arms out he would have hugged me. I kept stepping away, and he would drift back in. He seemed like a nice older gentleman who simply seemed unaware of how close he was, and made some small talk with me and seemed polite, but honestly the touching really creeped me out. I don't think there is anyone out there who wants to be spooned by a stranger at a counter BBQ place on their lunch hour 

[Morticia]

Is anyone else thinking, "Back off! Get your own sandwich!" 

Just me? Okay.

Just because he's a nice older gentleman, doesn't mean he wasn't behaving inappropriately. That doesn't necessarily go away with age.  It's fine to request he stay out of your space.

And yes, that drives me up the wall, too.

[diesel_darlin]

On the car thing, I have a 99 Nissan Frontier. When the engine blew in June, it had 222,000 miles on it. I bought it used in 2002. People were always telling me I needed a new truck. Well now I have one. I have a 94 Chevy Silverado with 318,000  miles on it that my Daddy gave me.   

[perpetua]

People who complain about the direction a thread is taking because other people are posting things they're not interested in reading, but without contributing anything of value themselves. Like "Please can we get back to talking about purple people eaters?" Surely the most polite and efficient way to get a thread back on track is contribute a post about purple people eaters yourself? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, is how I view this.  I used to mod a large forum and this used to drive me insane.

[Diane AKA Traska]

People who complain about the direction a thread is taking because other people are posting things they're not interested in reading, but without contributing anything of value themselves. Like "Please can we get back to talking about purple people eaters?" Surely the most polite and efficient way to get a thread back on track is contribute a post about purple people eaters yourself? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, is how I view this.  I used to mod a large forum and this used to drive me insane.

I hate to admit it, but "this".  Threadjacks are a normal part of a conversation, a parenthetical aside if you will.  Seeing someone request that the threadjack material (especially if it's relevant to the thread) be taken to its own thread doesn't give me more material to post about in *that* thread.  And most of these topics aren't interesting enough for their own thread, anyway.  It's more of a "oh cool, I have an interest in this thing that the conversation drifted toward too!"

[perpetua]

People who complain about the direction a thread is taking because other people are posting things they're not interested in reading, but without contributing anything of value themselves. Like "Please can we get back to talking about purple people eaters?" Surely the most polite and efficient way to get a thread back on track is contribute a post about purple people eaters yourself? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, is how I view this.  I used to mod a large forum and this used to drive me insane.

I hate to admit it, but "this".  Threadjacks are a normal part of a conversation, a parenthetical aside if you will.  Seeing someone request that the threadjack material (especially if it's relevant to the thread) be taken to its own thread doesn't give me more material to post about in *that* thread.  And most of these topics aren't interesting enough for their own thread, anyway.  It's more of a "oh cool, I have an interest in this thing that the conversation drifted toward too!"

I don't mind the new thread requests so much; they make sense to me. It's when someone asks people to stop talking about what they're talking about, without contributing anything themselves to get the conversation back on track.

It's like walking up to a group of people talking at a party and saying "I don't like what you're talking about. Talk about something I want to hear". Well, no.

[snowflake]

People who complain about the direction a thread is taking because other people are posting things they're not interested in reading, but without contributing anything of value themselves. Like "Please can we get back to talking about purple people eaters?" Surely the most polite and efficient way to get a thread back on track is contribute a post about purple people eaters yourself? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, is how I view this.  I used to mod a large forum and this used to drive me insane.

I hate to admit it, but "this".  Threadjacks are a normal part of a conversation, a parenthetical aside if you will.  Seeing someone request that the threadjack material (especially if it's relevant to the thread) be taken to its own thread doesn't give me more material to post about in *that* thread.  And most of these topics aren't interesting enough for their own thread, anyway.  It's more of a "oh cool, I have an interest in this thing that the conversation drifted toward too!"

It depends.  I don't mind it if say the special snowflake thread has turned into a discussion of how awesome an old TV show was.  But sometimes it is a discussion about how the old TV show was full of special snowflakes.  I'm never sure why people object to that.

[Shalamar]

BabyMama, I feel like I need a shower after reading your post about the old man standing behind you in line.  YUCK.  I hate people whispering at the best of times; the idea of a strange man whispering in my ear makes my jab-in-the-gut elbow twitchy.

Snowflake, I know what you mean.  I said recently how much I'd love to go on a winter holiday (it's really cold where I live right now).    Someone asked "Why don't you?  You can get some great deals.  You could probably go to Cuba (or wherever) for only a couple of thousand bucks."  My response:  "That would be wonderful, except that we're going to buy Daughter #2 a car this year, and every penny is going towards that."    I can usually depend on one of two replies to that:

• "You can't afford a couple of thousand bucks?  Are you serious?"  No.  We can't.  We're better off than some, but we don't have unlimited buckets of money.
• "Let your kid buy her own darned car!"  Great, except that (a) we bought her older sister her car, so the precedent has been set, and (b) Daughter #2 doesn't have any money.  This is generally followed up by "Then tell her to get a job!"  She's been TRYING.  She really has.  But she has no experience, and jobs aren't exactly thick on the ground.

 

[Piratelvr1121]

I was just on fbook and one of the items on my feed was a photo album Ellen shared of "rude" babies and little kids that people have sent her, like little babies inadvertantly giving the finger, one small child doing it on purpose and stuff like that.   She joked "Portia and I are not having kids but this made me reconsider."

Followed was a bunch of "You and Portia should have kids!!"    Though there were a few who said "Being an auntie is good, you can hand them back!" or "You two have each other, that's enough!"

I have 3 boys I love dearly but wouldn't dream of trying to talk someone into having kids.  Especially someone I only know through a tv show.

[CrochetFanatic]

YouTube pontificators.  Actually, pontificators in general.  I'm not talking about people who simply argue with you (because who knows, they might be right), but people who insist they're right despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, and who just cannot let it go.

I normally don't participate in these debates, but I take exception to being aggressively told that my opinion is wrong.  I pointed out that they were right about A, B, and C, but that most of what they presented as fact was really a matter of opinion.  I finally just threw up my hands and backed out of the argument, which was pretty much at a stalemate.  You can't get anywhere with someone whose responses pretty much boil down to, "No, I'm right!  I'm right, I'm right, I'm right!"