The Soapbox

[Fencergrl]

Germphobes.... they make me nuts! Your need to sanitize the world by spraying it with chemicals is making it ugly for the rest of us.... Listen up! The world is full of bugs and organisms! Get over it... seek therapy or something!

[Peach]

Cashiers who say "No problem" when I say "Thank you," instead of "You're welcome." I'm not saying I was a problem to you, I'm saying thanks.

Cashiers who shove the receipt in the bag instead of asking me if I want it. I need the receipt. I know other people don't, but it's coming out of my checking account and I need to put it in my wallet. And don't give me that look when I ask you if I could have it.

Cashiers who put bills flat on my palm and then drop the change on top so it slides off the paper and drops to the floor.

People behind me in line at the grocery store who jam their cart into the backs of my calves.

Drivers who wait in line at the traffic light and turn on their left-hand signals AFTER the light changes.

People who hang in my blind spot on the highway for miles and miles and lean on their horns when I start to signal. It's like the signs on the back of the trucks, people--if you can't see my face in the rear-view mirror, I can't see YOU.

People who brag and brag and brag about their kids. I'm sure your kid is great. I've got a great one too. In fact, she's the best kid in the world bar none, including yours, but I'm not bending your ear about her. Do yourself and me a favor and keep it to one or two sentences.

Building on that, people who are sure the referee has it in for their kid. GET A GRIP, people. This is not wrestling. This is not football. This is a crazy little sport in which most people have an investment in everyone doing well. When they start handing out big-money prizes and have bidding wars for top fencers, go ahead and snarl at the referee.

I'm sure I'll think of some others.

[pacer]

Drivers who wait in line at the traffic light and turn on their left-hand signals AFTER the light changes


Well, at least thye use the turn signal...It's gotten so bad in Denver that my family jokes that turn signals must be optional equipment on some vehicles.

[bmcfencer]

People who leave their turn signals on for miles at a time, and then get into a lane on the other side from where they were signaling!

People who tailgate my poor little old car when there is plenty of room to go around, another lane even, and no one else on the road.

People who send their children to camp wearing flip-flops with more luggage than the counselors who live there all summer. Expecially the parents who believe that the smaller the child the more stuff they'll need. I have to load and unload the luggage van, and have almost injured myself trying to move some of this stuff. How is their little Brownie supposed to manage it?

Dads who flirt with counselors when they are at camp with their children, dropping them off or whatever. Ewwww! And your kid is right there, you creep!

People who don't know me and come up to pet my hair. Stop that!

[ThatReallyHurt]

Euhrrrrghhhh...

People who are pushing a shopping cart in a store with kids or other relatives in tow, then meet up with another similarly equipped person coming the other way... both parties stop right in the middle of the aisle and start gabbing for 20 minutes. Right there. I mean, come on - at least go move over by the bath mats or sewing stuff, don't plug up one of the main arteries of the store!

Yeesh.

When I was a kid, my Mom would always yell at me when I said, "Mom, that guy was stupid". Now, she either agrees with me or says it first.

[Hamley]

those nokia walkie talkie phones

[glowstix]

speaking of traffic, i hate when the light turns green and people just snooze when they know it goes to red fast.

i hate when people crawl off the green light then speed and tailgate when you drive at the speed limit.

i hate when the clueless cops run people down for going a few miles over the limit but are never anywhere when those big a$$ trucks are driving 85+mph and are tailgating a frickin' car!!


i hate when people come by and i don't know when they're coming. or when the phone rings when i'm napping.

i hate telemarketers...matter of fact, i just hate the phone, period.

i hate when i'm pouring water into a cup and it starts to seep under the rim and down my hands and makes a mess when going into the damn cup would be easier.

i hate putting tip screws in, checking them over and over and have them pop out in my first bout.

i hate when weapons don't work in practice/tournament but work once you get home.

i hate insomnia.

i hate going to the grocery store and forgetting what you want.

[sabreur]

Originally Posted by bmcfencer

People who don't know me and come up to pet my hair. Stop that!

People who don't know me or my dogs who come up and, without asking, want to pet the dogs, or bark at them, or make faces or stupid noises at them.

They are border collies, they are somewhat high-strung, and they don't like everyone. They particularly don't like people who stare at them or bark at them.

Sometimes I tell the dogs, after some dummy (generally adolescent male, for some reason) barks at them, "If you catch him alone, you can EAT him!" In a loud stage whisper. That usually shuts the barker up.

I had a friend who was walking her dog one day downtown, and a woman broke away from her boyfriend and ran over to the dog and starting hugging it. My friend went over to the woman's boyfriend and gave him a big hug--and said, "Turn-about's fair play."

[fencergal33]

Originally Posted by sabreur

People who don't know me or my dogs who come up and, without asking, want to pet the dogs, or bark at them, or make faces or stupid noises at them.

UGH!!!!! I feel your pain! I have a Great Dane, and I'm so tired of people with their same stupid questions when I walk her!!!!!

"Wow, ya got a saddle for that thing?"

"I bet it eats a ton."

"You have a child in the house with that? I can't believe you don't fear for his life, etc"

Blah, blah, blah.......Shut up people! They are a fantastic breed that's great with children, doesn't each as much as you'd think, requires very little excercise, and loathes it when people try to ride them! Ok?

[bmcfencer]

People who walk their dogs through our campus (which is small and lovely and basically our backyard), and then give us the "I wish you were dead" look when we ask politely if we can pet their dogs. We aren't allowed to have pets and most of us are very far away from home (my dad is a pychology professor and tells me that college students actually miss their pets more than their families or friends when they go to school for the first time), and these people are walking their animals through our home- without leashes. This is private property! The dogs never mind our attentions, and usually seem happy to see us.

I really want to borrow a dog from one of my profs and walk it around these people's houses, alternating glaring at them and pretending they aren't there. Argh!!!

[mrbiggs]

People who walk their dogs on our driveway. For several months, you couldn't walk 10 feet without seeing dog crap on the ground. It's a driveway, not a road, dammit.

I don't like beaches, either.

[Have At You]

I hate it when people just can't take a hint. I mean, you and your neighbors go out of your way to have your dogs poop on someone's driveway, sending your message in as clear a manner as possible, and they just sit there marveling at all the poop!


oh wait... sorry Biggsie, didn't see you there.

[pixie]

Originally Posted by fencergal33

UGH!!!!! I feel your pain! I have a Great Dane, and I'm so tired of people with their same stupid questions when I walk her!!!!!

"Wow, ya got a saddle for that thing?"

"I bet it eats a ton."

"You have a child in the house with that? I can't believe you don't fear for his life, etc"

Blah, blah, blah.......Shut up people! They are a fantastic breed that's great with children, doesn't each as much as you'd think, requires very little excercise, and loathes it when people try to ride them! Ok?

I totally understand that, I have a Great Dane as well.

[Moonitic]

I hate when people walk sooooooo sloooooowly (not the people with medical reasons, either) around a store, the mall, faire, the zoo, school...whatever & I'm right behind them, trying my best to get around them. These people travel in pairs & in groups. It really hinders those of us who have places to GO.

I hate it when people pop their gum & chew like cows.

I hate when people say, "You think you've got problems..." Well, yeah. I do. So do you. So does everyone. Don't negate people like that!

I REALLY hate when you work your hiney off, but get absolutely nothing in return. Gee...thanks for making it seem like I'm wasting my time.

I hate people who scream for others to understand their views, but refuse to understand the views of those they are screaming at.

Whew. I feel better.

[mrbiggs]

I don't like my boss. But I quit, so that's not a bother anymore.

[Peach]

People who walk their dogs off-leash on the local college campus where everyone walks.

1. The dog barks, bounds over to you, plants its huge muddy paws on your front, and breathes bad breath in your face and then licks you with a slimy tongue. "Oh, he won't hurt you," they say, and laugh.

2. The dog barks, barks again, and shows its teeth. "Oh, he won't hurt you!" they say, and laugh.

3. The dog bites you. "Oh, he's never done that," they say, and look at you accusingly.

[telkanuru]

I dislike creationists.

I dislike people who preach their religion to me.

I dislike people who hold up religion as an alternative to science.

I dislike people who shun thought for dogma.

I dislike people who are purpousfully stupid or ignorant because it's "cool".

I dislike people, as previously stated.

[Peach]

Boys who use "gay" as an all-purpose epithet meaning "somehow vaguely not masculine according to my unspoken definition." It's a vacuous insult which is simultaneously inaccurate, randomly insulting, and vague. It's both lazy language and hateful in a sloppy way. As I tell my students, if you're going to insult someone, do it in an imaginative, clever, interesting way. Gay people (and I have a number of gay people in my family) do not for the most part fit the category you're implying.

Do you mean effeminate? Use epicene, pantywaist, sissy, mama's boy, or unmanly. Call 'em creampuffs, or lollipops, or heck, douchebags.

Do you mean fearful, afraid to take risks? Use lily-livered, craven, scaredy-cat, spineless, weak-kneed, chicken, poltroonish, or pusillanimous.

Do you mean uncool? Use feeble, inadequate, incompetent, ineffective, inept, loser, lump, muff, naive, turkey, unfit, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful, weak, or yo-yo or any of the multitudinous other synonyms available from moment to moment in the current slang.

It's a wonderful language. Why not use it?

(oh, and thanks to thesaurus.com for assistance)

[Mr Epee]

The previous post was pretty gay...

For the record - using a thesaurus is also gay.

What we need are fewer words... I mean do we really need words with opposite meanings (good : bad) ?

Wouldn't it be easier to just reverse the meaning? (good : ungood)

See? Better

[Peach]

People who say "less" when they mean "fewer."

People who use apostrophes for plurals and omit them for possessives, except with possessive pronouns.

Educational administrators who write long letters to their faculty using "hear" for "here" and using apostrophes for plurals.