What linguistic or cultural shifts irritate you to violence? I suggest, but this is very cranky and received, the usage of 'good' in response to 'how are you?' This makes me very angry, I want to stuff the mobile phone down the idiot's throat kind of angry. Yet increasingly I feel isolated on this point, as every old fogey now capitulates and follows suit. What can I do? 'How are you, young fellow?' 'I am good, thanks, Pops.' 'Good are you, and I am very well, thank you for not asking, you pinhead.' Also people who call me 'mate.' 'There you go, mate.' 'I am not your mate, you scum. Call me sir, mister, or pal and grow your whiskers, whispy.' Just putting this out there for a general discussion, or on my own.
I don't know if this is generational or regional, but in the past decade or two I've noticed that people seem to have lost all situational awareness when out in public. For example, it used to be that if you walked down a grocery aisle with a cart, the person standing there musing over the soup display would automatically move out of your way. These days, they often just stand there, blocking you from passing because there isn't QUITE enough room on either side of them, to pass. The same with people sometimes stopping dead before getting on the escalator, that sort of thing.
Yes, that is annoying. I tend to seethe and mutter in such situations, a kind of 'Tourettes' behaviour overwhelms, you know a 'fugoff, fugoff' on the breath. I'm best with an escort, really. Also I hate people with children. Like my brother's Christmas story is that they've received a note from the kindergarten to say their daughter is too intelligent for the school to teach. I think she is four. I mean, c'mon? This has actually given us much pleasure at home, so is forgiveable.
One thing that absolutely drives me mad is the violation of the word literally. People now literally use the word literally as its own antonym. Now don't think I'm one of those purists who will resist any and all change. I realise that language changes over time as it always has, and that words gain new means with common usage. But I don't care how many dictionaries or experts claim that literally is now a synonym for figuratively, I will be damned if ever acknowledge something so stupid. If you give people a staircase, they will walk up it. If you give people a staircase that moves very slowly by itself, people will stand still and wait. I don't mind it when it's old people, pregnant women or any one else who has a realistic excuse, but when it's young healthy people they should stands aside or walk like normal people.
Yes, and don't get me started about 'unique'. I seem to have lost a similar argument in another thread when I insisted that cliché is a noun, not a verb.
A while back, I read about a survey of Detroit restaurant patrons who were asked what annoyed them most about their restaurant experiences. Bad food? Unsanitary conditions? Poor service? No, the number one complaint was about servers who addressed diners as "You guys". I'm thinking you might fall into that demographic. Personally, I'll answer to anything that isn't obscene as long as they cook my steak the way I ordered it. That said, I do insist that government drones (cops, etc.) address me as 'sir' if they don't know my name, and as Mr. [my last name] if they do.
I do. But not because I give a flying friggity about them being "hipster". I have them because finally there are choices at Pearl Vision where the lens is large enough to comfortably accommodate bifocal lenses and not look like they belonged to Steve Austin (the 6 Million Dollar Man, not the wrestler) or Jeffrey Dahmer. Any idea how long tiny-lens glasses were "the thing"? WAY too long for anyone in need of bifocals. ETA: There have always been hipster glasses and there will always be. When the tiny-lens glasses that have dominated for nearly 20 years first came into fashion, they were the hipster glasses of their day.
They frame my face very nice Though, mine are more medium than thick. I say mate all the time, also eh, and ahoy, and aye. I'm a pirate so it's okay.
No, they're so thick, I can't even see past 'em. It's like I'm being assaulted in the eyes. That chair in the background -- can't see it.
You love them. You want them. That's you knocking at my door right now to take them from me. You covet them. You covet them so hard, Moses wants to talk to you.
Just to clarify, I don't mind people who stand still on the escalator, though it would be nice if they moved to one side or the other. I meant people who get to the escalator but not quite on it, suddenly wonder if it's going where they want to go, and stop to have a discussion on that subject with their companion, blocking others from stepping on the escalator.
We have a similar phenomenon that happens in PR, not with escalators, but instead upon entry into a store. The double doors slide open, the PR family enters, passes that curtain of air one will recognize if you live in a warm climate, and just past that curtain of air they are rendered motionless and with as much glimmer of presence in their eyes as a goat. You have to clear your throat or say "disculpa" or "permiso" and then they suddenly come back to their selves, looking at you with a vague expression of being offended at having been called out on their trance. I have no explanation for it, but I can tell you that the thriftier the store, the longer the pause at the door.
Yes! Here if you call someone 'mate' and they aren't, you better get ready for some seriously aggressive posturing. It is considered patronising and condescending. I noticed one member referring to another recently by this and I was expecting virtual fisticuffs to ensue. Mine aren't thick so much as Cat's Eye 1950's style, so they look a bit retro... they make me look like a librarian. I have to wear them as the thin metal frames have those really uncomfortable clippy bits that wreck the bridge of my nose. My biggest linguistic gripe is inappropriate use of the word like.
I call people mate, or love, or even dear sometimes. Haven't been called out on those (unless @obsidian_cicatrix was referring to me), though I got called out on calling a girl "hon"; she said she felt uncomfortable about it and didn't want me to get the wrong idea about her. Guess I'm a bit too endearing. IKR? And I used to think it was a SAian thing! T_T Must I yell over your mundane conversation about cereals, "Excuse me?" or clear my throat if I'm being polite? At times, it's someone really old or really huge so I just have to wait for someone to tell them I'm standing in wait of them to move their royal cart. That is literally the death of the human race. And while this is probably not so bad, I hate Facebook statuses (oh yes, I'm the social media generation, kill me) that spew stuff like, "It is not when you love shit that you learn about true love, but when someone you love treats you like shit..." I don't know, irks me out. @nD wh03v3r still t@wk$ lyk di$. I used to but that was eight years ago, during the chat lingo phase. Now we all have more bytes to send and receive than an obese person.
Not sure if this is a 21st century thing or not, but OK or O.K. literally annoy the hell out of me. Okay is a word, so to me, it should not be put in capitals, and should be spelt in the correct way. Spelling okay as OK is not O.K. in my eyes.
