Things that grind your gears

[Imicola]

What are those things that just really annoy you? Whether bad design, overused phrases, or unaware people.

Here's a few of mine that I'd like to get off my chest...

Hooks, usually in UK public loos, which don't remotely resemble hooks and are actually just a small stump incapable of holding a bag. Why would you design that, it's shit.

"Good morning, good afternoon, good evening" as an intro from every single participant on an international remote meeting. I'm so over it, why not just say hello?

"Uptick". Seriously, I'm a statistician and I never came across this term in relation to data before the pandemic. Why?

Back to the public loos, but cubicles which are so small you end up pretty much sitting on the sanitary waste bin. Then if you want to actually use said bin you need to be a contortionist. Ouch. Clearly those bins were designed by men.

While back on the subject of public loos...i don't get the thought process for the design of some air fresheners. "Oh, you know what would be great? If we could design something that would freshen not only the toilet with a loo freshener smell, but also cover the people using the loo with said freshener at frequent intervals... let's just spray it into the air above their heads so it lands in their hair add they wash their hand". NO FFS.

That was cathartic... who's next?

People who stand in the middle of the aisles and walkways in shops to have a fucking chat. If you want to chat, fine but MOVE OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY!!

People who use the word 'decades' because they want to stress a point.

"I've been on Mumsnet for over two decades."

Why not just say 20 years?

I know I'm being totally unreasonable btw

Some of us don't watch pop culture etc. I genuinely don't know one Kardasian from the other and haven't a bloody clue what they're famous for. Nothing to do with pretending to be superior! 🤣

Obviously I know Beyoncé is

When an Op updates a thread with some relevant info/resolution and the replies below continue apace with it being clear the posters haven't read the updates. The other annoying one is that the Op will give information at the beginning of the thread or say they can't do X, Y Or Z and people will either get the details wrong or suggest that Op tries X, Y or Z... For eg a male posted yesterday, stated he was male and countless posters referred to mim as female! Read tft people!

Then you're not pretending and my comment doesn't apply to you.

Yeah the cot thread today is awash with this. OP clearly states it's a bedside cot which babies outgrow by 6months ish yet still the replies are "How can you take a cot away from an 8m baby - they need one till they are two!"

I'd use my critical thinking, knowledge and understanding of the world to make a considered judgment. Or I'd ask them.

Lateness - you have to be somewhere . Find out how long it takes to get from A-B and add extra to park/roadworks etc, Especially grinding is the habitually late .
What they are saying is "My time is more important than yours and that of everyone ellse who has an appointment time"

People who start a senstnce with "So" ........... "So , our idea was " ... "So in answer to this" .......... "So , the reason for "

The use of "Super" as an adjective . "This is a super exciting project" "These are super delicious "

People driving in the dark with either the front headinghts only (my car does this, I need to put on the rear lights . ) or no lights at all . 99% of them grey/silver so invisible .

People behind you in supermarkets who start placing their stuff on the belt before you have finished unloading your trolley. I MIGHT sometimes passive aggressively spread my items out more so that they start to panic a bit. But only if I'm having a bad day😆

People saying Pacific when they mean specific, or saying spear instead of sphere - arghhh!

I also hate people who park selfishly, as if their convenience should be the only thing that matters in the world.

I also hate people overusing the phrase "there is nothing worse than..." Because invariably there are many things that would be significantly worse. For example... "There is nothing worse than getting your coffee without milk" - well yeah there is, you could have lost all your limbs to sepsis, or been run over by a bloody train!!! Arghhhh!!!

Posters who go on to the Christmas Threads to belittle and question other posters about their choices .
When did this become A THING ? they ask .
Well it isn't A THING , it is some people wanting to do an activity for their children .
No-body is holding a bloody gun to your head and saying "You need to do Elf On The Shelf or Christmas Eve Hampers"

"WTF is a Dec 1st Box" they bellow on a post in Christmas about Dec 1st Boxes ?
Well RTFT or Google . Or you could always , y;know . piss right off with your judgey attitude

The silent resentment/judgement of 'single mums' that non-single mums will swear up & down doesn't exist but I'm sorry, it bloody well does. It's Evvvvvverywhere. Both in the real world and on MN.

Examples: A single mum posted a year or two ago about what, I forget, but her being a lone parent became the context of conversation and not only did attitudes completely change towards her as soon as it became apparent followed by most people stopping replying. However one poster decided to say "Single mums have made their bed, they need to lie in it!"
Turns out, like me the poster was sadly a widow but even so, absolutely NOBODY chooses to be a single parent! (Except perhaps a small minority of well adjusted & financially comfortable adults who use a sperm bank?)
So if a man leaves his wife/girlfriend, making her a single mum WHETHER SHE LIKES IT OR NOT it's her fault???? Suddenly she becomes a "Drain on society" and "Has made her bed and needs to lie in it"

I've had very similar comments in person also. People saying things like "AND WHERE'S THE FATHER?!" & "I hope you're allowing the father access?!" (Then not believing me when I tell them he's dead).
I've had B&B reservations cancelled as they've just seen one adult & one child and then stated that they "Don't want that sort of trouble here, thanks. Boyfriends turning up drunk in middle of night etc" 😳😳🤨

The abject snobbery (& ignorance) just pisses me off beyond words

Slow walkers in front of me.

average speed camera and people’s inability to understand what they are and how they work.

People who drive up behind me and tail gate. We have an average speed camera on a long bridge near here. And people who don’t live here and apparently don’t understand the sign that says average speed camera.

had one the other day who was making his van go side to side ( no idea what he thought that was going to achieve ) . Flashing his lights to make me move out the way. All lorries on the other lane so I couldn’t pull over. Waving his fists at me.

when I finally had a gap he zoomed past. Then half way realised there were cameras. Slammed on his brakes ( no idea how the person behind didn’t hit him ) and proceeded to hold up all the traffic doing 30 the rest of the way.

Really baffles me that people don’t understand average speed cameras. See so many people slow down as they get to them. There are huge signs before hand saying average speed. It’s not hard.

People who turn every thread into a political issue even if there is only the tiniest tenuous link.

This.
I now hate wrapping presents as I have to fight to get the wrapping paper open. I know it's to cut back on plastic wrap but it doesn't bloody work and is rage inducing.

People who don’t value your time.

I have a friend I was supposed to meet at 7 for dinner. 7:15 comes along and she texts me saying that she’s on her way. At 7:35 I get another text telling me she’s 2 train stops away at the station collecting some things she’s bought off Facebook Marketplace. She arrives at 7:50, a whole 50 minutes late, and thinks it’s a big joke because she’s “bad with time” and that I should “chill”.

This also applies to people who answer with “we’ll see” when you list a time for a meetup THEY SUGGESTED. I used to be more ok with this but I’m done waiting around for someone to decide if they want to meet up only after they haven’t found anything better to do on the day itself.

Aye.

And S&B:

OP: I'm looking for a dress in this price range for a birthday party in London.
Answers: Just wear what you feel comfortable OP. Nobody will care. And it's LONDON anyone who's showered and wearing clean, unripped clothes will stand out a mile as a try hard tourist.

Tea drinkers being treated like second class citizens in coffee shops / chains. They NEVER have a list of teas on display, so you have to ask the person at the till, they rattle off a list of 8 or so, you tell them which one you want, and then you can guarantee they'll be out of it. And if you order Earl Grey / English Breakfast, they put far too much bloody milk in

😡
Yes it's an first world problem!

Hand driers in public toilet sink areas especially service stations or big shopping centres, as the noise really irritates me and I always thought it unhygienic how the water just sprays everywhere. The Dyson ones where you have to dip your hands in are the worst as in there trying to avoid the skanky sides. I read somewhere that it's actually more environmentally friendly to use paper towels but not sure how true that is.

Those really bright headlights that dazzle at night. FFS sort your beam tilt out or don't buy such ridiculous cars.

People who stop in the middle of the aisle in the supermarket and/or block it with their trolley. How could you not be aware that you're being an obstructive cunt?

Standing on wet floors/in small puddle of water/hairball with socks on. I wear slippers all round the house always to avoid this.

Just realised most of my triggers are sensory, I'm either hypersensitive or there's something neurodivergent going on!

People that don’t let you turn right in front of them when they are turning right into your road and then have then extra audacity to almost take your front bumper off cutting the corner.

Tailgating & led headlights are mine. I’m driving along at night with some idiot trying to climb in my boot and then I’m blinded by someone’s headlights two seconds later. Bad words come out of my mouth!

I'm with you on this. And why, in a tea drinking nation, is it so hard to find a half decent cup of tea? Such an effort is made with coffee - the machines are like bloody spaceships - but when you ask for tea, any old boggo teabag will do. DP did get a great cup of tea in a cafe a couple of weeks ago which was made with proper loose leaf tea. He had a bit of a moan at first about it being too weak, but a wee while to brew and it was perfect. I had coffee because I'm crap at making it, whereas with tea, I like mine better than anything offered in a cafe.

Yes to crap tea everywhere!

The drivers of large lorries, who clearly believe that the roundabout rules don’t apply to them. Almost every day, I encounter a behemoth that takes no notice of the fact that I’m already on the roundabout and he (it is always he) should wait, rather than bulldoze his way through, causing me to brake. Just because you drive a huge truck, doesn’t mean you’re exempt.
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