To wonder why people can't just do what they want

[Orangeblossom78]

Why do people get so hung up on what others are doing and what is 'normal'. For example there are people asking how often they need to wash / what they need to eat for example. I don't understand why people can't just do stuff they want to without asking how others do it. It happens quite often on here about simple tasks for example. is it a kind of anxiety / need for reassurance? Surely it is quite easy to just do this stuff for yourself going by how you feel afterwards? Why the need to do as others do..

Maybe not anxiety but curiosity. I am very nosey. I like to know everything!

I have seen this same thread about whether people wear pants under their nightwear several times.

@Orangeblossom78

In the case of that surely it's just curiosity and AIBU is about the best place to ask an inane question. You're not going to go on your family/work/school mums whatsApp and ask. Easier to ask on the internet. I really can't see the harm in it (and I have never started a thread about nighttime underwear myself!).

I don't think people ask these things with a view to change the way they do things necessarily. I think they ask more as a gage, but mostly because humans are inherently bloody nosey!

Definitely names,style and fashion. I like how at some point everyone decided grey was a pretty colour for walls when it had not been seen nice before.
Or when you get threads along the lines of: 'when are scarves/flares/fringes/ purpletyou name it going to make a come back so I can wear them?'. Well go to the shop buy some and wear them now. Who cares what people think?

Come to think of it I had never been asked what I was going to wear at a party/ meal/etc until I moved to Britain. Wonder why that is. School uniforms maybe?

I do admit to sometimes thinking ‘why can’t you just think for yourself’ when I see these threads but I think it’s important to remember that some people have has chaotic upbringings and won’t have been shown how to do routine tasks. If you’ve grown up in a neglectful home you might not have learned how often you should wash or do laundry etc. It’s safer to ask online then risk admitting in real life you don’t know how to manage a house or care for your children’s hygiene.

I was online looking for prices for a bus pass for the DC recently, I noticed they have a guide on there now "How to catch a bus". I did think really? Do people now need a guide to simple things like catching a bus.

And no it was not for people with disabilities / needs before anyone says that.

@Orangeblossom78

But it could well have been for people from different countries/regions of the country. In some parts of the country there are no bus stops - you just need to know where to wait, some places you have to put your arm out to get the bus to stop, some places you don't. Some places you can get on the bus at either door some you have to get on at the front. Obviously it's not rocket science but I don't see the harm in letting people know what the standard is.

I was online looking for prices for a bus pass for the DC recently, I noticed they have a guide on there now "How to catch a bus". I did think really? Do people now need a guide to simple things like catching a bus.

Catching a bus if you are unfamiliar with the area or country can be complicated. Do you have to buy a ticket beforehand or on the bus itself, do you need exact change or will a note do? People like to find out in advance so they don't embarrass themselves. I travel regularly on the Tube but researched how to buy a ticket and travel on the New York subway before I went so I knew what to do.

And some young adults will have never caught a bus, but been driven everywhere.
I think guides like this are a good idea.

Ok sorry I agree about the bus. Maybe people don't use public transport that much either and to encourage them as well.

I was online looking for prices for a bus pass for the DC recently, I noticed they have a guide on there now "How to catch a bus". I did think really? Do people now need a guide to simple things like catching a bus.
I don’t think it’s as obvious as this suggests. Where I live all buses are cashless. If you turn up expecting to pay with coins or a note and get some sort of paper ticket in return you’d be wrong.

There’s a huge difference in finding out useful information, that’s just ongoing education in its many forms, and of course can assist in understanding how different cultures and societies function. For an overseas visitor, “how to use a bus” is very relevant.
The kind of sheep like behaviour I was thinking about relates more to the celebrity culture and need to conform to how we want others to view us. It’s always been there, people will latch onto different trends and fashions, but today, images are more instant, they are more prone to being artificially enhanced, and quite often the written information around them isn’t totally factual. This is where the issues can lead to mental health issues, depression, a feeling of alienation, if one’s dream image or lifestyle goals don’t happen. It doesn’t always relate to money and success, but more about inner confidence or lack of confidence in terms of facing everyday activities.