Minor rant thread. Post your rants o' the day here!

Flynlow (FS) said:

Duke said:

Stop calling women over the age of 18 "girl".

Seriously, just stop.

I don't care how you were raised, and frankly, given your parents, I'm really surprised you were raised that way.

I am 10 years older than you and I know not to do it.  So you can learn not to also.

 

You got me thinking about this, because that sounds like something I would do...but not in any sort of demeaning way.  I think it rankles you and others because it's the equivalent of calling someone "boy".  As in, "Who do you think you are, boy?"  And I agree, that's just being a jerk. 

But it's also the equivalent of "guy", as in, "Who's the (guy/girl) over at supplier X that does such a good job?"  You could say "woman" in that case, and it would be fine, but weirdly, I wouldn't use "man" in that sentence because it then sounds like, "Who's the man!?!" which is an altogether different sentiment.  So I actually had to think about it for a minute for a respectful equivalent of "guy"...all I could come up with was "lady", and the masculine version "lord" would also not be appropriate, "gentleman" would, but oddly formal; "gent" or "lad" isn't used outside the british sphere of influence.  Dude/dudette is too informal for a workplace outside of southern california.  "Folks" only works in a plural referral.

Pronouns are hard.  I usually default to assuming no ill will unless proven otherwise.

What about girlfriend? Mature, comfortably independent, don't need a man, but I make her laugh lady woman friend doesn't have the same vibe.

I'm really tired of people. Had a discussion with some lovely anonymous internet folks about the ins and outs of heroin/fentanyl. They posited that dealers that sell hot batches (specifically laced with fentanyl) should be held on murder charges. I suggest maybe not doing heroin and then you won't od. You'd think I set their dog on fire. 

Mndsm said:

I'm really tired of people. Had a discussion with some lovely anonymous internet folks about the ins and outs of heroin/fentanyl. They posited that dealers that sell hot batches (specifically laced with fentanyl) should be held on murder charges. I suggest maybe not doing heroin and then you won't od. You'd think I set their dog on fire. 

Look at it from their perspective, you recommended handling a product tampering problem by abstaining from the product completely, the same tired old advice they've heard a million times before and don't want to hear again...

In reply to Appleseed :

In the Midwest it's common to use "guys" for a group of people. You guys want to head out and grab dinner?

My wife has a cousin from Alabama and she will always bust that person.  Guys? There are women here too!  
 

I've hosted "Boys' Night" 100's of times.

The food and Top Gear / Grand Tour episodes are standard...the butt hurt is optional. 

I once heard a woman state, in all seriousness, that men would NEVER call other men boys.

She's wrong.  I go out for beer and wings on boys night quite regularly.

On the other hand, when James Bond told the baddie to have his boy (Oddjob) take the bags to the room...different sentiment.

Duke said:

In reply to Peabody :

That's kind of like the N-word, though. If you own it, you get to use it.

And I'm not talking about "C'mon, girls, let's go get a drink."

I'm talking about "What's the email for that girl over at [client name]?" When the person in question is a professional in her mid-40s.

What he... uhhh, I said.

Flynlow (FS) said:

Duke said:

Stop calling women over the age of 18 "girl".

Seriously, just stop.

I don't care how you were raised, and frankly, given your parents, I'm really surprised you were raised that way.

I am 10 years older than you and I know not to do it.  So you can learn not to also.

You got me thinking about this, because that sounds like something I would do...but not in any sort of demeaning way.  I think it rankles you and others because it's the equivalent of calling someone "boy".  As in, "Who do you think you are, boy?"  And I agree, that's just being a jerk. 

But it's also the equivalent of "guy", as in, "Who's the (guy/girl) over at supplier X that does such a good job?"  You could say "woman" in that case, and it would be fine, but weirdly, I wouldn't use "man" in that sentence because it then sounds like, "Who's the man!?!" which is an altogether different sentiment.  So I actually had to think about it for a minute for a respectful equivalent of "guy"...all I could come up with was "lady", and the masculine version "lord" would also not be appropriate, "gentleman" would, but oddly formal; "gent" or "lad" isn't used outside the british sphere of influence.  Dude/dudette is too informal for a workplace outside of southern california.  "Folks" only works in a plural referral.

Pronouns are hard.  I usually default to assuming no ill will unless proven otherwise.

I don't believe there is actual ill will in this case.

I think it's unconsciously in poor taste.

But I also don't think that just because it's unconscious that it is excused.  I think there are some things that bear considering when you are speaking in public, particularly if you are a professional speaking about other professionals.  Word choice and related implied meanings is one of those things.  Saying "girl" instead of "woman" in this case implies a small (or potentially large) lack of respect for the person in question as an independent adult.

Men do call each other "boy" regularly... but almost exclusively informally and among friends or acquaintances.  You never would say "What's the email of that boy over at [client name]?"  You probably wouldn't say "man", but you might call him "guy", which doesn't carry the same implication of non-adulthood.  Or you might call him by his job, which really avoids any implied reduction of status.

<insert "Believe me, I don't want to be the PC police here, but I..." GRM speech here>

As I previously clarified, I'm not talking about informal speech between friends.  Call each other what you want.

In reply to Appleseed :

After being completely covered in poo I will happily pay whatever they want next time. 

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

I've done septic inspection and/or repair for living. That E36 M3 don't bother me. Especially when it's my E36 M3.

I can feel myself getting sick. I haven't been sleeping well lately and its starting to take its toll. I'm starting to feel pressure in my chest and getting a dry cough. This is the last thing I need right now .

I can be a real shiny happy person sometimes. Wasn't my intent to pick a fight with my wife this morning but I did because I open my mouth before I engaged my brain. She left for work pissed and has good reason to.

Any time my friends and I have something planned and there's even a flurry of snow out, someone inevitably cancels because it's snowing. FFS, we've all lived in NY for 30 years, it snows every year, you should be used to driving in it.

Why doesn't Microsoft left you change the background of just outlook and not everything else? Freaking dumb.

Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be.

Appleseed said:

Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be.

Amazing song.

Very sad sentiment.

Appleseed said:

Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be.

QFT. Yesssss!!!!

Customer states they have a coolant leak.

No visible leak or smell.

Coolant jug is full.

Customer says they haven't added coolant.

Why ask if I want my burger pink in the middle if you're just going to bring me a piece of charcoal?

Thanks for ruining the patty for me though, really, I appreciate it. I didn't pay extra for the patty blend cause I wanted to taste it or anything.

GameboyRMH said:

Mndsm said:

I'm really tired of people. Had a discussion with some lovely anonymous internet folks about the ins and outs of heroin/fentanyl. They posited that dealers that sell hot batches (specifically laced with fentanyl) should be held on murder charges. I suggest maybe not doing heroin and then you won't od. You'd think I set their dog on fire. 

Look at it from their perspective, you recommended handling a product tampering problem by abstaining from the product completely, the same tired old advice they've heard a million times before and don't want to hear again...

The illegal product, big difference. It's not a "product tampering" issue, it's a "don't buy illegal drugs from people you don't know, or better yet don't buy them at all" issue. One of the risks of doing heroin is death, you know who keeps that risk at 0%? People that don't do heroin. 

In reply to Steve_Jones :

I think what Gameboy means is from their perspective, they aren't incredibly berkeleyed up. That's why they look at you like a math problem for suggesting it. You, the person who can see how incredibly berkeleyed up they are.

Am I the only one that gets annoyed by the "idk bro make an offer frfr" crowd? You have a number in mind. I have a number in mind. Your number may be $1,000 but mine may be $100. Let's cut the BS and you tell me what you want for it - which is your responsibility as a seller. This has become my standard reply but apparently I've angered this fellar. Maybe rightfully so. Maybe I'm the shiny happy person. 

In reply to Scotty Con Queso :

Get as many friends and family to text the guy and offer a dollar. Let Him cook for a while. Then text him with the amount you're willing to pay. They'll be happy to see a real amount. People who pull that stunt deserve to be fleeced of their sale.

In reply to Scotty Con Queso :

The lack of basic negotiating skills common across a large swath of the Marketplace crowd is a major pet peeve of mine. The inverse of your example is the "wuts tha lowest u'll take?" idiots. There's a procedure to this, people! Seller sets asking price, buyer makes offer, seller accepts or makes counter offer, and so on and so forth until a price is agreed upon or somebody walks. 

Recon1342 said:

berkeley cancer. 
Sitting in the ER with an employee right now. He injured his back at work, and today was to be his lower back injection. Shortly after his injury, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Nurse at the clinic took one look at his vitals and sent him to the ER (same hospital, different building). He's been working for us for 20+ years... his brother is 2 hours away, and I'm all he's got right now. It's not looking good, and I'm really gonna hate to see him go.

Tracy passed away late last night. I'm glad he's no longer suffering, but I'm gonna miss him...