Those of you not familiar with the BBC's Room 101 should probably start with the linked Wikipedia entry. Now that we all know what we're talking about (in regard to Room 101 and things we hate), I present my list. It started a number of years ago with the first two items, to which I added the third and fourth when they occurred to me. There was a fifth, but I never committed it to memory and if I've forgotten what it was, then it can't have been that bad.
1) People who feel the need to classify things The main culprits here are people who discuss music and specifically whether a particular band is or is not, for example, Punk. Maybe it's because I've never been part of a group defined by music or clothes (another example is Goth) that I don't get this. I choose my music based solely on whether I like it, not whether it fits in with my chosen lifestyle. The only comparison I'm interested in is if liking one band/artist means I'll probably like another who I've not heard before. Another, completely unrelated, example is the cheetah (can't be much more unrelated to music !). Most people would agree that a cheetah is a big cat and indeed its classification family is Felidae. However, it doesn't have retractable claws, which is one of the distinguishing features of the feline family. Non-retractable claws are a feature of the canine family though, so the cheetah is actually part dog. No it isn't ! It's a cheetah ! That's all you really need to know. It's not a lion, or a tiger, or a giraffe. It doesn't care whether it's not really a cat because it doesn't have retractable claws. Being partially dog has absolutely no effect on its ability to run after things and kill them.
2) People who can't understand that other people are different Above, I've questioned why some people have to divide the world into groups. I don't understand them, but I'm quite happy to let them get on with it provided they don't want to drag me into the discussion (and heaven help those who ignore the warning signs - normally a prolonged silence - and ask for my opinion, especially if I've had a drink). And that's all I ask. You don't need to understand why someone else thinks what they do, all you have to do is accept that they do and that they're entitled to their opinion (even if it's "wrong"). And please don't try to change their minds. By the time you're a teenager, you've pretty much made up your mind on most subjects and unless the actual facts change, then that's what you're going to think for the rest of your life. I've never seen anybody change their opinion on any subject - they were already aware of all the arguments made and nothing new has been presented, so what was the point ? This doesn't just apply to something as abstract as an opinion (politics, religion, etc.) - it covers how other people live their lives as well. For instance, their hobbies - I will never play golf or be a train-spotter, but lots of people do and I therefore don't disparage how they spend their time. A lack of understanding can even get you into trouble - try being a plane-spotter in Greece.
3) Organised fun Sure, some organisation is needed but why over-complicate things ? If you're going to have a party, then you'll need a time and a place and maybe some food but it doesn't require people to wear fancy-dress. How does that make the party better ? If you're going to the pub, then find one you like and stay there till you've had enough or they kick you out. What's the point of a pub-crawl ? Rushed drinking and extra walking does not improve a night out. And it gets worse - a university club of which I was a member had a tradition of "pub golf". Eighteen pubs, a unit of alcohol (half-pint of beer or shot of spirits) in each to remain "on par". So not only wasn't it relaxing, there was record-keeping as well. The only way it could have been worse would be to do it in fancy-dress (I was once invited on a "toga" pub-crawl and initially agreed, but then I sobered up). Halloween. The 31st October deserves a specific mention as it now combines three things that irritate me - children, begging (though it's referred to as "Trick or Treat") and strangers turning up unannounced at my door. Once again, this is a case of "live and let live". I'm perfectly happy for people to have Halloween parties and other activities, but I don't wish to be involved. Some kind of system needs to be organised - if you've got sweets, then put a pumpkin outside your house. People then need to remember to only call at those houses that are decorated, leaving the rest of us alone.
4) Driving scenes in films and on TV Obviously, films and TV aren't accurate representations of real life but I think you've got to make the "everyday" bits believable. There's loads of stuff dedicated to the inaccurate portrayal of computers and how they work, but the consistent disregard for how people actually drive cars is the one that annoys me. There are two broad categories - conversations and being chased : Conversations. Next time you're a passenger in a car, talking to the driver, observe how they react when listening and replying to you. Do they turn to face you ? No, they face forward, keeping an eye on the road, watching other traffic and pedestrians. Their attention is primarily on driving the car (though maybe I've always been with conscientious drivers) and the conversation is secondary. There's almost no more chance of them having an accident while talking to you then if you weren't in the car. Compare this to the number of near misses and accidents characters in movies have. Here is a good example of what I'm talking about. Being chased. More difficult to argue than above, seeing as how so few of us are ever likely to be chased in a car, but notice how a pursued character will turn almost 180 degrees in their seat in order to see if they're still being followed. If only they had some method of seeing behind them without having to turn, thus increasing their chance of a near miss or accident (as above, notice how many car chases end up with the lead car getting into trouble).
5) Left blank in case I ever remember it (see second paragraph at the top)
6) Negative advertising Yes Apple, I'm talking about you. Actually, there are other examples and each one annoys me, but this is the best case. It's just unfortunate that when trying to explain this to people, they just assume that I'm anti-Apple because I use a PC. But these adverts are one of the reasons I would never consider buying a Mac - I wouldn't want to be associated with such a crass approach to selling. If you've got a better machine (and in many ways, they do) then tell me about the benefits of buying yours rather than telling me what's wrong with your opposition's product, it just makes you look petty (especially as your rival have such a huge market share, they were investigated as a monopoly). I have no intention of buying Windows Vista, but compare the advertising - Microsoft went with "Wow!" and showed us all the cool things it could do (yeah, yeah, I know some of it's been in Mac OS for years, but that's not the point). And apparently, Macs never get viruses - I wonder why that could be.
P.S. I don't think this warrants a proper entry, hence the reason it's down here, but it may be elevated at a later date if I find other examples. Pizza sizing. Most pizza shops offer three sizes - normally something like 9", 12" and 15". Some just leave it at that and some describe them as small, medium and large - both of these approaches are fine. The problem is those shops that describe them as medium, large and extra-large. How can this be ? "Medium" implies that it is in the middle, but there's nothing smaller. Sure, other shops may sell smaller pizzas, but this one doesn't, so how can its smallest pizza be described as "medium" ? |