Things That Annoy You!

[DeadPoolX]

Something that annoys me right now... kids' TV.

AGH! They're so cloying and saccharine sweet! And they always grin like demented Cheshire cats and discuss things like yoga, tofu, and holistic living. How the heck are 3-year-old kids supposed to understand this?!? And to make things even worse, they never do ANYTHING without endlessly moralising about it! In one show I was forced to watch while babysitting someone, one of those grinning clone dumped a whole lot of feathers on the floor for no apparent reason, and another clone said to him, "Oh, you're bad - someone could slip on that and get a bruise", so the first clone started apologising frantically and cleaning up the feathers. It was the most pointless and boring half-hour I'd ever been subjected to. I seriously contemplated cutting my own eyes out with a spoon. Even the kid I was babysitting seemed nonplussed by it all. Whatever happened to real kids' TV, where the kids got scrapes and things, and went on adventures and foiled pirates and smugglers?

GRRRRR... *is NOT a happy camper right now*

I've always thought children's television was demeaning and completely moronic. I don't see how talking down to children in any makes the show more entertaining -- at least for them.

I never liked Sesame Street, which surprises some people. Apparently "everyone" loved that show. I didn't. I thought it was idiotic.

The shows I did watch were far more interesting: Transformers, ThunderCATS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tranzor-Z and others. They involved storylines, lasers, swords and all sorts of weaponry and could be considered quite violent (at least for cartoons).

I suppose we can't show those today. After all, we might "harm" our children by exposing them to violent activities. Anyone else see that idea as blindly stupid? Kids today have access to the Internet (and worst of all, YouTube and MySpace) where violence, not to mention sex, is shown on a minute-to-minute basis.

One thing I've always wanted to see is more realistic violence in cartoons. I realize that sounds weird, but look at how guns are shown in cartoons. A gun might destroy a building or a car, yet when it strikes the hero (or any other major character) all it does is "stun" them, possibly rendering them unconscious. I'd rather see a character that's shot experience pain. Lots of it. Maybe requiring the ER too.

The point isn't to traumatize children, but to make them understand that guns (and swords or knives) cause pain and suffering if used incorrectly. People aren't stunned, they're injured or killed. Maybe that'd actually sink in.

[Jules]

I think Maia said that, not me.

Oh. Ha ha..

Whatever happened to real kids' TV, where the kids got scrapes and things, and went on adventures and foiled pirates and smugglers?

I remember the good old cartoons where they smoked pipes, used snuff, and carried around shot guns. And I didn't turn out to be a psychopath.

[Maiandra]

@ Jules. We fooled you!

I agree about the cartoons and many things for children. Even toys. Kids aren't as fragile as most people think and letting them see a little action isn't going to hurt them. Exposing them to something like that probably makes them better adjusted as adults. They don't always need to have things spelled out for them to figure out that actions have consequences. Obviously you have to exercise some discretion, but I don't think that the level of shows that many of us here watched as children made us disturbed adults. There were some things I watched when I was younger that I find more disturbing now.

[DeadPoolX]

This is an old complaint (it happened to me over a decade ago), but it stills annoys me...

In a computer class back in high school, we all had an assignment to come up with a credit card or some sort of business header. We had 286s at the time. Computers were far more advanced than that (I had a Pentium II at home), but my school was cheap and kept those old machines.

Anyway... I was a major geek in high school. Who'd have thought that, right? I decided my business header would be the Terran Confederation Space Navy. If you've played the Wing Commander games, you'll know they the TCSN is compromised of the "good guys."

Apparently my teacher and classmates didn't know this. If you're from the U.S. (particularly the south) you probably know where this is headed.

The students in the class were in an uproar over what they considered racist. In fact, they called me racist. One girl said she was "insulted because her boyfriend is black." The teacher went on to say that she was "very disappointed in me."

Okay, let's check this:

• Wing Commander is science fiction that takes place in the 27th century.
• A "confederation" is a form of government. The "Terran Confederation" is such.
• There was NO mention -- implied or otherwise -- of African Americans or the Confederate States of America (from the American Civil War in the early-to-mid 1860s)

No matter what I said, they didn't believe me. Even after I showed them the Wing Commander manual (which I had on me for reference on this assignment) they refused to listen.

According to them, any mention of the word "confederation" automatically meant "racism, slavery, and oppression." It's because of people like them that we have so many idiots in the world today.

[Tawmis]

I bet you think they use Twitter too?

[BBP]

Something that annoys me right now... kids' TV.

AGH! They're so cloying and saccharine sweet! And they always grin like demented Cheshire cats and discuss things like yoga, tofu, and holistic living. How the heck are 3-year-old kids supposed to understand this?!? And to make things even worse, they never do ANYTHING without endlessly moralising about it! In one show I was forced to watch while babysitting someone, one of those grinning clone dumped a whole lot of feathers on the floor for no apparent reason, and another clone said to him, "Oh, you're bad - someone could slip on that and get a bruise", so the first clone started apologising frantically and cleaning up the feathers. It was the most pointless and boring half-hour I'd ever been subjected to. I seriously contemplated cutting my own eyes out with a spoon. Even the kid I was babysitting seemed nonplussed by it all. Whatever happened to real kids' TV, where the kids got scrapes and things, and went on adventures and foiled pirates and smugglers?

GRRRRR... *is NOT a happy camper right now*

I feel your pain. I just sat through Barbie in The Nutcracker. (tries to wipe arabesque making dancing fairies and purple horses from memory)

About twenty paces away from my house, there's a dog toilet. It's a little gravel field where dogs are supposed to do their business. Over here, you'll get fined if you let your puppy drop it at a non-designated spot without cleaning it afterwards.
Then what grown-up plain moron is too lazy to walk those twenty steps with his dog and fill my section of the street with poo? It's horrible! Especially when the neighborhood daw colony starts eating it. Eww.

[shellybee]

What annoys me is this..
I find a really decent public drawing board...and everything is going really well..then all of a sudden it is taken over by preteens who say things like..
"squeeeeeeeeeeee...omg..I love it...it's soooo awesooooooommmmeeeeeeeee!..."
wouldn't that annoy you too...

[Collector]

[*]A "confederation" is a form of government. The "Terran Confederation" is such.
[*]There was NO mention -- implied or otherwise -- of African Americans or the Confederate States of America (from the American Civil War in the early-to-mid 1860s)[/list]

Apparently they don't know American history. Have they never heard of the Articles of Confederation?

[DeadPoolX]

[*]A "confederation" is a form of government. The "Terran Confederation" is such.
[*]There was NO mention -- implied or otherwise -- of African Americans or the Confederate States of America (from the American Civil War in the early-to-mid 1860s)[/list]

Apparently they don't know American history. Have they never heard of the Articles of Confederation?

I was thinking the same thing. I bet my former classmates are the same type who shout and demand their "constitutional rights" (usually citing the First Amendment) without any true knowledge of it.

[DeadPoolX]

I hate, hate, hate any interviews between a movie's cast members. When an actor says something utterly stupid like, "It was such a joy to work with [Actor/Actress Name] on this movie. [He or She] was a very professional and wonderful person to be around. The entire process was really very fulfilling."

Bullshit.

Let's try my favorite overused comment: "There was a feeling of real chemistry between the cast and crew."

Once again, I say bullshit.

Maybe that occurs every so often, but not every movie! Why can't the interviews ever go like this?

"Filming was okay, but the food really sucked. [So-and-so] had terrible breath and sweat profusely. Most of my coworkers were complete jerks, but I'm just here for the money."

I would LOVE that. Really. Such honesty would thrill me beyond measure. It won't ever happen, but I'd still like it.

[Tawmis]

Wow. You're an intense individual...

[BBP]

People who tell you the same joke over and over.

[Tawmis]

Oh oh...

[Rath Darkblade]

Bosses who act like normal people most of the time, but then turn around and yell at you for trying to help because you're 'breaking the rules'.

[Jules]

Our boss is like that. He'll joke around one minute and while we get the hint that it's OK to joke around too, he'll turn around and yell at us for fooling around and not working.

I've told him a few times of his wrong-signal behavior but since he acts like he's still in high school, it will never sink in.