#MicroblogMondays 43: Public Pet Peeves
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Last weekend, we went to the beach for the day. The experience reminded me why I like to go to the beach mid-week during high season.
Beyond how crowded it is on the weekend, there were two types of things that annoyed me that I rarely encounter during the week. The first was the breaking of established rules where the activity affected other people. For instance, smoking on the beach. We ended up moving two times due to smokers.
The other was more slippery: playing music on the beach. As far as I know, there isn’t an established rule against playing music without headphones. But we all know that it is annoying unless the person blasting the music happens to have inadvertently chosen music that you also enjoy. I’m sure those people wouldn’t want to hear my music, and I certainly didn’t want to hear their music. But I had to hear their music because they decided to play it aloud.
I feel that way about cell phones in cars — it’s breaking an established rule that is there to protect other people — and perfume — not a rule but certainly annoying and affecting others when a person wears too much in public.
The answer is, obviously, to never leave my house.
What are your pet peeves in public spaces?
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33 comments
Oh pet peeves. I feel like I have way too many of there. Not using blinkers, leaving your blinker on too long, chewing too loud… it’s so bad. I probably couldn’t even list them all! I guess I just get annoyed easily!
I think most people think music they like is objectively good. We don’t have a beach but run into the same issue camping. Also, what’s with people walking/biking with speakers turned up?! And everyone should get off my lawn too! 😉
I used to have several dislikes but have grown more tolerant with mellowing. When children are around, we tend to be protective and secondhand smoke is not just a pet peeve but a harmful health risk. Of course you’re joking about not partaking in the freedom to enjoy the great outdoors. Moving to a better spot seems to be the way to manage small irritants.
Haha I totally laughed at your last line, because I say that a lot too. Most of my pet peeves have to do with drivers, because I commute too much. I dislike especially the people who insist on staying in the left lane despite doing JUST the speed limit, which forces people to pass on the right and/or cut across three lanes of traffic to get around you. (All of which happens in MA, btw.) If someone comes up on my tail when I’m in the left lane, I’m nice and move over, and it bugs the everloving shit out of me when someone isn’t that generous as well.
Call me irrational, but I have a pathological hatred of people who chew gum, not to mention chewing gum, jelly sweets, etc.
I find it really difficult to be around gum chewers for extended periods of time. Same goes for loud eaters.
Maddening, maddening, maddening.
On public transpo: using your cell phone in speaker mode. Bad enough to hear one side of the conversation. But, both? Argh
Music without headphones most anywhere in public. Especially annoying on the bus or train.
Motorists rolling through or flat out running STOP signs.
Bicyclists not following the rules of the road.
Motorists not respecting bicyclists or pedestrians.
And yes, too much perfume and smoking, and talking with food in the mouth.
To name a few.
Smoking …
Swearing in public – that is my worst peeve. That is one peeve I haven’t got more tolerant of as I have grown older either. Doesn’t matter if there are children around or it’s in adult company, as far as I’m concerned it’s not necessary.
Talking loudly on a mobile phone – a modern peeve. I really don’t need to hear you and neither does anyone else.
Then there’s eating with your mouth open, chewing gum furiously or with your mouth open – shop assistants calling me ‘love’ or ‘dear’.
I don’t often complain about driving infringements unless they are dangerous and that’s when you might hear a few choice words coming out of my mouth (of course I’m allowed to do that because I’m in my car and not out in public lol)
Litter. Why not take it home? It’s so disrespectful and makes everywhere uglier. And when people drop rubbish even when there is a bin right there? I just don’t understand that sort of selfish laziness.
Smoking, especially pot (where it’s legal, you can find yourself walking behind someone smoking a joint). You end up in this position where you’re trying to avoid inhaling someone else’s drugs. And I’m pro-legalization, but come on, people. Luckily, it’s rare.
Perfumes and smelly laundry soap. I’m allergic so I may have to move from my place or leave somewhere because they smell like a ball during the Baroque period.
Spitting. Ewwwwww.
Tail-gating. It’s so aggressive. And I’m not getting a 100 dollar ticket because they’re late for something.
I have so many pet peeves I don’t even know where to begin:
– Clipping nails in public (my coworker did his at our lunch table the other day…no word of a lie).
– Chomping or slurping loudly
– Walking slowly on the sidewalk while taking up the whole of it so no one can pass you
– People who stand on the left side of escalators
etc etc etc etc!
Clipping nails. A guy a work used to do his in his cube and it was one thing that just made my skin crawl. I don’t know why because it’s not a big deal at home. Maybe because it was out of context?
I second Geochick’s comment – my boss used to clip his nails daily (who does it daily????) so for 6 years I listened to the “click, click, click” of the clippers and tried not to scream. Now, to this day, the sound is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Even at home I go into another room if hubby is doing it and I can hear because I can’t STAND it.
Smoking on the beach is infuriating. Or at any outdoor event – especially because my province is smoke-free so you can’t smoke at anything like that – and yet, they do.
I can’t stand pretty much anything that is excessive and interferes with another persons enjoyment of something. Loud music, obnoxious speaking, an inability to stay in your own space. When you’re at the beach or camping or an outdoor event or something – enjoy your space, and allow others to enjoy theirs as well. Does your music need to be blaring? No, it doesn’t – why should you be the only one in the whole park that gets to enjoy the day? They all paid the same amount, so let them enjoy it as well. Music can be playing or you can all be talking and laughing but you don’t have to be excessive. Everyone has the same right to enjoy the beach or a park or an event just as much as the next person, so I think it just comes down to respecting space – your space and the space of those around you.
I second you on the smoking on the beach thing. I and to smell the ocean, not cigarette smoke. Ugh.
Other public pet peeves:
People in restaurants who play videos on their smartphone or tablet without using headphones.
People who have the music so loud in their car you can here it at a red light perfectly even with your windows up. Why is it always offensive, foul language laden music to boot?! Uuuugh!
People who stand in a checkout line and then decide to fish around for their money at the very end when all of their stuff is already scanned and bagged. And then, they always want to count change. That is so annoying to me. You know they have been in line for at least 10 minutes! Have your money ready people!! Sheesh!
Like many others here, there are so many more pet peeves I could go on and on!
I totally agree with the two you mentioned. We are taking our traveling beach road trip so beach behavior has been a part of my every day for the last 2+ weeks. In addition I’ll add stopping in large groups in the middle of walking and biking and skateboarding paths, particularly when there are also large dogs present. The smoking one is my biggest though.
I have to encounter less of the smoking these days with the new laws in place. But playing of music! I make frequent train journeys and many times I have had to endure people playing music minus headphones, and I.really.hate.it. Especially when I am trying to read. Sigh.
Mine pet public peeve has to be other people drinking in public during music concerts and sports events.
Ugggggh. Clipping nails! People seem to love to do this on the streetcar because you can throw them out the window. NOPE. If you do it in your bathroom, don’t do it in public, mmmmkay?
People who walk their dogs off-leash. NOPE. Don’t care if “they’re friendly!” It’s against the law in most municipalities.
Women loudly talking shit about all their other friends. Stay classy, ladies!
Yeah, totally agree with you on never leaving the house again… *grin*
At the grocery store – people who stand too close, people who reach past you with nary an, “excuse me,” people who munch their way through the store… hmmm, looks like all my pet peeves have one thing in common – people! *grin*
Just added a link.
My pet peeve in public places is people being loud and running into people/ not looking where t hey are going.
Loud gum chewing. Talking on the phone in the check out. Spitting.
It’s maybe a push to call it public behaviour, but I hate when people burn their backyard firepit past 10pm and make the air all smoky on summer evenings. I’m pyrophobic and can’t sleep if I can smell smoke. I think that’s public behaviour because we all have to breathe the same air!
Cellphones are a definite HUGE pet peeve of mine… people talking loudly in public places (on the commuter train — at 6:30 a.m. — directly under the sign that says “QUIET ZONE”…!!), and often about what should be considered private matters, people talking & texting while driving (eek), people walking VEEEEERRRRRRY SLOWLY in crowded corridors while staring at their phones… drives me nuts.
A few people mentioned listening to music, games, etc., without earphones. I once sat across the aisle on an airplane — 2.5 hour flight — from a family that set their two kids up to watch “Lilo & Stitch” on a portable DVD player. WITHOUT any earpieces. So I (and everyone else around us) got to listen to “Lilo & Stitch” for the entire trip too. I mean, seriously??
It also bugs me when people don’t keep up their property. I’m not saying your yard needs to look like the cover of a home & garden magazine (because mine sure doesn’t). But for crying out loud, CUT YOUR GRASS. There is a house two doors down from ours where I can count the number of times they mow their lawn during the summer on the fingers of one hand (& still have fingers to spare). (The eavestrough on the front of their house has also come off & has been hanging precariously across the front of the house, resting on the roof of the garage, since about March. Not this past March, March 2014. I am not kidding. You can even see it on Google Maps Streetview.) Yes, it’s private property, but *I* have to look at it — and it makes the entire neighbourhood look shabby.
Your new pet peeve: people who mess up and post their link twice. 😉 I didn’t mean to post #31. I think I hit a button wrong. Then, I couldn’t see it, I added #32. But they are the same link. Sorry about that.
My two public pet peeves are people who are out at a restaurant with their family yet everyone is on their own personal device and no one is talking. Just blue screen glow on everyone’s faces. The second one is people who obviously didn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, or people who find it just too inconvenient to flush when the toilet is obviously working. Why? Why? Why? Great prompt. I also hate when I have to move because someone is smoking. I hold my breath when going by the cloud of smoke if we are walking, but sometimes it sneaks up on me.
Pet peeves? All the cellphone ones, including (maybe especially) people using them in cars.
Dare I say it, screaming (uncontrolled) children running about a cafe when I’m trying to have a peaceful coffee and read my book! (That one will make me popular …)
Oh, and in Italy, people will stop on the footpath and have a conversation, and not move an inch until you literally walk right up to them and say, “permesso.” Then and only then will they move to let you pass. That really annoyed me!
People talking on their cell phone in a public bathroom. If you’re comfortable talking to your sister/spouse while peeing in your home bathroom, that’s your choice. But please don’t make me uncomfortable by letting that person hear me pooping/flushing/etc.
I’m with you on the smoking issue…I hate running into smoke from people on the footpath. It’s disgusting! So too with loud music or people talking really loudly on their mobile phones
People who take too long in women’s public washing rooms. (Especially if there’s only one.) There aren’t enough to begin with – really what the hell are you doing in there? If you’re in there that long, you really should go see a doctor! My apologies to those who suffer from IBS or Chrohn’s disease.
We are so on the same page as far as perfume & cell use when driving! In fact most artificial odors are a complete assailant on my nose. Other peeves – out of control children in public places (20 years as a teacher), swearing in front of young minds cut the trucker’s mouth, teenage screentime at family events, ear pieces for bluetooth devices come on now…it can’t wait??
People applying make-up/personal grooming on the subway. Just don’t.
People who stop abruptly at the top of the subway stairs. I get that it’s disorienting if you aren’t sure where you are, but the polite thing to do is KEEP WALKING and move to the side of the sidewalk or next to a building to get your bearings. Also, on this people who step onto the train first and then stop in the door. If you want the door get on last, otherwise keep moving.
I’m glad I rarely encounter smokers.
I thought I didn’t have many pet peeves but then as I read the comments I was like, yes, littering. Yes, smoking. Yes, obnoxious cell phone conversations.
Taking up more than one’s allotted space. Public displays of cussing, which seems to happen a lot in front of my kids.
Smoking, including the e-cig thing.