BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Etiquette Rant Week Begins - August 2005

Alright Everyone!

You know the drill... If it's rude, crude or said with an attitude, then post it here.

Now, HERE ARE THE RULES:

- No bashing! If someone posts something about etiquette that you disagree with, you can feel free to present your side as long as there is no belittling of the other poster.

-And remember, the general rules of the BellaOnline Forum MUST be adhered to.

Now let the rants begin...

Cursing in public! I understand free speech and all that, but when I am in the grocery store with my 2 year old (who is repeating every new word he hears), i do not really need to hear, "F***ing, this and F***ing that."

And in some people's vocabularies that word, plus 2 or 3 others, seem to come out as often as "the" or "and"!

And you know exactly when my angelic little boy is going to repeat these words don't you? Yep, in church, in front of my pastor AND my mother-in-law!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/wall.gif" alt="" />

Oh, Michelle, I'm so glad my kids are grown. But, they did their share of repeating what they heard in public (and sometimes at home). I don't think the f-word was so popular 20 years ago, though. I actually heard a kid about 9 years old call another kid about 9 a F***er! in my cove the other day. They were on bikes, so by the time it sunk in, they were gone, and don't live on the cove or I would have told their parents, but geez! When I was a kid the neighbors would have washed your mouth out and then told your mom who'd repeat the process.

"The times they are a-changin" huh?

I have issues with the absolute audacity that some perfect strangers have when they learn that after nearly 10 years of happy marriage I not only 1. don't have children, but 2. don't want any, now or ever.

I am a fairly non-militant member of the Childfree community (I don't hate children, I don't propose that humanity should stop breeding completely so that it can die out and save the Earth from its imminent demise from overpopulation, etc, etc, etc...) I'm not snarky or derisive when someone presents me with news of their impending birth, and I at least pretend interest when they drone on at length about their own perfect offspring. But I wonder what makes a person who knows absolutely nothing about me, or my life's choices, or my biology or genetics, or even about my dreams and goals, feel like they can make a judgment about whether or not I should have a child.

Please, don't say that it doesn't happen as much as I make out that it does. I have had people (mostly women, but there are more men who do it every single day) berate me in public for making such a "selfish" decision, and the least objectionable of them simply look smug and tell me that I'll change my mind. I've had perfect strangers in Walmart overhear a private conversation and interject their opinion on the subject. I've had checkout personnel in grocery stores ask me if I have kids (based on my grocery purchases) and when I say I don't and won't, I've gotten every reaction possible from them, and never a positive one.

It is everything I've got not to lambast them with the anger that such deeply personal, none of their business questions and opinions inspires. *sighs* Sometimes its so bad that I'm simply speechless at the nerve.

I couldn't wait for rant week and now I can't remember what I was so upset about LOL. I think it was because my kids are so selfish and I do so much for them and the minute I need one of them to do something for me they are too busy. And I raised this bratt!!

You know, it seems to me that it would be wise for people to not make mention of it period! I mean, what if the couple had been trying for years to have children and couldn't, or what if they'd had a miscarriage?

I'll never understand why we can stand by and watch a grown man beat on a child and say "that's not my business", yet put our noses in everywhere else we want!

I agree with you Michelle.

My personal pet peeve is the "When are you gonna get married" jazz. First of all I'm only 27 as of two weeks from now so I don't think I'm all that old to be getting pressure about not being married. Just because all of my cousins have married and/or had kids with the first guy that says "Hi" and is now miserable, doesn't mean that I have to take that same route. You'd think that they'd be happy that I'm not willing to settle for less than I want. I have a career and I'm taking care of my self and my life. You'd think they'd be proud, but I guess they're not.

A few weeks ago, my great aunt asked me: "When are you gonna get married? I'm ready to go to a wedding."

Yeah, let me just pull a husband out my nose! I mean it's not like there are hundreds of guys lined up outside my door to be the next Prince Charming.

You could always tell her to move to Vegas! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

On Wednesday we made a reservation for Saturday a.m. to pick up a vehicle to move my daughter's stuff back to college. We were told they would call us Thursday with the time. They did not call, so we called them, and they had switched the pickup location from 10 miles away, to 15! Friday they still had not give us a time, we called, they had again switched the pickup to 50 miles away! The next day (Sat a.m.) we called, the location was moved to 40 miles away. I called this location, the guy said "yes you have a reservation, I am looking at it, but we do not have any in, and I close in 1 1/2 hours". At the end of the day we finally procured the trailer, from the original location! But not before they decided our reservation was really on Sunday. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> They know what DAY the vehicles are due in, somewhere in the vicinity (?), but do not share this vague info. I resent being jerked around for four days, my daughter was told something Different each day <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />and I will never use this company again or recommend them to anyone! <img src="/images/graemlins/wall.gif" alt="" />

I, too am mystified by the collective idea that everyone should get married and have children. By a certain age, too. I was married twice and I have two children (grown) that I love with all that I am, so the only "experience" I have is that I waited five years after I got married to have a child and they started asking about six months after the wedding.

And, now that I'm twice divorced and living with my boyfriend of 3 years with no intention of getting married, well, I just tell people "Marriage makes men stupid and I like him smart". Women understand this--it takes the married men awhile to get it. LOL! Or, I tell them I'm allergic to "the M word"--it causes divorce.