View Full Version : The "I Don't Get It" thread
I don't get QVC or HSN. At all. I have never ever been compelled to waste my time volunteering for long sales pitches on TV. I can't even believe this is an actual show.
I don't get it.
What don't you get?
iris lilies
9-28-13, 11:16am
I like this thread. Periodically there are things that I don't understand and I'll have to post them here.
ToomuchStuff
9-28-13, 12:04pm
I like the IDEA of this thread as well (and I have a lot I don't understand). But it makes me wonder if we are going to also use this thread to try to answer some of these, or if this is just a vent thread?
For instance, HSN is NOT a show, but a NETWORK (the N at the end), that is all about selling to those couch potato's to lazy to get up and go to the store to look for whatever it is. If they could sell you your groceries, at a profit, I think they would.
I like the IDEA of this thread as well (and I have a lot I don't understand). But it makes me wonder if we are going to also use this thread to try to answer some of these, or if this is just a vent thread?
For instance, HSN is NOT a show, but a NETWORK (the N at the end), that is all about selling to those couch potato's to lazy to get up and go to the store to look for whatever it is. If they could sell you your groceries, at a profit, I think they would.
Much like Amazon.com (Which I use regularly).
I don't understand why people buy breakfast cereals when they're grossly overpriced, highly processed, and not particularly good for you. And you're hungry an hour later.
ApatheticNoMore
9-28-13, 12:24pm
For instance, HSN is NOT a show, but a NETWORK (the N at the end), that is all about selling to those couch potato's to lazy to get up and go to the store to look for whatever it is. If they could sell you your groceries, at a profit, I think they would.
Well going to the store and looking for something usually implies you actually know what you want (not in a deep sense, just in a very superficial consumption sense - eg I want to buy a skillet say). And isn't QVC just selling whatever they happen to be selling at the time? So what are the chances that they are just going to happen to be selling what you are looking for? So it doesn't really seem comparable to going to the store and buying something (going online and buying something may be for those too lazy to go to the store - yes things, come to my doorstep, without any effort on my part ... :) ).
Then I guess it's just the fantasy of consumption, woah I never knew I needed a potato slicer, but now I do. Maybe like impulse purchases or randomly browsing a garage sale or something.
Those networks have schedules and websites, so if you're looking for a turquoise Kitchenaid, or Clarks shoes and want all the details, you can tune in. Or you can just peruse the website.
Why shop on line? You can call it laziness, I call it not wasting fuel or frustration driving here and there--and maybe not finding what you're looking for--battling crowds and becoming distracted when you can "let your fingers do the walking," as the old slogan goes.
I've always wanted to see a follow-up study done on the average QVC shopper. I have several questions.
*What percentage are repeat buyers?
*What is the average purchases per month?
and the biggie-----
*how many of those buyers are hoarders?
and the biggest------
*how many of those buyers have unopened boxes stacked by the front door?
We were approached by QVC in it's early days for one of our sculptures, being a small one-man studio we were not sure we would be able to get the stock ready and in place to go once our segment would air. They wanted something like 10,000 units ready to go with more in reserve. We passed on the offer.
The Storyteller
9-28-13, 12:58pm
I don't get...
The paleo craze. Makes sense neither scientifically nor medically to me.
Gluten free unless you have celiac disease.
Reality TV.
People who live in cities yet own 3/4 or 1 ton trucks unless there is a 5th wheel hookup. Or people who drive 4 wheel drive vehicles perfect for off roading who slow down at every bump they see in the road.
People who hate kids.
Buying cars new.
Junk food vending machines in hospitals.
Junk food vending machines in public schools.
Junk food vending machines.
I'm sure I'll think of more. :)
That's OK. I don't get veganism. Paleo is just shorthand for low-carb, whole foods. A lot of people, though they don't test celiac--or haven't been tested--find they do better without gluten grains. And I'm not crazy about children--especially in groups. I regularly watch Project Runway--reality TV is a huge category. So there you go.
The Storyteller
9-28-13, 1:46pm
Well, I see this thread as very "me" specific. It's what *I* don't get. Doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong with any of those things.
Except junk food vending machines in hospitals.
Or paleo. :D
Well, I see this thread as very "me" specific. It's what *I* don't get. Doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong with any of those things.
Exactly. (but I agree with you on the junk food machines in hospitals and schools)
Re the HSN/QVC, I guess I just don't shop that way. It's not how my mind works. I would much rather shop on line and browse around for the specific features I want than just be courted by some pocketbook designer selling one bag. If I want a pocketbook, I just go to a store and quickly evaluate the options and buy one. On QVC there's just too much time touting one bundle of attributes. What if I don't want a large bag with a gold chain and a cell phone pocket on the outside? Am I going to sit there for 20 minutes and let them talk me into it? Heck, no. And I don't like having to listen to customers on the phone praising their own purchases either. If I want reviews, I'll go online and speed read.
The Storyteller
9-28-13, 1:57pm
But then, I guess sports are sort of reality TV, aren't they? And I love football and boxing.
So, there you go.
I don't get people who eat grocery store meat and then get down on the sport of hunting as being barbaric or unethical.
Yeah, QVC shopping is a big mystery to me.
I'll probably think of more. Fun topic
Miss Cellane
9-28-13, 2:52pm
I don't get rabid sports fans. The kind who threaten not to go to their child's wedding, because it is on a Saturday during football season.
Or, actually, football, unless you are playing it yourself. It's an expensive sport that costs lots of money. Every high school and college has to have a team, which costs tons of money and benefits whom? A few players and the people that make the money off them. Pick-up teams are fine, but otherwise?
Why people drink to get drunk and throw up. Seems a waste of money, especially with the hangover the following day.
I don't get parents who pack up their kids in the SUV and drive them to the street corner and wait for the school bus with them. (yes, that really happens in my neighborhood. And my neighborhood is neither the ghetto nor in the Arctic)
I don't get people who dislike cats and/or dogs. If you are allergic to them that's one thing, but people who just hate domesticated animals for no logical reason are a mystery to me.
Miss Cellane
9-28-13, 4:37pm
I don't get people who dislike cats and/or dogs. If you are allergic to them that's one thing, but people who just hate domesticated animals for no logical reason are a mystery to me.
Or those people who dislike cats because they are not dogs.
The Storyteller
9-28-13, 4:44pm
I don't get people who eat grocery store meat and then get down on the sport of hunting as being barbaric or unethical.
When, in fact, industrial animal farming is barbaric and unethical. At least the wild animals being hunted had decent lives, doing what they are supposed to do.
Adding to my list...
People who own chickens and love them, but then buy their chicken from the grocery store, and are appalled at people like me who raise and butcher our own for food. That's just topsy turvy ethics.
The Storyteller
9-28-13, 4:45pm
Or those people who dislike cats because they are not dogs.
Or dogs because they aren't cats?
I don't get...
- people who don't believe in abortion but do believe in the death penalty.
- people who know that light switches can be moved to switch on the lights, but don't seem to know that the same light switches can be moved to switch off the lights.
- guys around here who will spend at least a grand and do the Tool Time grunt while buying a monster snowblower they'll need maybe 2-3 times each winter -- but won't spend a few hundred dollars on winter tires which will make their family outings (and the rest of us) safer every day each winter.
- how it is possible to attend a large outdoor event in 2013 and not be able to find recycling receptacles for water bottles/organic waste/etc.
I'm sure there's more, but they'll occur to me later. ;)
goldensmom
9-28-13, 6:08pm
I don't get...
- people who don't believe in abortion but do believe in the death penalty.
And conversely, people who believe in abortion but not in the death penalty.
I don't get QVC or HSN. At all. I have never ever been compelled to waste my time volunteering for long sales pitches on TV.....
In the early days of HSN, when my MIL was still alive, she used to order everything she saw that interested her, then in a fit of remorse, would return virtually everything she had purchased. They eventually banned her from purchasing, which was a very good thing.
The Storyteller
9-28-13, 6:24pm
Electronic cigarettes
Cigarettes
iris lilies
9-28-13, 6:27pm
And conversely, people who believe in abortion but not in the death penalty.
I support both and so am not, I suppose, inconsistent or hypocritical or whatever those who support one but not the other are considered to be.
I but I certainly understand more the position of no abortion but ok to the death penalty.
rosarugosa
9-28-13, 8:24pm
I have to say that I found electronic cigarettes to be a useful transitional tool when I was giving up smoking. I know other friends who are doing the same, and will probably either end up putting them aside as I did, or going back to smoking cigarettes.
I do get not getting cigarettes, but they're all about addiction, nothing particularly logical about addiction, but it is powerful and real.
I don't get the attraction of cell phones, but I have no doubt that they exert a hold as powerful as heroin or tobacco, based on observing my fellow humans in the city every day. I think buying a smartphone (for me) would be as smart a move as having "just one" cigarette after being tobacco free for almost two years.
I honestly don't get sports at all.
Healthy people who drive 5 or 10 minutes looking for a close up parking spot to save a 2 or 3 minute walk. (My brother falls into this one). Or take a driving tour of a National Park or other natural interest but are only out of the car a few minutes at an overlook or two.
SteveinMN
9-28-13, 11:23pm
And conversely, people who believe in abortion but not in the death penalty.
I believe there are some extenuating biological issues that play into that situation. But I'll agree that the two situations we've described seem logically inconsistent.
And conversely, people who believe in abortion but not in the death penalty.
Do people actually "believe" in abortion? It's a private medical procedure. I believe in everyone's right to make up their own mind. Personally, when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, I could not imagine getting an abortion, which made me deepen my pro-choice stance, as I realized how deeply personal that decision is.
I am anti-death penalty because it's illogical, ineffective as a deterrence, and the risk of an innocent person being killed is not worth whatever benefit some presume. My opinion isn't based upon beliefs, rather upon my assessment of the efficacy of this aspect of the criminal justice system.
Miss Cellane
9-29-13, 8:45am
I honestly don't get sports at all.
See, I get sports. Competitive sports are not for me, personally, but I get the idea of being on a team and playing a game and wanting to win. So for people who actually play the sport, even individual sports like golf, I can get the idea of practicing and getting better and wanting to win.
What I can't get is the fanaticism that some fans have for professional sports teams, and I'm including college sports in with the professionals. Or high schools where they spend thousands of dollars yearly on coaches, equipment, stadia, stadium lights and liability insurance for football, which benefits, what, 20-25 students? While the library doesn't get new books (or in some cases even a librarian), and art and music and other academic courses are cut because "there's not enough money for them."
A good third of the nightly news is sports. How is that news? What could we be learning about other countries/parts of the US during that time instead?
Miss Cellane
9-29-13, 8:48am
Healthy people who drive 5 or 10 minutes looking for a close up parking spot to save a 2 or 3 minute walk. (My brother falls into this one). Or take a driving tour of a National Park or other natural interest but are only out of the car a few minutes at an overlook or two.
This is my brother as well. He'll run 10 miles a day, or take his bicycle out for a 70 mile ride, but heaven forfend that he have to walk more than a few steps to get into a store. We cannot drive to the mall together, because he hates the fact that I park my car in the first space I see, usually out where no other car is parked, and I can't stand the 10 minutes of circling that he does to find a free space in the limited area that he considers "acceptable."
Although, to be fair to him, he is currently hiking in Glacier National Park for 5 days and I'm incredibly jealous of that fact.
happystuff
9-29-13, 9:14am
Fun thread!
I don't get...
- people who travel abroad/away from home and then get mad/upset that things aren't "like at home".
- people who profess to be deeply religious, yet end up being nasty, nasty, nasty!
- people with double (or more!) our family income that feel it's okay to whine to me about being broke/poor/struggling/etc.
Electronic cigarettes
Cigarettes
I was going to put this also on my list. It's not that I don't get how people get and stay addicted--I certainly do.
But in general, I don't get it! Cigarettes drain your money, and your health.
And I know smokers tell me they de-stress/calm you, but I don't see how that's true--are you calmer because the nicotine sedates you? OR are you calmer because you are satisfying the craving for the nicotine?
Also, it's so inconvenient--always having to have your cigs and matches on you. And you have to find a place to light up in public areas. And your clothes smell, and your kids' clothes smell because they hugged you.
And for all that I just can't imagine the payoff is worth it.
And even though I know the ambivalence my smoking family members have had with their habit, I just don't get it.
iris lilies
9-29-13, 9:41am
I like the IDEA of this thread as well (and I have a lot I don't understand). But it makes me wonder if we are going to also use this thread to try to answer some of these, or if this is just a vent thread?
yep, a vent thread.
As an ex-smoker, I can say that it certainly doesn't make sense. But I do "get it". It is a physical addiction that the mind finds all sorts of ways to rationalize. I've read that kicking the habit is more difficult than getting off heroin. It is more than just a bad habit, like say, eating a poor diet and becoming unhealthy, which I don't get.
catherine
9-29-13, 10:08am
As an ex-smoker, I can say that it certainly doesn't make sense. But I do "get it". It is a physical addiction that the mind finds all sorts of ways to rationalize. I've read that kicking the habit is more difficult than getting off heroin. It is more than just a bad habit, like say, eating a poor diet and becoming unhealthy, which I don't get.˚
I agree, Rogar--which is why I didn't put this in my original "I don't gets." I've read the same thing about smoking being harder to kick than heroin. I don't want to come down as passing judgement on smokers--my own mother died of emphysema and my DH stopped smoking for four years, said that he felt foolish about ever having smoked, but then lighted up again and has been fully addicted ever since (and not to cigarettes, but to those Black & Mild little cigars).
But I still don't get smoking in terms of the logic of it. To me, there's none.
I don't get the Universe: black holes and dark matter and multiple dimensions, spooky matter at a distance and weak gravity. Maybe some day it will be explained to me.
Don't worry about passing judgment; that's what we're all about here! :devil:
Do people actually "believe" in abortion? It's a private medical procedure.
That's where the 'belief' comes into play. Some 'believe' that it's a private medical procedure. Some 'believe' that it's the possible destruction of innocent life.
The Storyteller
9-29-13, 10:57am
I get addiction. What I don't get is starting smoking in the first place. If you never smoked you can't get addicted.
And what I don't get about electronic cigarettes is smoking them when you never smoked to begin with.
SteveinMN
9-29-13, 12:17pm
What I don't get is starting smoking in the first place. If you never smoked you can't get addicted.
I was offered a lit cigarette sometime before I was a teenager. One puff and the stereotypical cough-and-turn-blue reaction took place. I never touched another cigarette. I'm not sure how someone acquires the taste for it. But, then, there are people who like coffee, and beer, and whiskey -- and I don't know anyone who found those as immediately likeable as, say, bacon or sex. So people must get enough out of it to go back and get hooked....
That's where the 'belief' comes into play. Some 'believe' that it's a private medical procedure. Some 'believe' that it's the possible destruction of innocent life.
And many hold both stances at the same time. For me, it's not a belief.
The Storyteller
9-29-13, 1:02pm
I still don't get it, Steve, but thanks for trying.
Something else I don't get?
Condos.
iris lilies
9-29-13, 1:12pm
I still don't get it, Steve, but thanks for trying.
Something else I don't get?
Condos.
Oh I think that condos theoretically are a great idea! Theoretically you build equity in a piece of real estate. But--you've got the simple living/low maintenance of a rental apartment. The risk is shared.
Practically speaking, they probably are only a great idea in very large cities with dense population and high rise buildings. Can you imagine New York and Vancouver and part of Chicago without condos and coops?
But due to what I've observed to be risk for these things in flyover country, I will never buy a condo, never. I don't want my real estate equity and obligation to be controlled by a bunch of others who know nothing about building maintenance. I don't want to share the risk because I know where I will fall on the scale of group decision making always. I'm the outlier. For group think individuals, condos may be ok but they are risky investments, and lenders in the midwest don't like 'em.
I would, however, rent an apartment.
So Storyteller, I agree with ya on a practical level.
iris lilies
9-29-13, 1:15pm
so we settled condos. Now for Time shares.
I don't understand the appeal of Time shares. These things always seem to be expensive when you do the math and you can't get out of them, that's the real trick. ugh, that scares me, real estate obligations that one cannot jettison.
I also hate the idea of going back to the same place year after year for a vacation, but I can see that it has appeal for some people especially if you have children.
so we settled condos. Now for Time shares.
I don't understand the appeal of Time shares. These things always seem to be expensive when you do the math and you can't get out of them, that's the real trick. ugh, that scares me, real estate obligations that one cannot jettison.
I also hate the idea of going back to the same place year after year for a vacation, but I can see that it has appeal for some people especially if you have children.
AGREED!
Miss Cellane
9-29-13, 1:45pm
so we settled condos. Now for Time shares.
I also hate the idea of going back to the same place year after year for a vacation, but I can see that it has appeal for some people especially if you have children.
See, I know a lot of people who return to the same place for vacation every year. Not necessarily the same hotel/motel/rental house, but the same general area, like Cape Cod.
They may take a second vacation during the year to some other place, but they always spend a week or two in their favorite vacation spot, going to the same stores and restaurants and museums. Maybe trying out a few new things, but returning to their favorites over and over.
The Storyteller
9-29-13, 2:08pm
IL, I almost added Time Shares, so I'm with you there. Funny how time shares and condos seemed to associate for both of us.
iris lilies
9-29-13, 2:14pm
IL, I almost added Time Shares, so I'm with you there. Funny how time shares and condos seemed to associate for both of us.
It's because we are OLD and remember a time where there was not such things (although I think that there have always been New York City coops.)
The Storyteller
9-29-13, 2:17pm
Car leases by individuals.
Spending thousands of dollars on a sick pet. Most I have ever spent was $350 for stitches on my Great Pyr, and that was because she had fought off a cougar protecting my flocks, so I felt obligated.
iris lilies
9-29-13, 2:25pm
Car leases by individuals.
Spending thousands of dollars on a sick pet. Most I have ever spent was $350 for stitches on my Great Pyr, and that was because she had fought off a cougar protecting my flocks, so I felt obligated.
I had to learn the hard way, spent $5,000 on cancer treatments for my first beloved bulldog. Easily affordable for us and it was in increments that built up over two years so I purposely didn't tally it up until after she was dead. I didn't know how much we were spending and I didn't care.
Since then I swing the other way. Money still is not the problem, but I pay attention to ethics of keeping a pet alive for me. It's a tough call, though. I've got a young happy bulldog who feels great as long as he gets his $120 in medication each month. I worry about the day the meds stop working.
I medicated a cat for several years with human heart meds, till he was 19. I have also raised sheep & had a livestock dog, and because we had no vet in the community then, we did everything out of the Merck Manual. We spent very little on the livestock, much more on the guard dog (a Maremma/Kuvasz cross). The most we spent was on our Jersey milk cow when she cut one of her teats on a downed barb wire fence... Oweee...
Personally I don't like tattoos; I find them unattractive and makes one look a bit trashy (my opinion). I especially don't get why someone would get a tattoo that "has meaning" to them on a spot on their body that no one will see normally and the owner has to use a mirror to look at it. I'd rather have that same piece of artwork hanging on my wall so I could see it every day.
frugal-one
9-29-13, 8:13pm
I don't get jealousy! There is always a price to pay for what you want. If you really want something, you will find a way to get it.
early morning
9-29-13, 10:36pm
There are SO many things I don't get - and many you've already covered.... reality TV, fanatic sports fans, shopping networks, leased cars, time-shares, condos, home owner's associations, people who move to the country and then complain about lack of services... but I REALLY don't get designer dogs -a labadoodle is a cross-breed, for heaven's sake, NOT a reason to plop down $300+!! People are paying large amounts of money for mutts, while many lovely dogs are available from shelters or rescue organizations. I.do.not.understand. *sigh*
I don't get some women's obsession with purses and shoes. How many purses do you need? I have one. It is black. I use it about once a year.
Shoes combine my hatred for feet, clothing and shopping. Of course, I do wear shoes, but that because it is a necessity. I don't like them.
I do get condos, because I just bought one. $100,000 less than a house of the equivalent niceness in the same area. But I understand that that depends where you live.
I don't get why everybody doesn't think and act just like me, me, me! :D
I don't get why everybody doesn't think and act just like me, me, me! :D
You are the coooolest, so I do not get that either. :D:D
IshbelRobertson
9-30-13, 10:22am
Personally I don't like tattoos; I find them unattractive and makes one look a bit trashy (my opinion). I especially don't get why someone would get a tattoo that "has meaning" to them on a spot on their body that no one will see normally and the owner has to use a mirror to look at it. I'd rather have that same piece of artwork hanging on my wall so I could see it every day.
I don't like tattoos, either.
Re your second sentence, I cannot understand foreigners on Scottish sites asking for, in the main, non translatable (is there such a word, I wonder?) phrases to be given in Scots Gaelic! I mean, who would put something on their body that neither the wearer or readers can understand? Many sites send said saddoes off with a flea in their ear, or worse, an insulting comment given as a translation. >8)
iris lilies
9-30-13, 10:24am
You are the coooolest, so I do not get that either. :D:D
I know, I'd want to be Jane if I wasn't myself.
I am a bicyclist and "sort of" understand the attraction to motocycles as they probably give a sense of unencumbered freedom on the road and are fun (but a little dangerous) to ride. I do not however get Harleys. They are obnoxiously noisy, from the reports are unreliable, and to me are associated with dress alike gang mentality and decadence.
And P.S., assuming you don't ride a Harley, I think Jane 2.0 is cool, too.
...And P.S., assuming you don't ride a Harley, I think Jane 2.0 is cool, too.
I know, I'd want to be Jane if I wasn't myself.
Fan club time.
ToomuchStuff
9-30-13, 12:02pm
yep, a vent thread.
So shouldn't this be joined with the daily peeve thread? (vent)
or moved into the politics section (puff up your chest and tell why you and your group is better then others)?
If it isn't about learning/understanding, just seems worthless to have another that isn't with the other.
Or is that just another vent for this thread.:laff:
The Storyteller
9-30-13, 12:14pm
So, you're saying you don't get this thread?
:)
try2bfrugal
9-30-13, 12:33pm
I don't get...
The paleo craze. Makes sense neither scientifically nor medically to me.
I think cutting back on processed food is a good idea, but I don't get the caveman diet. Why go back to the caveman days? Why not the diet of a 100 years ago? Five hundred years ago? Why not go back further in time and eat a single celled organism diet? And did all caveman eat the same thing, regardless of where they lived?
So shouldn't this be joined with the daily peeve thread? (vent)
or moved into the politics section (puff up your chest and tell why you and your group is better then others)?
If it isn't about learning/understanding, just seems worthless to have another that isn't with the other.
Seems like a vent expresses irritation or dislike, while "it don't get it" is more like, I don't understand why. Regardless, it's a fun thread.
catherine
9-30-13, 12:42pm
Seems like a vent expresses irritation or dislike, while "it don't get it" is more like, I don't understand why.
Yes, that's exactly what I originally intended.. :+1:
ApatheticNoMore
9-30-13, 12:51pm
I don't get this thread at this point, I kinda did at one point I guess, but if it's just a vent on people with slightly different lifestyles, I don't get it because I have always felt rather alienated from the society I lived in - so in a sense I don't get *EVERYTHING*, and in another sense humans are just humans, doing what they do, some of it even gives them pleasure for whatever reason :). Guess I prefer daily peeve (this was minorly annoying today) and political threads (at least aiming at some kind of intellectual philosophical understanding of the world even if usually going off the rails).
Gardenarian
9-30-13, 1:38pm
Twitter, Tumblr, Wanelo, Vine.
Maybe I need an Anti-Social network.
The America's Cup.
Cell phone fetishism.
The Storyteller
9-30-13, 1:40pm
But none of these things actually peeve me. Merely head scratchers for me. Seems to me that takes it down a notch from a peeve, which implies some level of anger. It also doesn't mean there is anything wrong with any of them.
For instance, I also don't get why someone would purposely put a permanent mark on their bodies that is going to fade and become disfigured as they age, regardless how beautiful it was when they first got it. But, it is enough that they just want it. I get that.
I just don't get why they would. :)
Our YMOYL orientation gives me lots of those "huh?" moments. I sometimes look like the curious dog, with my head cocked, Mr. Pug says.
For example, I don't get my neighbor.
She hires contractors to do things like come and pull weeds in her yard. Then they grow back. Then she hires them again to pull them again. Or house cleaners who come weekly, even though it's just the two of them, no visitors, etc. Or expensive antiques. She tells me often that they can't afford to retire, and her husband is in chronic pain and needs back surgery. It's interesting to see this cycle. What is it in our brains that keeps us from seeing the obvious? I'm not peeving -- I don't care one bit about what she does, her choice. And I have my own illogical behaviors too. But fascinating to see seemingly intelligent people with these massive blind spots.
I don't get numbers. I don't get reading books from front to back, much prefer back to front or sometimes skipping around. I don't get not being able to learn some things I can't learn. I don't get much technology--no idea how to use a cell phone or much at all on this computer. I don't get how recovery can be real, but I think it's the best thing I know of.
happystuff
9-30-13, 3:45pm
Personally I don't like tattoos; I find them unattractive and makes one look a bit trashy (my opinion). I especially don't get why someone would get a tattoo that "has meaning" to them on a spot on their body that no one will see normally and the owner has to use a mirror to look at it. I'd rather have that same piece of artwork hanging on my wall so I could see it every day.
I didn't used to get tattoos either. Then I got one and now I do. :)
For the record, mine has significant meaning to me and it is in a place where *I* can easily see it. I understand the exact meaning/translation of what is written and I consider it to be art that I can see whenever I want and where ever I am - not just at home. If/when it fades, it will be worth it to me to get it refreshed.
But I do get why some people don't get tattoos. :)
happystuff
9-30-13, 3:47pm
I still don't get Facebook. My dh has over 450 "friends". yet we never have company over. :confused:
ApatheticNoMore
9-30-13, 3:54pm
I still don't get Facebook. My dh has over 450 "friends". yet we never have company over. :confused:
It was ever thus, just in the old days the "friends" noone ever actually saw were who you sent the yearly holiday cards to.
iris lilies
9-30-13, 8:56pm
...And P.S., assuming you don't ride a Harley, I think Jane 2.0 is cool, too.
But Jane's ride is a problem. :laff::laff::laff:
Twitter, Tumblr, Wanelo, Vine.
Maybe I need an Anti-Social network.
The America's Cup.
Cell phone fetishism.
Twitter: I was following the Egyptian uprising two years ago via some Egyptian Twitter contacts. It was amazing. I am more a passive Twitter user than active, but that may change soon due to work.
Tumblr: interesting insights into current youth trends. Good for understanding popular culture, which two of my three kids are firmly in, and which I need to understand for work. Plus I love it.
Wanelo: New to me... Must explore!
UPDATE: oh, Want, Need, Love. Consumer purchases. MEH.
Vine: an easy way to vid share, I think. I may be using this soon as a fundraiser.
Cell phones: my iPhone is actually a very small computer, with modestly good phone service. I use it more as a computer that a phone.
America's Cup: not a clue...
But Jane's ride is a problem. :laff::laff::laff:
I saw that coming. It's hard to be a crusty curmudgeon around here...
ApatheticNoMore
9-30-13, 10:07pm
If people want to do social media or buy a certain technology product it's their problem, but I don't get how we are suppose to be obligated to all gush over it, like it's some great technological acheivement (which frankly is an insult to actual technological acheivements). I see the benefit of Twitter, but when I start gushing over it, time to take away the drinks. And if I'm supposed to do it to appear young and hip, ever more nonsense, as I am the age I am (which isn't old enough to be age discriminated against quite yet :)).
No one is obligated gush, ANM, really. Those of us who do are quite content to gush with others of our ilk!
Here's a Twitter story that may be of interest regarding its usefulness...
http://pri.org/stories/2013-09-24/when-theres-no-911-kenya-tweets-help
ApatheticNoMore
10-1-13, 12:21am
One good thing about twitter is a certain amount of decentralization/lack of hierarchy. Like you want to talk to a blogger, an intellectual (as long as they aren't mega-famous), or say the reporters of the Manning trial, you have a good chance of getting through. Now if you want to talk to Hillary Clinton, Jk Rowling, or get in an econ debate with Krugman, stop the silliness, way too famous. But several levels down, it's access to people you never thought you'd have access to. Pretty cool! Now the people I most want to talk with may not be big hierarchy believers so it may help but :laff: But anyway, it's unlikely to survive the growth of the medium, that kind of egalitarianism doesn't scale. So no that's not revolutionary, it's not changing the world, it's just a brief flash in the pan, a brilliance here and gone, that has often existed on the net. I also have used it ocassionally to track current events like the Treavor Martin protests, because media lies about things like that, most reports were coming in from Twitter: no violence (no it doesn't have to be a protest I'd want to join for me to believe media blows things out of proportion).
But meanwhile, the NSA monitors and records it all. It knows when your on twitter, it knows when your awake, it knows who you talk to, who you listen to, it probably builds profiles, patterns of thought and behavior, means of control if they wanted to, and the Stasi could use any of it against you someday if they wanted to. Meanwhile the corporations want to know do you have a nice normal Stasi profile? What you don't even use FB, how could this be? All corporate drones are required to be on social media .... all corporate drones are required to appear young, hip and with it. Dye your hair and get a tumblr.
Wow, do you read sci-fi, ANM?
I get tattoos, in fact I have one which is nearly 40 yrs old---but I do not get gauges.
Gardenarian
10-1-13, 2:46pm
Thanks, redfox! When I meant "I did not get them", that is really what I meant - not "I think this is stupid" but "huh?"
I can see how following Twitter could be fascinating for an inside look at current events, but I guess you have to know who to subscribe to.
I'm all up on youth culture, heaven help me, with a 14yo and working at a CC, so Tumblr is still a bit of a puzzler - kind of like a quick blog?
Wanelo - yeah, basically wishlists, don't understand this as "social media."
Vine - I believe the videos are limited to 6 seconds? Still don't see the point. I dislike watching video on computer; maybe I'm in a minority. When someone sends me a link I'm hoping for text or pictures - I won't watch a video.
Cell phones - okay, it's a little computer. And it can make life simpler in many ways. Hey, I got a smart phone last month, and though I use it maybe ten minutes per day, it has been a big help to me. I get that. But people keeping them next to them, having to keep their eyes on them at all times (even when speaking to me at the reference desk - even when driving ) - that I don't get at all.
The America's Cup is a yacht race, for crying out loud. A lot of rich white guys in really expensive boats - it has been taking place in SF this year, and a lot of people are enthusiastic about it. meh.
The Storyteller
10-1-13, 2:53pm
Buying acreage (as in 4 or more) in the country, then not using it. For anything, even a small garden.
City ordinances that ban 10 pound chickens but allow 140 pound dogs.
Neighbors who complain about chickens. Specifically, hens. (I get roosters.)
The Storyteller
10-1-13, 2:56pm
The incessant need to bring political discussions into the non-political areas of this forum, when there is a perfectly good PP forum for that purpose.
ApatheticNoMore
10-1-13, 3:05pm
The incessant need to bring political discussions into the non-political areas of this forum, when there is a perfectly good PP forum for that purpose.
I don't get it either, I dont' know why people keep doing it. But I'll post political stuff if a thread has become a political thread, because at that point it's fair game. By the way advocating for organic food is not political :D
The Storyteller
10-1-13, 3:13pm
By the way advocating for organic food is not political :D
I'll agree with that. I know believers of organics and sustainable farmers from every corner of every political persuasion.
Good food is just good food.
iris lilies
10-5-13, 9:06pm
I don't get why my new New Balance tennis shoes, width D, are not as comfortable as my other new pair of New Balance shoes, B width.
I purposely looked for D width because the last pair that really fit were D's.
I DO get but don't like that tennis shoes styles have to change so often or why there have to be so many styles. That last pair--I scoured Ebay to see if someone, anyone, was selling them. Nope, not in my size, anyway. That style is dead and gone.
I get tattoos, too. :) I also get QVC. When I reset my little antenna, it showed up on the dozen or so channels I can watch. I have to say that whilst I did not spend much time there, it was fun watching and listening to the program, some kind of clothing. Another day they did kitchen something or the other. I suppose that if it were that good, that I would remember the products, but I was not shopping, just having a sit and a cuppa.
I can see how that could help people who cannot get out to stores, and it adds a nice bit of extra information that you cannot get from a web site. Nice for comparison shopping, I think, especially if you can save some money.
I have nothing to add to the dialogue about people who buy too much or hoard stuff or just have too much disposable income. Each to his/her own, but it really was fun to watch those two times.
I don't get high heels - voluntary torture??
Maxamillion
10-6-13, 7:01am
Things I don't get...
--spending hundreds of dollars on make-up.
--people who hate reading
--people who get hostile if you tell them you don't want to have kids
--people who hate cheese :0!
I don't get a bazillion things related to this world of consumption, entertainment and abundance:
Ditto on the shoes and purses
Big purses
Driving very expensive cars as sign of status
Pretentiousness in general
Obsession with smart phones
Obsession with exercising and yoga (I know that's not a popular stance)
Lawns, weed killers and pesticides
Supplements
Current state of health care and pharmaceuticals
Using fillers and botox on skin
Skinny pants and leggings
I could go on and on so I won't...
ApatheticNoMore
10-6-13, 12:51pm
I don't get high heels - voluntary torture??
I'm with you there.
Though I love shoes (and purses) with an unholy passion, I don't really get high heels (or pointy toes) either. Sexual lure, maybe? They remind me of Chinese foot-binding.
Though I love shoes (and purses) with an unholy passion, I don't really get high heels (or pointy toes) either. Sexual lure, maybe? They remind me of Chinese foot-binding.
High heels definitely make a woman stand up straighter make legs look longer. But I really don't like wearing them. When I'm working, I'll wear boots that are a mere inch high, but as SOON as work is over, my flats go back on.
ApatheticNoMore
10-6-13, 2:38pm
I really never wear anything but flats, and I'm not tall. They'll just have to accept I'm short, sorry :~)
High heels cant the hips forward, accentuating the lumbar curve, and causing the hips to roll while walking. In some women, they also cause the butt to jiggle. They cause the calf muscles to ball up, making the lower legs more shapely. They are designed to emphasize our sexual accessibility and desirability according to stereotypical images of females in sexual passion -- arched back, pointed toes, wiggly bits. They also render us unable to move quickly, damage our feet, ankles, & knees. Sounds like something a sexist male designed.
As one of my (male) co-workers advised "Never wear shoes you can't run in."
iris lilies
10-6-13, 8:59pm
... Sounds like something a sexist male designed.
Since most modern widely popular fashions are invented by men you are probably right. Many of those men are gay, but that doesn't men that they don't appreciate an elongated female leg, tightened calf muscle and etc.
So why do women wear them if they are so bad? What is it about generations of women who continue to embrace this and other bad things when feminist education should have shaken that right out of them? Weren't they shown the light? Should we still be blaming men?
Since most modern widely popular fashions are invented by men you are probably right. Many of those men are gay, but that doesn't men that they don't appreciate an elongated female leg, tightened calf muscle and etc.
So why do women wear them if they are so bad? What is it about generations of women who continue to embrace this and other bad things when feminist education should have shaken that right out of them? Weren't they shown the light? Should we still be blaming men?
I never blamed men, I blame sexism, which we all have, to one degree or another. Why do women continue to wear garments & shoes that relegate us to being viewed as **** objects? We're recognized and rewarded for it, which is especially potent if one has been raised to believe that being a sex plaything is the ultimate in being loved.
try2bfrugal
10-7-13, 2:21am
I can always picture women business travelers at airports with their high heeled shoes off, massaging deformed toes from being squished into pointy toed, high heeled shoes. I have always been a flat or low heeled shoe fan my entire life, so I never quite understood that.
We had a relative visit once who couldn't do any hiking or walks because she only brought shoes with heels. And she also had chronic back issues. I guess she never linked the two factors.
KayLR's post today in the "Another observation of mine..." thread in this forum brings up another I Don't Get It. Why is it whenever I see a TV ad or a print ad of a couple enjoying the performance aspects of their new vehicle, the guy is always driving? Always. If the woman is driving, it's almost treated like a comic element in the ad.
KayLR's post today in the "Another observation of mine..." thread in this forum brings up another I Don't Get It. Why is it whenever I see a TV ad or a print ad of a couple enjoying the performance aspects of their new vehicle, the guy is always driving? Always. If the woman is driving, it's almost treated like a comic element in the ad.
What cracks me up is that they're (nearly) always driving on a deserted highway. Sure, driving is an exhilarating adventure if you're the only one on the road. Otherwise...
KayLR's post today in the "Another observation of mine..." thread in this forum brings up another I Don't Get It. Why is it whenever I see a TV ad or a print ad of a couple enjoying the performance aspects of their new vehicle, the guy is always driving? Always. If the woman is driving, it's almost treated like a comic element in the ad.
Now that you mention it...I do a fair amount of bicycling and occasionally see tandem bikes out on the trails. When it is a male-female couple, I have NEVER seen a female on the front. You would think the shorter of the two should be upfront so the person in the back could see better. And I know from experience that there are many females that are stronger riders than their male partner. Maybe it's so they won't to stop and ask directions?:)
No way, man! If I was in front I wouldn't be able to see my ol' man just cruisin' back there with his feet up!
QVC had chocolates and battery tea lights. Sqeeee!
In my office I am the 2nd oldest person there, and probably the only person who has a diagnosed disease that will not get better. Yet, I appear to be the healthiest person in the office as everyone else spends 1-2 days sick each month. And I never take sick leave. I don't get it. 20, 30 and 40 year olds used to be pretty healthy.
In my office I am the 2nd oldest person there, and probably the only person who has a diagnosed disease that will not get better. Yet, I appear to be the healthiest person in the office as everyone else spends 1-2 days sick each month. And I never take sick leave. I don't get it. 20, 30 and 40 year olds used to be pretty healthy. Most probably aren't sick - just calling in sick to play instead. There is a reason most sick days get used on Monday's and Friday's :-)
Like the OP, I don't get the Hsc/QVC attraction. I also don't get the us less and non-collectible collectible crazes . Beanie Babies? Cabbage Patch Dolls? Ugh! But leggings and skinny jeans I get with a huge sweater and low heeled boots, flats or tennis shoes. I'm once again in-style since I've.been wearing that look since the 1980's.
My beloved bought me a couple of Cabbage Patch Kids thirty-some years ago; they're quite chatty. In two languages.:~)
My beloved bought me a couple of Cabbage Patch Kids thirty-some years ago; they're quite chatty. In two languages.:~)
Ah but do you have hundreds of them? Dolls creep me out anyways, and the fancy ones they use to show on HSN doubly so. But then Cabbage Patch Dolls all remind me of "Chucky" :-)
I like QVC. I can't get out much and shop these days due to my MS. Being in a wheelchair almost fulltime now it is much easier and less painful for me to shop online and yes, on QVC too. Not that I shop that much, but I can sometimes get a good deal on clothing, shoes, kitchen items, etc. on QVC, and if it doesn't fit or work for me there is no problem returning it. I think I've only bought 3 things in the last year, but it was great quality at a good price. I understand why people stuck at home for whatever reason like to shop occasionally on QVC. I got my last pair of Birkenstocks on there at a great price!
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.