The Ranting Room

It's a familiar moan, but after having used a whole fleet of taxis over the last week, I feel I should re-kindle the old gripe about cabbies.

I fail to understand why they assume you want a conversation with them. Now, I'm not completely anti social, an interesting conversation is ok for me at any time of the day, but nine times out of ten they open up with something ridiculous like 'Did you see the fight?' or 'You down the pub for the match?' What fight? What match?? What are you talking about??? They assume that because you are male you are going to be obsessed with the same brainless sh!te that they are. If it's not sports talk, then it's 'What they should do with this country' Cab drivers political solutions for our society range from sending one ethnic group or another back to where they came from, to lining them up and having them shot, followed by all the 'bleedin' &rsehole politicians who let 'em in in the first place'.

This phenomenon is the same the world over. A cab took me from Greenwich Village to Times Square once. The Brazillian driver immediately started ranting about what a sh!thole NY was, and how it was all the filthy foreigners who made it the sh!thole he believed it to be!! Of course, he to had his own solutions for these dreadful problems, most involved flame throwers, firing squads and low yield nuclear weapons. While I was obviously tempted to shout 'Belt up!'I thought better of it..

The other side of the coin, of course is the rare occassion when I'm in a good mood, and I start the conversation with something equally pathetic like 'You been busy?' or 'What time you on 'till?' I mean honestly, what do I care what f***ing time he's on to?? It's like a reflex action, I just cant help myself. So now whenever I'm in a good mood and need to take a cab, I staple my tounge to my gums and sew my lips together so I'm unable to speak.
    

Edited by Blacksword - May 17 2006 at 03:32

To all the people who want me to do stuff or need something from me:

Blacksword wrote: Sean I couldn't agree more about girls who try to be football louts. Our local pubs are full of these ghastly creatures, who think the best way to be equal to men is to act like them, in the worst possible way. It ties in with ever increasing thuggish behavior among women, girl gangs etc. Do I blame parents? Partly, but they are not really responsible for the huge cultural changes. I blame the Spice Girls..oh and Phil Collins..well, why not..?

I really do not understand how people are so materialistic. I am not saying materialism is inherently bad, it's just the children and young adults who have to consistently buy the same clothes, look the same as each other, all because of marketing and advertising. The "scene" kids always seem to whinge about wanting to look different, but they are not. There are 4 or 5 different styles at the moment, going around most of the New World I'd imagine. There's Emo, Straight Edge (or sXe), Goth (plus all the different types of Goth), Sk8er, ska/punk, rockabilly and the metallers. There is always going to be your Burberry wearing Chav types, but you will also have the types, like my brother, who are just normal people, who go to work in shirt and tie, just wear reasonably bog standard t-shirts and trousers (chords, jeans, slacks) and normal, black shoes. They're hair is reasonably short and just normal. They aren't Chav, they aren't in a "scene", they are just getting on with their lives.

I have long hair and a beard, true, but I'm not modelling myself on any 1980s look, I'm more modelling myself on the late 1960s/early 1970s look, if anything. I'm hardly original myself, but then I also don't buy band t-shirts, or Converse or New Rock footwear.

Then there are the people who have to buy something new, straight away, because somebody else has it and said it was good. Often they waste their money on something they don't like, or they do like at first, but they grow bored of. The amount of people I know who own an album they have since grown too hate. Most of my CD collection gets listened too still, because I genuinly do like it and hopefully will always like as well. I don't buy stuff on recommendation, I read reviews, both good and bad and then if it's a CD, I will probably try and download a few MP3s off the web and if I like what I hear, then I will buy the album. Nobody has prompted me to buy it, I haven't bought it, because my friend has it, or because it's the latest album by some band that only have ever realised 1 or 2 great tunes.

Materialism is here to stay and I can see the situation growing worse.

And elaborating on an earlier point:

You find that on the "school run" that you will see off-road jeeps and suchlike, always driven by some 30 something female with 2 or 3 children in the back. It's an off-road vehicle for a reason! Why do the school run in them? Silly people. Buy a hatchback, they are plenty sufficient for the purpose, are better on the environment (well, sort of, still bad for the environment nevertheless) and are probably easier to drive too. They then park the aforesaid vehicle on a double-yellow line (double-yellow lines are not supposed to parked on officially) and sit there for ages, causing no end of problems for other drivers, also in their off-road vehicles, who want to do the same thing. Also, you will find the drivers of off-road vehicles only live within walking distance of the school anyhow and so, should be walking their children to school, but no, they'd rather ruin the environment and cause traffic jams. Thanks ladies.

Do you want to know what REALLY burns my ass?

Edited by darren - May 17 2006 at 07:29

Kids, eh?

Kids?

Kids in supermarkets....?

Kids in supermarkets with no discernible control being exercised by their brain-dead red top tabloid carrying parents...?

Kids in supermarkets with no discernible control being exercised by their brain-dead red top tabloid carrying parents constantly getting in my way, screaming their heads off, eating anything that comes to hand, despite being bayed and sworn at by said brain dead spawn monkeys who only seem to bring children to the supermarket to hit them.....?

Bless 'em.

Solution to the above - Supermarkets should either have one evening a week where children are banned from the premises completely, or an evening where those of us who have decided not to breed are issued with high powered cattle prods, tazers and CS sprays and given carte blanche - I'd exercise restraint, honest

Something else that really bugs me in supermarkets....
....people who start eating stuff from their trolley,then present the empty packet for payment (if at all?)

Why dont they just slap a tenner on the counter, swing their bulbous necks over the deli bar, and stick their piggy chops into those bowls of goo that are presented as chow mein or whatever and cut out the miidle man completely?

Cattle Prod? Give me a bleedin' bazooka!

prog-chick wrote: Jim Garten wrote: Kids, eh? Kids? Kids in supermarkets....? Kids in supermarkets with no discernible control being exercised by their brain-dead red top tabloid carrying parents...? Kids in supermarkets with no discernible control being exercised by their brain-dead red top tabloid carrying parents constantly getting in my way, screaming their heads off, eating anything that comes to hand, despite being bayed and sworn at by said brain dead spawn monkeys who only seem to bring children to the supermarket to hit them.....? Bless 'em. Solution to the above - Supermarkets should either have one evening a week where children are banned from the premises completely, or an evening where those of us who have decided not to breed are issued with high powered cattle prods, tazers and CS sprays and given carte blanche - I'd exercise restraint, honest     Sign me up for cattle prod night!!!! I have two children, and my partners son who we have at weekends and holidays....... I DO NOT AGREE WITH CHILDREN IN SUPERMARKETS!!! IT IS WRONG! It's difficult to manage shopping with out them sometimes, but I really do not think it is good or healthy for them, for me, or for the others in the store. and my children are very well behaved! I want that cattle prod.............PLEASE!!!! P-C

It's not specifically children in supermarkets but just people generally!! .... Oh dear, I hear you say...
    
Why are people so bloody slow. I hate supermarkets (in case you were wondering) When I go shopping it is my intention to get in and out as quickly as possible. Everyone else, however, seems to make a day of it. It must be a great social event for them or something. You get some fat &rsed git standing in fromt of the milk fridge staring at it, blocking my way. He's got three choices essentially; Full fat, Semi Skimmed or Skimmed, have they forgotten what they normally have? Or are they toying with the idea of trying something new? Either way it's not really an 'Ask the audience' or 'Phone a friend' issue. Pick one and clear off!!

Then, at Sainsburys, the check out staff ask you if you want help packing. What they should say is 'Would you like me to pack your 12 items into 8 separate bags in a really bad way?'

I've noticed in our local store at each checkout, there is a sticker on the cashiers screen reminding them to 'Smile, Pack & Chat!' This is ironic as I have to write a reminder on the back of my hand to not be 'Ill tempered, unreasonable or violent in supermarkets'

It is the end of the working day here at the office - I am currently surrounded by 5 people (two of them management), all of whom are intelligent, articulate, responsible people with responsibility for multi million pound accounts.

They are discussing tonight's game between Arsenal & Barcelona.

Frankly, it is as if evolution just took several quantum leaps backwards!

I rest my case!

I don't think anyone's covered this yet.......