Ethereal Ink
Ethereal Ink
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I hate Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Pop Music, and Chinese Food (Thai included)

Posted over 5 years ago
I've been reminded today of one of my pet peeves.Have you ever heard someone say they dislike something because for a completely insane and trivial reason?For instance, a friend of mine refuses to stop at Starbucks because they've some how managed to pass the magical point at which suddenly the coffee turns bad. Clearly, if she said she didn't like Starbucks because 1) the people there, 2) the service 3) dislike of the products, or 4) the managers leering looks at me then I'd completely understand. However, she doesn't like them because they've gotten too big?Another friend won't set foot in Wal-Mart, not for any valid reason (of which there are many), but simply because they are just too big. He doesn't care about the numerous things the chain is criticized about. Poor pay, poor benefits, etc. Nope only reason he won't set foot in the store is because its too big. He's now extended this same rationale to Wholefoods.How about food? Ever have someone dismiss a whole style of food for some completely insane reasoning. For example, the popular "I don't like chinese food?" I mean really? Have they tried every possible dish? Moreover, I've met people who have extended this rationality to cover Thai. They dislike chinese therefore they won't like Thai?!?!? Other people I know refuse to buy an iPod simply because "everyone's got one". I mean, they buy a Zen, not because they think the interface is better or that there's more flexibility, DRM changes (all completely valid reasons), but simply because it's NOT an iPod. Does this make any sense?Some people even apply this logic to music. If everyone is listening to a particular artist or album then it must be commercial crap. Many times they've not even listened to the artist or album in question before dismissing it. By this rationale the beatles, Elvis, the Stones, etc all blow, and therefore shouldn't be listened too. Isn't this insane? I'm certain people dismiss whole classifications of music for this very reason (e.g. "I don't like country/rap/rock/jazz/blues)People are free to disagree with me. I don't require everyone to have the same likes and dislikes as me. However, if someone is going to criticize/judge something, then I would at least like them to have given whatever it is a fair try. If its not for them, then its not for them. Dismissing things off the cuff is annoying.At some point, I always figured that rationality would take over. I'd get out of high school and people would be more rational. Ok, well, maybe that happens after college. Hmm maybe we just have to pass the age of 30 or something. I mean we are supposed to grow out of this stuff right? Clearly we can make decisions based on something more substantial than popularity?
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Comments (20)

  1. champy
    champy says Nice post. What you say is very true and I know a lot of people who do exactly what your talking about, myself included....sometimes. But it sucks because you just end up limiting yourself ) :
    Permalink posted 12/04/2006
  2. Tevo
    Tevo says The day people start knowing things - or at least willing to know - before judging them, is the day we'll sit on the front porch, have a good cup of coffee(maybe even from starbucks) and think to ourselves, "freedom at last". Nice post.
    Permalink posted 12/04/2006
  3. Anonymous says I try to be accepting, and I absolutely hate musical elitists who complete dismiss genres or place one over another. But so does everyone, we're all hyprocrites, we're all part of the crime here. I personally hate tuna.
    Permalink posted 12/04/2006
  4. chucky
    chucky says I hear you. But, I'm also a hypocrite. I'm the one that hates chinese food. :)
    Permalink posted 12/04/2006
  5. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says I always enjoy a good rant. Yours was the best I saw today. And it focuses on the critical question of why, or on the basis of what reasons, people think what they think. That often matters more than what people think, at least once we set aside such obvious exceptions as racist and other discriminatory beliefs that influence behavior as well as beliefs that involve some fundamental ignorance about the world (although in cases like creationism the problem often traces back to the reasons why someone believes that creationism is true). As it happens, I agree with your friends on most of the topics you mention, but I agree with you that their reasons are hideously bad. (Hence, I don't agree with your friends on the topic of music. People who trawl MySpace just to find unknown bands drive me nuts even apart from the fact that they're responsible for making popular such crap as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Cold War Kids). Wal-Mart sucks, and I'll never set foot in one, because of their employment policies and what they've done to local businesses in many smaller towns; American Chinese food sucks when, and because, it's too greasy, which it often is; Starbucks sucks because they brew bad coffee (the beans they use are OK, it's the brewing). iPods suck because they don't support OGG.
    Permalink posted 12/04/2006
  6. tybees
    tybees says My pet peeve: I really hate it when people wear sunglasses in buildings. There's no light so incredibly penetrating inside a building that would require one to wear sunglasses. Unless you're blind, suffering a migraine, or a celebrity trying to hide his/her identity, take them off please. Sorry to rant off topic.
    Permalink posted 12/04/2006
  7. tamara
    tamara says Yes Yes Yes.
    Permalink posted 12/04/2006
  8. dermahrk
    dermahrk says I was going to add a comment but this post has gotten too popular for me.
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  9. sugarbaby
    sugarbaby says If so many people are trying to different just for the sake of being different, wouldn't that make them all the same? And will this realization make them start drinking Starbucks again? You know they want to. Who doesn't want a Frappucino?
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  10. Manos
    Manos says I must admit it bums me out when an obscure artist I "discovered" becomes popular, but I don;t stop listening. As for food, I won't go to Sonic ever again because the pimply 16-year-old guy that made my cherry lime-aid sniffed it to make sure he was giving me the right drink.
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  11. mybluewristband
    mybluewristband says "I hate Chinese food" is a popular statement? Not where I'm from... haha. I think sometimes people just make sweeping statements and don't realize what they're saying. Maybe they meant to say, "Of the Chinese food I've had, I don't like any of it," or "I hate Starbucks because they're getting too big AND making small coffee shops close," but don't know how to their ideas into words? I guess I just give them the benefit of the doubt. P.S. I'm just offended by this because I make insanely delicious Chinese food that no one can resist. And I'm Chinese. :)
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  12. etcvisitor
    etcvisitor says first things first SUGARBABY, I DO NOT WANT A FRAPPACINO!!! i get accussed of not liking things because they are too popular all the time, especially in regards to bob dylan and the beatles. people often claim that i havent heard enough of their music... i then have to assure them that i have spent countless hours actually listening to both artists and that i only feel comfortable making such an statement because i have listened to a majority of their work. people then say "well, you just havent listened to the right albums". this really annoys me so i have to list all of the albums that i have listened to and state what i thought the flaws were and why it didnt really appeal to me. at that point they usually stop paying attention and just make some form of statement along the lines of "having this conversation with you is pointless" instead of accepting that the beatles or bob dylan might not appeal to someone. great rant. i do agree with you that a lot of people make their decissions based on completely absurd reasons.
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  13. sugarbaby
    sugarbaby says No Frappuccino?! Coffee, chocolate, sugar, whipped-cream--what's not to love?!
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  14. etcvisitor
    etcvisitor says 1) there is something about starbucks coffee that runs through me at a faster rate than any other coffee. i am notorious for the amount of coffee i drink and it is the only coffee that i have found that immediately makes me run for the stalls. 2) tall means big, grande means big, venti means 20... now explain to me, do i want the big, the big, or the 20? 3) it has been documented that starbucks has predatory practices when picking locations, based on the locations of previously successful coffee shops/hangouts. 4) i do not have the $7000 dollars that it takes to buy their over priced coffee. for the price of one of their drinks i can buy a can of coffee that will last me a month. for the price of two of their drinks i can buy a can of coffee, a can of whipped cream and some chocolate... with which i can make several drinks and still have coffee for the rest of the month even after i run out of whipped cream and chocolate. 5) i have an argument about corporate usurpation of culture, but i will leave that for a later date. 1-5 = i assure you, i do not want a frappucino wow, i feel a lot better now.
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  15. Ethereal Ink
    Ethereal Ink says Thanks for all the comments. I'm considering a new career path. For a fee, I'll give people reasons to justify their dislikes/hatreds. That is, instead of resorting to some lame duck excuse for hating (insert pop icon here), I'll provide valid logic arguments for said dislike.
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  16. carmensandiego
    carmensandiego says I'm one of those people who won't buy an iPod. In fact, I composed an entire post about it a week or so ago. I'm too lazy to go cut and paste, but if you want, go to my page. The title of the post says something about being trendy.
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  17. Anonymous says Another thing about Starbucks ---- down in Central America where the coffee grounds are made, it sells down there for 40 cents a pound. Go to Starbucks and they charge a whopping 7 dollars a pound. Hmmm... which countries are getting ripped off here?
    Permalink posted 12/05/2006
  18. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says Even better if you can provide arguments that are not only valid but also sound. Now that I might even pay for!
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  19. Anonymous says There is an article, but it's not in any of the magazines you read.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  20. brandonleecool
    brandonleecool says I bet your friends wear clothes, eh? Hyprocrites. All clothing brands are getting too big. They gonna start walking around naked?
    Permalink posted 04/24/2007

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