Irrational prejudices you hold

[JoeZhang]

What irrational prejudices do you hold?

My main one is tats - I was brought up in an era when only sailors and convicts got them so when I see them, I instantly think less of a person - I know it's completely irrational but i can't help it, even more so when they are really ugly tats.

What's irrational stances do you have?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I loath sharks and I hope every shark species that can eat man goes extinct. I would love it if they all died from a genetic time bomb that I invented and introduced in their life cycle.

I also, frequently, feel a lot of regret that crocodiles are native to Australia and cannot be killed with kudos like all the other large feral creatures here. WHY couldn't they be imports?! Then we could shoot them from helicopters like the real men do.

 

[Infern0]

as far as humans go, i used to have a lot of prejudices, against gays and people like that.

then i realised i actually have nothing against anyone, just stupid biases that i learned at school, and decided to grow up, and i now aim to accept anyone no matter what, and some of the coolest people i have met are from the gay or transgendered community.

I'll admit i can't shake my aversions to muslims though

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

None. All of my prejudices are rational. I hate everything and everything deserves to be hated.

 

[MetalPants]

All prejudices are irrational. To extrapolate from a few observed cases to a whole group just is not logical.

Having said that I struggle with my irrational self when it comes to Blacks and non-Christians.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

I can't stand dogs. To (somewhat) irrational me, all dogs are dangerous carnivorous beasts that should be allowed nowhere near human civilization, unless they're trained as working animals. Guard dogs are okay. Sheep-herding dogs are fine. Guide dogs are acceptable. But I can never accept the concept of a dog as a pet, anymore than I can accept a lynx or an alligator as a household pet. I don't like to call my fear of dogs a phobia, because my understanding is that a phobia is irrational fear, and I refuse to categorize my fear of carnivorous animals with strong jaws, sharp teeth and a tendency to maul people regularly as "irrational". But I do acknowledge it as a prejudice - rationally, I know many dogs are well-trained, relatively harmless (friendly even) and are considered members of the family. But I can never shake my initial instinct that it's a family member who will one day murder you in your sleep and then use your credit card to pay for expensive holidays. To quote Timon the meerkat, "Are you nuts? They eat guys like us!"

So sorry to all dog lovers, but your faithful companion is the devil.

The Deranged Dictionary

Dog (n): This moronic slobbering carnivore is as likely to bite your arm off as it is to pee down your leg. It is your best friend.

 

[ElBurro]

Gnomes. They completely freak me out. I don't know why. It probably counts as more of a phobia, but for all my other phobias (I have a fair few phobias...I'm quite mad, you know) there is an underlying reason for them. For example, my phobia of spiders started when my brothers put a toy tarantula in my bed. But there is no reason for my gnome fear, so I tend not to count as a phobia. A couple of weeks ago, I was at traffic lights, waiting to cross the road, and I was standing in front of the cinema. There was a poster up for that film Gnomeo and Juliet and I was completely on edge and I could feel the gnomes on the poster staring at me. Even after I'd crossed and was half way up the street round the corner, I was still freaked out. I don't know what I thought the poster gnomes were going to do to me, but I was still terrified.

Completely irrational!

 

[Dancing Doctor]

The prejudice against tattoos is one I also have.

I intensely dislike things like octopuses and squids and spiders. Sorry animal kingdom, but if you look freaky, I'm just going to outright not like you.

For some reason I'm not really able to articulate, I don't like tomatoes, either sliced or whole or in chunks. But I'll eat salsa and tomato sauce. I think it's the raw tomato. I don't really care for the taste (too metallic) or texture.

If I see a couple performing a PDA, even if they are friends of mine, I get really annoyed and are prone to ignore them.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

For some reason I'm not really able to articulate, I don't like tomatoes, either sliced or whole or in chunks. But I'll eat salsa and tomato sauce. I think it's the raw tomato. I don't really care for the taste (too metallic) or texture.

For what it's worth, I'm the same. I can't stand tomatoes (they make me feel literally sick), yet I eat salsa and tomato sauce just fine. My family have pointed this out on numerous occasions, and I have to shrug and say "I have no satisfactory answer".

 

[BlobVanDam]

I can't stand dogs. To (somewhat) irrational me, all dogs are dangerous carnivorous beasts that should be allowed nowhere near human civilization, unless they're trained as working animals. Guard dogs are okay. Sheep-herding dogs are fine. Guide dogs are acceptable. But I can never accept the concept of a dog as a pet, anymore than I can accept a lynx or an alligator as a household pet. I don't like to call my fear of dogs a phobia, because my understanding is that a phobia is irrational fear, and I refuse to categorize my fear of carnivorous animals with strong jaws, sharp teeth and a tendency to maul people regularly as "irrational". But I do acknowledge it as a predujice - rationally, I know many dogs are well-trained, relatively harmless (friendly even) and are considered members of the family. But I can never shake my initial instinct that it's a family member who will one day murder you in your sleep and then use your credit card to pay for expensive holidays. To quote Timon the meerkat, "Are you nuts? They eat guys like us!"

So sorry to all dog lovers, but your faithful companion is the devil.

The Deranged Dictionary

Dog (n): This moronic slobbering carnivore is as likely to bite your arm off as it is to pee down your leg. It is your best friend.

May I please borrow this post? Because it's perfect.

Throw on top of that smokers, and to a lesser degree people with tats, as other people have mentioned.

 

[JoeZhang]

The other one I have is about dolls - I don't understand adults who spend their money buying dolls and putting them all around their house like it's a kid's bedroom.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

I can't stand those parents who sign their children up for beauty pageants. Especially if their child is 4 or younger.

I find many of my friends who are stoners reinforce the common stereotype, and that makes me even less likely to take them seriously (or to try some marijuana or do drugs myself)

 

[F. King Daniel]

Damn spiders! What do they needs all those legs for, anyway?? We don't like your kind around here, spiders!

 

[Mary Ann]

I also dislike most tats. Piercings anywhere but the ear (I have 3 holes per ear myself) turn me off as well.

 

[Mr Light]

Lazy eyes freak me out

 

[An Officer]

I am prejudiced against:
Pram pushers (they never spare my toes)
Visible g-strings (too much information)
Ordinary cigarette smokers (where is your imagination? )
People who chew gum whilst talking (all those sounds and motions)
Heavy drinkers (terrible company)
People who talk louder than necessary
People who stink of whatever it is they had for their last meal (especially strong spices in close confines)
People who let doors go in the face of those behind them
People who swear at unnecessary moments (how the fuck are you?)

I don't believe I have irrational prejudices as far as race, culture, sex, religion, etc, etc...
If you're an inconsiderate asshole, you're an inconsiderate asshole.

 

[Daneel]

Tattoos don't really bother me, as long as they're not excessive. Piercings, on the other hand -- gah! Earrings I don't care about, but others, especially facial piercings, just look garish and ugly to me. I find it especially unfortunate if the person has an otherwise attractive face.

Smokers; now, I know there are plenty of smokers who are decent people --hell, I live with a couple of guys who fit that description-- but knowing someone smokes still makes me think less of them. I mean, they're knowingly inhaling toxic, carcinogenic substances -- where's their common sense? I just don't get it. Plus, I generally just think it's a disgusting habit.

Oh, and since a few people have brought it up, I don't trust animals either. Sure, some can be trained, but ultimately, they don't really have a sense of right or wrong. They're relying on instinct over intelligence, and that makes me reluctant to have one as a pet. Plus, many are just bothersome and demanding creatures that are constant irritations. To be completely frank, I only like animals when they're crispy and in my stomach.

 

[BlobVanDam]

Tattoos don't really bother me, as long as they're not excessive. Piercings, on the other hand -- gah! Earrings I don't care about, but others, especially facial piercings, just look garish and ugly to me. I find it especially unfortunate if the person has an otherwise attractive face.

Oh yeah, throw me in for that one too.
I guess I manage to find a reason to judge just about anyone

 

[Daneel]

Oh yeah, I'll also throw this in: people who obviously never make an attempt to use proper spelling and grammar when they write. I particularly see a lot of this with younger people on websites like Facebook, and it drives me crazy!

 

[I Grok Spock]

The other one I have is about dolls - I don't understand adults who spend their money buying dolls and putting them all around their house like it's a kid's bedroom.

Well, what about little realistic "dolls" with movie-accurate accessories and cool, in-scale spaceships from a beloved sci-fi saga?

Just, you know, hypothetically speaking...