What grinds my gears!

[Danvzare]

When you mention a horror movie or that you like horror movies to someone and they say, with an air of superiority, "Oh, I don't watch horror movies."

Wow, I've never encountered that before.
Usually they just tell me that they don't like horror movies, probably because they don't like gory and/or scary situations. Which I can completely understand.

If I did encounter someone like that, I'd probably give them some equally stupid statements of superiority like: "Oh, you don't watch horror movies? How quaint. I personally don't watch soap operas, which is a far more inferior form of entertainment."

[Mouth for war]

I agree with the above about horror movies. Another thing that grinds my gears is when ignorant people says something like"Death metal sucks! It's just people hitting/slamming their instruments" I totally understand if people don't like it but it takes a shitload of talent to play that kind of music no matter what you think of the genre.

[Mandle]

Too bad, they're missing out some glorious metaphors for the fears in our society.
(And I'm only half kidding.)

I didn't think you were joking at all. That is exactly correct!

[Stupot]

It grinds my gears a little when people say they don't watch horror "because it's scary". I mean there's so much wrong with that excuse. Firstly, not all horror is actually that scary. There are so many films in the genre which I would not say particularly scared me but which I still loved because they were very interesting (Hereditary, for example) or just fun. Secondly, is being scared so bad? I'm in my late-thirties and I still sometimes get a bit nervous flushing the toilet at night after watching a horror film. That's great, that means the film did its job. To avoid a good film because "it's scary" is childish. In fact its worse than childish because even children have the guts to mess about with seances and stuff before they're old enough to know ghosts aren't real.

(I'm aware my complaint doesn't take into account grown adults who still think ghosts are real and avoid horror out of genuine spiritual fear. I think these people are missing out. I'm sometimes jealous of these people because horror films - especially ghost stories and exorcism horrors - must be that much more effective on them, if they allow themselves to watch them.)

The only group I can forgive are people who have genuine trauma that can be triggered by the themes often found in horror movies. I wouldn't want to force anyone to watch something that could trigger PTSD or something. Having said that, I'm pretty sure a lot of us horror-lovers have traumas of our own that actually drew us to the genre in the first place. Also, I get that some people with weak hearts might have to avoid films that might startle them

I also understand that people are squeamish of blood and gore, and I can fully get why some people don't want to watch (e.g.) the Saw franchise. But that's not a reason to avoid the entire horror genre. And again, the Saw films aren't really scary, they're just gross (and fun).

Like I said about the pineapple pizza, everyone's entitled to their preferences, and I'm not trying to tell people what to watch.  It's just the "...because it's scary" part that I have beef with. That is not a good excuse.

[cat]

It grinds my gears that some people can't accept that some other people just don't enjoy some movie genres they like.

Why is wrong not wanting to watch scary movies? Maybe some people don't enjoy being scared. I do neither.

[Mandle]

Very well said, Stupot! Now, can I interest you in starring in the role of a sleazy gaijin in Japan who lures innocent women from nightclubs to his apartment to kill them in a short horror film I have had in mind for about 10 years? I think you would actually fit the role perfectly. Ummm, that was supposed to be a compliment on what I imagine your acting skills are like.

[Snarky]

It's just the "...because it's scary" part that I have beef with. That is not a good excuse.

Well that's a bad take.

[Mandle]

I don't see Stupot anywhere in here calling anyone else out for posting something in a thread that is all about venting gripes just to get some release from personal frustration.

This is AGS, guys, not the rest of social media. He didn't call anyone out personally, so why is he getting called out?

Not the point of this thread at all.

[Snarky]

OK then. Like cat, it grinds my gears when people cannot understand that an experience or sensation that is pleasant to them may not be pleasant to others, and attack them for it.

"It grinds my gears when people say they avoid spicy food, because first of all, a lot of so-called 'spicy' food isn't really all that spicy, and besides, what's so bad about a little burning in your mouth? That just means it's achieving its goal. They shouldn't be so childish! I don't have a problem with people who have food allergies or a medical condition, but 'too spicy' is a bad excuse."

"It grinds my gears when people say they don't go to clubs because they don't like loud music and crowds of people pressed tightly together, because not all clubs are like that, and anyway there's nothing wrong with feeling your body crushed by sweaty, dancing people: that's the fun of it! Get over yourself! The only people I can forgive are those who have experienced personal trauma like a mass panic where people were crushed to death, so that it triggers their PTSD. Anyone else has no excuse."

Those are bad takes. So is the one about scary movies.

[Mandle]

Well, my point was that this is a silly blowing-off-steam thread and not a place to start the usual social media practice of going after people for what they said, unless it is particularly offensive in some way.

Stupot didn't direct his comment at anyone in particular so why is he getting backlash for his comment, and potentially turning this thread into an argument for the next three pages?

It's a thread to just read and then just move on if you have opposite opinions over inconsequential stuff.

We are AGSers. We are better than Facebookers.

[cat]

No worries, my rant was not directed only at Stupot but at some of the recent posts regarding horror movies. I already considered to write something before Stupot posted but then I had to.

[heltenjon]

The key phrase here is the "air of superiority". The same could be said of anyone who dismisses something one likes as something beneath them, whether it's science fiction or playing computer games, interest/lack of interest in sports or cars or what have you. There's no problem if someone says "I prefer musicals". To each their own. You don't need an excuse for something at all, in my opinion. Although in my country, not being outside if it's sunny or not being overtly fond of hiking in the mountains or not being into skiing are all met with expectations of an explanation. Which could probably grind my gears a bit, too.

I remember when I was a teenager, my dad was worried because I read horror books that I would turn into a satanist. (I've never looked the part, just to say that!) I replied that I also read westerns...was he equally concerned that I might turn into a native American? Turned out he wasn't.

[Stupot]

I’m under no illusion that none of my takes are bad takes. I’m no doubt full of them. As is most this thread. I thought this was supposed to be a place to dump our stupid little grumpy peeves, no matter how irrational. I agree I could have dialed it down with language like “childish”, but I’m playing along with the grumpy Grindy-Geary tone of the thread. I’m certainly not intending to attack anyone.

That said, I still stand by the point I was (apparently badly) trying to make.

To refer to Snarky’s spicy food analogy. My beef is not so much with “I don’t like spicy food”. (That is a preference, and I already went to pains in my previous post to clarify that I’m not against people having different preferences.) It’s more the people who say “I don’t like curry *because it’s hot*”. The fact that curry is generally designed to be somewhat hot does not mean people who don’t want to eat hot food should dismiss an entire cuisine. There are some great dishes with little to no hotness that won’t burn your head off, but that still fall under the category of curry, and I feel like those people are missing out on some interesting flavours.

How’s that for a bad take-away?

[Mandle]

No worries, my rant was not directed only at Stupot but at some of the recent posts regarding horror movies. I already considered to write something before Stupot posted but then I had to.

Ah, gotcha... totally understandable. It just looked that way, but I understand that you didn't intend it too.

[cat]

@Stupot, ah, I think I get you. While I don't like movies that try to scare people, I like splatter comedies, that probably could also get the label "horror". (And no matter how often I watch Staplerfahrer Klaus, it will always make me laugh).

Peace ☮️

[Snarky]

Stupot, I think the curry analogy doesn't quite work because horror movies as a genre, more or less by definition are about instilling some sort of fear in audiences. The fear may be more or less intense, but I think it's pretty clear that even if you don't find e.g. Hereditary particularly scary, it is meant to instill fear (and personally I found it "the right amount" of scary for my taste). Movies that don't even try to be scary (like many "horror comedies") aren't really horror movies. So in terms of curry, it would be more like getting annoyed at people who avoid it because they don't like sauce dishes than people who avoid it because it's too spicy.

All that aside, in the second prong of your argument you were clearly arguing that people should enjoy movies that are scary, not just non-scary "horror" movies.

We could debate it back and forth, but it isn't really to the point. Your grumpy peeve, or perhaps just the way you articulated it, triggered one of my grumpy peeves, and I stand by it. (I think I've expressed similar sentiments a number of times before on the forums, when people have insisted e.g. that non-adventure game fans are prejudiced, wrong or inferior for not enjoying the genre.)

[Frodo]

*tries to lighten the mood* 


What grinds my gears, is those foil sheets of pills you get from the doctor.  Usually 10 or 12 pills in a sheet. 
Each pill is sealed in it's own separate 'pouch' in the sheet.  And when you open the 'pouch' to get the pill, the pill ALWAYS breaks in half!  Grrr!   

[Danvzare]

*tries to lighten the mood* 


What grinds my gears, is those foil sheets of pills you get from the doctor.  Usually 10 or 12 pills in a sheet. 
Each pill is sealed in it's own separate 'pouch' in the sheet.  And when you open the 'pouch' to get the pill, the pill ALWAYS breaks in half!  Grrr!   

Fun fact, those foil sheets are there to prevent you from overdosing.
Apparently the solution to accidental suicide is to make it inconvenient.

[Mouth for war]

I got a new job so I'm in a different city to get some education before getting started and the gear-grinder here is the hotel breakfast. The worst I've ever had...bread and rolls seems store bought, hard bread is kind of soft, the bacon is soft and appear to only have been in the oven for like 2 minutes and the sausages looks like my great grandma, but even more wrinkled

[Snarky]

When people repeat jokes that have been run into the ground. In particular:

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."
"Actually, it's only X if it's from the X region of France. Otherwise it's just sparkling [description of X]."