What grinds my gears!

[Babar]

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]."

Isn't that sometimes the point of such jokes (I suppose not in the examples you gave, though)? To overdo something to the point of hilarity?

[Blondbraid]

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.

This.

I don't have PTSD or some obvious trauma, but having struggled with depression and anxiety, one of the most liberating and helpful insights that helped me handle it
was knowing and accepting that "I don't have to watch these things" and being able to feel that I'm not a bad or childish person for not wanting to watch such "entertainment"
and explicit material, and I shouldn't have to have undergone some severe crime or catastrophe to "earn" the right to set boundaries on what I'm willing to watch in my own free time.

Now, I have seen a few horror movies I liked (with a big emphasis on few), but only after checking out content ratings and trigger warnings and skip those without content warnings entirely.
Also, the "watching explicit dark stuff helped me overcome my problems" is such a terrible argument, because mental health is extremely individual and for many, trying those things only makes it worse,
and I can speak from personal experience where several works recommended to me gave me nothing and made me feel worse, and I've spoken to several others who've had similar experiences.

Sorry for the rant, but I guess that so many people still not understanding this topic really grinds my gears.

[Blondbraid]

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]."

Isn't that sometimes the point of such jokes (I suppose not in the examples you gave, though)? To overdo something to the point of hilarity?

That might work if you use it as a running gag in a comedy, but only if you also add some individual twist or reaction to it.

Seeing the same lame pun on a common subject in Every. Single. Comments. Section. where said subject is mentioned is just frustrating,
it feels just like seeing somebody give a thourogh and unprompted explanation of an obvious joke just so they can laugh at their own explanation of the joke.

[Babar]

That might work if you use it as a running gag in a comedy, but only if you also add some individual twist or reaction to it.

Seeing the same lame pun on a common subject in Every. Single. Comments. Section. where said subject is mentioned is just frustrating,
it feels just like seeing somebody give a thourogh and unprompted explanation of an obvious joke just so they can laugh at their own explanation of the joke.

I guess I was looking at it more as a personal thing. Like I have a friend who does the whole "That's what she said" joke, which is so obvious and so overdone and so tired, but his persistance at it just makes it so hilarious for me, so much so that now when he hears something where it could possibly apply, he just raises his eyebrows at me and I slap my head in groany laughter.

Talking about horror films, I'm not really a fan either- not because I don't want to be scared, but because they never DO scare me, so they seem quite pointless. I can appreciate a good movie that's a horror movie (someone mentioned Heriditary, and then there are things like Silence of the Lambs or The Shining and the like), but that would usually be in spite of it being a horror movie. The most they achieve is jumpscares, and when a movie has to resort to that, it just feels cheap.

But piggybacking off something Stupot said, something that DOES grind my gears is people using pre-conceived notions to outright reject or dismiss something with little to no knowledge of it. Taking the example of movies, I got annoyed when a friend rejected my suggestion to watch Shawn of the Dead because "Zombie movies are stupid", and they wouldn't listen that this wasn't that- I mean, yes, I can understand not wanting to watch zombie movies, and I can understand the perspective of someone who thinks that sort of movie is uninteresting, but to be so totally close-minded to just a label is weird.

[Blondbraid]

That might work if you use it as a running gag in a comedy, but only if you also add some individual twist or reaction to it.

Seeing the same lame pun on a common subject in Every. Single. Comments. Section. where said subject is mentioned is just frustrating,
it feels just like seeing somebody give a thourogh and unprompted explanation of an obvious joke just so they can laugh at their own explanation of the joke.

I guess I was looking at it more as a personal thing. Like I have a friend who does the whole "That's what she said" joke, which is so obvious and so overdone and so tired, but his persistance at it just makes it so hilarious for me, so much so that now when he hears something where it could possibly apply, he just raises his eyebrows at me and I slap my head in groany laughter.

Well, I guess that's different, and I could see how some people could make it a kinda funny joke in person, but then it would only work on friends that know them and their humor.

But piggybacking off something Stupot said, something that DOES grind my gears is people using pre-conceived notions to outright reject or dismiss something with little to no knowledge of it. Taking the example of movies, I got annoyed when a friend rejected my suggestion to watch Shawn of the Dead because "Zombie movies are stupid", and they wouldn't listen that this wasn't that- I mean, yes, I can understand not wanting to watch zombie movies, and I can understand the perspective of someone who thinks that sort of movie is uninteresting, but to be so totally close-minded to just a label is weird.

Well, I can see how it's unfair if you judge a label on a pre-concieved notion whilst having a completely wrong idea on what the thing is actually about;
for example, my father refused to see Blade runner because he thought it was a stupid comedy about men ice skating, and not realizing he had confused it with the movie Blades of Glory,
was a pretty bad misconception that almost made him miss out on a cool sci-fi film. But on the other hand, if you have already seen several films of a genre and not liked any of them,
or in the case of zombie movies, think that reanimated dead who hunt and eat people is a ridiculously stupid and unrealistic concept that you hate, it's probably not worth trying to nag them into watching a zombie movie.
I've literally seen it with my own mom, it doesn't matter if it's a self-aware comedy or a serious attempt to use fantastical things as an allegory for real-world issues, as soon as a film set in the real world
introduces any supernatural creatures or abilities, she growns and loses all interest. Even with Arcane, which I think was a fantastic series, she could barely sit through one episode before giving up on it
because she dislikes superpowers and all forms of cartoons regardless of their art style.

You just can't make people like things just because you yourself like them, and it's just another fact of life to accept.

[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]."

Isn't that sometimes the point of such jokes (I suppose not in the examples you gave, though)? To overdo something to the point of hilarity?

Yeah, I don't know if I can defend my annoyance in any principled way, because I don't hate all overdone jokes. "That's what she said" can be funny depending on the context, and I'm always happy when the Loremen do "In Dorset? -'Course I do, I bloody love the place."

[Danvzare]

Taking the example of movies, I got annoyed when a friend rejected my suggestion to watch Shawn of the Dead because "Zombie movies are stupid", and they wouldn't listen that this wasn't that- I mean, yes, I can understand not wanting to watch zombie movies, and I can understand the perspective of someone who thinks that sort of movie is uninteresting, but to be so totally close-minded to just a label is weird.

But on the other hand, if you have already seen several films of a genre and not liked any of them,
or in the case of zombie movies, think that reanimated dead who hunt and eat people is a ridiculously stupid and unrealistic concept that you hate, it's probably not worth trying to nag them into watching a zombie movie.

Well it's a good thing that Shawn of the Dead isn't a zombie movie then. It's a romantic comedy. 

[heltenjon]

I just saw the new Thor movie. Heimdall's son is a young boy in this movie, and he listens to rock and wants to be called Axl. And he gets admonished a bit because he's got this rough Asgardian name, before they give in and call him Axl for the rest of the movie. Thankfully. His Asgardian name was Astrid, which is a girl's name.

How on Earth is it possible to make this lousy research? One google search would tell you this, if you had not already heard of Astrid Lindgren (which I realize must be possible in other corners of the world).

[Blondbraid]

Well it's a good thing that Shawn of the Dead isn't a zombie movie then. It's a romantic comedy. 

Hate to break it to you, but to lots of people, literally any movie that features zombies counts as a zombie movie.

I just saw the new Thor movie. Heimdall's son is a young boy in this movie, and he listens to rock and wants to be called Axl. And he gets admonished a bit because he's got this rough Asgardian name, before they give in and call him Axl for the rest of the movie. Thankfully. His Asgardian name was Astrid, which is a girl's name.

How on Earth is it possible to make this lousy research? One google search would tell you this, if you had not already heard of Astrid Lindgren (which I realize must be possible in other corners of the world).

As a Swede, this actively pains me.

Seriously, I'm fine with Marvel doing their own fantasy interpretation of viking mythology, since it's just myths to begin with and it's a lot more honest about being a modern Hollywood interpretation than stuff like Vikings and The last Kingdom,
but I cannot and I will not accept butchering common names and naming traditions that are still in use in modern-day scandinavia and would take literally 5 seconds of Google to correct.

Unlike USA, where parents are free to give their children literally any batshit and cruel name that's often misspelled to boot, Sweden have laws in place to ensure children aren't given names that are offensive or make them bullying targets,
and that includes giving boys a traditional girls name and vice versa, and unlike the anglo-saxon sphere, most Scandinavian countries have a clear division between boys and girls names, and a boy presenting himself with a girls name
would either be met with people wondering if it was a practical joke, or people wondering if he was coming out as a transgender woman (Swedish kids are allowed to change their names when they are old enough to legally change their gender).

This is the same reason I hated the female Thor, because Tor is a men's name, and while some writers could have used the naming to show the characters explore their gender identity or similar,
it's clear that they're just throwing "exotic" names around without doing any research and this just being another example of Americans being blind to any culture outside the US.

[Snarky]

This doesn't really bother me that much, since the MCU Asgard is clearly its own thing with its own, non-Scandinavian culture. Out-of-universe it is of course inspired (loosely!) by Norse mythology, but in-universe (to the extent that it can be rationalized at all) it seems more that ancient Scandinavians somehow learned a few things about this alien realm, and that influenced Norse culture. It doesn't mean that anything that holds true of Norse/Scandinavian culture or language applies to the people of Asgard.

More than the gender, I would question whether "Astrid" (meaning "beloved by one of the Aesir") makes sense as a name for one of the Asgardians/Aesir.

OTOH, I was annoyed in Thor Ragnarok when Hemsworth mangled "Nidavellir" (I think he said "Nivadellir") and they left it in.

[heltenjon]

I haven't read the comics, so I don't know what the solution was there, but personally, I would have preferred Thora for the name of the female Thor. As it is, I reacted less to that, because they clearly play it as a kind of title, but it's clumsy all the same. I also think it's stupid to call Valkyrie king, when she easily could have ruled with the title of queen without being any less of a character.

It doesn't mean that anything that holds true of Norse/Scandinavian culture or language applies to the people of Asgard.

More than the gender, I would question whether "Astrid" (meaning "beloved by one of the Aesir") makes sense as a name for one of the Asgardians/Aesir.

So...you changed your mind mid-post?  To be fair, the meaning of the name isn't 100% clear. It could be "As" (singular of aesir) or "Ast" (love) combined with "frid" (fair, loveley, beautiful).

I'm on board with the interpretation that they are an alien race, hence the diversity in ethnicity that would make little sense to a norseman during the viking age. Idris Elba as Heimdall works out great. (Besides, as gods, they could literally change their appearance as they wanted. I like the scenes when Thor magics forth armor.)

[Snarky]

So...you changed your mind mid-post? 

No, I just think etymology is harder to get away from than naming practices. (Of course this gets into questions like "What is the native language of Asgard?" and "Where did that language come from?" that simply don't have any answers that make sense. We're not talking Tolkienesque worldbuilding here.)

[heltenjon]

So...you changed your mind mid-post? 

No, I just think etymology is harder to get away from than naming practices. (Of course this gets into questions like "What is the native language of Asgard?" and "Where did that language come from?" that simply don't have any answers that make sense. We're not talking Tolkienesque worldbuilding here.)

They go hand in hand, given that Norse names have grammatical gender and are conjugated according to that. But I have no problem accepting that we react to different things.

The naming practice was way worse in Vikings, with surnames hundreds of years early and geographical locations. I mean, if Kattegat were a kingdom, it would be Atlantis. It grinds my gears a bit when people think this is a historical series and not fantasy. I've seen some hotshots proclaiming Thor as the smith god because of the hammer, after seeing that made up explanation in Vikings. Oh well. i prefer Thor in the movies.

[Danvzare]

This is the same reason I hated the female Thor, because Tor is a men's name, and while some writers could have used the naming to show the characters explore their gender identity or similar,
it's clear that they're just throwing "exotic" names around without doing any research and this just being another example of Americans being blind to any culture outside the US.

Personally, I've always hated the female Thor being called Thor as well. Although for a slightly different reason.
I mean, Thor is HIS NAME, it's not a title that you take on like Captain America or Wolverine. Beta Ray Bill got the powers of Thor, and did he change his name? Of course not, otherwise I wouldn't have just called him Beta Ray Bill!
And sure, that's a rather obscure character now. But it just goes to show that the writers back then knew it was a name and not a title! 

Sure, you can keep calling the comic Thor (I think they did that when Beta Ray Bill took the mantle), but when Jane Foster got the powers of Thor she shouldn't have stolen his name! She's her own person damn it! 

Speaking of which, something that grinds my gears is the removal of individuality in the female-version of characters in comics. She-Hulk used to be her own character, now she's just the female version of Hulk. X-23 used to be an awesome character, but now she's just the female version of Wolverine (right down to having her title changed).
Imagine if they did this to Harley Quinn and just made her into a female Joker! Everyone would be outraged! 

[Mandle]

It grinds my gears when someone makes a stupid mistake and says "I overthought it" in cases where you can tell that they obviously put zero forethought in whatsoever.
Just say you made a dumb mistake. NOBODY is buying the "brilliant but scatterbrained" genius act!

(Not talking here about actual honest over-thinking. That's a real thing and I do it myself. Talking about when it's just an excuse for a thoughtless mistake but the person just can't admit to having done something dumb)

[Stupot]

I understand that “nucular” is easier to say than “nuclear”, and I’m not surprised a lot of regular people mispronounce it… but why do even people whose very JOB is to talk about these issues STILL get it wrong?

This is just one example of a phonemenon that grinds my gears. People who pronounce words differently or wrongly, even though (or sometimes even because of) their job is directly related to the word in question.

My beef is not with the mispronunciation of “nuclear” itself. It’s a very common mispronunciation, but last time I checked it was not yet considered an accepted alternative. So at the very least those people who are in fields such as international affairs, physics, etc, where having to say the word frequently is part of their job, should make an effort to say it properly on TV, podcasts, etc.

[Mouth for war]

While on that subject. I think I've mentioned this before but I must do it again. People who say "Should of" or "Would of" seriously grinds my gears. I know I know, it's no biggie really but it really bothers me IT'S "WOULD'VE" OR "SHOULD'VE"!!!!!!!!

[Mandle]

It grinds my gears when somebody doesn't know of a topic you mentioned and, when you explain what it is, they say something like "Oh, I don't get into stuff like that. I consider it beneath me."

So, they are:

(A) Making an excuse for their ignorance of the topic
(B) Shutting down all further conversation on the topic
(C) Putting you down for even possessing knowledge on the topic
(D) A douchebag

[lorenzo]

While on that subject. I think I've mentioned this before but I must do it again. People who say "Should of" or "Would of" seriously grinds my gears. I know I know, it's no biggie really but it really bothers me IT'S "WOULD'VE" OR "SHOULD'VE"!!!!!!!!

I should of known you would of complained about that! 

[Mouth for war]

Haha exactly the same thing happened the last time I complained...I just waited for it