Thread: Pet Peeves

I'm not punctual by any means, but I try to at least tell someone if I'm not able to do exactly what I'm supposed to be beforehand (for example, the day before I need to send someone something, I might tell them if something's come up so that the next day they aren't freaked out). I'm rarely punctual with doctor appointments, but that's in part because of traffic and issues out of my control at points, since I don't drive. One time, I missed an appointment because my government-related ride (my insurance covers a special service that brings people to and from doctors) never showed up to pick me up- and another time, they just didn't come to bring me home (and claimed "we thought she went to the mall because we couldn't find her"). Weird things happen. :/

I've heard the stereotype of women being more passive-aggressive. I think there's probably some basis for it, related to the chemical differences in female vs. male brains, but I could be totally wrong. In general, I admit I have times I can be passive-aggressive- but usually, due to my innate nature of blunt honesty, that doesn't last much since I just blurt out immediately when something is bothering me. However, I'm not one to show my anger often, instead bottling it up until I explode. I think that could be seen as passive-aggression as well. I've been trying to learn to show my anger moderately regularly instead of just once in a blue moon when triggered. Writing can be helpful for it, I find- since I can legally murder a character I'm writing about no problem, to let out any steam I have to let out.

Lately I've been feeling kind of irked...And it's rather stupid, really. It relates to business as well- but in this case, it's a guy who's kind of...overbearing about things. The guy from Norway wants me to proofread his game. I've decided to at least try, but his name (and I've admitted to him this issue) he uses pokes at my PTSD, and the game has some content I'm iffy with. Still, I decided to try to be professional. But, since I've told him I don't feel fully certain yet, and he's aware of it, I find it a bit concerning he keeps pushing every five minutes for my paypal email.

I know it's insane to be irked by someone wanting to pay me, but...He's just nagging, at this stage, and when I'm not sure about a project, it feels dumb to ask to be paid beforehand. It's kind of a 'too good to be true' moment in a way. It's making me honestly feel on edge more than I was, and he's not quite getting it when I explain in detail about the issue...Because I'm starting to feel like there's a hidden agenda from his pushing so hard. I know I'm probably just being paranoid but...He's not really listening. At all. :/

Passive-aggressiveness can indeed be not only annoying, but inefficient as multiple parties are wondering for x amount of time "Is s/he mad? Mad about what? What did I do? It must be blankity blank blank from last week." I've been known to be passive-aggressive a couple of times in my life, though I try not to be (and it's not as though passive-aggressiveness is inferior or less constructive than 'active' aggressiveness, just depends on the context, I suppose).

Another huge peeve of mine: kids on them internets watching a classic (like, Akira) and saying, 'meh, it wasn't that good' or 'overhyped' or 'I don't see what the fuss is all about.' As a trained film critic, I shouldn't expect this immediately of everyone, let alone teenagers and their ilk, but it irks me nonetheless because I KNOW for a fact 98% of folks who say that kind of thing with, say, Akira (to stay on theme), watched it on your smartphone pixelated as f**k on kissanime or some other place online...you're not experiencing it properly, so what right do you have to say/think you've "experienced" it? That would be like me seeing the Statue of Liberty or the Great Wall of China via someone's home video in 320p on YouTube and saying "Yeah, that whole 'Great Wall' in China ain't that great, I've totally been there, overrated, blah blah.'

I've seen Akira in theaters: to this day, it's an unforgettable experience and on the merits of its animation alone it's a masterpiece. This is all taking into account the fact that these same folks don't take one second to consider the fact that they're judging something from a particular era by their limited experiences and point of view in modernity. Same hypo, the Great Wall of China is impressive by ANY standard, even today...it's that much more impressive when one realizes how long ago it was built, without modern equipment, and considering how it must have looked when it was brand-spankin' new vs. today after centuries of weathering. Therefore, if one looks at Akira through the lens of a viewer in 1988, it's even more incredible: a wonderful example of post-WWII Japanese cinema, a generation removed from the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; a poignant film about how a nuclear apocalypse destroys civilization, made by the only nation to have ever actually been nuked during a war. Plus, like many other films it helped put Japanese cinema on the map for broader international audiences and you'd better believe an eighties-era America--Cold War paranoia still a central edifice of the culture--appreciated the prospect of WWIII/Armageddon being ushered in via nuclear warheads.

But no, YOU John Doe on the internet in the 2010s can skim through it on a five-inch touchscreen while you're on the toilet, just to check another title off your list, and say 'Meh' or 'I don't get what the shriveled green kids are all about.' I don't care that you're too immature to understand it, and I'm not blaming you for it because as a teenager I wouldn't either...but that's not a shortcoming on the film's part, and by golly if you're going to spread those kinds of cancerous misnomers on the public forum of the internet, you don't get to be too shocked or offended when someone like me comes along and politely puts you in your place.

I should try watching Akira again. I first watched it when I was about 16, and even though I didn't particularly love it myself, I could totally appreciate what a visual masterpiece it was (and still is) for its time, for the reasons you've stated. The animation is absolutely stunning to this day, it still puts just about everything else that's come out over the last 30 years to shame.

My reasons for not enjoying it much seem shallow in hindsight, but to be fair I was one of those ignorant teenagers you're talking about. The green kids weirded me out, the plot felt ridiculous and the characters felt... unnatural? They just didn't make sense to me, they didn't feel human. All I could think while watching was 'what the fuck is going on?', the animation was pretty and Kaneda had a cool bike, those were the only two things that really appealed to me. To be fair it was adapted from a manga as far as I know, and adapting a whole series' worth of manga into a trilogy is hard enough, let alone a single film; so maybe that has something to do with it. Or maybe I was just an immature teenager who was too dense to appreciate what he was witnessing. That's probably it. I'm going to try watching it again, but I'll either watch the original Japanese or seek out the Cam Clarke dub since I enjoy his work. Anyway, I guess my point is just because -you- personally don't enjoy something, that doesn't make it bad. A lot of people don't seem to understand that for some reason, and it drives me crackers.

While I do write reviews about things like movies and games sometimes, I always make sure to make it clear it's only my personal opinions based on my personal 'experience' that isn't professional by any means. I use constant I statements if possible to make it clear this is /my/ viewpoint, and not one that should be used to make judgement on. For starters, our experiences as a whole often affect our viewpoint on certain things- for example, I'm extremely sensitive to sound, so one reason I don't go to the theater is that I have no control over volume besides earplugs that may or may not actually help depending on the film. There's also the issue of seating there, though. Thus, I'd likely make sure to note things like "I had to turn the volume down to X due to my unusual hearing. Make sure you keep it to a comfortable auditory noise since there are a lot of X type of sounds that may be uncomfortable if you have problems with that range like me." In general, though, I usually just review things based on the story and characters, not the visual or auditory quality.

I don't see personal reviews as bad- but that's all they are. Personal. What bothers me with the net is some people tend to mistake personal and professional, and give too much creed to one or the other and find out it's not what they thought. That's why you should read more than one comment/review on a product, too. Everyone experiences things differently, including how something works. Having all the details and having multiple perspectives can be nice, if you make sure you take certain parts with a dash of salt. Or so I've found, at least.

I totally agree, June. Another thing I hate is when people give reviewers shit just because their opinion differs from the hivemind. Jeff Gerstmann's Fallout 4 review is a good example of this, he got a lot of flak for giving the console port a 3/5, which isn't even a bad score. Hell, the guy was fired from GameSpot to begin with just for giving his honest opinion. I actually find the reviews that go against the grain to be the most interesting; decent scores for panned game, mediocre scores for acclaimed games, that kind of thing. It gives you a broader perspective than just 'oh yeah, this game is great! you should totally give these guys your hard-earned £40!'

Every morning when I go to look in the mirror, this really creepy looking guy always stares back at me-- even when I'm trying to brush my teeth! What the heck is that guy's problem? I wish he'd leave me alone and get out of my mirror.

Do you often look in the mirror with someone else in the room? Or forget your glasses?

I've actually looked in the mirror and had mini panic attacks because I was feeling out of it and didn't recognize my reflection...so I would freak that I had no reflection and some stranger was in my bathroom or some such. Then two seconds later I'd stare blankly and realize I need some medicine...

This is really minor but it always bothers me whenever I hear someone say "animes" as a plural for "anime". You'd expect it not to happen in this day and age but I seem to occasionally run into it and it always makes me cringe. It just sounds so wrong.

That annoys me at times too, Nitro! But we all have wording errors at times- I know I have plenty I need to work on. But that's why, at least with writing, we have editors. *Thanks people's bad grammar for her job*

Something that irked me today: As usual, the news decided to take pop-culture as higher priority than news regarding safety and, y'know, actually useful things to know about current events. I don't care if a couple celebrities broke up and whatnot. Why is it such a big deal? I wouldn't even want to focus on the President's divorce if it were a thing...That's gossip, not news! >w<

Agreed, June! It's none of our business what relationships those people have, who broke up with who, like... whatever. It's hardly front page news, is it? Just because they're famous, that doesn't mean they don't deserve the same privacy as us 'normal' folk. How would they like it if someone reported on their sex lives?

Some journalism that is.