Things you wish had never been invented

[GoddessOfGuinness]

I could really do without subwoofers...especially in action movies. :(

[bridgit]

1. i'm with you on that one, don't you just love it when some rap dude drives by...

with his sub-woof so loud it's shaking the nuts & bolts out of his bumper & body panels :)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. Yes!

Or when just watching a movie on the TV requires constant monitoring with the volume switch... grr!

[idgiehkt]

12. I like to feel it in my chest cavity.

Really hits the spot.

[bridgit]

37. co-rect...

:rofl:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

53. lol

Does wonders for pacemakers...

[Awsi Dooger]

3. Baseball, cheese and the Florida Gators

Actually, I'll allow cheese if parmesan could be eliminated. The rest I can safely avoid.

You mentioned action movies. They can go also. I used to watch movies when the plot actually involved words and ideas.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. I was just thinking about that the other day...

I was trying to watch something or other, and I noticed that Mr GoG and my boys wanted to talk while the dialogue was going on; but got quiet when people were engaged in combat. :shrug:

[cobalt1999]

51. What are you some buckeye fan?

Don't ever say anything bad about my Gators! :)

[cobalt1999]

52. air conditioning.

Not only because it caused a flood of northerners to my home state of Florida, but because of what it did to neighborhoods too. Used to be the family retreated to the front porch after dinner or went for a evening stroll, now everyone is holed up inside with the A/C blowing away. Neighborhoods in Florida in the summer can look almost abandoned.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

54. I have to admit...

When I'm stuck in a traffic jam on the Beltway in July, I love my air conditioning. But when I'm at home, I often turn the a/c off, just because the extra noise is annoying.

[Pacifist Patriot]

69. I hear ya!

It's spooky. Spooky I say.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

95. So you like it when thousands of people die from heat exhaustion?

because they can't pay their electric bills.

Where I live it's literally a matter of life and death.

I grew up in Texas without AC and there is no way I would go back.

[ashling]

4. War

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. Amen to that.

:thumbsup:

[ashling]

16. I knew that that's not really the type of "thing" this thread is for,

but I just wanted to make you all feel superficial.

:rofl::rofl:

not really

[Flaxbee]

49. yeah, that was actually my first thought....

don't like nuclear weapons. The rest of weaponry can vanish, too. So can drift nets.

I'll try to think of something more lighthearted.

[deucemagnet]

7. Wheelie shoes.

Kids don't need another way to be obnoxious in malls and department stores.

[TommyO]

25. YES, YES, YES!

The inventors of Heelies, and all of their ripoffs need to be hung in the public square!! I'm against the death penalty, but will make an exception for these assholes.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

55. Those things are dangerous...

for the kids wearing them and the people they bash into.

They were a bad idea from the gitgo.

[Nicole]

8. Call waiting.

I think it's rude when a person puts you on hold to take another call. If it's an emergency the operator can break in. When someone tells me "hold on, I've got another call" I just hang up.

My closest friends & family members know that I will do this so they never put me on hold anymore. :rofl:

[zanne]

31. YES!

I hang up, too. People who know me well realize this, and people who don't know me well find out.

[Nicole]

65. Good to know I'm not alone on this one.

My friends think I'm weird because I hate it. However they don't use it anymore with me so that's good. :)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

57. I like call waiting because...

it lets me know someone is trying to call, and gives them a chance to leave a message even though I'm on the phone.

I've only put someone on hold when expecting an important call. Though sometimes I've used the call waiting signal to end calls with people I don't really want to talk with. :evilgrin:

[Bullwinkle925]

9. Cell phones.

!!!!!

[Forkboy]

10. Brussels Sprouts

And that answer makes me a hero of all children worldwide! :)

[BikeWriter]

35. That leaves more Brussels Sprouts for me!

[Ariana Celeste]

11. Bras.

I hate those damned things but I can't stop buying them. :(

[gr8dane_daddy]

14. I concur...

damn those bras! :evilgrin:

[leftofthedial]

13. republicans

[gr8dane_daddy]

15. Pagers...

always hated them.

[Lasher]

17. Tech support call directors.

Thank you for your patience. (How do they know I'm patient? I never am.) If you're calling about a problem with one of our products press 1. (Duh, why else would I call tech support?) Your call is very important to us. That's why you have to rot for 3 days on elevator music hold, starting now.

[zanne]

34. Then you're finally transferred to a real person....

In India who (sorry if this isn't PC) has an accent so strong that you spend half your time saying "Pardon"?

[Connonym]

18. automated answering systems

Please press 1 if you want to try another menu. Press 2 if you wish to attempt the hold time to speak to a human. Press 3 if you want us to just shoot you now.

[idgiehkt]

20. the one at my bank is unbearable now

it's awful.

because I have checks, debit card purchases, atm, and 'point of sale' which is something certain debit card purchases mutate into for no discernable reason. I have to check all of these at on different menus. The way they are treating us with this new automated system it's like we are being FORCED to keep track of our bank balances on our own. Bastards.

[LibDemAlways]

44. I hate those damn things. Sometimes it's impossible to

get connected with a human. When all you want to do is ask a question, it's incredibly frustrating to hear "Press 1 for such and such, 2 for so and so, 3 for all other problems." Then you press 3 and get "Press 1 for this problem, 2 for that problem, 3 for all other problems." So you press 3 again and get "If your problem hasn't been addressed, press "0" for the main menu." Then it's back to square 1. People who devise those systems are sadistic bastards.

[BlueIris]

19. Viagra.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

58. I concur...What someone REALLY needs to invent...

is something that helps folks keep it down.

[Red State Rebel]

80. Men should need a permission slip for their SO before the Dr. prescribes it! n/t

[BlueIris]

102. Men should also need to undergo adequate health screening before getting a script.

And be put through the requisite evaluations to get a clue about how Viagra could impact their health before getting handed the pills, in the same way women are forced to go through 18 million different (and expensive) kinds of testing in order to be allowed access to prescriptions which enable us to have sex. I don't just mention that because I think the misogynist health-care system treats women like cash cows for OB/GYNS and GPs and internists to puff up their bottom line with. Viagra and other "erectile-'dysfunction'" meds can seriously mess up men's health. Those things aren't aspirin, despite what many men have been allowed to believe by their negligent doctors and the pharmaceutical companies.

[MsKandice01]

21. Pantyhose...

Those things are of the devil.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

96. I don't wear them any more. I don't have a waist to keep em up anyway.

In the summer, they're hot, so I just shave my legs and don't wear stockings.
I don't work either.

[Eagle_Eye]

22. Bongs

How much time has been wasted taking bong hits that could have been used to study for exams.

[Tyler Durden]

23. Exams

How much time has been wasted studying for exams that could have been used taking bong hits.

[Joe Fields]

47. I'm afraid you have it backwards...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

59. They make nice vases, though.

;-)

[Burma Jones]

24. Television

Of course we have two of them......

[TommyO]

26. I was shocked when I realized I graduated to three.

I had one TV in the living room. That grew to two when I got my new LCD TV - that's now in the living room, while the old TV is now in my bedroom (it's great for watching The Daily Show before going to bed).

I forgot about the EyeTV tuner that I have on my Mac - that's three TVs for one person. I officially have the most TVs per person in my immediate family. My Mom and brother have five, that's 2.5 TVs/person. My other brother has six, but they have four people in the house.

[kwassa]

27. Video games

destroyed a generation

[sazemisery]

28. gasoline powered engine

What a different world we would live in

[Fox Mulder]

29. Car alarms.

[Yog Sothoth]

30. Infomercials

[zanne]

32. Instant freaking Messaging...

I enjoy my morning time at the computer; reading online newspapers, reading DU, reading email. To me, getting an IM is like getting a phone call from a long-winded friend with nothing to say. It's a pain in the butt.

[HuskerDU]

33. I wish I was in the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

'Where they hung the jerk that invented work!'

[GoddessOfGuinness]

70. LOL

:rofl:

[Redneck Socialist]

91. one of my favorite lines of any song. n/t

[dysfunctional press]

36. leaf-blowers, and the people who use them.

nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

98. Yes, LEAF BLOWERS!

Whatever happened to good old-fashioned QUIET rakes and brooms?

[Fleshdancer]

38. scented tampons (seriously, wtf?)

- Hummer cars
- cell phones
- clear high heels
- pencils (can't stand the way they feel and sound unless they're the plastic mechanical type)
- newspaper (can't stand the way they feel and sound)
- chalkboards (same reason as the newspapers and pencils)
- most pastel clothing - especially on men (I try to be better than that but I can't get past pink on men. I try though)
- the insane packaging for kids toys
- super low riding jeans

on edit: totally agree on the subwoolfer thing..they do this weird tickle/itchy hurt thing to my ears.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

72. Good one...

If someone wants to be enveloped in fragrance, tampon perfume is not the way to go. :rofl:

Ditto the kids toy packaging. I doubt that it really deters shoplifters, and it's a pain in the butt to open!

[Joe Fields]

39. reality t.v. shows

[progressoid]

40. corn syrup

[FloridaJudy]

41. Jet -skis and Snow-mobiles

Ways for jerks to pollute and destroy natural settings while annoying the snot out of people like me who prefer quiet appreciation.

[Rambis]

42. Hand guns (nm)

x

[bif]

43. Parking meters

So I have to pay money to park my car to spend money in a store? Now that is screwed up.

[taterguy]

71. No one forces you to drive to a store

You can always get there by walking or biking. Parking places cost money to build and maintain so I don't think there's anything wrong with charging people for that.

[ThomCat]

45. Religion

Think of all the attrocities in history that could not have been justified and demanded because God said so.

[graywarrior]

66. Yep. That would be my first wish. Can all religions.

[One_Life_To_Give]

46. Clothes

How much better life would be if Maxwell Smart hadn't stopped our plan to explode the "Nude Bomb."

[InvisibleTouch]

48. I'm starting to think: Plastic

Especially when I read an article about a stretch of the Pacific Ocean twice the size of Texas, full of floating plastic trash that's killing wildlife and releasing toxins into the food chain.

If I recall correctly, plastic was only invented in the 1920's, which is not that long ago. And now it's taken over our lives. Look around you and see how much of everything is made of plastic. I sometimes try to imagine what that same stuff would have been made of, if plastic had never been invented.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

68. Ugh...

I didn't know about the plastic in the Pacific. It makes me sick to think of it!

Are there any plans to do anything about it? Plastic is recyclable, at least...

[InvisibleTouch]

73. Recyclable IF they would gather it up.

Here's a link to the story:

http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/health-fitness/Our_oceans_are_turning_into_plastic_are_we_2.shtml

I don't know of any plans to address the problem, but I sent the same link to an organization that's dedicated to protecting the oceans, and hope they will help drum up awareness.

This is their homepage:

http://www.oceana.org/international-home-nao/

And their contact info, not so easy to find from the homepage:

http://www.oceana.org/north-america/who-we-are/contact-us/

I just picked a bunch of those e-mail addresses and sent them all the same link. Got a couple of automated replies, but hopefully if many people contact them about the problem, they'll take notice.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

86. Thanks for the links...

I've sent some emails on behalf of Oceana. It seems like a first-rate organization. If anybody can get something done about this, I'll bet they can. :hi:

[intheflow]

99. Plastic, that's my answer, too.

When I've worked with youth groups I've invited them to "Take the Plastic Challenge" and identify everything in whatever space we're in that's made of plastic. Even if we're meeting outdoors, they kids all wear plastic jewelry, drink out plastic bottles, there's some trash on the ground or in the trees, even plastic playground equipment. The fact that most people don't even know that plastic is a petroleum product blows my mind. People think I'm totally nuts for insisting on drinking out of glass and eating off pottery, but I figure it's just not healthy mixing oil and food.

[Mr. Blonde]

50. Myspace spamming

Might not really be an invention, but I really fucking hate it. I doubt they read it, but it does give me joy to respond to them with this:

"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday night. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got myspace spamming?"

[Arugula Latte]

56. Religion.

:hide:

[AllegroRondo]

60. blue-tooth cell phone ear pieces

dude, take that thing OUT of your ear. Especially when you're just waiting in line at Starbucks for an overpriced latte. No one cares that you have some high priced techno toy.

[NV Whino]

61. Bubble packs

I've been know to take products back if I have to spend more than a couple of minutes removing the product from the packaging.

[billyskank]

62. Cellphones

They suck.

[Initech]

63. Cell phone text messaging

And I REALLY hate those commercials for text messaging like "Text HOTTIE to 33333 to talk with sexy singles in YOUR area!" or "Text LAME to 44444 to get some stupid crap for your cell phone that costs $29.99 / month! "

[LSK]

64. Nukes

[jmowreader]

67. Masonite siding

Someone had the wonderful idea that sawdust mixed with glue would make a great siding for homes. You guessed it: it fails. Badly. We're talking Bush-level crappiness.

Oh yeah: the Federal Pacific "no trip" breaker box, which causes house fires; ANY building material made from asbestos; and the Puppy Mill. (The last is not a building product but it's still plenty bad.)

[LaraMN]

74. KY warming liquid.

It is NOT a lubricant and should not be touted as such.

[hippiechick]

82. I HATE that stuff.

It's groase. :(

[lildreamer316]

84. OOO. It BURNS.

Ouch ouch ouch!!!!!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

94. I saw a commercial for it and decided they shoulda called it "Hot "Tw*t"

sounds dumb.

[raccoon]

75. Cheese food. nt

[JitterbugPerfume]

76. The bio-engeneering

of food and animals.

Hooker clothing for teens , and SUB teens.

trans fats and other fake food

[CBHagman]

77. Those beeping Sprint walkie-talkie phones.

And now they're featured in COMMERCIALS, so we can hear the crappy beeps between halves of the conversation. Thank you, evil Sprint people. Your ring of hell awaits.

[bicentennial_baby]

78. THANK YOU!

I f'n hate being stuck on the subway next to someone with one of those infernal things... :mad:

[youthere]

79. Those cyborg ear phones.

[hippiechick]

81. Strip Malls, cell phones, home theatres, rush hour ...

... anything that makes NOISE or causes groups of people to gather and get in my way when I'm trying to get somewhere.

[Xipe Totec]

83. Lungs

We should have never left the ocean.

:yoiks:

[Bjornsdotter]

85. Jello

I hate jello, I hate looking at jello, I hate watching other people eat jello.

Cheers

[GoddessOfGuinness]

87. What about jello wrestling?

:rofl:

[Bjornsdotter]

93. Nope

Can't involve jello....they're gonna have to wrestle in pudding.

cheers :toast:

[begin_within]

88. Money

because it only serves to separate people and pit people against each other.

[eauclaireliberal]

89. TV

I can't help but to think how different we would be without it. I'd like to think that we would be a more thoughtful, cognitive species.

[swag]

90. Reply to all

[LostInAnomie]

92. Home Theaters with Surround Sound

Well, really I should say people who own surround sound systems. For some reason they feel that "surround sound" means that they must turn their volume WAY the fuck up until my ear drums burst and my eyes bleed.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

97. spike heels.

Dangerous, painful, impossible to safely wear shoes, and then they expect all us "short girls" to wear them.

Sorry, I don't like that burning sensation in the ball of my foot.

Comfy and flat for me!!

[barb162]

100. cellphones

(except in emergencies)

[jgraz]

101. homo sapiens sapiens