Life changes as we age, and the things that irk us change along with it.
A sound or action that seemed perfectly fine 20 years ago might be the most annoying thing now.
These kinds of shifts in perspective affect all of us as we get older.
Redditor hollowreader asked:
"As you get older, what's something that becomes increasingly annoying?"
Willful Ignorance
"People who refuse to learn new things or educate themselves."
"Willfully ignorant, obtuse, purposefully dense. Whatever you call it, but especially those who are proud or stubborn about it. It's not cute, just grow up and admit you're wrong sometimes. No you're not too old to learn, you're not stuck in your ways, it's not old habits or it used to be fine. You just don't want to change and are stubborn. At least admit it."
-dead_b4_quarantine
"Do you have any idea how many people I meet who don’t bother to simply google something they don’t know. Its so annoying. Someone was shocked when I spent 10 minutes googling honey badgers just because they are interesting. People don’t want to learn anything new."
-jayedgar06
"I pissed off my family for this. They got into an argument about something and I was like 'guys, phone. google. ask it the question. Here's the answer!' and then I showed them that both of them were wrong."
"'Oh, you are insufferable, you don't have to be right all the time.'"
"Thanks, that helps."
-Runa216
Distraction
"Distractions, they are everywhere and honestly I don't think it's just age that makes them seem like they are increasing. I feel like I'm constantly being distracted by things I'm not interested in."
"Stopped watching television, can't take all the commercials especially the drug ones and political ones."
"Can't the world just let us focus on what's really wrong and let us try to make it better instead of making us turn away."
-MadLintElf
"The new movie on Netflix '[Don't] Look Up' I think it’s called, does a pretty good job of mocking and calling out this very thing."
-DatPlumberDude
Hair And Acne In Unfortunate Places
"Hair coming out of nose and ears. Like, why the f*ck?"
-howwouldiknow
"Acne in those places. Why?!? They hurt so bad."
-spongeysquarepantis
"Ear pimples are one of the things I hate most in this world. Best way I heard to get rid of them was I believe putting a tiny amount of rubbing alcohol on a q-tip and rubbing it over the spot once/twice a day."
-Datalust5
Noise
"Noise, so much noise."
-pyroisflame
"Yes, and even worse is noise along with bass vibrations. Especially when you are in bed and almost asleep, then wham, brmmmmm, brmmmmm, brrrrrrrrmmmmmm."
-wiggysbelleza
"Leaf blowers."
-Glittering-Extreme-2
"I hear them every freaking morning non stop until noon, but the sidewalks are still packed with fallen leaves. WTF is going on?!"
-skeptic_witch
Constant Discomfort
"That some part or other of my body always seems to be in discomfort."
-Arthrine
"I was so excited to have time off from my office chair for xmas break. I thought my back would feel so much better! Too bad I laid in bed so much that my back hurt in a new, different way."
-Costner_Facts
"Nobody tells you that part about growing old. The reason old people moving slowly is a cliche, it's because everything f*cking hurts."
-McFeely_Smackup
Anything But The Damp
"petty stuff like, clothes not drying up completely and they end up smelling damp."
-Damisrilli58
"Why does drying a load of laundry on normal completely dry my sheets one week and then the next week I need to go back and flip them and add 20 minutes??"
-Electronic_Ad5481
"Somewhat related, why do Tupperware lids never fucking dry?! You could leave them for days and there would still be drops of water dripping out from crevices when you take them out of the rack. Never fails to make me grumpy."
-AggravatinCupcake0
We Don't Need To Hear Your Call
"People who not only yell while they’re on the phone, but do this while having their call on speaker in a public place."
-rizcriz
"My god some man did that in the hospital waiting room while I was expecting my aunt to come out of surgery. It was insane. He could have easily left or even talked at a normal volume. Instead he answered 'JERRY HOW THE HECK ARE YOU?!'"
-DigNitty
Seriously, It's 2022
"How paying bills or doing some basic things have not advanced with technology. Why are there service fees for automated phone payments?"
-bobthepomato
"This really chapped my ass yesterday while trying to pay an ambulance bill. It didn't suck enough that I needed a damn ambulance. It didn't suck enough that I have a huge stack of bills from the hospital stay despite having health insurance."
"To pay the ambulance bill, I had to pay a fee based on how much my bill was. And the option to pay online was a higher percentage than paying over the phone! Ahhh! I was so frustrated!"
-PawsibleCrazyCatLady
"I generally just pay with home banking or a digital wallet and I never got charged. I don't live in America tho."
-LumosLupin
"Not living in America is a great trick for a lot of issues in this thread 😅"
-NilsTillander
Life, The Universe, And Everything
"Gestures vaguely at everything."
-LondonDude123
"gestures vaguely at self"
-OldAd38
"Found the actual older person."
-distractedchemist
"Im only 25 :( "
-LondonDude123
Technology
"Getting new technical devices. Geting a brand new phone hardly excites me anymore. I just get annoyed."
-Embarrassed-Oil-5794
"Most of what annoys me with it is not needing 90% of the new 'exciting' features. They're just making the stuff more annoying to use."
-Quackwh*re69
"I feel this, getting a new phone is nice but its always a pain to change everything over. You don't realize how much you have set up on a phone until you have to start back over from fresh. I've had my current phone for two years and am now hitting some limitations with it but the thought of having to go through switching to a new device is half the reason I haven't upgraded yet."
-kolby12309
While our pet peeves and annoyances might change as we age, at least we can take comfort in knowing that it happens to everyone.
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Be it for reasons out of our control, or simply because we didn't allow enough time, all of us have shown up to something late at least once in our lives.
And the only thing that could make us feel worse than we already do about our tardiness, is being told "you're late."
Naturally, the obvious response to the obvious reminder would be a simple, "I'm sorry."
Though it's fair to say that when someone so blatantly states the obvious, maybe they deserve a somewhat more original response?
Redditor ReddBolt511 was curious to hear the best retorts people have given, or recieved, to being told they were late, leading them to ask:
"What's the best response to 'You're late'?
I learned my lesson.
"The first time I was late in over two years, HR wrote me up."
"In the evening I went home on time and HR asked me why I was already heading out."
"I told them I have learned my lesson and won't be late for the second time."- atot806
Tell me something I don't know.
"I know, thank you for your patience."- dayglo98
Priorities...
"Sorry I didn’t want to come."- HonestSapphireLion24
Gonna have to do better than that!
"A bloke in my high school had a cracker that I’ll never forget."
"Teacher: 'you’re 10 minutes late'."
"Student: 'yeah sorry I was walking slowly'."
"It did not go down well."- Rosemount3051S
Catch me up, why don't you!
"Why?"
'What did I miss?"- rwubmc
Be one step ahead.
"Don't give them a chance to say anything."
"Walk in and say: 'I see you have started without me'."- JustBeingDylan
Be like the superhero they are...
"Walk past them and say:"
'"Well, now we’re waiting for you'.”
"RDJ as Iron Man".- miguelmoen
Maybe just be honest?
"I remember a guy was late for grade 12 chemistry class and our chemistry teacher was really strict and when the teacher asked him why are you late he quickly spat out"
"'Because I didn't make it here on time'."
"It's a great line but he didn't do it on purpose."- nardpuncher
You knew it was coming...
"How do you know my menstrual cycles?"- ThisAnswerIsLit
Next time you find yourself running late, rather than worrying about it the whole time, maybe spend it thinking of a clever response?
You'd be surprised how much is forgiven by a good laugh.
People Break Down Which Topics They Could Talk About For 30 Minutes With No Preparation
Everyone has their own areas of expertise.
Not necessarily something related to their professional field, but more one of their great interests or passions, which they almost unknowingly learned about over time.
And as a result, should said topic arise during a group gathering or dinner party, they'll be able to talk about it for hours.
Much to the delight, or dismay, of their friends and family.
Redditor NikonDexter was curious to learn people's hidden knowledge on which they could provide an impromptu lecture, leading them to ask:
"What topic could you talk about for 30 minutes with no preparation?"
People believe anything I say.
"Anything, as long as nobody’s fact-checking me."- Left_Complaint1604
You think the werewolves in Twilight are scary?...
"Why most modern interpretations of classic folklore creatures, werewolves, faeries, vampires, etc., are less scary than the original stories."- Applesintheorchard
Don't even get me started...
"Why people who don't use turn signals are f*ck heads."- scotsworth
Whenever I need to vent...
"All the stupid sh*t my coworkers do."- DerpWilson
Tell me it's just a game...
"Video games most likely."
"I could easily talk about one of the Ace Attorney cases for 30 minutes."- zettasyntax
"Warhammer 40000."
"It won't be a quick 30 minutes."- Son_of_steven19
The force is strong...
"How f*cking incompetent the Jedi order are."- species-baby
Just listen
"Music."- Love-In-Veinz
Varied interests...
"Metal."
"Both the fabrication material and the music."- Faythlessly
Everyone has a passion that they will never tire of learning.
But, don't be surprised or offended if your friends and family don't seem as interested.
That just means you don't have to pretend to be interested in what they start talking about...
Who hasn't taken part in a fad that became passé before the year was out.
Children of the 90s probably wish they spent much less time and effort obtaining Pogs and Magic Cards than they did.
But while some frivolous fads are an almost instant flash in the pan, sometimes they are only the beginning of a pop culture phenomenon which continues to this day, with no end in sight.
Much to the dismay of many.
Redditor FalloutFan4207 was curious to hear the things people can't believe are as popular as they are, leading them to ask:
"What should never have gotten popular?"
Did anyone find this funny?
"The stupid public pranks on strangers where it's more or less just harassment."- Laptraffik
"Doing stupid sh*t for clout."- Unknown_Captain
More like "Toddler and Exploitation"...
"Toddlers and Tiaras. Child beauty pageants."- spaceassorcery
Just a cruel tease...
"Micro transactions."- Jerrybeshara
Why pay for something you can get for free from a tap?
"Bottled water for like $3 as an alternative to soft drinks."- Tuesday2017
Not everyone deserves to be famous
"Giving obnoxious people a platform."
"See Dr. Phil and his gaggle of guests who are famous for being stupid."- glitchystitchy
"Making stupid people famous."- whitecity011
Just how "real" are these shows?
"Reality TV/celebrity obsession/Kardashian style shows."- dogsquad81
Is there really anything wrong with monogomy?
"Being a side chick/dude."
"Essentially glorifying cheating."- OhJeezItsCorrine
One can only hope that these will all be things of the past before too long.
And will make way for another trend which people will spend years wondering why it became as popular as it did.
When we move into our first apartment, get our first job, and begin living independently for the first time, it's equal parts intimidating and exciting.
There's always the realization that you are now an adult.
But there are very few early to mid-twenty-somethings who don't stop and have a moment where they question if they are, in fact, an adult.
Many responsibilities that come with being an adult will take us by surprise, as there was no college course to teach us how to deal with them or prepare ourselves for them.
Redditor Palarity was curious to hear some of the rude awakenings people had as they entered adulthood, leading them to ask:
"What were you grossly unprepared for as an adult?"
Who's the boss here? Wait, me?!
"The slow realization that I am the adult in the room who's supposed to help out everyone else."- lapsangsouchogn
Not relying on your parents anymore
"Trivial in comparison to many things, but keeping up familial social obligations."
"Like, it's now on me to check in with aunt M and how she's recovering after her recent surgery, send a gift to cousin K's new baby, congratulate 2nd cousin T on his graduation, etc."
"Gone are the days when my mom did all of that and I just had to sign my name on the card or whatever."- InannasPocket
No more chilling on the quad...
"Going from having tons of friends to really having no one."- ZachariahCasey
Wondering if you have, in fact, "grown up".
"How much I still feel like a kid on the inside."- RosesSpins
Life is precious and unpredictable.
"Loss."
"As time passes and you become an adult, there are two guarantees:"
"1: the adults that shaped you, whom you love and adore, also get older."
"Older and sicker and will die, hopefully later but sometimes so much sooner than you would ever imagine."
"And 2: Peers and folks younger than you will die too, often with little to no rhyme or reason."
"My parents would say growing up that 'death is a part of life'.”
"But I’m not sure there is any way to prepare for really UNDERSTANDING that fact until you experience it yourself as you grow up."- Mbathrowaway202two
Taking care of yourself
"Dealing with a chronic health issue."- Square_Tangelo_7542
It's not all fun and games
"How little time in a week there is to enjoy 'life' after working full time."- Ser0t0n1n
That some people don't grow up.
'How insecure and incompetent other adults are."- ducvette
Bullies aren't only found in high schools.
"Bullying at the workplace by other 'adults'."- MathematicianOld1117
The truth is, nothing can prepare anyone for adulthood.
Primarily owing to the fact that no one follows the same path, so there is just no telling what life has in store for you.
But maybe the best part of being an adult, is that you are always learning, only now you don't have to show up to class or hand in homework to prove the lesson has sunk in.