Manners/Social Conventions You Don't Follow

[polak]

Originally Posted by haiku

a man sits alone
no friends, no glasses to clink
beer growing salty

Friend put down to rest
Glasses raised, Cheers they all said
Na man, F*** you Fred.

[jeffporfirio]

Here is another one.
Maybe backwards, I personally think it should be a social convention.

I make it a point to thank a bus driver when I get off a bus, but rarely see anyone else do it.

I mean, we're expected to tip cab drivers, but can't thank the bus driver.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Tiger

on a similar not, smoking kills people faster than healthy old age. old people living longer ultimately put more strain and cost on the health care system.

It kills them younger - not faster. There are plenty of smokers who are dying slow, painful and expensive deaths.

Nobodies saying helmets aren't safer. Or if they are they shouldn't be. They're just saying that they know the stats, acknowledge the risk and they believe the choice should be theirs.

What about skydiving? We know that's dangerous, should we make it illegal?
Extreme sports send thousands of people to the hospital, should we ban those?
Football and Hockey injuries have a huge toll on our health care system, is it time to end participation in those sports?
Soccer is essentially an English word for blown knee and expensive surgery.

You could make the health care argument for any sport or activity.

IMO if a helmet law keeps people off the bike it's harming and not helping society.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by jeffporfirio

Here is another one.
Maybe backwards, I personally think it should be a social convention.

I make it a point to thank a bus driver when I get off a bus, but rarely see anyone else do it.

I mean, we're expected to tip cab drivers, but can't thank the bus driver.

I don't take the bus as much (or really at all) as I did when I was at school on the west coast, but I also make a point of this.

I actually make a point to say please and thank you for almost anything. It's amazing how far being just generally polite will get you.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Igster

Well, we could do this all day.

Guess I should drive home without my seatbelt on too right?

I personally wouldn't suggest it but if you'd really like to and understand the risks I don't see why not.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by MattyC

So what is the point? People don't want their hard earned tax dollars going to help stupid people survive their negligence, I get it. However, if that is your reasoning for supporting the helmet law (I fully understand that there are an array of reasons one may do so, but you and others noted tax dollars), you therefore have to be in favour of any regulation that would decrease the strain on the healthcare system. As I mentioned, the things on that list above bike head injuries is extensive.

It just bothers me when people use "but my tax!" as a reason for supporting/not supporting something, and then aren't consistent when it involves things that are a much more impactful on the situation.

The money provided by tickets to people not wearing helmets is likely more than the cost incurred by the health system for bike head injuries.

The point is, it is law. And even if it wasn't, I think you're stupid to not wear one. Tax dollars are one argument and the one I chose. Are there others, sure, but most arguments would be to ensure that each person is protected properly when riding. The law is there to protect people, even if they don't like it. I don't like wearing a seatbelt. I find it uncomfortable. But I wear it not only because it's the law, but also because it helps protect me and my passengers from serious injuries.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Igster

The point is, it is law.

Except it's not. At least not in Alberta. Only children under 18 are required to wear a helmet when riding a bike.

Edit: Unless you were talking about motorbikes....

[jayswin]

But isn't it not a law for adults to wear helmets?

[Coach]

I agree that it's stupid not to wear one. I can't remember the last time I rode a bike without one. But just "it's the law" is almost a worse reason than the tax one. Firstly, this whole thing started with Cliff complaining that it is a law. We're all aware of the law and that it is against the law to break said law. But laws change and are supposed to change. I'm not saying this one should at all, just that some of the reasoning is getting on my nerves.

It's a waste of tax - So are a lot of things, and much more so than this. If you really care about the waste of tax dollars, devote your time and words to those things that are the biggest problems.

It's against the law - Yea, it was also against the law for women to vote less than 100 years ago. It's also against the law for me to sit in my room and smoke pot. One of these things has changed, one is currently (likely) in the process of changing because of the changing attitudes of the general population. Saying something is a law as a reason to argue for it honestly doesn't hold a lot of weight with me. The law is fluid, not written in stone.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by kevman

Except it's not. At least not in Alberta. Only children under 18 are required to wear a helmet when riding a bike.

Edit: Unless you were talking about motorbikes....

LOL...Well, if we were talking about bikes and not motorcycles all along then...

[codynw]

Originally Posted by Igster

LOL...Well, if we were talking about bikes and not motorcycles all along then...

Yea, I was talking about bicycles..

OOPS

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Firstly, this whole thing started with Cliff complaining that it is a law. We're all aware of the law and that it is against the law to break said law. But laws change and are supposed to change. I'm not saying this one should at all, just that some of the reasoning is getting on my nerves.

Just to be clear, I posted that I defy social conventions by not always wearing a bike helmet. There is no law in Alberta mandating helmets for adults. If there was, I would be against it though.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by jeffporfirio

Here is another one.
Maybe backwards, I personally think it should be a social convention.

I make it a point to thank a bus driver when I get off a bus, but rarely see anyone else do it.

I mean, we're expected to tip cab drivers, but can't thank the bus driver.

What's up with that? They started including the tip function on machines. F that. Won't tip

[blueski]

Originally Posted by kevman

It kills them younger - not faster. There are plenty of smokers who are dying slow, painful and expensive deaths.

Nobodies saying helmets aren't safer. Or if they are they shouldn't be. They're just saying that they know the stats, acknowledge the risk and they believe the choice should be theirs.

What about skydiving? We know that's dangerous, should we make it illegal?
Extreme sports send thousands of people to the hospital, should we ban those?
Football and Hockey injuries have a huge toll on our health care system, is it time to end participation in those sports?
Soccer is essentially an English word for blown knee and expensive surgery.

You could make the health care argument for any sport or activity.

IMO if a helmet law keeps people off the bike it's harming and not helping society.

Everyday, I walk mere inches from inattentive texting drivers weilding 5000lb vehicles. It doesn't get more extreme than that.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by jeffporfirio

Here is another one.
Maybe backwards, I personally think it should be a social convention.

I make it a point to thank a bus driver when I get off a bus, but rarely see anyone else do it.

I mean, we're expected to tip cab drivers, but can't thank the bus driver.

I say thank you if I'm exiting the bus from the driver's door. But if I'm leaving from the back door, I won't say thank you. I don't like yelling it out.

[Coach]

Crazy. Could have sworn it was law to wear a helmet on a bike.

[Scrambler]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

If my shoes are clean, I ask if it's okay that I keep them on when I enter someone's house. It started when I had plantar fasciitis, and it was extremely painful to stand in stocking feet for more than a minute or two. Then I just said screw it, the whole taboo around shoes off in parts of North America is just dumb. I think it comes from our rural past, when most roads weren't paved and people walked around muddy farms all day. That, and the popularity of shag carpet in the late 20th century. Because if you've been walking on dry ground, and the house has hardwood floors, there's absolute no need to take off your shoes. In fact, in parts of North America and Europe it's considered disgusting to talk around in stocking feet. The first time I took off my shoes at the door in Scotland my hosts were baffled - they had never seen such a thing and wondered what I was doing.

I've noticed more friends and acquaintances getting onboard with this, so there are lot of places I go now where I can just keep my shoes on without saying anything. Hopefully this anachronistic social taboo around shoes will die out.

Probably best you stay out of Japan....

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by Scrambler

Probably best you stay out of Japan....

And quite a few other parts of Asia as well...

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Scrambler

Probably best you stay out of Japan....

The habit of taking shoes off in Japan came from the fact they traditionally sat on the floor, slept on pallets on the floor, and ate at tables a few inches off the floor.

Meanwhile there are wide swathes of the world (including half of the U.S. and much of Europe), where those who habitually remove shoes will be regarded with incredulity. It's not simply that they don't take their shoes off in these places, but they don't understand why anyone would, and regard it as bizarre. The first time it happened to me (in Scotland 20 years ago) went like this:

[I start taking my shoes off at door.]
Host: What are you doing?
Me: Taking my shoes off.
Host: WHY?!
Me: Uh, it's polite?
Host: [Laughs and shakes head.] No. Keep them on.
Host [Later to wife]: He was taking his shoes off!
Wife: WHY?!

And this was an affluent family in a nice, new house full of nice things. They regarded me taking my shoes off as weird and unexpected as if I'd taken my shirt off.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Crazy. Could have sworn it was law to wear a helmet on a bike.

Only if you're under 18 but even then they don't really enforce it, I never wore a helmet when I was younger and nobody said anything.