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Heartstrings

(7,349 posts)
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 08:25 AM Oct 2018

Stay alert! They walk among us, they breed, and they vote!

My daughter and I went through the McDonald's driveway window and I gave the cashier a $5 bill.
Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her 25c.
She said, 'you gave me too much money.'
I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar coin back.'
She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request.
I did so, and he handed me back the 25c, and said 'We're sorry but we don’t do that kind of thing.'
The cashier then proceeded to give me back 75 cents in change.
Do not confuse the people at MacD's.

We had to have the garage door repaired.
The repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener.
I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower.
He shook his head and said, 'You need a 1/4 horsepower.'
I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4 and he said, 'NOOO, it's not. Four is larger than two.'
We haven't used that repairman since...

I live in a semi rural area.
We recently had a new neighbor call the local city council office to request the removal of the DEAR CROSSING sign on our road.
The reason: 'Too many dears are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'

IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE.
My daughter went to a Mexican fast food and ordered a taco.
She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.'
He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce.

I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked,
'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?'
To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?'
He smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.'

The pedestrian light on the corner beeps when it's safe to cross the street.
I was crossing with an 'intellectually challenged' co-worker of mine.
She asked if I knew what the beeper was for.
I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red.
Appalled, she responded, 'what on earth are blind people doing driving?!'
She is a government employee.....

When my husband and I arrived at a car dealership to pick up our car after a
service, we were told the keys had been locked in it.
We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver’s side door.
As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked.
‘Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!'
His reply, 'I know. I already did that side.'

38 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Stay alert! They walk among us, they breed, and they vote! (Original Post) Heartstrings Oct 2018 OP
I used to date an Australian sailor who had a VERY low opinion of the average American's intellect Siwsan Oct 2018 #1
This is sad. MaryMagdaline Oct 2018 #2
North and south zipplewrath Oct 2018 #5
This breaks my heart MaryMagdaline Oct 2018 #7
Um... zipplewrath Oct 2018 #3
Maybe they were Old Dears ? OnDoutside Oct 2018 #4
Maybe everybody just liked them JHB Oct 2018 #29
Your garage door story reminded me HAB911 Oct 2018 #6
Flat tire zipplewrath Oct 2018 #9
During one of the big storms over this past year, I saw a tweet to that effect. GoCubsGo Oct 2018 #26
Oh, so we're posting email forwards now? WhiskeyGrinder Oct 2018 #8
Only good ones zipplewrath Oct 2018 #10
I'll tell you why I'm so salty about this. WhiskeyGrinder Oct 2018 #11
Yeah, I don't really like that either Zing Zing Zingbah Oct 2018 #15
Object away, it's good exercise. MicaelS Oct 2018 #24
I'm a liberal and my parents definatly were not. Merlot Oct 2018 #32
I've heard it said as young folks we tend to be GWC58 Oct 2018 #34
I must not get e-mail forwards. People still do those? Zing Zing Zingbah Oct 2018 #14
I sent this to Donald Trump. He answered: MineralMan Oct 2018 #12
The making change thing.... I've never seen that one before Zing Zing Zingbah Oct 2018 #13
I suspect these are made up Mariana Oct 2018 #21
I agree, and found most of these insulting and judgemental. Merlot Oct 2018 #33
I ran into that in my area. The woman didn't get when I gave her five dollars and 25 raccoon Oct 2018 #28
People make mistakes ck4829 Oct 2018 #16
People like the one who wrote the piece in the OP Mariana Oct 2018 #22
And that's sad because I work in the non-profit field ck4829 Oct 2018 #36
Yeah. I call BS on the cash register thing, too. GoCubsGo Oct 2018 #30
Oh yeah ck4829 Oct 2018 #37
I tend to believe this is how most of the people in the U.S are... Javaman Oct 2018 #17
We've all done dumb stuff. Sunsky Oct 2018 #18
Or breed. nt. Mariana Oct 2018 #23
True Sunsky Oct 2018 #31
I used to work for a large retail jewelry company based out of Houston. rsdsharp Oct 2018 #19
Lived in Cedar Falls one year (1960, I think) Heartstrings Oct 2018 #20
It was probably Price Lab School. rsdsharp Oct 2018 #38
Are they gullible, too? pintobean Oct 2018 #25
I gave a store clerk 7 half dollars. roamer65 Oct 2018 #27
These are all jokes lapfog_1 Oct 2018 #35

Siwsan

(26,178 posts)
1. I used to date an Australian sailor who had a VERY low opinion of the average American's intellect
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 08:36 AM
Oct 2018

I asked him why, and if we are so stupid, why was he dating me?

He said he liked me because I was 'different'. The last American woman he had met asked him where he was from. He told her and she asked how he got here (southern California) - did he drive? So, Phil asked her if she knew where Australia was located and she said "Yes. It's off the coast of Florida.".

Which made me laugh. I told him, well, she is right - it is off the coast of Florida - WAAAYYYY off the coast. It was just the 'drive' part that was insane. Unless, of course, she was confusing Australia with Key West. Then it's just stupid.

He had an equally low opinion of most American beer. I had to agree with him on that one.

zipplewrath

(16,646 posts)
5. North and south
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 08:47 AM
Oct 2018

I called a business to determine exactly where they were. They told me the address and I said that I knew the address but I didn't know how far along the road were they. The road ran perpendicular to an interstate that was North-South. So I asked if it was east or west of the interstate. She said she wasn't sure so I reminded her that the interstate ran north and south and which way was north. She replied, "Yeah, but I still don't know which was is west".

zipplewrath

(16,646 posts)
3. Um...
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 08:37 AM
Oct 2018
I live in a semi rural area.
We recently had a new neighbor call the local city council office to request the removal of the DEAR CROSSING sign on our road.
The reason: 'Too many dears are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'


I get the joke. But I surely hope the sign didn't say "DEAR" Crossing.

HAB911

(8,812 posts)
6. Your garage door story reminded me
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 08:52 AM
Oct 2018

We have some aging Republican friends that live nearby. During one of our frequent power outages the wife called and asked for help opening their garage door without power. She said she pulled the little handle hanging down which unlocked it but it still would not open. I went over and lifted the door. She said, "I didn't know you had to LIFT it."

zipplewrath

(16,646 posts)
9. Flat tire
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 09:04 AM
Oct 2018

Had a woman I barely knew at work tell me my "wheel was broken"? I said "broken?" She said "yes, it's all flat and everything". I replied that I had an air pump in the car and I'd put some air in it. She looked confused and said "there's air in a tire?"

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
26. During one of the big storms over this past year, I saw a tweet to that effect.
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:48 AM
Oct 2018

This twit complained that she was unable to go anywhere, because the power was out, and her car was "trapped" in her garage.

WhiskeyGrinder

(22,153 posts)
11. I'll tell you why I'm so salty about this.
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 09:52 AM
Oct 2018

My problem is with the OP title more than the tired forwarded email. Using the phrase "They breed" as a warning is destabilizing and dehumanizing, and I object to it.

Zing Zing Zingbah

(6,496 posts)
15. Yeah, I don't really like that either
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 10:07 AM
Oct 2018

Plus children aren't carbon copies of their parents. Low IQ people can have very intelligent children. It happens all the time.

MicaelS

(8,747 posts)
24. Object away, it's good exercise.
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:45 AM
Oct 2018

RWers have lots of kids. The "Quiverfull" bullshit as an example. Too many liberal people do not have, or do not want to have children. Where are the liberal children going to come from, if liberals do not have them?

Merlot

(9,696 posts)
32. I'm a liberal and my parents definatly were not.
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 12:08 PM
Oct 2018

The family nickname for me was "bleeding heart-liberal"

I was born this way.

GWC58

(2,678 posts)
34. I've heard it said as young folks we tend to be
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 12:25 PM
Oct 2018

on the liberal side and as we age so do our views, become more conservative. Not me. I’ve always been center left. The older I get the more liberal I become. Mr. Contrary is what I am. 🤔

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
12. I sent this to Donald Trump. He answered:
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 09:54 AM
Oct 2018

"Huh? I don't get it. Are those people voting for Donald Trump? I like them!"

Zing Zing Zingbah

(6,496 posts)
13. The making change thing.... I've never seen that one before
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 10:00 AM
Oct 2018

I do that all the time to get bills rather than more coins. I've never come across a problem with that. There must be some real idiots in your area.

Mariana

(14,849 posts)
21. I suspect these are made up
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:35 AM
Oct 2018

or at least are greatly exaggerated. Yes, a brand new cashier who's isn't used to making change yet might be confused a bit until she gets the hang of it. Yes, the people at the airport ask questions that may seem stupid, but they're required to ask them. One is frankly offensive, as it ridicules intellectually disabled people. And of course, there are no signs that say DEAR CROSSING, even in rural areas.

raccoon

(31,092 posts)
28. I ran into that in my area. The woman didn't get when I gave her five dollars and 25
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:54 AM
Oct 2018

I ran into that in my area. The woman didn’t get when I gave her five dollars and .25, That I expected a buck back.

Actually she shortchanged me a little bit, but I let it go.

ck4829

(34,977 posts)
16. People make mistakes
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 10:13 AM
Oct 2018

Not only that, people are paranoid... you follow the rules, sometimes to the annoyance of others. This era is bringing out some of the worst in people.

Where I work at, sometimes I work a cash register. I can't tell you how many times someone has tried a flim-flam scam on me, never works though because I play by the rules at work to a fault. I'll open my register and there's the amount someone gives me and the change I give back, when someone suddenly pulls out some money and demands I make change for them for that too or suddenly wants to change the amount they give me after the register is open, I consider it a separate transaction.

People like us, we value our jobs... You know to pay bills and stuff.

Mariana

(14,849 posts)
22. People like the one who wrote the piece in the OP
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:42 AM
Oct 2018

probably look down on you for working a cash register in the first place, no matter how well you do it.

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
30. Yeah. I call BS on the cash register thing, too.
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:57 AM
Oct 2018

Not just because of potential scams. Cashiers at McDonald's ring up the cash register and give back change just like every other store. The register rings up the total, the cashier punches in the amount of money the customer game them, and the register tells the cashier how much change to give back. "We don't do that kind of thing", my fat ass. Of all the thousands of purchases I have made over my life, I think I only ever had the cashier screw up once.

ck4829

(34,977 posts)
37. Oh yeah
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 05:22 PM
Oct 2018

We have no problem making change, my store has things for kids to buy, they give me a dollar, I give them quarters. It raises red flags though when someone comes through my line and I tell this to anyone who works a cash register for something that's two dollars and they have a lot of cash on them, but for some reason they want to pay it with a hundred dollar bill.

We're understaffed where I work, so can be talking on the phone, handling donation trucks, telling my coworkers what to do, AND dealing with customers who don't like the change I've given them back and forth... I'd like to see the writer of that chain email deal with that, we've had people walk out in the middle of their first day on the job, I suspect that's where the writer would be as well.

Javaman

(62,444 posts)
17. I tend to believe this is how most of the people in the U.S are...
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 10:32 AM
Oct 2018

and those of us who know better are the rarity.

Sunsky

(1,737 posts)
18. We've all done dumb stuff.
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 10:48 AM
Oct 2018

I can tell stories of my own fuck ups especially when I'm nervous. I guess I'm human. Maybe I shouldn't vote?

Sunsky

(1,737 posts)
31. True
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:57 AM
Oct 2018

Especially since I bred an "intellectual disabled" child. I only hope that later on my baby will be able to work, whether it be for the public or private sector and live a somewhat normal life.


rsdsharp

(9,042 posts)
19. I used to work for a large retail jewelry company based out of Houston.
Fri Oct 26, 2018, 11:36 AM
Oct 2018

One day I sold an engagement ring, but the customers wanted it in white gold and I only had yellow in stock so I called the Home office in Houston.

I explained what I needed, and she asked what store I was calling from. I gave the name and company store number and told her it was in Cedar Falls, Iowa. "We ain't got no stores in Idaho," she said. "Not Idaho, Iowa," I replied. "We ain't got no stores in Ohio, either." Frustrated, I said, "Iowa. I-O-W-A. Cedar Falls, Iowa." "There ain't no such state as Iowa."

You can't fix stupid, although I believe in her case they did fire it.

Heartstrings

(7,349 posts)
20. Lived in Cedar Falls one year (1960, I think)
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 09:50 AM
Oct 2018

My dad was getting his masters degree. My brother and I went to a cool school, Franklin Price Prep, maybe? I was in 4th grade.....beautiful college town!

rsdsharp

(9,042 posts)
38. It was probably Price Lab School.
Sun Oct 28, 2018, 02:24 PM
Oct 2018

My wife attended Price Lab K-12. Sadly, it no longer exists, they shut it down several years ago.

All three of my siblings, and I, and our daughter all graduated from UNI (Iowa State Teachers College when your dad was there).

roamer65

(36,739 posts)
27. I gave a store clerk 7 half dollars.
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 11:49 AM
Oct 2018

She asked “what are these”...I said “50 cents or half a dollar”...she asked “how much is this?”

I said “7 times 50” and got a blank stare. I sighed and said “3.50”.

I’ve also seen a McD’s manager yell at a employee for not knowing a $2 bill that I gave him.

lapfog_1

(29,166 posts)
35. These are all jokes
Sat Oct 27, 2018, 12:29 PM
Oct 2018

much like the old "Pollack jokes" from my childhood. And for much the same reason... I don't find them funny ( even if it is "stupid Americans" that are the butt of the jokes ).

My MAGA loving Arizona family likes to tell that President Obama, when informed that there were maybe as many as 3 million "cattle guards" in the West decided that he could save billions of federal dollars by eliminating most of the cattle guards.

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