Things That I'm Sick To Death of Hearing...

[chi-o_cat]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

I don't know why but I cannot stand people who root for a school that is not their alma mater. I don't care if that makes me sound snobby. If you wanted to root for ABC school, you should have gone there.

One of my co-workers has one of those "someecards" things at her desk that says "I'm wearing an NC State shirt because I went to NC State. You're wearing a Tarheels shirt because you bought it Walmart."

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by chi-o_cat

One of my co-workers has one of those "someecards" things at her desk that says "I'm wearing an NC State shirt because I went to NC State. You're wearing a Tarheels shirt because you bought it Walmart."

Speaking of the things that drive me up the wall:

It's Tar Heel, not Tarheel.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by chi-o_cat

You're wearing a Tarheels shirt because you bought it Walmart."

[aggieAXO]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

I don't know why but I cannot stand people who root for a school that is not their alma mater. I don't care if that makes me sound snobby. If you wanted to root for ABC school, you should have gone there.

Ditto to this! I know several obnoxious UT fans that didn't even graduate from high school b/c, as they put it-"I was having too much fun and dropped out." I don't get it and maybe it wouldn't get on my nerves if they weren't so freaking obnoxious about a school they never attended.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Boyfriend/girlfriend: I never gave it much thought. I mean, I do think it sounds very young, but it wouldn't bother me either way to be introduced as "friend", "girlfiend", or whatever, because "pet names" aren't important, to me. I also wouldn't be concerned with what others outside of the relationship thought, either.

What's important to me are the other person's actions. That means how he treats me when it's just the two of us, and how he treats me around others. I don't know why, but I think as I've gotten older, I've become more in tuned with what is truly important. Whatever the reason --surface stuff, words, pet names, etc. that has nothing to do with the man himself falls by the wayside, for me.

I think the bottom line is if you are not walking in the same direction with the other person in life, you will end up going separate ways, whether you use "pet names" or not.

I don't see how the use of boyfriend or girlfriend could be a "pet name". A pet name is like, babe, honey-boo, pookie, sweetie, etc.

I just think using "friend" is too ambiguous in these modern times. Adult male/female platonic friendships are much more common today then say, 30-40 years ago where you could introduce someone as your "lady friend" and people could read between the lines.

[PrettyBoy]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

eta: even Brad Pitt likes what you've posted...

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

--surface stuff, words, pet names, etc. that has nothing to do with the man himself falls by the wayside, for me.

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

I don't see how the use of boyfriend or girlfriend could be a "pet name".

I don't either.

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

I just think using "friend" is too ambiguous in these modern times.

Then don't use it. If you and the woman in your life are comfortable referring to each other as "boyfriend" and "girlfriend", then by all means, practice what the two of you agree on, and work on the small things you don't. I just think that couples who operate on the same wavelength maintain a consistent balance that increases productivity and the overall satisfaction with life and longevity in the relationship. It simply takes too much energy to try to get along with someone you don't agree with. This is why agreement is important.

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Adult male/female platonic friendships are much more common today then say, 30-40 years ago where you could introduce someone as your "lady friend" and people could read between the lines.

What "people" have said about relationships "30-40 years ago", what is now socially acceptable today, and what "people" will change it to "30-40 years" from now, or whether they're able to "read between the lines" or not really isn't important, to me.

But like I always say, "to each its own".

[cheerfulgreek]

I think I posted this in another thread. I can't remember, but I think I'm going to scream the next time my boss says "but, there again"....Oh, dear God! He says that all the time.

[lovespink88]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I think it's okay if their parents/family went there, if they're locals or if they have some other reasonable connection to the school, even if they didn't attend as students themselves.

This post made me realize that I was speaking in very broad terms and should clarify.

People who root for a school that is not their own doesn't necessarily bug me, depending on how far it goes. I am okay with people casually cheering for a team. For example, I cheered for Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last year; my uncle went there, they're a Big Ten team, etc, etc, yay, go Badgers.

What I am NOT okay with, is someone who has no connection to a team and is ALL. ABOUT. THAT TEAM. A co-worker is like this with Ohio State. He went to college in Indiana and has no other ties to Ohio State except that he lived there. WTF?! Another example is I have a friend who is a BIG fan of both Alabama and Florida even though she went to Illinois. Her only logic is that she lived on both states for a little bit when growing up. Again, wtf!

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I also think that an argument can be made that when a university is a public institution and is supported by tax dollars, then anyone who pays those taxes can claim some degree of "stake" in the school and is entitled to root it.

Yes, it can be made, but I don't agree with it (As I mentioned before, I know it makes me sound snobby. I've accepted it.)

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Considering most people become fans of these teams BEFORE they go to college (or not at all) it's pretty silly to think only people who attend a certain University will be a fan. If I knew that choosing to attend NLU would cancel out growing up in Baton Rouge and going to LSU games my entire life, maybe that full paid scholarship wouldn't have looked so enticing. My husband is a LSU FANATIC but went to LA Tech. I don't think his mom would have been okay sending her 13 year old 180 miles south to college so he'd be able to be an LSU fan when he graduated, either.

See, I guess I just don't get the whole "becoming fans before you go to college thing", but maybe I'm a special case because I grew up in a big city with professional sports teams. I really didn't have any friends growing up who supported a college team before they went away to school. We didn't need the cheer for the Illini football (partly because there's not much to cheer about) because we had the Bears. We didn't need to cheer for Illini basketball because we had the Bulls (the 90s Bulls, nonetheless!!!) So maybe my perception is a bit warped and it's more normal than I realize for people to be big fans of their local college.

I still don't like it

[thewasher418]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

See, I guess I just don't get the whole "becoming fans before you go to college thing", but maybe I'm a special case because I grew up in a big city with professional sports teams. I really didn't have any friends growing up who supported a college team before they went away to school. We didn't need the cheer for the Illini football (partly because there's not much to cheer about) because we had the Bears. We didn't need to cheer for Illini basketball because we had the Bulls (the 90s Bulls, nonetheless!!!) So maybe my perception is a bit warped and it's more normal than I realize for people to be big fans of their local college.

I still don't like it

This may be a Southern phenomenon. Down here college > professional sports for most people. Somebody from Mississippi is going to root for which nearby professional team, exactly?

Edited to add: I love that I posted "down here" when I am currently in Chicago. Guess I know where my heart will always be!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

This post made me realize that I was speaking in very broad terms and should clarify.

People who root for a school that is not their own doesn't necessarily bug me, depending on how far it goes. I am okay with people casually cheering for a team. For example, I cheered for Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last year; my uncle went there, they're a Big Ten team, etc, etc, yay, go Badgers.

What I am NOT okay with, is someone who has no connection to a team and is ALL. ABOUT. THAT TEAM. A co-worker is like this with Ohio State. He went to college in Indiana and has no other ties to Ohio State except that he lived there. WTF?! Another example is I have a friend who is a BIG fan of both Alabama and Florida even though she went to Illinois. Her only logic is that she lived on both states for a little bit when growing up. Again, wtf!



Yes, it can be made, but I don't agree with it (As I mentioned before, I know it makes me sound snobby. I've accepted it.)



See, I guess I just don't get the whole "becoming fans before you go to college thing", but maybe I'm a special case because I grew up in a big city with professional sports teams. I really didn't have any friends growing up who supported a college team before they went away to school. We didn't need the cheer for the Illini football (partly because there's not much to cheer about) because we had the Bears. We didn't need to cheer for Illini basketball because we had the Bulls (the 90s Bulls, nonetheless!!!) So maybe my perception is a bit warped and it's more normal than I realize for people to be big fans of their local college.

I still don't like it

That's just it. You grew up in an area with a glut of professional teams. In the South, especially, college sports are MUCH bigger than pro sports. Don't get me wrong, I love the Saints, but for the majority of my formative years, I couldn't even watch any games on TV because Baton Rouge fell into the black out zone when the Super Dome didn't sell out. Cheering for the local college sports team is part of the culture. You might not understand it, but it is what it is.

ETA: I was just watching LSU football as a kid. I got to see Shaq play many times in person at the PMAC when I was in HS. My whole family follows LSU baseball as they've won their College World Series Titles, and I'll be on Omaha next time they make it to the tournament since I live out west. Being an LSU fan is part of being Louisianian.

[SWTXBelle]

"Can I turn my paper in late?"

[princessamy]

"Why don't you want to transfer to UD? It's one of the best colleges in the country." I visited the school twice and it just wasn't exciting for me. People need to understand that sometimes people don't want to go to colleges based on their ranking.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

What I am NOT okay with, is someone who has no connection to a team and is ALL. ABOUT. THAT TEAM. A co-worker is like this with Ohio State. He went to college in Indiana and has no other ties to Ohio State except that he lived there. WTF?! Another example is I have a friend who is a BIG fan of both Alabama and Florida even though she went to Illinois. Her only logic is that she lived on both states for a little bit when growing up. Again, wtf!

I can see that.

Yes, it can be made, but I don't agree with it (As I mentioned before, I know it makes me sound snobby. I've accepted it.)

LOL. Snobbery aside , see additional point below.

Originally Posted by thewasher418

This may be a Southern phenomenon. Down here college > professional sports for most people.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

That's just it. You grew up in an area with a glut of professional teams. In the South, especially, college sports are MUCH bigger than pro sports.

This, this, this! Things have changed some as more and more people from "away" have moved in and as the Panthers, Bobcats and Hurricanes have come along, but in NC, college sports -- basketball in particular -- have always been a much, much bigger deal than professional sports.

The Super Bowl? A good reason for the church youth group to get together at someone's house for a party. The World Series? Is that on tonight? The NBA (outside Charlotte)? The place where we can follow what those who played here did after college. Otherwise, pretty much irrelevant.

But the ACC Tournament? A reason for TVs in every office in the state. Yes, I remember in 7th grade when the teachers gave us busy work and the school played the ACC Tournament over the PA system on a Thursday afternoon. Yes, I've been to wedding receptions in church fellowship halls where TVs were set up in discrete places so that guests could keep up with the games.

The traditional question has never been "Do you root for any college teams?" It's "Who do you root for?," because it's assumed everyone roots for someone. And it starts at a very early age. Usually, it's a family thing -- "They're State fans" is kind of on a par with "They're Baptists."

And I wonder a little if attitudes about public universities vary from region to region. Here, the historical understanding was always that the University of North Carolina (the consolidated system, not just UNC-Chapel Hill) belongs to the people and has an obligation not only to provide educational opportunities but to serve the state. So I think there is some degree of stake-holding in and identification with those schools, even by people who didn't go there.

And looking at the bigger Southern conferences, I note that all but one of the schools in the SEC are public schools, and all but four of the schools in the ACC are public schools. (And two of those four are relatively recent additions to the ACC.) So, the conferences that many people follow are public-school heavy.

[Phrozen Sands]

"Are you guys open 24 hours?"
Yes
"So if I wanted to ship a package after 10 tonight, you'd be open?"

Basically, people asking me questions they already know the answer to.