Culture & Lifestyle

Rant

This Really Got Me Angry Today

Posted 11 months ago|52 comments|486 views
Written by
This happened earlier today and caused me quite abit of upset.
I was sitting in my house enjoying reading my sunday newspaper when there was a knock on my front door.
I sat still hoping my wife would answer but alas she was upstairs.
Forcing myself off my new couch i opened the door to be greeted by a quite "Nerdy looking teenager with a thin tie and trousers that were so short they we nearly shorts".
Before i could even say anything he told me he was a messenger from the lord.
I stopped him very quickly and told him he had 5 seconds to get off my drive or i will throw him off.
A person shouted from the bottom of my drive its ok i will put you in the book.
Now i wasnt sure if i heard all the sentence so i put my shoes on and marched to the bottom of my drive really angry.
I was enraged by now and i am sure as hell not going in anyones book.
To be greeted by four people with leaflets was a shock but i aint going in a book.
I then said if you think you are putting me in a book i will kick all your buts only to be told by an older male who popped his head round a corner that the book only meant they would never knock on my door on a sunday again.
Now this made me feel bad as i wasnt 100 percent sure what i heard from a distance and went marching off in the heat of battle.
I feel a bit silly but i now have another problem.
They said they wouldnt knock on my door on a sunday but there are seven days in a week.
I have nothing against religion each to there own and all that but please dont ruin my sundays and if i wanted to talk religion i would goto church.
Now i am not trying to offend all of you religious people out there as even i give to charity etc but there is a time and a place for everything.
EMAIL|FLAG THIS POST
COMMENTS
11 months ago: I agree!
11 months ago: Truth,
The one person i was expecting to joust with on this was you lol.
I am flumoxed now.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: I know what you mean. I recently had a bunch of little girls dressed in green dresses with odd badges sewn on their sashes knock on my door on a Tuesday afternoon. Of all the gall they had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to buy some cookies, which they didn't even have with them. They wanted me to look at the pictures of the cookies, and tell them which cookies to bring back at a later date. Oh, and was all for a good cause, they said. Helping girls have activities to teach them stuff and all.
I didn't even know if I was going to be in the mood for cookies on the due date, much less what particular cookie I would be wanting at some future time.

If I wanted a cookie, which I don't, there's a time and place for getting one. We have supermarkets and baked goods shops for that sort of thing. It seems like these people would realize that if people wanted cookies, they would go get some for themselves. Especially on Tuesday, since Tuesday is my day of calisthenics.

But I especially feel for you, English Male. Those scoundrels coming round on Sunday, talking religion on the day of rest. The nerve!
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: The best thing to do would be put registered "No Solicitation" signs up and have them arrested if they come back bothering you again. Or get a big mean dog. Or come to the door naked. Or invite them in for a drink and and a puff.

It really reminds me of an old ribald tune by a NZ fellow name of Kevin "Bloody" Wilson, and the tune is called Festival of Life. I'm not leaving a link, and would advise strong caution if you choose to listen to it. Ribald is actually a pretty mild descriptor.
11 months ago: I tracked down that tune and well, right you are on every count. However I laughed several times and it absolutely made my day.

I am always very nice to the people who give up their Sundays to come and save my soul. I listen with interest, don't argue and offer them refreshments. I don't agree with them but, I tell you what, they act with extreme surprise and relief to be greeted cordially.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
11 months ago: I'm the same, Stan. I am a Christian, and I do believe in witnessing, but not so much the door to door kind.

I remember sweet Mrs. Peebles, a septuagenarian Jehovah's Witness who was convinced she was maintaining her salvation by fulfilling the Great Commission. She thought that if she didn't do her quota each week, she would fall into backsliding status.

I actually changed my day off, just so she could come witness to me each Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., (my way of helping) and we had a nice time sipping tea and discussing scripture. Several times she would have to continue a discussion after she consulted with her "elders" in the church as to why their interpretations didn't match the eloquent scriptural arguments I gave.

TO ANYONE ELSE who disregarded the disclaimer about the song and listened to it anyway: I apologize if it offended you or if I cast a stumbling block before you. I haven't lost my sense of humor or irony just because I am a Christian. And where I once upon a time found the song to be funny, now I just find it a bit wryly forlorn.
11 months ago: Hearing about you and Mrs Peebles gives me more pleasure, but of a different sort, to hearing "Festival of Life"

In contrast, this reminds me that I don't always have time for people who telephone and try to sell me things, especially if they use a dishonest sort of manipulation such as to imply that they are "from the government".

Nevertheless, I don't just hang up on them. I tell them that I do not wish to talk with them.

I remember a long "conversation" with a gent who wouldn't take no for answer. It ended something like this.

Phoney: "Don't you want to recieve this $x thousand dollar rebate???!!"

Me: "I am saying 'Goodbye' to you now. That's all."

Phoney: "YOU WEIRDO!" Phone slams.

After about a second of being flummoxed I laughed my head off. I didn't even have the heart to report him to whomever regulates that sort of thing. Perhaps his hard sell works on some people, but insulting the customer probably not a winner, is it? It still makes me laugh.

11 months ago: Ok, here's an idea.

"Come on in. I will be glad to hear the words of wisdom from the Good Book. However, I wonder if I could play a little tune on the phonograph while we sit. It's called 'Festival of Life" by a Mr Wilson."

The trouble with answering the door, nude, with "Satan" written on your chest in ketchup, while gnawing on a bone, when you think the Witnesses are calling, is that it might be television journalists or plain-clothes police.

(Y'all know I'm joking about all that.)
Patsy
Patsy
11 months ago: Probably better to be in that book - than not be in that book ?

I love your language -"flummoxed" and "joust" - positively medieval. A true knight raging against the incursions of men in shorts on your day of rest.
11 months ago: Now I'm getting a visual... fearless, with a side of nasty !:]
11 months ago: I even had to put my english cup of tea down before i got up to the door.
Now thinking on this could open another debate.
I have an issue here as i know my wife was upstairs but was she acting selfish not answering the door and ruining my sunday.(maybe she knew they were there and quite possibly how i would react).
If i see them next sunday i may go outside with a large book and let them know i am putting them in it.
Hiya Out,
You be carefull with them gentle exercises.
A very humerous little ditty you wrote there it did make me chuckle.
Truth,
Fearless with a side of nasty lol not me if theres more than 1 person in my argument i tend to put my foot in it.
11 months ago: I don't understand a bunch of young men running around the neighborhood on a Sunday trying to tell people about God. I mean really..........don't they have some walls to graffiti or some petrol to steal somewhere?? What are things coming to anyway??
11 months ago: Hi Stan,
If someone calls me trying to sell something i always give a description of an old wardrobe and say i am selling it and if he buys that then i will listen to what he is gonna say.
They always put the phone down.
Out my son is off school today so i will look for that song later when he isnt around.
11 months ago: Hi Jakarta,
Young people shouldnt be knocking on peoples doors,I mean there are some weirdo's out there that might snatch them and brainwash them into believing allsorts.
11 months ago: Hey EM. Just a little sarcasm to lighten things up. Sure you didn't miss that. You have a good point about young people getting snatched up when going door to door. Sad but true.
11 months ago: Hi Jakarta i didnt miss the sarcasm dude.
This is quite a light post and i am enjoying some of the amusing comments regarding it.
11 months ago:
English,
I'm surprised you went through so much trouble. I have selective hearing and attention span for just such occasions. One peek out my window and that would have been enough for me to walk back to my recliner. Let the little bugger knock away. Perhaps he might have a better chance getting my wife to respond, although I highly doubt it. Her selective hearing and attention span is much more honed than mine.

One observation worth mentioning: The way you were retelling the encounter I was certain that they were about to start Bible beating you right in your own driveway. They seemed to gradually start increasing in numbers until they had you nearly surrounded. Good thing you made a speedy retreat! I'm thinking you intuitively spent your potential church offerings preemptively on running lesson. Am I correct? If so then, smart thinking because they paid of for you last Sunday!
11 months ago: Hi Dwayne,
I thought i would give you an update to my problem that was similar to your own bust a move.
I recieved a letter from the manager from the store apolagising for the behaviour of the said member of staff and that she no longer worked at the store.
She didnt recieve any discipline from the store it sounds like she just left.
So i have replied to the letter confirming that my boycott of that particular shop is going to carry on and i will never buy my tea bags and newspaper from them again.

Dwayne the couple of problems i had from the ambush i recieved was 1,i just wasnt expecting it.
2,its never nice when your peace is disturbed but especially when it happens in your own home.
If these people want to do this then why not doit in a mall where there would be lots of people to attack.
Before people start abusing me for being things like a non believer and so on.
I have nothing against religion, it comes in all packages and one of the best things i have been to was midnight mass at st pauls cathedral in london on christmas eve.
A magical experience that i would go again to tomorrow.
11 months ago: Yes, I remember you wrote of that event. Thanks for the update. I still think you did well to boycott them. Perhaps I might not have the discipline to maintain a boycott if that establishment was more convenient than another but your principle for boycotting them is sound. The proof of their wrong doing or at least guilt is in the letter they wrote to you. I have to wonder how much other business they lost because of their negligence and poor hiring habits. Bravo to you for sticking to your guns.

I've always found the act of door to door sales of any kind religious or material hard to deal with. (This includes phone sales and SPAM Emails) Perhaps If I was living 100 years ago when it was more reasonable to do so then I wouldn't mind as much, but in today's day and age advertising a product is more efficiently done in a lot of other ways. If they are after one on one sales or a more personal encounter then perhaps they should strap a sign to their body and walk up and down the street until someone stops them to talk. That to me seems less intrusive while still being personal or rent some space at a mall and set up a booth. As you said a shopping mall is better set up for just such a thing.

My problem with door to door witnessing rests not only in the intrusive nature of the act but also in the assumption that I some how know more than my fellow neighbor. It is important to remember that when the twelve apostles were given the great commission, the message they had was revolutionary. Nobody outside their little circle knew about it but today everybody in the western world is aware of Jesus and why he died. Missionary work thus is better accomplished in a different manner.

I don't think anybody should be offended by your revolt. It is perfectly acceptable. Society members seems to be forgetting that a certain amount of civility and public decorum should be expected. It matters not how polite their approach was. The approach alone was invasive and inappropriate much the same as the lack of service you got at the store. We as civilized humans must expect more of each other than just brutish behavior. This should be universal.
11 months ago: it reminds me of a thing that can happen alot in the uk.
You get people knocking on your door trying to sell Lucky Heather.
Well the way i see it is if it was lucky i would of purchased some by now and they have been knocking on my door for 20 years.
It just dont seem like good value to me.
11 months ago: Me either. It is just plain rude! By the way, what is a "Lucky Heather" ?
11 months ago: You dont know what your missing lol.
Lucky Heather is a dried up bunch of heather basically.
Then a traveller or a member of the gypsy community will knock on your door trying to sell you it as lucky.
They try and sell it by getting you to feel sorry for them and their dirty faces and ragged old clothes.
If it was Lucky they wouldnt even need to knock would they!.
11 months ago: ROFL! Are you serious? That is ridiculous! People actually come to your door to sell you dry flowers as lucky? Geeze. I wouldn't even buy something practical from a door to door salesman let alone lucky heather. I've got an idea English Male. Perhaps what we need to do is start selling "lucky" penny's for a pound or two to door to door sales people. I of course will sell them for a dollar or two because they probably don't have pounds over here. LOL!
11 months ago: I just had a look on ebay And english pounds are selling for 2 pounds
There's business to be had here.
Apparently there are a lot of people in the states who like english money
I just need a pigeon to get them there.
I might have to send you a job lot
11 months ago: LOL! What is the worth of a dollar over there? Perhaps I could return your pigeon with a bill or two of US currency.
11 months ago: The dollar isn't worth a great deal here dwayne.
The business to be in over here is selling lacoste gear its so expensive like 130 dollars for a cheap shirt
11 months ago: Wow! I need to get out more. Had I known I would have bought a suitecase full and taken a holiday over in the UK. LOL!
11 months ago: even the chinese are getting in on the act and selling fakes that even have the crocadile the wrong way round and dumb **** people are still buying them.
Ebay in england is full of fakes as the real thing is so expensive now.
I dont wear it out of principle as i think its a french company and my hard earned money certainly is not going to line the pockets of a garlic eating red wine drinking french (how do i say this politically correctly) Person.
11 months ago: This is not really related but I've read from a good source, I suppose, that there are 700 different types of cheese products made in the UK. I come from a cheese loving country which made me think about how many cheeses come from the USA and I can't think of a single one that is native to the USA. That is a disgrace, don't you think?

By the way the source is:
http://www.britishcheese.com/
sunny2
sunny2
10 months ago: I can't even think of the different cows and goats that would be used to produce the cheese. I haven't seen any in a long time.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
10 months ago: Colby cheese, a high moisture cheese similar to cheddar, originated in Colby, Wisconsin. It is claimed by the inhabitants as the only natural cheese making process native to America.

However, there is a bison milk based cheese that I read about recently, that would definitely be US originated.

And then of course, is the abomination called American cheese. Great on a grilled cheese sandwich, but otherwise useless.
10 months ago: American cheese is great on a burger but i wouldnt want it with some crackers.
I am a sucker for cheese and crackers,pickled onions on the side.
i find it astounding that america hasnt got thousands of different native cheeses.
maybe its because you guys do the bbq the best you just dont need cheese that much and when you do it has to be grilled.
i have a bbq only twice a year in england in the summer and it still feels quite a novelty.
10 months ago: LOL, they don't count. Colby is identical to mild cheddar. The Bisson Chesse is not familiar enough and American cheese is just processed Cheddar. Nice try though!
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
10 months ago: How familiar is yarg?

To the untrained palate, Colby may seem identical to cheddar, but Colby is a softer, moister, and milder cheese than cheddar because it is produced through a washed-curd process. Colby is considered semi-hard. The washed-curd process means that during the cooking time, the whey is replaced by water; this reduces the curd's acidity, resulting in Colby's characteristically mild, gentle flavor. Also, Colby begins with a capital C and cheddar starts with a lower case c.

And don't forget Monterrey cheese, also similar to Colby, just uncolored and semi-hard. A variant of this cheese, mass marketed by David Jack in California, became known as Monterrey Jack. A more aged version, grated and used like Parmesian is known as Dry Jack.
10 months ago: Dwayne america must have a native cheese i am going to have to google it now and have a look.
10 months ago: Dwayne i am not sure if you can still get it but "Isigny" is a native American cheese.
10 months ago: cheese strings or cheese straws must be native to america.
10 months ago: Just to let everone know.
They do not knock on my door anymore they stare at me and i stare back.
Next sunday i may well offer them a cup of tea and ask there opinions on blood transfusions and why do jehovahs witnesses have to give there money to the organisation just so i can prove to them it really wasnt worth there time knocking.
sunny2
sunny2
10 months ago: Take plenty of pictures.
sunny2
sunny2
10 months ago: The kid sounds like Harry Potter.
Anyhow....I had a woman bang my door down to get into my house pretending she was my friend and neighbor. I found pamphlets under my door and took them and threw them where she could find them. She was in disbelief. No one is going to try and manipulate my religion by trying to make me think they are being a friend to me and at the same time trying to sway my beliefs.
10 months ago: Imagine the lonely people though sunny who they could sway.
Thats why they doit to force vulnerable people in the direction they want to.
good job on the strong stance.
sunny2
sunny2
10 months ago: I know of a young woman who had some social problems she couldn't interact with people who was picked up by one of these cult type religions. Those are the ones who are so vulnerable. They look for that.
10 months ago: They do look for that,
Then they brainwash them over a period of time and then they have another convert.
I went to school with a lad who's mum and dad were jehova's witnesses and even now he does not have anything to do with them.
He went through his younger years missing out on alot of things because of there beliefs that he didnt share but was forced to endure.
His family are split in 2 as there are his mum,dad and sister who are believers and the two sons who are not.
10 months ago: America manufactures, replicates and processes many different types of cheese products. Don't think otherwise, Americans love cheese. Which is why I find it odd that we are not swimming in native cheeses. Cheese sticks don't count as a native cheese. They are made of either cheddar or mozzarella or a combination of the two. Neither one originates in then USA. American cheese is a processed form of Cheddar cheese, which again is not American. I don't think Colby counts as an American original because it tastes identical to mild cheddar in flavor and texture. It's too similar to be a separate type of cheese. Cream cheese is a failed American attempt at replicating Neufchatel. Face it people Americans spend very little time crafting fine cheeses. What we lack is dedicated British Cheese Artisans to immigrate to America. If we had that then perhaps America via its British Cheese Artisan immigrants could have native American cheeses. Perhaps!
10 months ago: dwayne you sound "cheesed off".
sorry i had to say that,i couldnt help it.
sunny2
sunny2
10 months ago: I think he is a good sport, English.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
10 months ago: If only some British folk had moved to America a few hundred years ago, we might have some fine cheeses produced here. Maybe someday some British people will come over here. I hear the Italians have some pretty good cheeses too. But I guess after 3000 years of making cheese, one would tend to run out different ways to make it. How many new distinct cheeses have been invented over the past 250 years?

The way I see it, there are only three distinct processes used after the curding process. Stretching, cheddaring, and washing. But, hmmmm, if we can scientifically engineer new bacteria to accomplish the curding process, we might just have a brand new cheese on hands.
10 months ago: Maybe I should get me some cows And move to the usa to make a glorious cheese.box the italians has have good strong aged cheese.
Dwayne is a good sport am glad he has been found safe and. Well And wanda didn't hurt him
sunny2
sunny2
10 months ago: English the only cheese I eat lately is Laughing Cow in the triangle shapes.
I don't know what it is or where it comes from.
After being on a cruise ship and being fed some kind of cheese that left me running out of the room, I dare to eat cheese anywhere except in the USA no matter what it is.
Felix Mannow
Felix Mannow
England
10 months ago: Sunny you should try a chinese cheese called yellow valley it very good.
You sound racist for cheeses as you only eat usa.
10 months ago: Sunny i think laughing cow is a FRENCH cheese but they dont really count do they lol.
They ruin cheese with garlic etc.

sunny2
sunny2
9 months ago: I guess that accounts for the low calories.

Post a Comment
Sign in or sign up to post a comment.