We can put a man on the moon, but... (Room 101)

Member Name: mreyre

Product:	Room 101
Date:	25/03/02 (432 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: plenty, if these items go into Room 101

Disadvantages: plenty, whilst these items are still existing on our planet

These are the following items, or groups of people which I would place into Room 101, given half a chance….

1) Coat hangers.

I know this is a strange item with which to start, but since a young child, I have always hated coat hangers. I don’t know whether my phobia of coat hangers is unique, or whether there is a medical term for it – coathangerophobia – who knows?

For starters, why are coat hangers called coat hangers when you hang other clothes on them? Coats generally have little hooks of material sewn inside them to enable you to hang them directly on a hook, thus alleviating the actual need for a coat hanger.

Other clothes do not, so we need something to hang them up with. We can invent a rocket to put a man on the moon, but all that we can come up with to hang clothes is a strange shaped piece of plastic (usually black), with a metal hook on the end. Surely there must be a more eye-pleasing way to hang up clothes.

What really annoys me is that when you buy an item of clothing, say a jumper from Burtons, they never actually give you a hanger. Therefore you have to buy some from Woolworths or such like. Also, no matter how many coat hangers you actually possess, it never equates to the amount of clothes you have, thus causing family arguments (well, it does in my house anyway.)

The only argument I can think of against putting coat hangers into Room 101 is that it would mark the unfortunate demise of the Blue Peter Advent Crown. This not only keeps the Blue Peter presenters in work, it also provides employment for hundreds of firefighters across the UK as they zoom around putting out fires caused by Blue Peter advent crowns.


2) People who talk on their mobile phones whilst on the train.

I don’t know about all the rest of you, but who remembers the British Rail advert where the passengers relax with classical music in the background while the world flashes
past without a care? Those were the days, when you could indeed relax on the train with no disturbances. Then along came the mobile phone. Every train journey I go on, there are at least 10 people nattering into their mobiles, talking about nothing in particular, or sorting out daily business. I don’t want to know!!

All I want to do is have a relaxing train journey, not listen to other people’s business!

Please stop!

I always try and play “Name that Tune” when I hear the mobiles ringing along the journey to pass the time. It is a shame that the railways scrapped the carriages which had little compartments in them, for only 6 or so people. These would have made ideal travelling phone boxes for all those people who want to use the phone whilst on the train.

3) Men who drive cars whilst wearing flat caps.

In Norfolk, we seem to have a very high percentage of this offending group of the population, though I’m sure they exist in other counties.
Usually driving brand new Ford Fiestas or Volvos, and accompanied by their wife, they drive at the same speed whichever road they are on. This is usually around 45 mph. Even on 30 mph roads, they drive at this speed, but infuriatingly slow on 60 mph roads.
You can spot these blokes a mile off, their car is always immaculately polished and the flat cap can be seen for miles. Now, I was always taught that it was rude to wear hats indoors – does this not apply to cars? Clearly not.
Also, they generally appear on a Sunday in droves, meandering around the countryside with no clue as to where they are going, so can turn right at any second with no prior warning, forcing you to slam on the brakes.


4) Shops which insist on putting the children’s section upstairs.

Why do shops do this? If you have ever experienced the difficulty of navigating the whole shop with a pram / pushchair all the way to the back of the
store and out again, you will know what I mean.
Many shops even put the children’s sections upstairs, so that you have to spend ages, not only trying to find a lift, but waiting for one as well. Some shops do not even have a lift and expect you to use their goods “cage” type lift to get to their products. Why can’t shops put the children’s sections at the front of the store and make people without children walk or go in the lifts / escalators? Escalators are all well and good, but you can’t get a pram up them! It all comes down to money and the latest fashions, I know, but it would be nice for stores to think practically for once.

5) Free ISP CD’s.

I have enough AOL free CD’s to cover my walls and still have enough to make into drinks coasters or ash trays. It must cost the company a fortune, and land-fill sites must be over-run with holes and holes full off free CD’s. Yes, I am a member of AOL and find it a very reliable company, actually, but I really do not want any more AOL CD’s. The TV advertising campaign is just as annoying, and the theme tune as a matter of fact. I really object to my £14.99 a month being put towards the making of these crappy adverts and the distribution of free CD’s in every magazine in the newsagents. If free ISP CD’s do not make it into Room 101, as compensation, could we have recycling facilities (like bottle / can banks) for the CD’s at my local supermarket?

6) Plastic bag dispensers at supermarkets.

Most people these days buy their fruit and vegetables alongside their regular shopping during their trips to the supermarket. Unfortunately, this involves firstly trying to obtain a flimsy plastic bag from the nearby dispenser. 9 times out of 10 the dispenser is actually empty, therefore requiring a round trip to the brussel sprout section to find a dispenser with bags actually in it. Then, when you pull the bag, one of tw
o things happens; either, a) you tug the whole roll off the dispenser and a trail of plastic bags accompany you around the store, or b) try as you might, you cannot pull a single bag off the dispenser, so again, you have to try and find another one.
Yes, again, we are able to build a rocket to put a man on the moon, but cannot seem to invent a dispenser which can accurately dispense a plastic bag in which to place our tomatoes.
I prefer paper bags from the market myself.

Funny old world we live in, eh?

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