Assignment 2A- The Bug List

Assignment 2A- The Bug List

1. Getting home and having a sink full of dishes that aren't mine
   WHY it exists: My roommates can be careless sometimes and inconsiderate of the rest of the house who need dishes to cook
2. Traffic going northeast getting to campus at 5pm
   WHY: People are getting off work at this time and everyone is in a rush to go home. Furthermore, students in off-campus apartments are trying to make it on campus for their student organization meetings
3. People not blowing their eraser shavings off the paper
   WHY: People erase something on their paper and don't care about it distorting the writing on their assignment, so they don't brush the eraser shavings off
4. My roommates leaving the lights on when they're not in a room
   WHY: My roommates can be careless (and have been raised differently than myself) and forget to turn off the lights, which raises our electricity bill
5. People being nosy in my conversation
   WHY: Other people just don't know how to mind their business sometimes and involve themselves in a personal conversation that I don't want them in
6. Being questioned about where I'm going
   WHY: Sometimes others are generally curious or concerned about my whereabouts, which is nice, however it can feel overbearing/suffocating to constantly be questioned where I'm going
7. My roommates being messy in the common area
   WHY: Again, my roommates can be inconsiderate and not take care of the things in the common room
8. Whenever someone slams my car door
   WHY: People were raised differently than I was and never had to worry about damaging car doors when they slam them
9. Having a conversation with someone and they use big words to sound smart
   WHY: Strangers may feel inclined to sound more intelligent when talking to me and therefore tend to use bigger, smarter sounding words
10. Man-splaining
    WHY: Men feel entitled to over-explain simple things as a means of feeling superior to women. It is not cool.
11. When people are inconsiderate of others's feelings
    WHY: Some people are not always raised to be considerate of the feelings of others and can therefore be inconsiderate in the things they say/do without even knowing they are
12. Friends/roommates using my belongings without asking
    WHY: As a friend/roommate, they may feel entitled to use my personal belongings because we are close and omit from asking before they use them, which can be annoying
13. When the material of a "female" t-shirt is significantly thinner than a "male" t-shirt
    WHY: Manufacturing companies know women will spend more money than men on clothes, and therefore create cheap material in their clothes so they wear out quicker and women then have to go back and buy more
14. When I'm talking to someone and they only look at their phone
    WHY: People may not understand that it can be rude, or they may just be really good at multitasking and look at their phones during conversations
15. People not using their turn signals on the road
    WHY: Drivers can sometimes forget or think it's not important to use turn signals on the road (even though its VERY important)
16. When I dress nice and nobody acknowledges my effort on my outfits
    WHY: The people I interact with may not know I made an extra effort to look good and don't feel the need to acknowledge my outfit choice
17. Cheap earrings
    WHY: Again, manufacturing companies (especially brands that don't specialize in jewelry) make cheap earrings that rust so women can go back and buy more
18. When people don't say "thank you" to customer service workers
    WHY: Some people have the mindset that since it's the worker's job to provide customer service, they don't need to be friendly or appreciative of their work. In reality, everybody should be kind enough to thank service workers for their labor
19. My company not introducing me when someone they know comes up
    WHY: My company may not think it's rude to introduce me, especially when they run into their friend and it's in passing, however in my opinion, it's polite and nice regardless
20. My friends being passive-aggressive with me when they're bothered instead of communicating to me the issue
    WHY: Many people handle their problems by being passive-aggressive and that's just how they've been raised to be, even though communication is key for any successful relationship

Reflection:

This assignment proved to be somewhat easier than what I had anticipated. Watching the extra videos attached to the submission page was very helpful as I was able to get started on a list of "bugs" a few days early. The day I finally sat down and made my list, I went in public and did the assignment in a coffee shop where I was able to people-watch and gain much inspiration from. Thinking of this list of "bugs" from a perspective of why the problem existed was a very interesting experience for me, mainly because I would frequently forget and think about why I disliked the "bug" so much.

However, when I would get stuck, I would think of a random word and play an association game in my head. If I thought of one word, I thought of another that was associated to it in some way and eventually led myself to a word that had to do with a pet-peeve of mine. When doing this assignment, I often found myself thinking of things that bothered me in regards to people's actions and not so much the mechanics of life. Thus, thinking of solutions to the bugs on my list were very difficult and even some left me without a solution. This exercise tested how self-aware I really am, and allowed me to be even more conscious of the things I do that could potentially be pet-peeves for other people.