There are certain ~rules~ in life that you might not necessarily be taught, but you kind of just learn to follow as you go through life wanting to be a courteous person.
Redditor u/lofisky asked the Reddit community, "What’s an unspoken rule that annoys you when people don’t know about it?" and I'm nodding my head in agreement to just about all of them. There were many responses in the thread, so here are some of them.
1. "How to stand in lines. Riding my ass doesn't make the line move any faster."
2. "Not taking up the entire sidewalk when people are walking toward you."
3. "Let people get off the bus before you get on the bus."
4. "While shopping, I see it way too often: Someone stops with their cart smack in the middle of the aisle to grab something. Most times, they are just going to stare at a section and block the aisle until they make up their mind or check something on their phone. It’s not like a clueless person who sees they are blocking, corrects it, and perhaps apologizes. Instead, it’s the ones who don’t care and get bothered because you need to get by."
5. "On a train or bus and you're playing music? Use your fucking headphones."
6. "Break down boxes before putting them in the dumpster."
7. "Always replace the finished toilet paper."
8. "When you see party hosts starting to clean up or hint at being tired, don’t continue the drinks or conversations. Quickly get ready to leave and offer to help clean up."
9. "If you're borrowing someone's tools, clean them before you give them back."
10. "Gum goes in your mouth and in the trash. Nowhere else."
11. "When the elevator door opens, let the people finish exiting the elevator before you enter it. Nothing worse than an unnecessary traffic jam because some assholes are impatient and trying to body-check people to get on five seconds quicker. On a related note, stand a few feet back from the elevator when you’re waiting for it — there’s no need to be right up on the door and block people on their way out."
12. "Hold the door open for anyone who looks like they could use the help — elderly folks, people with obvious injuries, people with their hands full. Or even hold it open for whoever is behind you. And if someone is holding the door open for you, they aren’t being rude or making some type of statement; they are just being nice. Accept their kindness and don’t be an ass."
13. "When sharing food with the table, eat your fair share. If there are four people and four pieces, you don’t eat one and a half pieces or the whole plate; you eat one piece."
14. "Don't interrupt people and talk over them when they haven't yet finished saying what they wanted to say."
15. "If someone seems hesitant to let you borrow something, drop it and do not ask again. Also, if someone does let you borrow something, return it as soon as you’re done. Don’t let time go by to the point where the owner has to ask you for it back, especially multiple times, and don’t get pissy when they ask for it back."
16. "If you are a stranger to me, please don’t touch me in any way."
17. "If you’re out with a group of friends standing in a circle, be sure to make space for everyone. Feeling like you’re not included because you have to force your way into the circle is the worst feeling ever! Just be courteous and mindful of others."
18. "Zippering when two lanes merge into one lane. Right car goes, left car goes, right car goes, left car goes, and so on. It’s very simple."
19. "If someone is using a cane, walker, or crutches, please move out of their way, and move your children out of the way. I have MS and have balance issues. I don't walk that slowly with a cane, but I can't tell you the number of times I've nearly been knocked down by a child. Also, don't harass those with handicapped tags because we 'don't appear handicapped enough' for your standards."
20. "Knock and wait for the person to let you in. I can’t tell you how many times I was changing and a friend or family member just walked in. 😑"
21. "If you ask for advice, prepare to hear the truth — even if it’s not what you want to hear."
22. "Respect other people's house rules. If they want you to take your shoes off when you come in, you do so without complaining."
23. "If you call someone and they don't answer, only call again immediately if it is an emergency. Either they weren't there, couldn't talk, or didn't want to. If my phone rings back-to-back, I always pick up no matter what, but it better be a goddamn emergency."
24. "If you’re going to message someone at work whom you don’t know well, your first message should include both a greeting and a summary of what you want to discuss. It’s okay to break this into multiple messages sent within a minute. If you message me with just 'Hi' or just a question mark, I will absolutely ignore you."
25. "Use your blinker to indicate where you want to go."
26. "Parking directly in front of or otherwise blocking someone's driveway. Similarly: parking in the middle of the driveway rather than on one side of it."
27. "Talking loudly on a bus or train is something no one should ever do."
28. "Wipe down the fucking gym equipment after you use it."
29. "Turn off your brights when driving past someone at night! I can't tell you how many times I've been temporarily blinded by people using their bright lights. It's so easy to turn them off when driving past someone, and it makes the road safer."
30. "When you're in a group at a restaurant and shared food is set in front of you, pass it around."
31. "After you knock on the door of someone's residence or ring their doorbell, stand at least 3 feet back (exception for weather). It's just good manners. I really hate when I open the door and someone is basically standing in the doorframe."
32. "If someone offers food and they clearly have a limited supply, don’t gobble that shit up."
33. "Open your noisy candy bar before the movie begins. No one wants to hear that instead of the important dialogue."
34. "If someone is wearing headphones in a public space, do not talk to them unless it is an emergency."
Are there any other "unspoken rules" that annoy you that aren't mentioned here? Tell me in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.