Inappropriate personal questions you’ve been asked?

Pappy said:
The one that gets me riled up is when someone asks me what happened to your arms. They are all bruised and purple looking.
If you take blood thinners, then you know what I’m talking about. I refuse to wear long sleeves here in Florida.
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My wife takes blood thinners and she always ends up with a nasty looking bruise somewhere. When I ask her about it, she doesn't know where she got it. My concern in asking her is that I need to know if/when she is having trouble with balance.

Tony
 
Aneeda72 said:
I personally hate when someone says “I am sorry for your loss”. I didn’t lose my children, they died. Decades later, I still hate this saying.
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I have to share with you what happened to me in Germany. After my baby girl died (I was told when I was 7 months gone that she would die at birth...and she did. She was a Thalimonide baby) a group of four women (perfect strangers) came to my door...I had only been back home for a week. I believed, that seeing all my family was in Canada, they had come to soothe me or such but NO, they wished to know if any, how many limbs were missing. I was shocked to say the least! I did not answer these women, I merely slammed the door in their faces!
 

There are even more instances of people asking me similar dumb questions such as why I would purchase record albums of Beethoven or Sibelius or Vivaldi. Why would I be reading the works of Herodotus, Plutarch, Santayana, or attending art exhibits of the Impressionists, Hudson School, Dada, or Pre-Raphaelites. I am largely self taught and had some reading knowledge of Portuguese and Italian and could easily read Shakespearean works as written in his original folios -- this would cause people to go into near shock as that was not thought possible for someone like me to be able to do. As a Hispanic all too often people have lower expectations of me so that when I posted my college and law school backgrounds in my resume', people at times demanded transcripts as proof that I actually went to these schools and was a honor student. I could probably list more such instances of inappropriate expectations and questioning but you get the picture.
 
oldiebutgoody said:
There are even more instances of people asking me similar dumb questions such as why I would purchase record albums of Beethoven or Sibelius or Vivaldi. Why would I be reading the works of Herodotus, Plutarch, Santayana, or attending art exhibits of the Impressionists, Hudson School, Dada, or Pre-Raphaelites. I am largely self taught and had some reading knowledge of Portuguese and Italian and could easily read Shakespearean works as written in his original folios -- this would cause people to go into near shock as that was not thought possible for someone like me to be able to do. As a Hispanic all too often people have lower expectations of me so that when I posted my college and law school backgrounds in my resume', people at times demanded transcripts as proof that I actually went to these schools and was a honor student. I could probably list more such instances of inappropriate expectations and questioning but you get the picture.
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Wow...you sound somewhat like my son...he listens exclusively to Beethoven (nothing else if he can help it), reads mostly just Nicolaus of Cusa, etc.--he is well-read and is an autodidact. He drives me insane sometimes as he is prone to correct one...he says that since he likes to be corrected, he is just "doing unto others as he'd have done to him".
 
Aneeda72 said:
I personally hate when someone says “I am sorry for your loss”. I didn’t lose my children, they died. Decades later, I still hate this saying.
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The thing is with me nobody said they were sorry for my loss...there was no comfort to be had...I seemingly stood alone with my grief and was expected to carry on. The experience left me in good stead as it gave me strength for whatever was in the future for me...and it did. Sometimes, things are meant to be. I have three loving healthy children...can't ask for more than that.
 
Ruby Rose said:
The thing is with me nobody said they were sorry for my loss...there was no comfort to be had...I seemingly stood alone with my grief and was expected to carry on. The experience left me in good stead as it gave me strength for whatever was in the future for me...and it did. Sometimes, things are meant to be. I have three loving healthy children...can't ask for more than that.
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Ruby Rose, I'm terribly sorry for the loss of your precious child and the lack of support you received at the time. It must have been a horrific, deeply sad time for you and your husband.
 
Pinky said:
I endured the "are you going to have children?", and "are you going to have another baby?", which I put a stop to, by replying "I wish people would mind their own business and stop pressuring me!"
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When I have been asked those sort of impertinent questions I answer with a backhanded insult, such as:
"Oh, I couldn't have babies, I have standards."

"Standards?"

"Of course, I couldn't possibly sleep with a grandmother!"
 
This isn't an inappropriate question but a rather amusing one as it was a small child who asked me. I was in the supermarket one day and a little girl about five years old came and stood in front of me. She looked at me long and hard then bent down and looked under my chair. When she'd finished her examination she stood up again and asked "Where are you hiding your legs?" Her mother rushed over grabbed hold of her mumbled an apology and very red faced hurried away. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. If only her mother hadn't rushed her away I would have told her.
 
Glowworm said:
So you mean that it's quite OK to approach a total stranger and ask them personal questions like how much do they earn or as in my case by someone I'd never seen before can you have sex?

Once you get to know someone then you can ask personal questions but I and most others object to these kinds of questions being asked by total strangers
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No but I didn't know it was considered rude to ask someone if they were gonna have more kids. For us here that's considered normal conversation. I've had people ask me what I make. It's not that big of a deal I guess. Must just be me. *SMH*
 
MarciKS said:
No but I didn't know it was considered rude to ask someone if they were gonna have more kids. For us here that's considered normal conversation. I've had people ask me what I make. It's not that big of a deal I guess. Must just be me. *SMH*
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It's the way the question is asked that can be insensitive. "Any thoughts on starting a family?" comes over far more considerate than: "When are you two going to start having kids?" Either way though, when asked about our childless state I always turned the child topic around and asked how their children are getting on.
 
Glowworm said:
This isn't an inappropriate question but a rather amusing one as it was a small child who asked me. I was in the supermarket one day and a little girl about five years old came and stood in front of me. She looked at me long and hard then bent down and looked under my chair. When she'd finished her examination she stood up again and asked "Where are you hiding your legs?" Her mother rushed over grabbed hold of her mumbled an apology and very red faced hurried away. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. If only her mother hadn't rushed her away I would have told her.
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That's funny. But some parents are not so funny; they're really stupid.
I remember this clearly, even though it was around 50 years ago. I was in line at the DMV to renew my driver's license. A woman in front of me had one arm that was very small - undeveloped, I guess & she was about 3 & a half feet tall. A girl around 5 walked up to her & stared. The woman smiled at her. Then the child's mother came running up to her, grabbed her hand, yanked her away & started yelling, "Get away from her;" like she could "catch" it from her. Everyone in line gave the mother dirty look.
 
Years ago, a bank teller who often flirted with me asked me if a paycheck I was depositing was for full time or part time pay. She probably wanted to know how much I made before getting involved with me. I told her "I wouldn't want you to lose your job, so I suggest you don't ask a customer a question like that."
 
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Murrmurr said:
It's one thing to know but it's illegal here for any applicant to be denied employment based on discrimination of age, religion, race, etc. If the applicant files a complaint, the employer is investigated. If the investigation leads to a charge of discrimination, the employer faces losing their license and publicity. I suppose discrimination still happens because some people don't know they have a right to complain.
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Concerning the age issue, the employer, at least under federal law, must have a minimum of 20 employees, plus it only applies to candidates 40 or older, and proving it is very difficult.

The employer won't loose their license though.
 
Going way back, I was being interviewed for a job at a police department in Niagara Falls. I had already worked 12 years at DOJ in Toronto. The interviewer then asked "where were you born". I said "Canada", but knew where he was going with it. He said "What's your nationality". I said "Canadian". He finally stopped asking.

I have no problem answering a direct question, as to my racial background, but it is not relevant in a job interview.
 
Ruby Rose said:
Wow...you sound somewhat like my son...he listens exclusively to Beethoven (nothing else if he can help it), reads mostly just Nicolaus of Cusa, etc.--he is well-read and is an autodidact. He drives me insane sometimes as he is prone to correct one...he says that since he likes to be corrected, he is just "doing unto others as he'd have done to him".
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Your post reminds me of the single most inappropriate question people have asked me when they see me reading Shakespeare or listening to Beethoven: "are you trying to be white?"
 
I really loathe the extremely personal line of questioning, as in...

"Are you mortgage clear"?
"Do you owe money on your vehicle"?

I've never once ventured into that dark area. That's just something I was taught from a young age to never ask anyone.
 
A comment from the other side of the fence. This was about 30 years ago and I asked one of the pretty young ladies in the office what I thought was a perfectly innocent question. I don't remember the actual question, but I still remember her answer, She said "Buckeye, you'll die not knowing."

Kaboom!!!!! Knocked me out.

And also, in the same office but a different young lady - my boss and I (both nerdy accountants) were using the copy machine when one of the young ladies walked to also make a copy. She had some sort of elastic bandage on one knee, and my boss asked "How did you hurt your knee?" She said: "Kinky sex".

Nuked us both with 2 words. We didn't know whether to **** or wind our watch, so we just mumbled and let her use the copy machine.....
 
Glowworm said:
As well as inappropriate questions I get odd comments too. Once when I’d got off a plane someone said ”You’ve got no legs!” I looked down and said ”Oh shit I’ve left them on the plane again.” End of stupid conversation
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LOL. Reminded me of the guy who was changing a flat tire.
Another guy walked by & asked, "Tire go flat?"
"Nope," he replied. "I was just driving along & the other 3 swelled up on me."
 
win231 said:
LOL. Reminded me of the guy who was changing a flat tire.
Another guy walked by & asked, "Tire go flat?"
"Nope," he replied. "I was just driving along & the other 3 swelled up on me."
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That's part of Bill Engvall's "Here's your sign" comedy bit. He's a riot and works clean. Thanks for the reminder and the smile.
 
People tend not to ask me personal questions but having a large scar across the top of my left arm a couple of times I’ve been asked, I just say “Oh I was stabbed”...that seems to stop them in their tracks. 😆
 
There is a questionnaire I always have to fill out for my doctor visits and there are some very silly, inappropriate questions. One of them is what gender do you identify with? Another is what is your sexual orientation? Another is what is your sexual preference? I want to ask them what on Earth does that matter to you or have to do with why I am seeing a doctor for diabetes and being overweight?:oops::sneaky:
 

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