Hello everyone, and welcome to this addition of “What Grinds My Gears,” the monthly article that I write in which I rant about things in everyday life that drive me crazy.

Now if you’ve read my column in the past, you have probably noticed that the topics I write about every month are things I stumble upon while on the Internet … Now I know what you’re probably all thinking, “but Jazmine, what about life outside the Internet?!?”

Rest assured my friends, I do actually occasionally look up from my phone/computer long enough to be enraged by something right in front of my eyes, and today you’re going to read about possibly one of my biggest pet peeves.

I am fairly involved in campus life here at AIC, as one can probably tell from the way I run around campus like a chicken with my head cut off 97% of the time. Being able to help people on campus is something I take great pride in, so I talk to A LOT of people … Which is typically no problem because that’s essentially what I am here for (oh, and I suppose to get an education too)…

…Until people hit me with the phrase that this article is devoted to: “Can I ask you a question?”

First off, how does one even respond to that … I mean it’s not like you’re really giving me a choice on whether you can ask me a question because if I say no you’re gonna think either A) I’m being sarcastic/funny and ask me anyways or B) think that I’m cold hearted and mean and that’s exactly the opposite of the ideal of a student leader. So typically I just rattle off some of my favorite sassy responses in my head, such as “I don’t know can you?” (you know like how our middle school and high school teachers reacted anytime we asked to use the bathroom), or “well, I can’t very well stop you from asking me a question.” Actually, I say that one out loud sometimes when caught on an especially sassy and or stressful day.

Now I’d like to make it super clear that I by no means dislike when people come up to me and ask me questions about topics like getting involved, finding help for things like academics or health on campus.

I want every single person on this campus to be able to feel as comfortable and secure on this campus as I have since my very first day as a Yellow Jacket. It’s just that it really gets on my nerves when people ask me if they can ask me a question.

Normally you would never be able to tell this because I as a rational human being can understand that humans are creatures of habit and are probably not even aware that they are doing it.

So this isn’t supposed to make people who say it feel bad about themselves, I even used to say it until I realized that it didn’t make one bit of sense.

This is just a PSA type piece that asking someone if you can ask them a question doesn’t make any sense or add any substance to your conversations.

… And that’s what grinds my gears …