How universal is the concept of "calling dibs?"

Post date: 2018-10-06 00:49:58
Views: 522
I'm curious about the idea of calling dibs, what other international words there might be for it, and what variations there might be on the concept.

In the US, especially in childhood and in the workplace I think, the idea is pretty sacred. If I called dibs the front seat before my siblings, it was mine and that was that, unless Mom or Dad intervened. If Sally calls dibs on the last chocolate donut before she goes to make more coffee, but Kate eats it anyway, Kate is a major jackass, and everyone in the office thinks so.

I think that this basic idea must be pretty universal, because it contributes to an orderly society, but I could be wrong on that. What different words are used to make the claim, how much is it followed into adulthood or is it just a childhood thing? Are there different settings where it's more respected or not?
Number of Comments
Please click Here to read the full story.
 
Other Top and Latest Questions:
Oracle stock jumps 7% as cloud provider joins investor group to run TikTok's U.S. business
Data center deals hit record $61 billion in 2025 amid construction frenzy
NY Fed President Williams says some 'technical factors' distorted November's CPI reading downward
Trump suspends U.S. green card lottery after Brown University shooting
I've studied happiness for 15 years: If you do these 9 things every day, you're more 'emotionally resilient' than most
Google was at risk of losing its dominance — until it promoted this AI executive
How Build-A-Bear went from a penny stock to a retail winner
Lucid's big SUV arrives with high expectations, and big risks
Bank of America says Nvidia and these stocks are its top picks for 2026
Roomba's bankruptcy may wreck a lot more than one robot vacuum maker