Boyfriend Catches GF Worsening Her Injuries For Sympathy, And Seeks Advice
Millions of people struggle with self-harm every single day. Their reasons are as varied and unique as they are. it's a dangerous tendency that people absolutely can overcome, but it requires a lot of work and support. Having said that, the self-harming person has to be willing to accept that help.
What do you do when you catch a loved one hurting themselves but they refuse to acknowledge it?
That's the position one Reddit found himself in when he posted asking for advice:
My girlfriend Lacy and I have been dating 2 years. She's a lovely person and we make a great couple.
Two weeks ago Lacy and I went downhill skiing. I'm an experienced skier and she had only been once before. I admit I pushed her abilities and lo and behold, she wiped out pretty hard. She wasn't seriously hurt or anything and got right back up with a smile on her face.
Her legs got pretty bruised up from the fall (she was wearing only thin workout leggings since it was quite warm out). It looks like someone splashed green paint on her, if that makes sense. And she has a particularly nasty big purple one on her thigh.
Lacy has always been the type to show off injuries. For as long as I've known her she has always showed me even the tiniest of bruises either for sympathy or attention (like she would say it was shaped as Texas or something). She has some body image issues and I know that she really likes the attention so I will usually give it to her no problem.
Yesterday though I came home from work early (power went out at my building). I walked in pretty quietly as I usually do and went straight to our bedroom. I could hear music coming from it and wanted to greet her.
I basically opened the door and saw her with a hammer in her hands mid hit. The hammer hit her bruised leg the moment I walked in. It was absolutely surreal and I admit - I freaked out a bit. I went to her and took the hammer and started asking her what she was doing?
She freaked out right back and told me that she was rubbing the blood vessels or something to make the bruises go away faster. I knew this was bullshit right away since you don't "rub" by smacking yourself with a fricken hammer.
She left after I told her I didn't believe her and texted me shortly after to say she was going home for a few days.
I sat down on the bed with that hammer in my hands for like an hour completely floored. I know it sounds crazy but she hit herself hard. I've seen those bruises every day and now that I've seen her do this I am thinking that it was weird that they haven't gotten even the slightest bit lighter despite it being two weeks now.
I know she has some issues but I would never have thought she would hurt herself.
Reddit, I'm freaked out. She will be back tomorrow. How do I talk to her about this?
Users were surprisingly open with their responses. People gave advice and even shared stories of their own self-harming experiences. If that sort of thing is difficult or triggering for you to read, you may want to move on to another article. For the rest of you, here are some of the top responses. Some have been edited for content or clarity.
Parents Help
I am 45. I can tell you from experience and seeing it many times. Telling her parents will help her if she is inclined to accept advice and help from her parents. However, your relationship will take a hit. Especially if she truly believes her self harm is not a big deal and is deluding herself. You may be seen as someone that is willing to turn her in. In a word, betrayal.
The most important thing is to talk to her substantively before you tell her parents.
If she does seek professional help that should lesson any possible feelings of betrayal. If she knows she has a problem and her initial reaction of being caught was just knee-jerk denial to save face, you will have an easier time in your relationship if you do tell her parents. Particularly so if her parents support her in getting help and she is welcoming of it.
Best of luck and wishing you the best.
So Much Attention
I remember when I was younger I loved being ill, and I was jealous of my brother who had all sorts of health problems and he got so much attention for it (but he didn't get ALL the attention, my parents loved me and my brothers equally which is why it's odd that I did these things). If I ever got sick I loved being put on medication because I'd get more special attention for it. I'd also do stupid stuff like eating raw chicken in the hopes of getting salmonella. I think for me it came down to extremely low self esteem which is in my opinion probably the same for this guy's girlfriend.
Be Understanding
I've done this before. I make injuries worse or create injuries specifically with a hammer. I didn't think many people did that. On this thread there are some people who think she's doing it for attention others are jumping to Munchhausen's or self harming. It doesn't really matter which of these it is - she needs help. But more than anything she needs you to be understanding right now.
When I do it there is no reason. I can't actually explain it and if you ask me why I would say it was because I had to. So when you bring it up support her talk to her and don't treat her like there is something disgusting or unfixable about her. Having someone talk to you, pay attention to you, and treat you like a normal human being goes a long way even without psychiatric help.
Bittersweet
When I was ~20 I was with a girl who had an eating disorder, which I witnessed getting worse, but which she denied.
I was young and quite unsure how to handle it myself, so I spoke to her parents about it. It wasn't a mistake, and I don't regret it, because they took the right steps and she has since got a lot better, but she never really trusted me again after that, and it destroyed our relationship.
Very bittersweet for me, because I loved her oh so much and it tore us apart, but at the same time telling her parents meant that she got the help she needed.
Center Of Attention
When I was about 11 I hurt my ankle playing soccer and had to wear a leg brace. At the time I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I was shy and had very few friends but everyone would come up to ask about it. I was the centre of attention and I loved it. I would go out of my way to try and make it worse so that the attention would continue. This included things like hitting it.
It sounds like your girlfriend has some self esteem issues. In your post you mentioned how you give her quite a bit of attention when she is injured and how she goes out of her way to show you. This is probably adding to the problem. She is probably embarrassed that she has gotten caught and is doing her best to deny it happened. Unfortunately, I am not too sure what you can do. I grew out of it as I became an adult and less obsessed with what other people thought but it was a long process.
Don't back down in the situation though. Be firm (not mean though) about what you have seen and let her know that you are concerned about her. She needs to know that it is unacceptable and dangerous. She may continue to deny. I would suggest asking if she would considering seeing a therapist with you. If you talk to her parents you might want to ask them for advice versus "telling" on her. I am not suggesting you would do that but I just don't want it to seem like you are ganging up on her. If you can't get her to admit to it then you might have to reconsider you relationship. It is sad but if she refuses help, let alone the fact that there is a problem, then you can't do much.
Beyond Your Expertise
I think you need to ask yourself do you want to help her or do you want to enable her? I used to be like your girlfriend, and I honestly did it for attention and sympathy. Eventually, I grew out of it but I do live with triggers every time I hurt myself. However, your girlfriend could have some serious self-esteem issues that go beyond your expertise or beyond it just being a phase.
Sit her down, tell her you care about her, but what's she's doing to herself is not healthy or okay. She may flip out, but stay patient. If she admits everything, then wonderful; find her some help. If she denies denies denies, you need to think really hard what's best for you because her problem may become an even bigger one that leads to consequences for you.
- allfor1
Encourage Her To Get Help
You poor thing, it's very sad that you had to witness this, and now have to bare with the burden of seeing it.
Your girlfriend certainly sounds as if she's a self-harmer. It comes in all forms; not simply 'cutting' yourself. As you've said, she receives attention from injuries, which gives her affirmation and sympathy, making her feel cared for.
How very sad, to want to hurt yourself in order to feel good from the responses. How sad also, that you must feel responsible for how to fix this.
My only advice is to firstly, never give her attention for any future injuries, no matter how minor. It's unfortunately fuelling and enabling her greatly. Do not be her enabler, as her boyfriend you are her main source of attention.
Then start teaching her how to love herself naturally for who she is, not from self-infliction. Slowly, subtly...hold her, love her. Don't feel as if you need to give her extra attention, though.
Mainly, try to encourage her to get help. Someone professional to talk to; even the suggestion itself will possibly help her see fit. Just try your hardest not to enable a single act she does further.
Cold And Practical
I'm fully expecting to be down voted to oblivion for being a cold and vicious a$$hole but I hope you at least read this advice.
This is sad and difficult and sounds like something she's going to be dealing with, or fighting, for the rest of her life. Regardless of whether or not she gets help, and regardless of whether or not the help actually helps, stuff like this doesn't just disappear completely. The underlying whatever that was a part of her her, making her self harm, doesn't get chopped out of the brain. Wouldn't you want to know that you could trust someone even at their most stressed or needy?
This is harsh but I've seen how the people on this site write about their mental illnesses. It sounds like nothing that I would ever want to deal with--normal people aren't constantly triggered by things. It is exhausting dealing with people with Problems with a capital p. And what if you have kids? Neurotic people don't just come to be from their environment, it's genetic too. You can spot certain trends in families and some people and families are bad at dealing with the things that life throws at them. What breaks one person will not break another. I'd rather be with the latter than the former.
You can give it any word you want--sensitive, troubled, delicate--but some people are not strong when life throws them curve balls. That's just how it is. Everyone has a certain threshold for handling stress and I personally wouldn't want to be with someone with such a weak threshold. Hitting herself with a hammer? Jesus H. Christ.
I'm not being empathetic here. I'm being cold. But in a real sense, you have to be practical. She sounds like the last person that I would ever want to trust. I have family members who have Problems and, while the hand that life dealt them sucks and I can empathize with them to a point, you should see what a royal fuckup they make of their lives and the lives of the people around them. I'm speaking from the perspective of that experience, btw. It's kind of turned me off of people with mental problems because all I have seen them do is take. There's not much give. That in itself might be part of the illness, but pretending that a mental illness isn't part of someone is like me pretending that my extra bony and weird-looking backbone isn't a part of me too.
I don't think I would date a person whose entire family had cancer, either. It's too much of a risk.
Seek Help
Please seek help for her, if you love her and want to stay with her, support her. I have a person in my life that did this type of thing, her boyfriend ignored it. They got married and got pregnant. During the pregnancy she was constantly I'll, due to whatever she was ingesting for attention.
Once the baby was born the baby started having sicknesses. She was giving the child something to make it sick. All to get attention.
Seek help for her and yes, tell her parents.
Punishing Myself
I used to do this. I was very ill with un-diagnosed clinical depression and psychosis, and it was my way of dealing with the pain and showing everyone I could "handle" physical pain. It was also a way of punishing myself for how ungrateful and sh!tty I was feeling. This girl absolutely needs professional help. She is not OK. It puts you in a really tough situation, but I really hope you're able to help her see that this behavior isn't normal and go get some help together.
- lexjac
H/T: Reddit
The amount of shows that have aired in the history of television is a lengthy one, and the ones we know of are the ones that have been picked up by the networks.
There are tons of other ideas that have been pitched that have not seen the light of day and some that have been produced and presented as pilot episodes but eventually scrapped due to a variety of reasons.
The ones that have come to fruition but caused an uproar were mentioned when Redditor Future-Game asked:
"What is the most controversial TV shows of all time?"
Shows pushing the envelope were so risqué. Some aged well over time. Others didn't.
Taboo Topics
"I don't know about all time but the time it aired here in Canada, the original Degrassi High series. They covered so many topics that weren't really covered on mainstream shows back then. Even still somewhat taboo today. And everyone my age watched it and talked about it the next day."
– YEGMusic43
Outing Ellen
"When Ellen Degeneres's character came out as gay on her sitcom, there was a f'king firestorm."
– seanofkelley
Tame Drama
"Believe it or not the comedy SOAP was highly controversial when it premiered in the late 70s. It's done by the same people who did GOLDEN GIRLS. SOAP is so tame by today's standards a ten year old could watch it."
– ComedianRepulsive955
Chappelle's Show.
"I like South Park as an answer, but if we are talking about pushing boundaries, Chappelle's show at least deserves a mention. The Black, White Supremacist alone was wild to see on TV, and it was the first episode of the show to air."
– WaKa_
Reality bites. So did these reality competition shows.
Trash Talk Show
"Jerry springer, what a sh*t show."
– Jok3r609
When Looks Are Everything
"The Swan - a show about generally average, everyday women with low self esteem (due to a variety of factors), receiving plastic surgery and whole makeovers. Every episode would feature two ladies and a "winner" would be decided between them. At the end of the season, all of the winners would be put in a pageant to compete and see who would be dubbed 'The Swan'"
– DungeonFam30
Questionably Racist
"Takeshi's Castle / MXC wasn't exactly controversial at the time, but the production of that show seems awfully exploitative by today's standards (and for the English dub, horribly stereotypical and downright racist at times). We've since watered it down severely with versions like Wipeout, but the real ones know what the lineage of shows like that is."
– plasma_dan
Ultimate Exploitation Of Privacy
"Big Brother. How about we mix the worst people with the most exploitative form of entertainment whilst also casually normalising invasion of privacy."
– JFSOCC
Just because it was family friendly didn't mean everyone approved.
Representation Matters
"Sesame Street - When this show debuted in 1969, TV channels in the southern US refused to air it because it’s racially mixed group of children playing together was too controversial."
– virago72
Beavis And Butt-Head
"Surprised I haven't seen Beavis and Butt-Head on this list yet. When it came out everyone was freaking out."
– l06ic
Swearing
"Southpark, we went from outrage at Bart saying "eat my shorts" to Cartman feeding children their parents."
"I mean swearing on TV was less prominent , then Southpark pushed that forward quickly as well, all of a sudden "A**" and "Bullsh*t" were on standard TV."
– nonaestet
Every now and then a show comes out and sends audiences clutching their pearls.
But sometimes, even an episode from a relatively tame TV show can send viewers reeling with topical moments.
Examples of this include the much-hyped same-sex kiss on Melrose Place in the 90s that was ultimately edited to imply the act and the One Tree Hill arc that explored school shootings–which was considered daring and admirable at the time for addressing a malaise that continues plaguing the US today.
There are few feelings more frustrating and disappointing than realizing that a job simply isn't a good fit.
To some people, a job is a job, so they'll force themselves to go to work to earn the paycheck until a better job comes along.
Others however will come to the decision that the pay, be it big or small, simply isn't worth the monotonous, soul-sucking, or downright toxic atmosphere they need to report to, and quit with no prospects in sight.
Most people do this after a few months, or even a year, giving ample notice so as not to burn bridges or potentially harm their reputation.
Then there are the extreme cases, who leave the office for the very last time on their very first day, never looking back and not having one ounce of doubt or guilt about their decision.
"Anyone here who decided to leave their job on the first day? What made you decide to run right away?"
Questionable Ethics
"They wanted us to make our first sales to friends and family members."
"F*ck that."
"If your first option is for me to make money off the people I care about most, there's really nowhere to go but down (morally)."- Mxysptlik
Thrown Into The Deep End
"They sent me to a room to do a bunch of on-boarding paperwork and those incredibly dull orientation videos companies love so much."
"Less than 10 minutes into it the manager comes in and tells me they need to cover the sales floor immediately because I was the only person for the department that day."
"No training, no computer logins, no idea where anything in the building was or who any of the dozens of other people wandering around were or even what was really expected of me."
"Just go and solo a department that usually had between five and eight staff at any time."
"I gave it a shot for like 45 minutes, and realized the whole place was staffed by miserable entitled f*cks who went out of their way to avoid work."
"I just walked out without saying anything."- SlothOfDoom
Being More Knowledgable Than Your Bosses
"I'm a fish hobbyist and I got a job in the fish department at PetCo."
"On my first day they wanted me to take out all the rocks (substrate) from each tank, scrub them and put them back in the tanks, one tank at a time."
"Moving substrate releases bad bacteria and can get the fish sick or kill them."
"I explained this to them and said that it was best to just do a water change for 20% of each tank."
"They said, basically, sorry this is what corporate says and you have to do it."
"I was like, 'Okay, I'll do it after lunch'."
"I never came back from lunch."- adura_grounded
Not Honoring Their Contract
"They lowered the rate from what was agreed upon and became upset when I spoke up about it."- Wonderful-Job3514
Mis-Management
"Wendy’s."
"There was an assistant manager whose only job seemed to be pacing around behind us during lunch rushes, repeating in a dull monotone, 'c’mon, let’s make those burgers. C’mon, let’s go faster, make those burgers'.”
"When I didn’t make burgers fast enough because my only training consisted of watching a 30-minute video, the manager sneered, 'why don’t you just go wash dishes, then? You CAN wash dishes, can’t you?'"
"That’s when I walked off the job."- LanceGannon
And You Thought YOUR Boss Was Horrible...
"I didn't even last a full shift."
"It was Pizza delivery."
"It was the early 90s; I was 20 M[ale]."
"My first shift was in torrential rain, driving a 1967 VW Beetle (with a flat windscreen)."
"Two orders required me to go back because the pizzas weren't the ones ordered."
"Then I arrived back to see that one of the other drivers had been shot in the leg with an air-rifle by Ricky the Shift-Manager.
I started at noon."
"Quit at 8.30pm."
"Can't remember if I was ever paid; didn't care."- EvilBosch
Knowing Their Self-Worth
"I was a car mechanic fresh out of school, hit up a local shop that hired."
"Their working conditions were trash, I bailed after the first day."
"Second one wasn't much better, in fact it was far worse, but I saw more potential in the work and needed the experience."
"It was a privately owned bus company that needed a mechanic to service their sh*t."
"It was the middle of winter and the garage had no heat, it was badly equipped, no car jacks so laying on the cold ground, etc."
"Also as it turned out, the fleet consisted of brand new buses that had to be serviced at the dealership to maintain the warranty, so I had no work whatsoever."
"Instead the guy wanted me to do basic maintenance work around the HQ."
"Mind you it was so cold outside that in 10 minutes I couldn't feel my fingers and if I went inside the main building to heat up, he complained that I wasn't working."
"Caught pneumonia after just 3 days, went back a week later when I was feeling better and quit."
"Third time was the charm."- DangerousTrashCan
And Yet, They Don't See A Problem?
"We hired someone to work at a freezer warehouse and he only showed up for one shift."
"He seemed ecstatic about the pay (20/hr for basic material handling, picklines, etc) but seemed to realize that humans hate being treated like machines and that's simply not worth it so we never saw him again."
"He was not the only one."
"My favorite time is when my manager hired 18 new people because he fully expected 80% of them to flake and not show the next day."
"Sure enough, only 3 even showed up."- ASaltyBiscuit
Did They Actually Think They'd Get Away With It?!?
"Was supposed to be an office job, straight salary."
"Got there the first day and it turned out to be door to door sales, commission only."
"Not even people who had expressed interest."
"Just literally cold calling but in person at their door instead of on the phone."
"Didn't even stay to hear the end of their explanation of how really if you think about it this is the job they advertised and interviewed me for, just better because..."
"I don't know, some bullsh*t, as I said, I had left by then."- Zer0Summoner
Not Once, But Twice
"I actually did this twice."
"The first time was because I was a college student and needed a job to pay rent."
"Got a job working in a new call center that had opened up in my home town."
"It was awful.""The atmosphere was toxic, the boss was a horrific a**hole, and there were all sorts of shitty 'metrics' and goals, etc. you had to reach."
"I just never went back after the first day."
"Called them the next morning and told them it wasn't for me."
"The second time was a deal where I interviewed for a job that I was pretty excited about where I was going to be leading a team dealing with advocating for some issues in international politics."
"I was super excited."
"The interviews I had were done in a cafe."
"They sent me the address of the office and I arrived for my first day and it was some decrepit, barely standing office with the most outdated computers and office equipment."
"The 'team' I was going to be leading had been referred to as 'a small team' in the job interviews."
"In reality it was one lady who didn't speak either of the languages I speak."- mejok
Third Time Definitely Wasn't The Charm
"$20 for parking wasn't included in for being an employee."
"This was when min wage was 11.50.so you work 2 hour and pay your employer."
"F*ck that."
"Another place I worked open kitchen caught fire."
"All the customers could see this."
"They didn't make anyone leave."
"They kept putting food out!"
"They expected me to clean up their now burnt kitchen."
"Nope nope nope."
"Another place had defrosted chicken by leaving it outside of the fridge over night."
"On the floor."
"During the summer."
"Rats scurried away from it when we turned on the light."
"Called the safety department on that one."- Elfere
Inconsistent Would Be An Understatement
"Slowly started changing the terms of employment during the day."
"Started off '10 hour days 5 days a week £8/hour'."
"Shifted to 'sometimes you have to work weekends too'."
"Then 'actually it's crunch season right now so we're going to expect you to work Saturday and Sunday this week."
"Then 'actually we'll need you to stay Saturday and Sunday most weeks'."
"Then 'You'll be working Saturday and Sunday for the foreseeable future'."
"Then 'We'll need you to stay a few hours after work today'."
"Then 'Actually you'll be working 12-14 hours a day 7 days a week for the next 6 months'."
"Yeah nope."- NewRoundEre
We've all had jobs we've hated, which we muddle through just for the money.
However, one's self-worth is always more important than a paycheck.
And when you notice your self-worth or safety being threatened, always best to act on it immediately.
School can be a dangerous place.
Indeed, with bullying remaining an ongoing problem, some students are afraid to even set foot in school.
Then, of course, there's the terrifying fact that school shootings remain a shockingly common occurrence in the United States.
As a result, it's not only the students who find themselves scared to go to school sometimes but also the teachers.
With the current climate, sometimes when a teacher sees a student behave in even a slightly peculiar manner, they tend to assume the worst.
Thankfully, sometimes their fears are unfounded.
Other times, their fears were heartbreakingly accurate.
"Teachers of Reddit, what is the scariest thing you have ever seen a student do?"
"Boys Will Be Boys" Is NEVER An Excuse
"Literal first day of school a student, 7, grabs a girl that was getting off the bus, from behind, and pretends to cut her throat with his finger."
"Whoa nelly, instant front seat, instant write-up."
"Principal 'boys will be boys, ignore it."
"Third day of school same student gets up, while we're doing 55mph, and 'finger gun's' several students in the back of the head, execution style."
"Mother of god, BIG write-up."
"Principal 'Boys will be boys, you cant put him in the front seat for that, it was playful'."
"No, no the absolute f*ck it was NOT playful."
"He did the same thing the next day."
"But this time I had the principal time-stamped on my camera telling me I wasn't allowed to put him in the front seat, AND him doing it again."
"I wrote up the kid, AND the mother effing Principal."
"Instant sh*t show, pulled into saftey office at work with transportation director, warned I could lose my job if I escalate this sh*t."
"But I didn't back down."
"I wanted that kid off the bus, but if i couldn't have that, i NEEDED him in the front seat AWAY from everyone else."
"I got it, principal was banned from coming within 50 feet of my bus."
"She couldn't stop herself, and did so after two weeks to tell me i was an awful person."
"She was immediately removed from her position, because i wrote her up AGAIN."
"They gave her a councilors spot at the high school to finish the year, not sure if she did."
"ANYWAY, new principle rides the bus, tells me he's got the kid now--and the kids so f*ckin scary that they have to have him in his own class, with TWO adults--but that the mom refuses to get the kid any help or admit there's a problem."
"I'm told not to allow anyone within 3 seats of him." - Reddit
Ignoring A Problem Will Never Solve It
"He didn't really do anything that scary while he was with me but he did bloody scare me after he was gone."
"I had just become the class teacher of 30 9th-graders in the middle of the school year and had to tell a student that he was expelled because he had only shown up to class three times in six months."
"We had a nice chat before that, I had told him I felt I was missing the bigger picture here as I was new to that class, but that I still felt bad because he didn't seem to be the kind of guy who just skipped classes because he didn't feel like leaving his bed."
"He was very polite, thanked me for being gentle, shook my hand, turned around and clocked another student, breaking his nose, ran out of the room and pepper sprayed the door area to cover his retreat."
"So that was awkward."
"Days later I finally had time to go through the administrative files of my new students."
"His file was full of drawings."
"He liked to draw in class when he still came."
"He drew mainly AK-47s."
"He was born in Russia, we were in Western Europe."
"Around the AK-47s, love poems to the AK-47 in Russian, scenes of, well, AK-47s in action, and lists of fellow students."
"My predecessors had confiscated these drawings and his hit lists and put them away in a file that most people wouldn't even touch because it's mainly for documentation of things you already know when you are their teacher."
"Nobody had told me that there might be a f*cking problem waiting for me."
"Nobody had told the social worker of the school, probably because he didn't disrupt classes."
"Also, nobody had told me that the other student and his pals had bullied him relentlessly for a year before he decided to stay away from school."
"I guess I wasn't told that because no teacher knew as they hadn't f*cking cared to find out why he was spending recess alone, sitting for himself with a thousand-yard stare."
"I learned that when the other students had warmed up to me and started telling me things like this."- gelastes
Thank Goodness She Had The Good Sense To Leave
"I was teaching grade four and had announced my pregnancy to the class when I was about 4 month."
"Everyone was so excited."
"One little guy however, made it his mission to try and ‘hurt my baby’."
"On several occasions he kicked a soccer ball at my bump, would try and trip me and one time even said ‘let’s meet this baby’ while opening and closing scissors."
'There was some other contributing factors but I ended up taking leave early due to anxiety over this."
"So, so weird."
"When I returned the next year he had moved to a different school."- gaanmetd
Obsession Leads Down A Dangerous Path
"I had a student who became obsessed with my colleague."
"He started to believe he was in a relationship with this other teacher and it was the only reason to live."
"He’d corner the teacher a lot trying to get them to be alone."
"He told other students they were in a relationship."
"He even sat outside the teacher's apartment after following him home once."
"When I heard and saw how his crush was escalating I talked to the teacher and reported my concerns to admin."
"The other teacher was afraid he would lose his job because we are in the south and he’s gay and so he didn’t know how to handle the situation but was very uncomfortable."
"He was right, the student totally flipped out when admin and guidance confronted him."
"He assured them it was a real relationship, and started trying to corner other staff to find out who told."
"He was escorted off campus by police multiple times."
"The teacher was put on leave and just quit and moved to another state, after which someone told the student I’d been the one to report to admin."
"He started following me trying to find out where the teacher moved, interrupted my classes over and over even though I didn’t teach him, wanted to know what the teachers new address was, and threatening me."
"I had to be escorted to my car at the end of the day several times."
"We were all afraid of the student."
"He once stood outside the school for hours in front of the flag pole crying."
"I was sure the kid was going to hurt himself or someone else."
"I begged everyone to get the kid help."
"His mom didn’t believe any of it was true and refused all help that was offered like counseling and a psych eval."
"She told the school that if they called her again making up stories about her son she’d sue."
"It was a mess."- kllove
Heartbreaking
"Not evil scary, just scary."
"My dad was the elementary school principal and there was a little girl in one of the younger grades who would fall asleep during class and wouldn’t wake up no matter what her teacher or my dad or the paramedics my dad called would do."
"She’d eventually wake up on her own after several hours."
"She did this randomly, scaring her teacher, my dad and her parents a lot."
"Sadly, eventually, she died in her sleep at home."- tangcameo
The Sad Reason Some Schools Have Metal Detectors
"Pull a switchblade out & threaten another student."- F0ggers
Desperately Searching For Validation?
"Had a student tear up a bunch of kids' artwork, jump on a table, and throw said artwork at their faces all while shouting, 'I'm THE BEST! I'M THE NICEST! I'M THE GREATEST!' And laughing."- Mixedstereotype
"I have had several dangerously violent children over the course of my career, but it's been really bad the past three years."
"Kids trying to steal my teacher scissors so they could stab someone, flying desks and chairs, kicking and punching adults, self-harm, physically attacking younger students, vandalism, screaming and crying so loud no teaching can happen, growling when angry, running away."
"It never surprises me to hear of kids my students' ages being put in handcuffs."
"I teach Kinder and 1st grade."- azemilyann26
One Only Hopes They Did Something!
"I’m studying to be a teacher currently, and on one of my three-week placements in a school, a third grader had a notebook full from front to back with only the word 'stop. bad. don’t. dirt. sad'.”
"Repeated over and over and over."
"Yes it was reported, the school knew all about this, but as I am a student teacher, they didn't give me much more information."- NoLifeExperienceYet
Schools should be a sanctuary of learning and encouragement.
Making it all the more heartbreaking to think that some teachers and students enter the halls of their schools fearful for their lives on an almost regular basis.
The Most Atrocious Things People Have Done In The Name Of Science
When it comes to scientific advancements, it's all about trial and error.
You form a hypothesis, test your hypothesis, and come to a conclusion.
Testing your hypothesis is known as an experiment. Sometimes, experiments are completely safe and ethical, like the tests Isaac Newton ran as he discovered the Laws of Motion. However, sometimes, the experiments were horrific. The subjects used were treated cruelly, and the effects lasted a lifetime, or even longer.
Science, in and of itself, is great, but sometimes, people have committed some horrible atrocities in the name of science that we just can't get behind.
One thing I learned is that I know a lot less about the way scientists went about their research than I thought I did. Luckily for me and the rest of the uninformed, Redditors are ready to share the atrocities people have done in the name of science.
It all started when Redditor itcamefromtheimgur asked:
"What are some of the most atrocious things done in the name of science?"
Aquamen
"You don't wanna know how we learned humans are 60% water."
– LR-II
"Masochistic curiosity here, tell me."
– odd_neighbour
"Well thanks to the Japanese we know exactly how much water is in the human body."
– Angel_OfSolitude
First Aid
"I had a pair of matching blisters, one on each foot, both in the same location and of the same size."
"I tore one motherf*cker straight off to form a scab, whilst leaving the other alone."
"Hypothesis - A scab will heal faster and be less painful."
"Conclusion - I was so f*cking wrong."
– odd_neighbour
It's A Wonder They're Still Man's Best Friend
"I don't remember who but I think it was in the 30s or 40s when a scientist beheaded dogs and kept their heads alive. It's heartbreaking to watch the footage"
"Edit: I looked it up, it was Sergei Briuk-honenko and he was a soviet physician"
– _ManWhoSoldTheWorld_
"There was an American doctor that did that, too. In my opinion, the worst experiment I heard he did was transplant the brain of a dog to the abdomen of another dog. The transplanted brain would have remained conscience, but would have had no senses of any kind yet went on living for a full week."
– Yeeteth_thy_baby
Horrific
"The history of gynecology is unbelievably grim. Painful experiments on black women without any pain relief. Ugh people are awful sometimes."
– juliennethiscarrot
Umm...What?
"They used to operate on animals with no anesthetic because "they felt no pain". This one baffles me, how the hell can you have been around animals for any length of time and not see one yelp or jump because they hurt themselves? The "divine right" attitude of humans is sickening. Basically because in their opinion animals had no souls they couldn't fell pain. Wacked!"
– Weazerdogg
"They also thought black people couldn't feel pain and they used to say babies couldn't feel pain until the late 80s/early 90s. They used to do surgery on babies without anesthetic in the 80s because they won't remember it (consciously, but it causes PTSD)"
– crazyjka*s
Make Me Sick
"The experiments done on enslaved peoples in the US"
"The Tuskegee Syphilis Study"
– LexiiConn
"It wasn't just during slavery. The myth that black people either didn't feel pain, or felt a far reduced degree of pain led to some pretty horrible medical practices. Since they didn't realistically have access to healthcare for a very long time, doctors would get them to sign off on sh*t they wanted to do, often for the first time, in exchange for not having to pay for the treatment. It's horrifying."
– GreatTragedy
Some School
"The Lung Association took Canadian aboriginal kids from their parents to a school that was basically a lab to do experiments on the kids for TB. Those that died were buried and their parents were never notified. Met a gentleman who’d survived that and only had half a lung left because they’d operated on him."
– tangcameo
Ignorance May Actually Be Bliss
The Manhattan Project. Did we really have to see what happens when we split an atom? Like, guys, for real, it's not fun living knowing that the end of the world could come at any moment, you have any idea what that sh*t does to your mental health? Damn you, Oppenheimer."
– GoblinGuy3
Unit 731
"Unit 731 or Manshu Detachment 731.(1937–1945)."
"Unit 731 was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes committed by the Japanese armed forces. It routinely conducted tests on people who were dehumanized and internally referred to as "logs". Experiments included disease injections, controlled dehydration, hypobaric chamber experiments, biological weapons testing, vivisection, amputation, and standard weapons testing. Victims included kidnapped men, women (including pregnant women) and children. The victims came from different nationalities, with the majority being Chinese and a significant minority being Russian. Additionally, Unit 731 produced biological weapons that were used in areas of China not occupied by Japanese forces, which included Chinese cities and towns, water sources, and fields. Estimates of those killed by Unit 731 and its related programs range up to half a million people, and none of the inmates survived."
– fellowcrft
Human Studies
"WW2 experiments on prisoners.. done by Mengele and Japanese nazis."
"Burning people, poisoning people, putting people in extreme cold water. They would often experiment on twins, one would be left and nothing done to him, he was the control and other would be tortured in different ways and then they would kill both and dissect to see how body reacted."
– RoronoaLuffyZoro
This Is Awful
"John B Calhoun set about creating a series of experiments that would essentially cater to every need of rodents, and then track the effect on the population over time. The most infamous of the experiments was named, quite dramatically, Universe 25."
"In this study, he took four breeding pairs of mice and placed them inside a "utopia". The environment was designed to eliminate problems that would lead to mortality in the wild. They could access limitless food via 16 food hoppers, accessed via tunnels, which would feed up to 25 mice at a time, as well as water bottles just above. Nesting material was provided. The weather was kept at 68°F (20°C), which for those of you who aren't mice is the perfect mouse temperature. The mice were chosen for their health, obtained from the National Institutes of Health breeding colony. Extreme precautions were taken to stop any disease from entering the universe."
"As well as this, no predators were present in the utopia, which sort of stands to reason. It's not often something is described as a "utopia, but also there were lions there picking us all off one by one.""
"The experiment began, and as you'd expect, the mice used the time that would usually be wasted in foraging for food and shelter for having excessive amounts of sexual intercourse. About every 55 days, the population doubled as the mice filled the most desirable space within the pen, where access to the food tunnels was of ease."
"When the population hit 620, that slowed to doubling around every 145 days, as the mouse society began to hit problems. The mice split off into groups, and those that could not find a role in these groups found themselves with nowhere to go."
""In the normal course of events in a natural ecological setting somewhat more young survive to maturity than are necessary to replace their dying or senescent established associates," Calhoun wrote in 1972. "The excess that find no social niches emigrate.""
"Here, the "excess" could not emigrate, for there was nowhere else to go. The mice that found themself with no social role to fill – there are only so many head mouse roles, and the utopia was in no need of a Ratatouille-esque chef – became isolated."
""Males who failed withdrew physically and psychologically; they became very inactive and aggregated in large pools near the center of the floor of the universe. From this point on they no longer initiated interaction with their established associates, nor did their behavior elicit attack by territorial males," read the paper. "Even so, they became characterized by many wounds and much scar tissue as a result of attacks by other withdrawn males.""
"The withdrawn males would not respond during attacks, lying there immobile. Later on, they would attack others in the same pattern. The female counterparts of these isolated males withdrew as well. Some mice spent their days preening themselves, shunning mating, and never engaging in fighting. Due to this they had excellent fur coats, and were dubbed, somewhat disconcertingly, the "beautiful ones.""
"The breakdown of usual mouse behavior wasn't just limited to the outsiders. The "alpha male" mice became extremely aggressive, attacking others with no motivation or gain for themselves. Violent encounters sometimes ended in mouse-on-mouse cannibalism."
– herobrineminecraftk
A Questionable Procedure
"Lobotomies"
– QualityKoalaTeacher
"Danvers Asylum in massachusetts had a wing just for experiments with children using both lobotomies and electro-shock."
– SpamFriedMice
What We Don't Know
"To the ppl reading the comments, keep in mind they told the public all of thesse, now imagine what they don't tell us"
– TTV_Potato_the_3rd
That's a scary thought!
Do you have any atrocities to add? Let us know in the comments.