Humans are naturally curious.
[rebelmouse-image 18347057 is_animated_gif=But when it comes to controversial topics, humans sometimes don't know that their questions can be offensive. If you identify as LGBTQ, you're familiar with some of these questions (ie, Who's the man/woman in the relationship?) But if you were raised by LGBTQ parents, you get secondhand dose of these.
PopularBeginning asked:
Children of same sex couples, what's the weirdest question you get asked?
Here were some of the cringeworthy answers.
Are You Sure?
[rebelmouse-image 18347060 is_animated_gif="Are you sure they're really gay" is the weirdest question I've been asked more than once. Like, no, maybe my moms have been just been really, really close and loving roommates this whole time. Lemme go ask! Just in case I'm the one who's confused.
What Does This Have To Do With Me?
[rebelmouse-image 18347061 is_animated_gif=A kid I went to high school had 4 mom's. 2 of his mom's were originally married and adopted him. They later divorced and remarried which gave him the other 2 moms. He always hated it when people assumed that having 4 mom's meant he was gay.
Biology Doesn't Change
[rebelmouse-image 18347062 is_animated_gif=Not my parents, but my grandma is gay. For some reason, it makes sense to people that gays can have kids, but not grandkids. "But how are you here if she's gay?".... Well, turns out 50 years ago, being a gay woman wasn't super kosher, and so grandma married grandpa. They eventually divorced and met other women, and now I've got a few bonus grandmas, which is awesome.
We Told You This Was Coming
[rebelmouse-image 18347063 is_animated_gif=Growing up with two moms, people would always ask me 'which one is the dad?"
What?????
[rebelmouse-image 18347064 is_animated_gif=My mom and dad both divorced for same sex partners. Weirdest question I get asked is "but why did your mom have you if she was a lesbian?"
So Rude
[rebelmouse-image 18347065 is_animated_gif=My parents divorced when I was in 2nd grade because my dad accepted that he was gay.
From then until I was about 17 he was dating the same man who I grew to love as a father and still do. The kids I grew up with all knew, and started to pick on me some, though that didn't really happen until middle school.
The questions I remember from when I was in elementary school were, "Which one is the woman?", "You know you have a higher risk of being gay?"
Legitimately nobody has ever asked me questions about it. After I was picked on so much in middle school about it I stopped telling people. Seriously, my best friends to this day do not know and I am nearly 22. I actually have a great friend group now, and I know if I told them then they wouldn't care. But being picked on for it really f-cking sucked and was one of the worst times in my life. The only people I've told are people that I've dated, and even then they've never asked what it's like or what it was like to grow up with an openly gay dad.
I think I'd really like for one of them to. Because it's the one part of my life that I've never really opened up about to anyone. In fact, I think this is the first time I've ever acknowledged it on the internet. Guess I've just never met anyone else that can relate.
Good For You, Kid
[rebelmouse-image 18347066 is_animated_gif=I am a gay mom. My younger son is an athlete and is often asked who taught him how to throw a ball if he has two moms.
He said he usually explains that women can throw as well and he had coaches who did their job.
Incorrect
[rebelmouse-image 18347069 is_animated_gif=I love the "you look so much like your dad(s)", because, yer, that's how adoption works.
Still, So Rude
[rebelmouse-image 18347070 is_animated_gif=When I was in middle school, I had a friend who asked me to pretend that one of my moms was my aunt in front of her family. I also get asked which one is my "real mom," and I understand what's meant by that, but it still makes me mad because both of my parents had an equal part in raising me.
Spider Duty
[rebelmouse-image 18347071 is_animated_gif=My niece is in school with a little girl with two moms. I was there when she met them and figured it out. "I have to ask" and SisinLaw and I both cringed because God what is this five year old going to come up with.... "Who kills the spiders?" Both SIL and I are afraid of spiders so our husbands deal with them, so in a house with no men.... Kid logic.
Blowing Their Minds
[rebelmouse-image 18345581 is_animated_gif="Does that make you a lesbian too?" "Do they sleep in the same bed?" "How do they feel about you dating a guy?" "What does your dad think?"
And my personal favorite "Wait.. Lesbian as in like... Two women?"
Too Much
[rebelmouse-image 18347073 is_animated_gif=One of my childhood friends growing up had two moms. I asked one of her moms if she had two dads too. She said that two dads and two moms would be too much to handle. I accepted that explanation and never thought it was an issue. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized some people had an issue with gay people. I was like ~5 at the time and I really like the way she handled it. Since I'm a member of the LGBTQ community now I hope that I handle things that gracefully myself.
Use Your Brain
[rebelmouse-image 18347074 is_animated_gif="How can they be gay if they have kids?"
Why Does This One Keep Coming Up?
[rebelmouse-image 18347075 is_animated_gif="Are you sure they're really gay" is the weirdest question I've been asked more than once. Like, no, maybe my moms have been just been really, really close and loving roommates this whole time.
How Does WHAT Work....
[rebelmouse-image 18347076 is_animated_gif=Nothing especially weird, what's annoying is the instant rapid-fire barrage of suddenly personal questions about every aspect of my family as soon as it's realised I have 2 mums, no matter what we were talking about before.
I guess a weird common one is just "how does that work?" Which I still don't know how to answer. It's so vague, are they asking about my upbringing? Conception? My parents relationship? All strange things to suddenly ask someone you've just met, but it happens all the time.
A Whole New Topic
[rebelmouse-image 18347077 is_animated_gif=People immediately ask how I was born because I have two moms, and then I have to explain the intricacies of sperm banks and artificial insemination... and then explain that my younger sister was from the same vjy's sperm too.
There's NO Excuse
[rebelmouse-image 18347078 is_animated_gif=My (white) cousin is a lesbian who married a (white) woman who already had a daughter and had adopted 2 African American brothers. THEN, my cousin decided she wanted a child of her own so she was artificially inseminated by some random guy she found online. They often get asked if the kids are showing signs of being gay - which is the DUMBEST question ever. The kids are 13 and under... and I'm sure they'll be berated with questions as they get older - especially the boys.
Still Gay
[rebelmouse-image 18347079 is_animated_gif=My dad's gay. When people find out they usually just say "he seems so straight", which is only true if you only kind of know him. I lived with the guy for many many years, and the signs are everywhere. From his love of Andrew Lloyd Webber to the Judy Garland records, to the male friends he'd bring over to "watch TV" in his bedroom.
Partners
[rebelmouse-image 18347080 is_animated_gif=Haven't ever gotten too many questions about my moms' orientation... But I did once say to someone "My mom and her partner just moved here" and the response was "Oh, I didn't know your mom was a lawyer!"
People Break Down The Male Equivalents Of Women Showing Cleavage To Seduce Someone
When people think of women being portrayed as "sexy," often big boobs with cleavage showing come to mind.
Men also have their appealing "moves" and "appearances," and the "AskReddit" subReddit did not shy away from sharing what they felt the male equivalents to showing cleavage were.
Redditor girlymuslimboy asked:
"What is the male equivalent of a woman showing her cleavage for seduction?"
Zombie Level: Unlocked
"The braaaaaain!"
- Suspicious-Squash237
Certain Facial Expressions
"Sexy side smirks and smiles. Y'all know exactly what you're doing with that."
- mtotheija
A "Clean" Appearance
"Rolling up sleeves (regardless of muscle mass). A fresh fade/cut and trim/shave. A clean cut, perfectly fit/cut outfit (doesn't have to be a suit/tux)."
"Biggest one: Clean, trimmed, and filed fingernails on clean, well-managed hands. Yes please."
- Sleepy_Little_Fjord
Possibly Chest Hair?
"I don't count rolling up sleeves because cleavage is far more scrutinized. Like I can roll my sleeves up in an office job and not be side-eyed."
"The V-line is a little closer, though also a little further on the spectrum of 'can't show it anywhere.' There's no subtlety."
"The closest I can think of is showing chest hair, but that's far less universally liked by women. Like a woman with any chest can do that and almost any man will like it, but chest hair is a very split decision."
- girhen
The V-Line or Adonis Belt
"My wife showed me a meme that had a picture of a guy with the pronounced V-Line. It said, 'I don't know what this muscle is called, but it makes smart girls stupid.'"
- d00mslinger
Grey Sweatpants
"A lot of my female friends go crazy over grey sweatpants. Nothing even sexy, just men wearing them. I don't understand it personally."
- PurpleMonkeyEdna
A Fine Suit
"My wife told me that a guy in a well-fitting suit is to her what a woman in lingerie is to men."
"ZZ Top was right. Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man!"
- Matelot67
Driving in Reverse
"I’d like to formally submit: When they’re driving in reverse and they do that twist to look over their shoulder and they grip the back of the passenger seat."
"Especially if they do the little finesse on the steering wheel with the palm of their hand."
"I caaaaaan't."
- VoodooEmporium
In the Kitchen
"When you’re cooking and throw the towel over your shoulder and pick the pan up and shake it around a little."
- ThatSICILIANThing
Muscle Definition
"Either the happy trail or when their muscles get really defined when they do something."
- queenoovoov
Rolled-Up Sleeves
"Hairy forearms and rolled-up sleeves; wonderfully sl*tty behavior."
- chuckchuckthrowaway
An Illusion
"While working in an Emergency room several years ago, a fellow came through that was unconscious from an accident. The first thing the staff does is to strip the person down. When the staff cut his clothing off, it was noted that he had a cucumber taped to the inside of his groin, to, ah make it appear he had a rather large organ."
"I would think that was clearly his intent, as it was a Friday evening."
- Whorton59
Revealing Clothes
"I’m assuming wearing tight shirts that show off muscles."
- RathGodofWar
Communication
"A certain look in their eye."
- Love2Ring
Insightful
"Male cleavage, dude!"
"It's the same, but different, but still the same!"
- Inkydex
Based on these comments, it seems women's desires are just as stereotypical as men's. Where men may want swimsuits and lingerie, women want a finely-trimmed suit or gray sweatpants.
Consumers these days are required to do some research before making a purchase on something they don't necessarily need.
But advertisers have upped their marketing strategies to persuade customers that they need certain products and that they are being offered them at a competitive rate.
Don't be fooled. There's a reason why the Latin phrase "caveat emptor" –Let the buyer beware– is commonly thrown around.
Not every product out there is life-changing.
Instead, they are nothing but a tactic to manipulate consumers to fork over their hard-earned cash willingly.
Curious to hear examples of this, Redditor Leather-College2557 asked:
"What's a famous product that is a complete scam?"
There is no shortcut to losing weight. But you'll never hear that from companies trying to sell you snake oil.
Fat Zapper
"Anything that claims to target the loss of fat from a specific area of your body."
– DarthDregan
They Just Promote Waste
"All of those weight loss teas influencers promoted a few years ago. They’re just laxatives."
– the-cosmic-kraken
Ad-dress-ing The Solution
"They pretty much have exactly one good use, emergency weight loss. Need to fit into your bridesmaid dress this weekend and the zipper won't close? Sh*t your brains out until it does. You're going to feel like sh*t and that weight is coming straight back as soon as you eat something, but hey at least you didn't have to get emergency dress alterations I guess?"
– JMEEKER86
Instruction materials for college have always been a rip-off.
Text Book Example
"Single-use access codes for college textbooks is pretty much racketeering."
– colonelsmoothie
Workarounds
"I stopped buying books. Anyone that says to buy them early is lying to you. No the store never runs out of books. If it’s one with a code you can literally just buy it online whenever you want and get full access with the code if those are needed."
"If it’s a class without a code I wouldn’t get the book till absolutely necessary and when I did it was an Amazon online rental. I’m not spending $200 on a book when I can spend $15 for 5 months of access to the book through the kindle app."
"Some classes you can get buy without even buying the book."
– micheal213
Exorbitant Prices
"Years ago, when I was in college, I spent like some insane amount of money on my books. Like over $1000 or something nuts. I had to walk to my car on the entire other side of campus. So I asked for a bag. Then they tried to charge me 10 dollars for a bag. I was so annoyed."
– BeerNcheesePlz
Online security can cost you. Is it worth it? These Redditors didn't think so.
No Protection For Being Fooled
"McAffee and Norton antivirus software."
– FriendlyFloyd7
Preying On The Elderly
"It didn't used to be, but now windows has built in software that is just as good."
"The real crime is Norton, scamming old folks into paying a yearly fee smh"
– Superb_Extension1751
They say these products are beneficial to your life. Don't fall for it.
Spill The Tea
"Herbalife... the shakes and 'teas' which aren't actually teas at all.. It's processed garbage that just so happens to have vitamins and protein added to it. Fake sweeteners, artificial dyes, yeah no thanks."
– cardinalcandy
Hear This
"Ear wax candles. Burn one not in an ear, and it still fills up with wax."
– JustSoHappy
I always thought nature was the biggest scammer of all.
Those huge bags of spinach leaves at the grocery store gives the illusion that you're set for your intake of vegetables if good for at least a couple of weeks.
But as soon as those spinach leaves–which actually retain lots of water–hit the pan when cooking, you'll find that the portion has dramatically reduced to a hundredth of its size.
I see you, spinach, and I don't like you for pulling a fast one on me.
People Break Down The Biggest Scandals In America That Most People Don't Know About
A big scandal has the potential to keep people talking till the end of time.
Even decades later, people are still endlessly fascinated by Watergate and Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
But not all scandals are as well remembered.
Indeed, even if the overall consequences were no less extreme, there are some scandals that never quite manage to earn a page in the history books.
Or, at the very least, a Ryan Murphy produced mini-series based on it.
"What is a massive American scandal that most people seem to not know about?"
$400 Billion?!?!?
"How about that time the major telecoms took over 400 BILLION dollars to install fiber optics in homes, schools and libraries across the entire country and just... diidn't?"
"The money was just reinvested in the companies to expand overseas and pay legal fees fighting against competitors with fiber plans and blocking future expansion."
"'Here is 400 billion dollars, please use it to give us all good internet'."
"'Ok'."
"'Hey, where's that high speed internet you were gonna put in?'"
"'Oh we decided that was way too expensive, it would cost like 400 billion and we just don't have the money'."
"Have this DSL instead over the existing network."- Horrific_Necktie
Just When You Think They Couldn't Get More Messed Up
"Operation Snow White, absolutely gonzo stuff."
"The Church of Scientology successfully infiltrated the government at high levels and purged records which were unfavorable to L. Ron Hubbard."- sancho___panza
"The church of Scientology blackmailed and threatened IRS people to get their tax exempt status."- Gaelir
stan marsh pictures GIF by South Park GiphyA Literal Train Wreck
"The Ohio train derailment and the decision to burn the spill releasing chlorine gas into the prevailing winds."- Naive-Background7461
What ISN'T A Scandal In American Politics
"In terms of political scandals that were major at the time but hardly remembered today:"
"The ABSCAM operation."
"The FBI set up a fake Arab investment company and offered various state and federal officials bribes to pass bills that would better enable their investment process."
"It led to the convictions of half a dozen Representatives and a Senator for bribery."
"The Keating Five."
"In 1989, in the midst of the Savings and Loan crisis, banker Charles Keating was charged with fraud and racketeering."
"During the investigation, five Senators to whom he'd donated substantial sums (including John Glenn and McCain) were accused of having pressured federal regulators to drop previous cases against Keating."
"The Senate Ethics Committee found that none of them had formally broken any laws, but found three of them were implicated enough to be formally censured."
"The House banking scandal."
"It was revealed that numerous Congressmen had been overdrawing their office accounts with zero financial accountability."
"It resulted in the convictions of three former Representatives and the House Sergeant-At-Arms for bribery and corruption."
"The Abramoff scandals."
"Jack Abramoff was a federal lobbyist, primarily involved in gambling and Indian tribal law, who was convicted of defrauding and over billing Indian tribal councils he was representing to the tunes of tens of millions of dollars."
"Investigations also revealed that he was giving unlicensed gifts to Congressmen, leading to a Representative being convicted of accepting bribes and the Deputy Secretary of the Interior being convicted of obstruction of justice."- AdmiralAkbar1
Voting United States GIF by Jimmy ArcaGiphyAn Ongoing Issue Which Needs To Be Fixed
"The absolute and cataclysmic FAILURE of the foster care system."- SunsetKittens
A Global Disaster
"The Dupont scandal."
"DuPont chemical dumped thousands of tons of chemical waste containing a long chained fluorocarbon also known as PFOA into waterways in Parkersburg, West Virginia."
"These chemicals were found to directly cause cancer and birth defects."
"Unfortunately the irresponsible disposal and manufacturing of this chemical didn't just effect America."
"Trace amounts of PFOAs can be found in virtually every single living creature on earth."- super_mega547
Dealing With Children Here!
"The for-profit juvenile detention system."
"Basically, judges in Pennsylvania were intentionally handing out harsher sentences because these for-profit juvenile prisons contributed to the judge's campaign ."
"In PA they elect their judges which blows my mind for this very reason but that's another story."- granweep
And Yet Woman Are Still Fighting For Control Of Their Own Bodies
"DES given to pregnant women from 1940 until 1971."
"It gave girls who were born after prenatal exposure a much higher risk of several cancers, including one cancer that no one else gets."
"It also causes an inability to carry pregnancies in some women who were exposed to it before birth."
"Boys born after exposure were cryptorchid and had a high rate of micro penis."
"There was a registry for these children so they could be tracked for medical needs and if other effects cropped up, but Congress did away with the registry."
"The changes that DES caused to gene expression are heritable, and it is now affecting DES granddaughters and great-granddaughters."
"While Congress has funded continuing research on effects, there is no registry anymore so no possibility that DES daughters will ever see any compensation."
"The FDA approved the drug for use in pregnant women based on a single non-blind study."- randomusername1919
Before You Take Another Sip
"The current and previous pollution of PFAS chemical compounds across our water systems."
"There has been reporting on it, but everyone I bring it up to hasn’t heard of it."- PM-me-your-tatas---
Kimmy Schmidt Drinking GIF by Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtGiphyAs If Global Warming Wasn't Bad Enough
"It is literally raining acid in Ohio right now."- Polengoldur
Overshadowed By The New Deal
"The business plot against FDR."
"Wall Street tried to lead a coup against sitting president FDR."- Reefermaniabruther
It's an unfortunate sign that the fact that all these scandals didn't cause much of a stir not because they were minor.
But simply because there were other, more glamorous scandals that overshadowed all of them.
Teachers have to deal with unruly students on a daily basis.
When stern words and warnings prove to be insufficient, they are often left with no other choice than to send them to the principal's office.
Usually, the reasons for sending them there are relatively minor, such as talking during class, passing notes, or causing a disruption.
Other times it's a bit more serious, such as bullying a classmate or making mean, insensitive remarks.
Then there are the times that can only be described as bizarre.
"Teachers of reddit, what is the craziest reason you have had to send a student to the office?"
Must Have Been One Epic Backpack...
"I’m a middle school teacher."
"I had a student sneak a gas cooker and his moms pork chops into school in a large backpack."
"He cooked pork chops for his friends at lunchtime, he was sent to the office for unsafe behavior, his mom was PISSED he took her pork chops she was preparing for dinner."- swanathonjon
At Least She Wasn't Faking It...
"I didn't send the student; she was from another room, but this really happened where I taught over 25 years ago."
"A girl was sick and the office phone was handed to her to tell her parents to come and get her."
"At least she was honest...because she puked right onto the phone, and it zapped the entire school's PA system somehow."
"This was using, of course, a land line."
"I can't tell you why the secretary didn't just do the talking for her."
"This was in around 1997, and I'm assuming the phone was even older than that, could've been from the '80s."
"The phone was a push-button model, so probably not older than that."
"You used that phone to access the PA, so I'm guessing the stomach acid fried some wires in there."
"Yuck!!"
"My room was across the hall from the office, and yes, we could definitely smell the vomit."
"Couldn't close the door fast enough."- 1989DiscGolfer
張敬軒 Vomit GIFGiphySo, So, Gross...
"A grade 1 student came up to me on the playground telling me another student was making her sick."
"She pointed to another student about 10 metres away, looked at me, and projectile puked on the blacktop."
"Went to the other student."
"He had found rabbit turds on the ground and stuck them in his mouth and was chasing kids around."
"I then puked."
"I didn't go to the office."
"But rabbit turd kid did."- mollymuppet78
Who Knew Teachers Had To Put Up With So Much Vomit?
"A student repeatedly getting on tables and singing Gucci Gang in the middle of class."
"Every. Day. For. Weeks."
"I have since left the profession."- CorieMcP
How Did He Even Get It?
"Kid was selling drugs."
"13 yrs old."
"Cops were involved."
"Had to go to court."
"Was a massive headache all around."- James_Is_Raging
One At Least Hopes She Cooked It?
"When my sister was a substitute teacher a kid ate the dead class fish."
"It was Monday so it might’ve been dead all weekend."- natsugrayerza
Adam Devine Bad Ideas GIF by The Roku ChannelGiphyOne Way Of Handling It...
"A new male student, year 4, gets mistaken by his classmates for being female (he had long shiny hair)."
"I’m guessing this wasn’t the first time this has happened, as he immediately jumped to the top of his desk, pulled out his junk, waved them out to everyone, yelling, ‘what the f*ck is this! I’m a boy, I’m a boy!'."- joelwhite313
Oh, The Innocence Of Children...
"A kid handed me a whole string of condoms in front of the class the day before spring break bc I was getting married over spring break."- m0992104
People Need To Think About Their Lies More Carefully
"It was the second day of my first year teaching (5th grade)."
"A student refused to do a writing assignment because she said she forgot how to write in English."
"When I asked what language she knew how to write in, she said, 'I only know Japanese'."
"Listen, it is plausible a student at my school would be proficient in writing in Japanese."
"HOWEVER, I had already seen her files."
"The likelihood that she knew was fluent in Japanese was a bit far-fetched."
"She eventually told me she also speaks Japanese, so I called her out by asking her to say, 'I don't want to come to school today' using her newfound foreign language skills."
"This 11 year old LITERALLY responded with, 'Ching chang chong!'"
"I sent her to the dean's office for refusing to work and man, OH MAN, did it work out perfectly."
"She sat down with the dean who tried to pry more information from this student."
"Only for the dean to explain to the student she herself is half Japanese and attended school in Japan."
"I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when the student heard the dean speaking ACTUAL Japanese to test the students' knowledge of the language."
"The student eventually said she only knew a few Japanese words, which devolved into her admitting the entire story was a lie to get out of doing an assignment."
"On the second day of school."
"And lies like this went on allllllllllll year long."
"So many hilarious, yet equally sad, stories from that year that I still laugh at eight years later."- 8MCM1
Schitts Creek What GIF by CBCGiphyGoing To The Principal's Office Isn't Always A Bad Thing...
"Not a teacher, but my dad was a bus driver, and one day, this kid gets on the bus, sprinting, and nearly knocks himself out on the chair."
"When my dad goes over to see what's happened, he realizes the kid had no pants on."
"The mother, who drove off in her car extremely quickly, had literally sent this poor kid to school with no pants on."
"My dad got a student he knew really well to sit next to this kid and comfort him, and also make sure everyone else wasn't a**holes."
"My dad, when he finally got to the school, walked this kid into the office and asked for a spare pair of pants."
"Poor kid."
"That mother was an a**hole."- bananaboy65
6th Grade?!
"We were doing sketch comedy in 6th grade a few years back and seeing as it was a nice day we went outside to practice."
"From across the field I see one of my students very clearly and aggressively trying to put his junk on a prone classmate."
"When I asked him, he said it was for his sketch and he was playing a character named 'the iron teabag'."
"The best was the follow up text from my boss saying 'I had to Google what teabagging was before I met with the kid'."- Beirsed1985
Misguided Chivalry
"Kid shows up to class 10-15 minutes late to a 40-minute period."
"7th grade."
"Shawn: 'Sorry Ms. G I was in a bad mood and I didn’t want to bring it to class'.”
"Me: 'Hi Shawn, I will still have to count you tardy. You’re extremely late and I need to know where you are for safety reasons. In the future there’s a counselor request form on my GoogleClassroom page you can fill out'.”
"Shawn: 'Okay thanks'."
"Things went normally for about 10 minutes, until another student shot a rubber band."
"It didn’t hit anyone but Shawn decided to take justice into his own hands."
"In the middle of me giving instruction he gets up, walks slowly across the room (I assumed for a tissue) and smacks the other student across the face."- Pretend_Dog_2253
In truth, being sent to the principal's office is fairly easily avoided.
So much so, that in some of these cases, one almost wants to give them props for creativity.