School is a lot of things: It can be fun. It can be educational. It can be rewarding.
It can also be ridiculous. Dumb punishments are a thing, people. (I remember receiving several days' worth of detention for not having a hall pass, myself.)
Today's burning question came from Redditor Southsidevixen, who asked the online community: "People of Reddit, what was the dumbest thing you got punished for in school?"
Let's just say it's amazing how brazen some of these teachers are!
"I was suspended for three days..."
In 7th grade I found a notebook in the hallway and turned it in to my teacher. I was suspended for three days because there was a drawing of a centaur holding a pitchfork and they deemed that as gang related(!?!?!). This is in Atlanta, so, no gangs matching that description here.
"Was in the bathroom stall..."
Elementary school. Was in the bathroom stall taking a dump during lunch. Someone runs in and starts kicking all the stall doors in to where it becomes a pain for kids my age (at the time, obviously) to open them. Kerblam, door swings in toward me just a bit and gets stuck. I'm trying my best to get the damn door open to no avail. Don't remember how long I was in there alone just crying, but one of the lunch aides comes to lock the door to the bathroom for the day, hears me, gets me out of there, then proceeds to yell at me for being in the bathroom at that time. She goes so far as to take me to the office to have my mother called in, which they do instead of letting me explain myself. When she shows up and I explain myself to her, she gets irate and tears everyone in the school office a new one.
No matter what I did from then on, I never had my mother called while I was there.
"We got 25 questions for homework."
We got 25 questions for homework. I did 24 questions but didn't understand question 25, the teacher gave me "20 lines signed by my parents" for not doing my homework.
"Flipped the monitor screen..."
Flipped the monitor screen upside down (CTRL + ALT + Arrow Key), got banned from using any school computer for the rest of the year.
"One of my teachers..."
One time my best friend at the time and I (both female) exchanged a hug at recess because we were in different classes. One of my teachers sent us "to the wall" where we had to stand for 30 minutes alone, because she claimed by hugging we were trying to turn on our male friends. We were in grade 6.
"In 6th grade the teacher ripped up my assignment..."
In 6th grade the teacher ripped up my assignment in front of the class and gave me detention because I didn't wait until I was home to do my "homework."
"My teacher bent down and whispered..."
8th Grade. Our school had a weird layout where you had to walk through classrooms to get to another classroom. As I was passing through one, I was telling my friend how this new video game is "Freakin' Awesome!"
Teacher pulls me aside and asks what I said. I told her I said it was "Freakin' Awesome" and she scolded me for using a substitute for a bad word. What.... dis aint even my teacher and she's telling me I can't use a substitute? I asked her, "What about darn or heck? Aren't though they technically substitutes?"
She got all red in the face and huffy and said, "GO TO THE PRINCIPAL'S RIGHT NOW FOR TALKING BACK!" I told her I would be late for class which is right through that door! She didn't appreciate the added defiance and grabbed my bicep and dragged me into the classroom. She told my teacher what I said and yelled, "Discipline him however you feel is necessary." My teacher nodded and she huffed out of the room.
My teacher bent down and whispered that she gets grouchy in the mornings. Just be careful what I say when I pass her and that was that.
"They said I needed a hall pass."
Trying to go to the library during lunch.
They said I needed a hall pass. Fine, I went and got one. Then they were upset because the hall pass didn't have an "end" time on it, but the teacher who gave me the pass was the same class I'd return to after lunch (it was a split period class) ... and when I tried to show them my schedule to prove that they sent me to the principal's office for "insubordination". I just wanted to do some research for a paper!
Joke's on them, that teacher ended up just giving me several pre-signed passes because in his words "that is just really dumb."
"One day after a weekly assembly..."
My school forbid students from dyeing their hair. One day after a weekly assembly, they decided to do a spot check. No socks? Punished. No school badge on your breast pocket? Punished. See my hair is black. But when exposed under the sun, it turns dirt brown. They did a spot check under the sun that day and guess who got punished for "dyeing their hair". This was 10 years ago.
"I was in math class..."
Yawning.
I was in math class and while the teacher was doing a problem, I yawned. Not loudly, not exaggeratedly. I just covered my mouth and did a silent yawn.
Teacher saw and literally stopped teaching and stared me down. I turned red and just sat there and she squared her shoulders and said, "since you aren't going to apologize for disrespecting me, you can get out of my classroom. It's too boring here anyways for you, I suppose". I was confused and asked why and she said, "you're just too smart to be here, so get out".
I went to the office and couldn't tell them why I was in trouble. When the teacher called down she said I yawned and looked bored. The principal wasn't very happy with her reason and scolded her before sending me back to class but still. What the f*ck?
"There were these two sisters..."
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There were these two sisters who bullied me and my best friend for months, we went to the principal many times and nothing was ever done about it. One day they were following us around after school talking sh*t and finally I turned around and said something along the lines of them being fat and to leave us alone (I know it's a sh*tty comeback especially compared to all the things they were saying but whatever) My friend went home and minutes later they jumped me from behind in the main lobby and I got a two day suspension for instigating the "fight."
"There was this terrible teacher..."
For answering a question incorrectly.
There was this terrible teacher who would make you stand up in the class and say "I'm a twit" if you answered the question she asked you wrong. It's a terrible thing to instil in kids, to be afraid to make a mistake and to attempt to humiliate them for trying.
"I was forced to write the two boys..."
Getting beat up by two other kids in the bathroom.
When I was in 5th grade, we were doing our end of year testing, so we were supposed to be well behaved and serious. They gave us a bathroom break, so a large group of boys all went. When I came out of the stall, one kid grabbed me from behind and held my arms behind my back, and another kid kept punching me in the stomach and chest. My teacher came storming in, everyone dispersed, and she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me back to class.
I was forced to write the two boys, who beat ME up, an apology letter. She threatened to "have me expelled from the entire school district" if I didn't, and never gave me the chance to explain myself. Me being a 5th grader, I thought I had to listen to her, and I was always too afraid to tell my parents out of fear of getting in trouble. The two boys never got in trouble, I was the only one who did, and I was never allowed to explain my side of the story.
"I'd shave in the morning..."
Not shaving (Catholic school). Boys had to be clean shaven every day.
I'm Greek. The company that makes brillo pads pays us royalties.
I'd shave in the morning and have a five o'clock shadow by 10am. Shortly after lunch I had legit stubble.
Two detentions and a forced dry shaving before I went in one morning, presented myself to the Dean of Students to show how nice and cleanly shaven I was and then reported back after lunch with an almost beard.
Punishments stopped after that. I don't know what I would have done if the DOS had left the school before graduation. I guess go through it all over again.
You say Fish?
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I was around 8 at the time, sitting in our school assembly, with everyone singing Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. Little me thinking I was hilarious, sang out "used to laugh and call him names, like fish face," and then laughed at my amazing wit. My teacher instantly gave me daggers, and tells me I have after school detention. So I'm annoyed sitting in detention, forced to write out the lyrics to the song over and over, thinking wow this woman is passionate about Rudolf. After 45min i mustered up the courage to ask what's so bad about saying "fish face," as it turns out she thought I said "f**k face." Still had to stay in detention for another half hour. who_datboi
It's not the Same....
5th or 6th grade, I told a friend i liked a girl or had a crush on this girl, he wrote her a love letter signed my name and slid it in her locker. The next morning i got called to the office my teacher was there, with another teacher holding the note, asked me why i done this. I didn't do that I said, they got my notebook to compare the handwriting, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT but they insisted it was identical, I gave up after about 30 minutes and accepted my punishment of 1 day lunch detention (eat lunch alone) whatever... 2 days later i found out who did it... ha ha ha good times. tedstone
Don't Shoot!
I was into serial killers as a teen. In a "it's interesting how the human brain works" kind of way. Someone mentioned a rather famous one, randomly, while we were on break in a class. I said "oh yeah he's super interesting" went into no details. The teacher says "who is that you're talking about?" I said "oh, he was a serial killer, known for killing young boys." Boom. Trouble. Name written on the board as a trouble maker, sent to the principal's office.
I was also sent to the office by the same teacher because a new student was threatening to shoot me in the head. After she verbally threatened me for awhile she started making shooting motions with her hands when the teacher wasn't looking. Finally i said to her "stop threatening to shoot me!" And yep, said the word "shoot" so I got sent to the office. My explanations didn't matter to them. Rainingcatsnstuff
You're Wrong Dear....
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One time my teacher was explaining a math problem on the board and she made an arithmetic mistake. I raised my hand and pointed out the mistake and she looked at her notes and verified that she had transcribed it correctly. I tried to argue that just because it's written in her notes doesn't mean it's correct and that she should investigate here and now. Unfortunately I was just a kid and couldn't explain that very well. She thought I was being rude and sent me into the hall. RRuruurrr
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.