Family members may think they know everything about you. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Parents especially have an idea of who you are based on their observations of watching you grow up
But just because blood is thicker than water, it doesn't mean they can easily relate to you.
Curious to explore family relationships, Redditor Belle_Artist_Jade asked:
"People of reddit, what is one thing your family will never understand about you?"
Being anti-social with family doesn't necessarily mean there's resentment.
Personal Space
"My desire to be left alone, I love solitude."
– Jimmy_Graphite
Setting Boundaries
"That having boundaries doesn't mean I don't care or love you. They are there for a reason because of how I was treated growing up, but I still want you in my life despite everything. Boundaries are not walls, they are bridges for you to maintain a relationship with me in a way that allows us to respect each other."
– theoriginalsmore
Not Trustworthy
"This is my parents but they assume I'm private and never tell anybody what's going on in my life. Nope, I just figured out around 30 that I can't trust either of you enough to confide in you. One of you is judgy and wants to advise on 'fixing' any problem I mention, no matter how small or unrelated to me, and the other files tidbits away to use against me in arguments in the future. So yeah, it's just you two."
– overcompliKate
Here's A Thought
"I don’t know who said this but it’s on the wall at my therapist’s office: 'Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and myself simultaneously.'”
– TreeOfLight
These Redditors don't have an identity crisis. They just happen to be more comfortable around friends.
Different Personality
"That I'm not always as quiet and boring as I am when I'm around them. It's just that they're so judgy and hateful of everyone and it makes me uncomfortable. So I don't behave the same around them as I do with my friends, etc."
– Anticyclonic_Comrade
Avoiding Conflict
"Same. I’m 17 and they complain that I don’t talk to them anymore. I stopped talking to them because almost every time I do, they start a huge argument for no reason. So I basically just talk about what I have to talk to them about and in the most monotone voice I can."
– theacethree
Highly Suspicious Folks
"That I've literally never done anything that they've accused me of over the years. And now they don't understand why I don't like to be around them. Being the family scapegoat is a pain in the a**. It makes me sad."
– F'k_you_Reddit_Nazi
I'm Not Boring
"I so get you! My family has always been judgmental of my 'introvertedness' to the point that I'm anxious and can't be my normal self around them. This makes me boring in their eyes which makes them judge/lecture me more."
"It's a horrible cycle."
– Confused_Citron
"It Wasn't All Sunshine And Flowers"
"My mom doesn't understand why I'm so different than when I was a child. Why I don't smile so often anymore."
"Well, I stopped hiding my emotions. I don't know how to tell them that no, it wasn't all sunshine and flowers when I was young even if they loved me and raised me well."
"They f'ked up things, and it shaped me. Not always in a good way."
– Kanlhan
Just because they're your parents, it doesn't mean they're always right.
Learning By Example
"That the reason I have found success, both personal and financial, in life is because I watched them for years and do the exact opposite. Bad part is that they seem to reward and normalize bad decisions."
– gimme3strokes
The Successful Sibling
"It's so frustrating being the only sibling to pull themselves out of poverty when your parents are like that, because my parents simultaneously act like they know everything and override advice that I give my siblings, while also telling them to ask me because they haven't touched X in 2 decades.They take pride in the fact that I'm considered successful, but nobody learns from anything that I've done to pull themselves out - instead they spend every dollar that hits their account, burn bridges with their ego, and stay loyal to the wrong people."
– bumblingbirdy
The Passionate Traveler
"Not all of my family do, but some think it’s very weird and a bad thing that I’m prioritizing travel and seeing the world while I’m young(ish). Left the US for the first time at 19, I’m 28 now and have been to 44 countries and 38 US states. I’ve worked my butt off, saved up, then travelled. Have done that 2 times now. Currently working hard again in preparation for my next trip."
"They all tell me to work now and travel when I’m retired. In the year before covid I backpacked asia, rode a motorcycle through 14 European countries, and lived out of a van in New Zealand. I don’t think I’d enjoy those things as much when I’m 65!"
– dr_moonshot
Redditors with medical conditions talk about their frustrations.
Illness
"That I have young onset Parkinson's disease. They don't get that I can't write or balance things. Despite scans and specialists, they think I'm too young (36M). They keep telling me to breathe and it'll all be fixed."
– last_alchemyst
The Ringing
"Kinda depressing, but just how painful the ringing in my ears are."
– Gamma_Burst1298
Sonic Assault
"That I don't always want to wear my hearing aids. It's exhausting to constantly hear sounds you normally never hear/understand."
– Ok-World-4822
Parents may think they got you pegged, when in fact, there's a lot they can learn about you.
And that depends on how much you want to open up to them and if they're subsequently willing to understand you on a deeper level.
This also makes me wonder–are there things about your family you just never understood? And are you willing to bridge that gap?
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Companies and products rebrand for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes they want to revitalize a dying brand.
Or stay fresh and modern.
Other times they're trying to put a negative public image in their rear view mirror.
And sometimes, someone somewhere in a company has low impulse control.
Anyway...
Reddit user PulakHasan asked:
"What's the Weirdest Rebranding of all time?"
Weight Watchers
"Weight Watchers abbreviated their name down to 'WW' and in doing so, increased the syllables needed to pronounce their new company name."
~ hambone10
"You burn more calories uttering the extra syllables."
~ jungl3j1m
waitr
"Waitr was an extremely successful delivery service here. They had full time employees and you could get food delivered in 30-45 minutes."
"Then, they made everybody an independent contractor and started calling themselves ASAP."
"'As slow as possible' caught on and they lost the majority market share within a month."
~ bravesgeek
GiphyHBO
"I still don’t understand HBO dropping probably the most prestigious name in cable tv/streaming."
~ stoneman9284
"Right?! Also it literally means Home Box Office - that’s the best name for a streaming service????"
~ oreos_in_milk
Nordic Choice Hotels
"Nordic Choice Hotels rebranded to 'Strawberry'."
"They have to mention their old name all the time, because Strawberry could be absolutely anything."
"If only it were 'Strawberry Hotels' but it's not. It's just Strawberry."
"They removed the part that explains what kind of business it is."
"Madness."
~ WoodSheepClayWheat
GiphyUSWest
"USWest-->Qwest-->CenturyLink-->Lumen I don’t care what your name is."
"Can I have more than 10mbps DSL at my address?"
~ Trickycoolj
"In Europe, and it's now Level3--> Centurylink--> Lumen--> Colt."
"I'm sure they rename in the hope people forget the incompetence."
~ ConsciousValence
"My mom has worked for them since 1977 when they were Northwestern Bell."
"She's been through a billion name changes."
~ CorporalBB
Circuit City IQ Crew
"Circuit City rebranding their PC technician division from IQ Crew (which predated Geek Squad, by the way) to..."
"Firedog."
"I worked at a Circuit City from 2005-2008 and we all thought it was a prank when we saw the announcement."
"'The intensity of fire with the loyalty of man's best friend'."
"I sh*t you not—that was the marketing."
~ Tiberius_Jim
GiphyBritish Petroleum
"When after a major oil spill, BP changed their branding to Beyond Petroleum for an ad campaign showing how they were investing in renewables."
"Logo change too."
~ RandomAmuserNew
"An oil spilled followed by a huge effort to cover it up, including dumping Corexit into the water to mix with the oil and make it sink."
"So it was no longer visible from aerial shots, but it did far, far more damage mixed with a dangerous chemical and sitting on the sea floor than slowly evaporating or being soaked up on the surface."
~ LurkerOrHydralisk
Amoco
"When BP purchased Amoco, they quickly rebranded all the stations to BP."
"Not sure if it is everywhere but Amoco had a lot of brand recognition in the Midwest and a lot of people just didn’t like BP."
"Eventually, they started rebranding some of their stations back to Amoco to cash in on nostalgia."
"I always thought it was dumb but never realized that so many people hated it until after I worked for BP (very briefly) and was told the story of how much pushback they got."
~ anitabelle
British Petroleum (BP Oil)/Paul Sableman
Overstock.com
"Overstock.com I think qualifies for weird rebrand."
"Bed Bath and Beyond went out of business and was bought out by Overstock and then Overstock just rebranded everything to Bed Bath and Beyond."
"If you go to overstock.com it’s just BBB."
~ WhatsABuckland
Snoop Dogg
"When Snoop Dogg (temporarily) changed his name to Snoop Lion to make a reggae album."
~ RomanOnARiver
"Snoop’s original name on Death Row was 'Snoop Doggy Dogg'. When he left Death Row and went to No Limit, he had to alter his name (which might have been his original name) to 'Snoop Dogg'."
~ GotMoFans
"Snoop’s mother used to call him Snoopy as a nickname which is the origin."
~ OpanaMan
"The Charles Schulz people would have had a field day."
~ GotMoFans
GiphyBooks-A-Million
"Books-A-Million to 'BAM'."
"I was in a parking lot with one and had no idea it was a bookstore, as I was a bit too far out to see more than 'BAM' from where I was parked."
~ lynnyfox
KIA
"Everytime I see the new KIA logo I assume its a NIN [Nine Inch Nails] fan."
~ vinyalwhl
"I thought it was KN for an embarrassingly long time."
~ VulfSki
"KIA changed their logo on their cars and Google showed an uptick in the searches for 'K N cars' because people liked the look of them but didn’t realise it was a KIA."
~ User_Deleted_Content
Mark Chan on Unsplash
Royal Mail
"Royal Mail deciding Consignia was the way to go forwards."
~ PonITdude
"They wanted to go international but they lost so much money that year they had to stay national and reversed the name back."
~ ShinyHead0
"Twitter to X."
~ sandiercy
"And then everyone still refers to it as Twitter."
~ Safety_Drance
"'A user on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted…'.”
~ tommyk1210
"Rather like to see 'A user on Twitter, erroneously known as X, posted...'."
~ SagittaryX
"'A user on twitter, largely unknown as X, posted...'."
~ Pinksters
"A few days ago, I saw an article that said 'Twitter, which Elon Musk incorrectly thinks is called X for some reason...'."
"That was pretty funny."
~ temalyen
GiphyCity Landmarks
"In Chicago we still call it the Sears Tower [renamed Willis Tower in 2009]."
~ baccus83
"And in Pittsburgh, it’s still Heinz Field [renamed Acrisure Stadium in 2022]."
~ NoVaBurgher
"And in Toronto, it’s still the Skydome [renamed Rogers Centre in 2005]."
~ nonanarchist
"And in New York when you take 287 across the Hudson it's still the Tappan Zee Bridge [renamed Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in 2017]. "
~ keytarin
"A lot of LA people still call it Staples Center [renamed Crypto.com Arena in 2021]."
~ New_Simple_4531
"In Denver we will always say Mile High Stadium [renamed Empower Field at Mile High in 2019]."
~ SheBrokeHerCoccyx
Some rebrandings make perfect sense to the public.
Others are utterly baffling.
What would you add to this list?
Reddit user b-secret asked:
"What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever Googled?"
How Much?
"what's the alcohol percentage in 70% rubbing alcohol?"
~ LightsJusticeZ
"55% alcohol, 15% rubbing"
~ FishOfFishyness
Who?
"I Googled my work because I couldn’t remember my boss’ name after working there for 8 months."
"I just blanked and couldn’t think of it."
~ HCxTC
Spellcheck
"I Google how to spell restaurant all the time."
~ ParkOk6450
"I'm like that but with Febuary."
"EDIT: February"
~ NeoNero_x
"I go into incognito mode to check spellings of words I should know how to spell."
~ LordCaptain
GiphyUm, No.
"I was trying to find the name of those signs where a word is written down the side and each letter is used for a descriptive word."
"Confusing I know."
"So here’s an example: False Evidence Appearing Real"
"I know it has to have a name. So I googled 'Sign where every word starts with a letter' and Goggle responded with 'Did you mean a sentence?'.”
~ Team_Lift
Looks Like...
"Googled green beans once, was super high and forgot what they looked like."
~ testies2345
"I did the same thing with beets."
~ Jjetsk1_blows
Gaby Yerden on Unsplash
That Movie, With the Guy and the Stuff...
"I'll forget the name of a movie and just type in random sh*t I think I remember. Usually it works."
"Like 'that movie where the kid sleeps and has weird dreams and flies on a bed'."
"Works like a charm."
~ fohsupreme
Did They Have Blue Feet?
"big boobies"
"I was only 10."
"I was surprised to find some."
~ PoopPower99
"I’m 39 and I Google this every day."
~ dekkact
"They're nice birds but are they really worth Googling everyday?"
~ redwolf1219
Blue-Footed Boobies
GiphyPredictive Text
"I used to search something like 'no clothes' or 'without clothes' or something like that when I was a kid."
"Then I learnt the word NAKED because of the TV show Naked and Afraid."
"Then searched it so many times that my autocorrect started to show that word first when I wanted to type something."
~ sniper8207
NSF...S?
"My favorite band growing up was 'The Barenaked Ladies'."
"When I was at school, I once Googled them and clicked on a link that said 'free shows!'."
~ BW_Bird
Good Description
"I forgot what a 'gondola' was called so I typed in 'Thing that carries you through the mountains in a basket'."
~ TheGreatJaceyGee
"I once forgot the word for 'door' so my brain reached for adjacent concepts, smashed them together and threw them out my mouth: 'house portal'."
~ Tail_Nom
GiphyIt Just Doesn't Translate
"I have to search a random word 'auf Englisch' or a random word 'auf Deutsch'."
"Every damn day."
"It took me a minute to realize that there was no way to translate Schadenfreude into English."
~ grammar_fixer_2
Ah, Memories...
"I found out that as long as you're logged into Google, all your searches are saved to your Google account (I'm not talking about browser history)."
"So I looked back, and the 1st thing I ever googled after getting a Google account was 'Can ducks fly'."
"I've no idea why I googled this. I know ducks can fly."
~ caca__milis
GiphyYou Ate What‽‽
"Once I was with some friends and I was telling them about how when I was a kid we only got to eat nuts as a special treat around Christmas."
"Then I mentioned how much I liked squirrel nuts and no one knew what they were. So I Googled 'squirrel nuts' with image search."
"Not at all what we ate at Christmas time."
"Finally found out what my family called 'squirrel nuts' were actually called hazelnuts."
~ 123fofisix
100% NSFW
"A few years ago my coworker and I were looking at the calendar at work. It had pictures of birds and we were trying to figure out what kind of bird was pictured for that month."
"I can’t remember what she thought it was, but I darned sure it was a Great Tit."
"We have a great relationship and have been working together for a long time but we tend to argue like an old married couple. So we went to Mr Google for the answer."
"Let me tell you that Googling Great Tit at work isn’t something I will ever do again."
"For the record, I was right. The bird was a Great Tit."
~ pi11bott
Great Tit holds an insect in its beak
A Perry on Unsplash
Hope some of these folks remembered to clear their browser and search histories.
So, what's your hilarious—or embarrassing—little Google secret search?