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Hairdressers Reveal What Everyone Should Know About Their Hair

Hairdressers Reveal What Everyone Should Know About Their Hair
Stevica Mrdja / EyeEm/ Getty Images

It can't be easy to be a hairdresser, stylist, or a barber. Clients can come in demanding the most fabulous hairstyles, and it's your job to tell them what they have sitting on their noggin can't be done up to look like the image of a celebrity they showed you on their phone. Everyone's different, but there's some good general rules to follow.


Reddit user, u/Palludane, wanted the deep dish on your follicles when they asked:

Hairdressers of reddit, what should everyone know about their hair?

Understand Their Position

I just want to know what to do if I want anything besides a trim or a crew cut. The few times I've tried to get something moderately styled, they had no idea what I was talking about, even if I showed them pictures. Honestly, I just have no idea what to really tell them either.

Any advice?

TechnicalDrift

Did you go to a barber and ask this? In my experience barbers tend to just cut hair, not exactly style it. What I have noticed is that there are many people who think a hair stylist and a barber is the same thing. I work in a hair salon and the head hair stylist has done many men's styles before.

Bylahgo

Get The Right Tools

Giphy

Learn how to properly use a round brush. I'm sick of people getting them stuck because they don't know what to do.

Also product isn't an option, especially when using thermal tools. It's necessary.

astrokhajiit

Regarding Color...

Don't box dye.

PM_ME_10M_FIREFLIES

Also professional dye jobs are expensive. Stop expecting to get your 3 ft. Long hair dyed entirely a different color for $50.

PostIronicTransHuman

Respect The Game. Respect The Price.

You should know that cutting three dimensional shapes into moving structures on three dimensional surfaces, none of which are ever truly symmetrical or the same as others, having had less than 5 minutes to even look at the texture, quantity, arrangement and distribution of said structures is F-CKING COMPLICATED and should be much more respected as a trade than it is.

I got a degree then later went back to hair school and the level of applied technical science is vastly underrated by the general public. Not even touching on the kind of Sherlockian sleuthery required to deduce the hair chemical history and predict accurate outcomes with bespoke mixtures of chemicals to match photographs of unknown origin, print quality, or photographic truth on completely other heads of hair.....

Basically I'm saying be good to your hairdresser and don't stress them out while they work, and appreciate and reward what they do for you and if you are already - stop being cheap.

fairiestoldmeto

Get That Coconut All Up In There

Most hair products contain some amount of alcohol. Alcohol will dry your hair and make it weak. If you use hair products that contain alcohol you have to rehydrate your hair. I would recommend coconut oil, almond oil, black seed oil, or cocoa butter.

AlphaHelix007

Curly Q

As a dude with curls that dry out quick and if I don't use pomade or some sort of product my curls get frizzie, what would you suggest? I've always wanted to style my curls but I don't know how. They stick up naturally instead of lying down.

What am I doing wrong?

WritingScreen

Figure out your curl pattern type (3a, 4c, etc), don't wash too much, experiment a bit to find your best conditioner (based on your curl type!!) dry with a t shirt not a towel (and scrunch the water out gently!!). I use a curl creme (inexpensive) instead of pomade which cuts down on frizz and encourages curls without....crunch. Also if you can....silk pillowcases. I swear.

commieblairwaldorf

No One Likes Snow On Their Shoulders

Wtf do I do for dandruff? I'm tired of this sh-t 😂

kat5kind

Hibiclens aka chlorhexidine 5% soap will do it. Leave it on 5 mins. Keep out of eyes and ears. It is drying. Do it 2x a week.

ChucklesManson

Purple To Help The Blonde

For Bleach Blondes: to keep orange tones and awful "yellow" colour off your head, use Purple shampoo. Start with regular shampoo, then go in with a purple shampoo, leave in for a couple of minutes, and then rinse and condition.

The purple counter-acts yellow and orange and will go back to a lighter blonde. The longer you leave the purple in, it will go silver and then purple on lighter hair. This can have a cool effect or go badly so use slowly and steadily depending on each brand.

Do not leave in over night, I stupidly fell asleep with it in when I was a teenager and woke up to purple hair. That was fun.

OllieAlleOllio

Can't Do It In One Go

was previously a hairdresser and my sister still is.If you are wanting to dye your hair blonde from a really dark colour please do it in stages over a couple of months.like gradually dying your hair a ligher and lighter brown until you are readly for the bleach.

My sister is always complaining to me about people with very dark hair booking 1 appointment for platinum blonde.they alwasy just insist on straight bleaching but bleach on dark hair goes orange.

bumblebuzz94

Instagram Is Not Real Life

Hairdresser of 12+ years here!

1. Adjust your expectations. Whatever you're looking at as inspo on Insta probably was done by a celeb stylist who charged $800+ for a day-long session. It's also probably edited and 'shopped for likes. This is a huge problem in the industry because a client just sees the before and after and assumes it's done in one 2-hour regular hair appointment. Transparency is important!!

2. We really do love what we do and want you to be happy. If you're not happy, just let us know so we can fix it. It is much better, for the most part, to see the same stylist to fix it. They know your hair history already and can make the most informed decisions. Stylist-hopping means each person is starting from scratch and you will keep paying more and more money for a re-do that is less likely to succeed

3. Old people can grow mold behind their ears. Hygiene is important!

4.Professional retail products are totally worth the price -- but if you can't afford it, Sally's is your next best bet.

dietcokepizzaplease

We're Like Doctors. For Your Hair. Just Be Honest.

When your stylist asks you what you have put on your hair, BE HONEST. We ask because we want to protect the integrity of your hair not because we want to gripe at you.

Also, black to Blonde in one appointment is not going to happen. EVER. And it's going to be expensive.

Edit: hairstylist 17 years.

lostbg

Seriously. Honesty.

I really hope someone sees this and has an answer

Hairdressers, how do I politely say I don't want to talk while getting my hair cut?? It's seriously my main stressor when it comes to getting a hair cut to the point where I just won't get one for a long time just to avoid the small talk I need to endure. How do I politely say that I want to just read a magazine or something???

christineteigen

Just say it! "I hope you don't mind, but is it alright if we skip the chat? I'd like to take this time to relax/read/enjoy the quiet." Of course you'll need to tell them what you want, but after that, it should be fine. Some stylists are also more quiet and reserved but feel compelled to talk, as that's the norm (ie, me). It could be a very welcome change for them!

dietcokepizzaplease

Hey Curly! Here's A Checklist!

PEOPLE WITH CURLY HAIR

  • Water Is you friend. Drink. Put in you hair. It is your FIRST AND PRIMARY MOISTURIZER.
  • Other products as Cream, Leave-ins are Oils are moisturizer/sealers for the water that's already in your hair so it doesn't dry and break. I use the LCO Method. Water - Leave in to seal water - Cream to seal Leave In and Oil to Seal the Cream. But it could be as simple as Water and Oils.
  • GOOGLE PROTECTIVE STYLES. Start to learn how to braid your hair.
  • Use a Satin Scarf/pillowcase when you sleep. It's a f-cking life saver.
  • Stretching your hair is a good method to avoid single strand knots because you are stretching your curl patterns and we all know, more curls = more knots.
  • DEEP CONDITIONERS ARE IMPORTANT.
  • Detangle is a hard process and annoying but it is important to be gentle with your hair at this moment so don't do it when they are dry and don't do it when you are tired !
  • FOCUS on your ENDS when you apply products. They are the oldest part of your hair and you want to treat them good.
  • CUT YOUR ENDS. DEAD ENDS ARE DEAD AND THEY WILL JUST BREAK YOUR HAIR MORE JUST SNIP SNIP THEM.
  • DRINK WATER, USE WATER, BE WATER
  • SHOW YOUR CROWN AND BE PROUD OF IT. (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

YukiSamaAnime

Monitor The Product

I've certainly heard about not washing every day, but what if you use a styling product? Seems like if you're going several days just water rinsing and adding more product, things would get funky.

spiderborland

Are you a guy/ do you have short hair?

If your product is water-based (water being the first ingredient) it'll come out with just water.

If it's oil based, that's another story.

HabitualSnubnose

A Rapid-Fire List...

So my wife is a stylist and I'm going to list the things she rages about when people f-ck up their hair.

  1. Box color was invented by an evil wizard who only wants to f-ck up your hair.
  2. If you have dark hair and want to go light, it's going to take a while. To look good it's going to take several visits. Roots apparently are different. If you get your hair blond, taking care of the roots can be done in one visit.
  3. Sit f-cking still. You are only f-cking up your hair.

DrProfessorSatan

...And A Few More For The Road

Giphy

Hairdresser: a couple things,

1. Don't wash your hair every day. Super important. If you can go 3-5 days that's ideal. It takes time for your scalp to adjust and every scalp is different, but for most people you need to allow the natural oils that your head produces to travel down the hair. It really helps keep your hair healthier longer.

2. Product DOES matter, things like sulfates and parabens completely strip your hair, making the cuticle more exposed and therefore more frizzy and damaged.

3. Always always used a heat protectant if you're putting any heat on your head. This really makes a difference, long term heat use is incredibly damaging. From the moment your hair grows out of your head, it will only get more damaged.

4. Trim your damn hair! As I said above, you can take the absolute best care of your hair, and hair that is 3-4 years old or older is always going to need a trim. It's [exposure] to you just living your life is damage enough for it to warrant a trim. Don't wait because you want it longgg, it will break off and that's not going to help you in the long run.

5. Men: WASH AND CONDITION your beards! It's hair, it collects dirt and oil just like our scalp but it's also on your face. Condition helps the coarseness of the beard hair feel much softer, you can use any products on it you use on your scalp, unless you have very sensitive skin, then I would use something recommended for beards specifically!

curiouswritten

Are you a hairdresser with helpful information about our hair? Share it with us!

People Explain Which Luxury Foods They Just Don't Get

Reddit user LocalInactivist asked: 'What’s a luxury food you just don’t get?'

No matter how we might feel about living luxuriously or practicing smart money management, we all have something we like to splurge on from time to time.

And while some of us really enjoy splurging on food, we also can agree on the things we don't feel are worth splurging on.

Redditor LocalInactivist asked:

"What's a luxury food you just don't get?"

Gold Leaf... Anything

"Gold flakes/powder on whatever food of the day is au current."

- ConstantReader70

"You're paying a lot of money to crap gold."

- draggar

Violent Soup

"Shark fin soup. It's a nice broth, but the atrocities committed are hardly worth it."

- human_male_123

Questionable Mincing Choices

"Wagyu burgers / snags / mince products. Marbling doesn’t matter anymore if you’re mincing it."

- Ok-Astronaut-7593

What the Fugu

"To some extent, Fugu."

"It's a poisonous blowfish that only qualified trained chefs in Japan are allowed to prepare. I had it three times I think, and I understand the folklore around it and why it's expensive, etc."

"But to be honest, the taste is pretty bland and 'like any other white fish' and nothing special, really. Your lips get numb a tiny bit and it makes for good stories, though, so no regrets..."

- LannMarek

Diminishing Returns

"Not food, but drinks; I don't get people who spend 1500 to 2000 dollars or more on a bottle of wine. Does it even taste that good?? It seems more like something people do to show off to others than anything else."

- Creative_Recover

"A 1500-hundred bottle of wine is going to taste better than a 15-dollar bottle. But not a HUNDRED TIMES better."

- VibrantPianoNetwork

That's an Escar-No

"Escargot. My brother swears by it. I don’t get the allure."

- MeAndJohnWhoo

"Escargot: because just eating garlic butter with a spoon would be uncivilized."

- ahecht

"Nutritional Value"

"Bird's Nest Soup."

"My rich aunt came to visit our family when I was pretty young, and I finally got to try bird's nest soup. It was something like 1500 dollars for a family-size serving and it tasted like nothing."

"I get it's supposed to have all kinds of nutrients and s**t, but guess what, so does a ton of other foods. I think that's probably a big part of why I argue with my mom so often about how pointless a ton of 'medicine' is"

- completelytrustworth

A Side of Hypocrisy

"It's not that I don't get it: they're delicious, but it is funny to me that most people are repulsed by the thought of eating bugs but think lobster and crab are a delicacy."

- seanofkelley

Tragic Ortolan

"Ortolan. You traditionally cover your head when you eat it, out of shame. Not that I have ever eaten it. It just seems such a 'f**k you' to nature."

- promise_me_jetpacks

A Fair Point

"Eating things where it will kill you if it's not prepared properly (like Fugu being poisonous)."

- curlyquinn02

Not Here for the Caviar

"Caviar. I had the opportunity once to sample what I was told was really good caviar. It tasted like Neptune's salty a**hole."

"If I had the money to buy high-end caviar, I would buy fifty bags of Doritos instead."

- Wadsworth_McStumpy

A Shortened Lifespan

"Veal's kinda mean considering how intelligent and full of life calves are."

- freeslurpee

"Vaguely Fruity Vinegar"

"I know this will make me look like an unsophisticated yokel, but Wine."

"I just don't get the appeal of vaguely fruity vinegar."

- atlanticzeolot

Expensive Treasure Hunt

"Truffles. I don’t get the hype."

- Candid_Term6960

"They're good in some things, a bit of truffle oil and some extra herbs in a cheap pasta sauce can make it really tasty, but overall it's just a weird mushroom, and not great by themselves."

- venemousb***h

Not So Great Morning

"That coffee that comes from beans some cat species digests and craps it out. How is that a good morning feeling?"

- Rainbow-Mama

Everyone's welcome to like different things, but these Redditors certainly made some great points about why these are foods and drinks they will not spend money on.

People Share The Terrifying Moments Their Gut Feeling Turned Out To Be Completely True
Photo by Jaclyn Moy on Unsplash

Trust the gut reaction. Sometimes this is easier said than done. But, sometimes, it can be the most important decision you ever make. When it happens, it's best to do what is hardest, go against the grain, and trust the intuition rumbling around your insides. Just to be safe. Need some inspiration? Well, here are stories from the internet about people who followed their gut—and thanked their lucky stars that they did.

1. Don't Ignore Other People's Guts

I'll throw out an opposite one. This was in the late 1990s. Boarding a flight from Dallas to Denver (TWA) on a MD-80. It's evening. The women behind me are clearly worried about flying and it's annoying me, so I grab a book and read to distract myself—no electronics on take off then, remember? Anyway, we take off and pretty quickly after we take off the plane slows down and the flight attendant gets up from the back and scurries to the front.

The ladies behind me are again panicking "That's not normal!!!" and I'm just rolling my eyes, you always slow down a bit after take off! My gut says we're cool. THEN, after about two minutes, the plane executes a really sharp turn and the pilot comes on the announcer. Ok, this isn't normal now. "Ladies & Gentlemen, we're returning to the airport, please ensure your seatbelts are fastened."

Quiet for a bit and then he comes on again to tell us what happened "We lost an engine, this happens all the time, oh, and you may notice a few emergency vehicles on the runway, but that's just normal procedure." As we land I see what looks like every single fire truck at DFW lined up beside the runway. We land without major issue, people clap, and then the pilot breaks us the real news: "Uh, so I've trained for that many times in a simulator, but it's a once in a career experience for a commercial airline pilot."

So my gut was wrong, I was sure there was nothing wrong and there was.

I1lI1llII11llIII1I

2. Watching The Ones Who Do Not Smile

I was at a party when I was in college when two older dudes showed up. The place was packed and most people were loaded. I noticed something was a bit off about them. They never smiled and weren’t really talking to anyone. Finally, someone accused them of feeling around in their back pocket and it turned out they were lifting wallets from blackout college kids.

Once confronted, one of the guys got the kid in the stomach with a smallish blade. They left slowly and were never caught. It was pretty surreal. The kid was fine, though, thankfully.

Z_witha_ZED

3. Bouldering Is Dangerous

group of people in white long sleeve shirt and green pants standing on rocky groundPhoto by Mark McGregor on Unsplash

Went for a weekend away with a group from my local Scouting area, back in the ‘80s. I didn't know them all, went to make up the numbers and get some climbing/canoeing/caving done. We stayed in a rented house in the Peak District (UK). One evening, a few guys went out to try "bouldering"—climbing boulders 10 to 15 meters high.

I got there, took one look and said no, we have no climbing gear, that's high enough to die if you fall. I got the mickey taken, called "chicken," etc., so I left them to it and walked back. An hour later one guy fell 10 meters and split his skull open on the rocks below. He was gone instantly.

Stooby2

4. Stranger Danger!

This happened almost 30 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was probably 8 or 9 at the time and had been at the store buying candy for the weekend with the girl from next door, she was one year younger than me. A car stopped and the man inside opened the passenger door and asked me and my friend to get in the car. He was picking us up for our parents, he told us.

I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong and remember thinking "this is what my parents were talking about!" I grabbed my friend’s hand, said that we lived in that house "right over there" and pulled my friend with me. Went to their door, rang the bell, went straight in and told the people living there what had happened.

Turned out I was right, we were about to be kidnapped.

bipbopbipbopbap

5. Crazy Cocker Spaniel Got Yo Back

This was about 15 years ago. My parents went out for a nice dinner for their anniversary and decided that I was old enough and responsible enough to be left alone for a few hours on a weeknight. I was almost 9 and we owned a fairly protective dog at the time so it all seemed fine. They leave, tell me to lock up and to call if anything happens.

I do so and proceed to party around the house like a rockstar, cause dude I had the WHOLE dang house myself and I could do whatever I wanted, HECK to the YEAH! Halfway through a Sailor Moon marathon, I get a knock on the door. I'm confused as all get out cause it's only been about two hours and they said they probably wouldn't be back till around 10 anyway.

I guess mama has left something she needed AGAIN and swung by to grab it. My front door is a system of two doors, a super old, thick wooden door (the house was originally built in the 30's and this door is still the original piece) and then outside of that (at the time) a screen door. My dog is raising heck at the front door, but I just pull her back to calm down, cause she had a tendency to be reactive to most noises.

Well, it's not my mom at the door, some middle-aged man I've never met before in my life. Puppo is now basically feral so I keep the screen door firmly closed and a hand on her collar as I ask the many what he wants. He starts in on this weird convoluted story about how he has two young twin daughters and how they got into a fight and that one of them ran away.

Now, this man then claims that he believes his daughter is hiding in my house and would like to come look for her. I tell him no such girl is here and why does he think she would be here in the first place. He goes on into a long story about how this was the house they first lived in and how it's the one she was born in, and how it was like a safe place for her and would be the most likely place she would run away to as it was really the only other place she knows.

So I felt kinda weird since I opened the door and this dude's story hasn't been helping his cause, but now I KNOW something awful is going down. I, in no uncertain terms, inform the guy that he must have the wrong house because THIS house was built and has been lived in by my family since its construction. My dad was born in that house and after my mom and dad told his parents that they were pregnant with my older sister they gave it to them as a present to begin their family. He must be mistaken cause I know all this to be fact.

Heck, there were pictures less than 10 feet away from me on the wall of my dad and uncle playing in the front yard in the late ‘70s. By now my dog is growling like crazy and dude is getting kinda agitated. He insists that I don't know what I'm talking about and that if I would just give him a few minutes to search for his daughter he could be on his way.

The latch on the screen door was broken and I was putting all my strength at the time in holding my dog from the door. He opens the screen door with one hand and with the other reaches for my closest arm. My crazy cocker goes ballistic! Uses all her strength to lunge at him, gets a hold of his hand, and bites down. Now man is yelling and confused.

He pushes back against the screen door and slams it shut to get my dog off of him. Sadie gets pushed back indoors but is still raging. I quickly slam the front door, lock it, and chain it shut. Run around the house and make sure all other doors and windows are locked and then hunker down in the bathroom hyperventilating and wait about 15 minutes until Sadie's growling has calmed some. Check outside, no man or his car. Both long gone.

I call my parents and tell them they need to come home RIGHT NOW PLEASE. When they get home I recount the whole story. Dad goes the check the front door and sure enough on the screen door jam and siding of the house is a large smear of blood. Sadie was treated like a queen and got a whole steak for her to eat on that weekend.

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."—Mark Twain.

Thyme_of_my_life

6. Seriously, Don’t Drink and Drive

laughing people in partyPhoto by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

Not so much something very wrong here but a bunch of my friends wanted to go to this party when I was like 20. I was just sort of like "I don’t know, I really don't want to go to this place with these people." Turns out two of my friends got into an argument with people who lived there, got kicked out, were super hammered, and drove home angry.

Their car flipped three or four times and wrecked about another four cars. My one friend leaves with a small concussion the other leaves with like eight broken bones and walking therapy for about two years. The best part is, the emergency responders said if anyone was in the back seat they wouldn't be here today. That's where I would have been sitting.

nudg3

7. Granny Senses

Not mine but my grandma's. We went camping at this one spot in the woods by a small creek every summer. One summer she gets this bad feeling and makes us pack up and we leave. Couple days later they end up finding a body right near our then-campsite.

ihatemakingthese69

8. Mom Knows When Something Is Wrong

My mom had one. I was there with my brother but we didn't believe her at the time. Three years ago, my brother, my sister and I were supposed to meet at mom's place for dinner at 7. My mom and sister are very close; her being the firstborn, the only girl and us being a Lebanese family. Anyway, they talk throughout the day quite a bit, daily.

Around 6:30 pm, my sister is not answering phone calls or texts. My brother and I think she's asleep or just doing whatever and it's nothing to worry about. By 7:15, still nothing from my sister and my Mom at this point is pretty much saying "Something is wrong here, I can just feel it." We still don't believe her but it's not her style to worry and she is really now worrying.

I call up her now ex-husband who was at a conference saying we haven't heard from my sister. It turns out neither has he. I asked if he knew her iTunes credentials so I could track her phone. Turns out she was at home. We called a friend, sent someone knocking at her door, and no answer. My mom started driving there and made the decision that we need to break into the house.

She texted her friends to kick the door down. They did and found my sister unconscious. She had a major stroke and a concussion. The aftermath was very, very difficult. I won't write a novel and be brief. Major stroke, concussion and required open heart surgery. Was told she may never talk and would likely be a vegetable and if we actually wanted to proceed with the surgeries.

We did. She's alive, she talks, she can walk with a cane and will at some point, walk without a cane. She lost everything on the left side of her body. The only part of her that may never come back is her left arm.

MrCarlEdwardsSagan

9. There Are Some Sick, Sick People Out There

two women hugging each otherPhoto by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash

Not me but my mom. When I was about ten years old I got invited to spend the night at my really good friend’s home. My mom said no. I begged her to let me go but she was adamant that I couldn't. She said she just didn't feel right about it and that no amount of pleading was going to change her mind. A few weeks later my friend’s dad was busted for inappropriate child imagery.

After he went to trial it was found that he had also touched several young girls. He would have his daughter invite them over for a slumber party and then touch them when they went to sleep. If my mom hadn't trusted her gut feeling I could have been one of his victims.

MuttyAndMalarka

10. Some Devastatingly Flawed Logic

I worked at a daycare. One of the mothers gave me the heebie jeebies. She would show up randomly and be like "my baaaaaaby, I neeeed my baaaaby." Like, moms love their kids and miss them, but her obsession with her daughter really made me feel weird. She ended up killing her daughter so that she could be an angel. It really messed me up when I found out.

ZombieBoobies

11. Trusting The Spidey Sense In The Rain

It was 1:30 am, raining, I was riding my motorcycle down a four-lane road with two lanes in each direction and a middle turn lane. I saw a car approach a stop sign, perpendicular to me, in the parking lot of a bar and though to myself "He's going to turn left in front of me." I was going 45mph, let off the throttle, and about 200 to 250 feet from him, he did exactly what I thought he was going to do.

Grabbed my front and rear brakes, back tire locked up and kicked out to the left. I had maybe 40 to 50 feet in which I would either high-side in front of the car and likely be run over, slam into the driver door or rear driver door or jump off to the right in a tuck and roll fashion. I jumped and my motorcycle slammed into the rear driver side of his car.

I had a couple scratches, bruises, and a sore tailbone. But I wasn't run over or hanging out in his back seat via glass window. Thank God for spidey senses.

ReallyNotRoot

12. That's So Raven

christmas village wallpaperPhoto by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Christmas Day 2016. My family and I had packed the car with all the goods and were about to be on our way to my grandparent's house. The car wouldn't start. Let's back up: The whole day I felt I was in a trance or a dream. I kept feeling off and the night before I had a dream that we were driving on a bridge—our tire popped, we slid and a car slammed into my side of the vehicle.

I remembered it so vividly because I see the headlights coming at me in my head still. I get prophetic dreams a lot, but I really didn't think much of it because I also suffer from nightmares. Anyway, we call AAA. Meanwhile, I'm refusing to get in the car because everything feels OFF. The guy gets there, tells us it was our battery, so he charged it.

I still felt very off but seeing as he fixed the problem I get in, he turns around and says to my mom, "I just wanna check your tire pressure for some reason." Not kidding—he said one of the front tires was EXTREMELY high, was, and I quote from AAA dude, "About to pop if we were to drive, especially on a highway or turnpike." He fixed that too, free of charge.

The feeling of being uneasy and dream-like faded and I felt fine. Made it to grandparents house—awesome mashed potatoes. I know when to trust my gut.

101125241144518

13. Giving Pastors A Bad Name

I used to be a lifeguard in a very small gated community with a lot of wealthy people. I also used to sing at the local church services. I met the pastor in that context and something about him just seemed...off. It wasn't anything I'd be able to articulate. I just didn't like him. He just made my gut drop. Later, I noticed that the local pastor was spending a lot of time at the pool watching the little kids swim—one little boy in particular.

He would have a towel ready for him, he'd have the kid sit on his lap to dry off. As far as I knew, he wasn't babysitting him. He was just there, watching and touching. It made my hackles rise. I told his parents that the way the pastor was interacting with their son made me uncomfortable. They investigated and it turns out the pastor was going to their home when they weren't there and "spending time" with that little boy in his bedroom.

They didn't give me any more details than that but it was implied that something sexual had been going on. I don't know what happened to him after that but he was obviously removed as pastor from the church. It's so important to trust your gut on these things.

why_renaissance

14. Just Say No, Mmmkay

At a research institute, I walked into a mouse procedure/surgery room for a quick moment to grab something and leave. After walking out I felt, well to be honest, like I was a little high. There were three other people in that room, including 2 undergraduates so I got worried and went back inside to check things out. When I got back inside I asked if they were feeling ok, one of the undergrads turned to me and said she was fine, but was flushed and looked a little out of it.

So I went around to all the isoflurane chambers (odorless volatile liquid that KOs mammals at low doses and kills them at higher) looking for leaks. Sure enough, the gasket at the bottom of one of the chambers had failed and it was leaking out and immediately boiling into a gas, and filling the room. I told them their isoflurane was leaking, and the postdoc told me they were fine and that he uses that machine all the time.

He also pointed out that the isoflurane was in an air curtained biosafety cabinet and so even with the leak, they were protected. I called him an idiot because a biosafety cabinet recirculates air and doesn't evacuate it like a fume hood—which is what he should have been using. So I ignored him, propped open the door, and ordered the undergrads to get out of the room.

I then went to their lab manager and told her what I had found. Their lab manager came down like the wrath of God.

Chagroth

15. Crazy Step Mother

a woman with grey hair wearing a brown cardiganPhoto by Foto Sushi on Unsplash

My father started publicly dating a woman shortly after my mother passed—I later learned she's likely the woman he'd been having an affair with. I liked her. One evening my father took me to one side and asked how I'd feel about him asking her to marry him. I got an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach and felt nauseated.

I told my father I didn't want him to and he asked why as he thought I liked her. I explained that I did like her but had a bad feeling and he said: "that's just a feeling, they don't mean anything." He already had the ring and proposed straight away. I got really excited about the engagement, the wedding, moving house, and my impending little sister.

After the wedding, she changed. And when my half-sister was born, she went crazy. She abused me, my sister (my mother's child), and later, my half-sister (her own child). He only left her when my doctor told him something was clearly going on with her that was affecting my health. She was putting a substance that I'm intolerant to in my food and my father wouldn't believe me and would force me to eat whatever she made.

However, I couldn't get a doctor alone without her to tell them. My maternal grandmother told him if he didn't leave her she'd go for custody that he finally left her. He accused me of lying for the entire time leading up to that and has never asked me about any of my attempts to get help since.

PhDOH

16. Saving Yourself From The Chicken Dance

The one I best remember was about ten years back. I was a groomsman at a friend's wedding. Partway through the reception, I was suddenly struck with a feeling of impending doom. THEY ARE GOING TO PLAY THE CHICKEN DANCE NEXT! Frantically I started searching for someone, crying, "Let's go smoke! Who wants to go smoke?" I don't even smoke, but it wasn't hard to get a group together.

When I came back, sure enough, The Chicken Dance had been danced, and I was the only member of the wedding party to escape its embarrassing talons.

totalperspec

17. A Bad Gut Feeling Is A Rational Deduction From An Observation

Got off the subway at night, there was one other person about half a block behind me on my route home. This is a totally normal thing, has happened thousands of times. Totally normal-looking dude, not even following me closely. I had a bad feeling. Such a bad feeling that, when I turned the corner on my way home, I broke into a sprint and hid behind a dumpster in the shadows partway down the street.

By the time he came around the corner, I was well hidden and could see him from my hiding place. As soon as I saw his reaction to the fact that I wasn't there, I knew I had been right to hide. He started LOOKING FOR ME, muttering to himself, he went up and down the street, looked around corners, I hid and held my breath until he was gone. It was terrifying. I am so glad I had that sudden, inexplicable impulse to hide, and listened to it.

MissPerdicament

18. Baby Sis Fall For The Wrong Dude

brown horse with silver round pendant necklacePhoto by Luisa Peter on Unsplash

My sister was 18 years old and bought a horse from a guy who was married and 47. My parents liked the guy and became friends with him and his wife. I knew something was up because he and my sister would talk constantly on the phone. My mom actually asked his wife if that was cool and she said it was totally fine and he did this a lot with other kids who needed “horse advice.”

Yeah.

My parents wanted to send my sister to stay with this guy for a whole summer so she could ride and show horses. I told them the relationship was clearly inappropriate and not to do it. They were like, if the wife doesn’t mind, then who cares?!? Within two months he had left his wife. Within four months they were engaged.

Four months after that they got married, and one week after that, my sister was pregnant. This guy has had many parents accuse him of being a pedophile and coming on to their underage daughters. His own son has nothing to do with him. And he’s not even good looking or rich. Just a gross, hideous hillbilly with leather for skin and three teeth.

Good job, baby sis.

permalink

19. It’s Not Your Fault

Two years ago, I was on my way back home on my bike. I had to go over a bridge and on one side of the bridge, there was a girl, crying. On the bridge, there were two 14-year-olds (one pretty tall, one pretty small), head to head, seemingly about to get into a fight. When I went by, they stood back. I thought something was off, but I told myself fighting among 14-year-olds over what I thought was a girlfriend, is normal and not dangerous, right? Turns out, the taller one of the boys jumped off the bridge to end it all only minutes after I passed, the smaller one couldn't physically hold him back.

Had I stopped and listened to my gut feeling, I might have been able to help and talk him out of it.

KIMDOTCOM

20. Hiding Something Under It All

On a recent date with my girlfriend. I couldn't place it, at all. She was herself, if not a little more playful. She looked like herself, in jeans and a hoodie. I just couldn't quite place it...until we got home and it turned out she was wearing an adult toy harness all night...I have no idea how that was comfortable.

21. Just In Time

yellow and white van on road during daytimePhoto by Ian Taylor on Unsplash

Not me, but my coworker. She got a call last week that her sister-in-law didn't show up for work and didn't call or anything. She's been working three jobs recently and was complaining she needed a good night's sleep. Coworker said she probably slept through the alarm clock, but her husband insisted that she go home and check on her because it wasn't like the SIL to just not show up for work. Coworker was annoyed but did it since her house was only 20 minutes away.

Coworker gets there and it turns out she had overdosed on some sort of opioid and then had a heart attack. Oxygen levels were extremely low, and paramedics said that if coworker hadn't gotten home when she did, SIL would have been gone within minutes. Thank god her husband had felt that something was wrong. Always go with your gut.

permalink

22. Uncle Comes Home

A guy came to the door one day, looking for my mom. I was probably 13 at the time. Immediately, I had most of my body behind the door, ready to shut it. I just had this awful feeling about him. He said he hadn't seen her in a long time, and that he was just coming from church and was in the neighborhood. Ok, so this guy is trying to communicate that he's a good person, and that and his weird smile just made me trust him less.

I told him my mom was napping. She wasn't. She was at work. So, he left a note for her with his name and number on it. I took it & closed & locked the door. Then I looked at the note & immediately recognized the name. It was my uncle. I hadn't seen him since I was five when he got locked up for offing my aunt and cousin.

phridoo

23. Nick of Time

I was at a bar in October of 2013 or 2014, if I recall. Anywho, I lived in a particularly rough neighborhood at the time, and I was enjoying a few drinks. I had this horrible feeling of uneasiness looming in the back of my mind, so I told my buddies I'm turning in for the night. They called me the following morning and informed me that the bar had gotten shot up and like three people were injured. It was about two hours after I left if I recall.

Saberaltersan

24. Mom, Something Is Up With The Dog

short-coated beige puppyPhoto by Andrew Schultz on Unsplash

A couple years ago we had a young dog, about one and a half, who had epilepsy. Of course, we had to give him meds multiple times a day to help with it. One day he basically just stopped eating. After a day or two I told my parents that we should take him to a vet. Cue "No, he'll get over it." About a week later, he's still not eating and we take him into the vet for a periodic checkup.

Turns out he has liver failure that is almost guaranteed to progress into heart failure. We ended up having to put him down a couple of days later, simply because we didn't want him to suffer. I told you, mom.

FuzzyCollie2000

25. No One Knows You Better Than You

Not so much a bad "feeling" but I think it feels appropriate. I was a freshmen in high school going out for football for the first time. I'm pretty average, probably on the scrawny side. About two weeks into practice I started having terrible back pain. I told my mom, who said "you’re just sore, suck it up," so I did for a while.

I kept going to practice for another week before I finally had to tell my mom she had to take me to the hospital or I’d go without her. So she sets up an appointment and...it turns out I had slightly broken a vertebrae. Tiny cracks on each side of the same vertebrae. Safe to say I don't take her advice much anymore.

BrobaFett26

26. Epic Party Turns Into Epic Arrests

Pretty simple one. Went to a party that was just shoulder-to-shoulder packed from the moment I arrived. I could barely move through the house. People were spilling out onto the lawn and everybody was acting a fool. Way too many people there and I figured it was about to go downhill fast. So I grabbed my friend and we bounced.

As we were leaving about 10 to 12 squad cars passed us on the road headed towards the party. City, county, and state officers—it was a small town so they probably asked for help. Found out later the party got shut down, obviously, and the officers painstakingly ID-ed everybody there, busted everybody involved with throwing the party because of underage drinking, everybody that was underage, found a load of drugs and busted people for that, and ended up towing a boatload of cars because nobody was sober enough to drive.

Even people that were fine to leave didn’t get to leave for hours. We just took our asses to a bar and drank like normal adults.

permalink

27. Knowing Your Own Appendix

woman leans on wall in white fur jacket docking her head while holding it using her leaf handPhoto by Carolina Heza on Unsplash

A couple of years back, I got a stomach ache. I'm not normally prone to them, so it felt a little strange. When the pain moved to my side, I knew something was wrong, so I called the doctor, who called me in for an emergency appointment—I was worried it might be appendicitis, he agreed. I got there, got prodded and poked and told there was nothing wrong with me—“if it was really your appendix, you wouldn't be able to sit there and talk to me.” Fair enough, so I went home.

Later that night, I start throwing up, so I knew something was wrong, so off to the hospital. The complete idiot of a doctor prodded and poked around again and declared it was just a stomach bug, or maybe a urine infection. Told me to drink some flat Coke(!) and go to the doctor in the morning—bear in mind, I'm so pale as to be actually grey by this point and can barely hold down any more than a couple of sips of water.

Later in the morning, I'm still not feeling right so I get my SO to take me to the doctor again. More of the usual prodding and a “well it's probably an infection, but I'm going to refer you to the hospital, just in case.” So I get to the hospital—long story short, I have a whole bunch of tests, but they're still not convinced it was appendicitis. I was, by this point.

They eventually agree to do an appendectomy, using keyhole surgery. So I go down for the operation, which they reckon will take an hour or so “and don't be surprised if you still have an appendix when you wake up, we're going to have a look first.” I woke up about six hours later with a 4-inch incision on my side.

Rather than the three small holes I'd been told to expect, there was a tube sticking out of it. I asked the nurse what the heck happened, and got “oh yes, your appendix was really bad, apparently. I think it burst as they were removing it.” So yeah; not only did I have appendicitis like I thought, but I had it really bad. I ended up in the hospital for another week being treated for sepsis.

TheAngryBad

28. Unsung Hero

I got to the airport early, got something to eat at the restaurant, and boarded the plane. Everyone is on and I suddenly get a feeling of panic. Nothing else, just panic. I was used to traveling back and forth every week, so no problems flying, but in this case I had to get off that plane. I grabbed my stuff, ran past the flight attendant and said don't wait for me I will get another flight and sat down trying to calm down.

Announcement comes over the speaker that they are looking for me, my flight is leaving. It leaves. I watch the flight start to take off. This was in Detroit. Then it happened. The worst cramps I ever had, and I ran to the bathroom. Some seriously bad food from the restaurant. I would have been on a two-hour flight stinking up the plane while ejecting the contents of my stomach from both ends. I am sure the entire passenger compartment thanks me, though they do not know...

TheRealOneTwo

29. Expertise

Airline pilot here—warning, do not continue reading if flying makes you uneasy. One day we loaded up passengers and cargo and everything and we were ready to taxi. I noticed that the nose of the airplane seemed to be higher up than usual while we were sitting on the ground. I told my first officer about it and he agreed.

We double checked the weight and balance and everything seemed to be right. I decided to just taxi out towards the runway and see if the wheel struts would go back to their normal positions during taxi. Still felt weird to me. Something wasn't right. I told ground control we needed to go back to the gate. Called Ops and told them we're headed back because I think something isn't right with the weight and balance.

After we get back, I ask them to check how much ballast we have in the aircraft. It's verified on my sheet as 500lbs., but I have a feeling...Turns out, yep, they forgot to put it in the plane. So had we taken off, the center of gravity would have been out of whack—way past limits. It could have resulted in an airplane that was impossible to control.

Just like that 747 that took off and had the load slide to the back. That was a day that I was really pleased that I had so much experience flying to give me that feeling & that feeling could very well have saved my life along with others.

TangoFoxtrotSierra

30. Not Walking on Sunshine

woman wearing white sheer lace wedding gownPhoto by Thomas AE on Unsplash

I came home to my mom supposedly being out for a walk and my little brother seeming worried that she hadn’t come back yet. I noticed that her keys were hanging up. I just had a sinking feeling that something wasn’t right. Why not take your keys? She hadn’t gone for a walk. She had put on her wedding dress, locked herself in a back room that you can only unlock from the inside, and had taken a whole heap of pills to kill herself. She survived.

This was over 15 years ago but still haunts us.

trontrontronmega

31. Suspicious Minds

After my mother went to bed each night, my dad would go out to his car beside the driveway & talk on the phone for about 15 minutes. I never heard what he had been saying or who he was talking to, but I felt that something wasn’t right. I outed him. He had been having an affair for about ten years.

The_Withheld_Name

32. Off a Cliff

As I climbed out onto a cliff to get a picture of a cave in the middle of a waterfall, something felt weird. I then began sliding down the cliff. I barely caught myself on a fracture in the rock, and eventually got my feet back on solid ground. The next day, my sister had the news on and they found a body under that same cliff. He'd been missing for a few days.

Texan_Greyback

33. Rookie Initiation

a row of old trucks sitting on top of a grass covered fieldPhoto by Documerica on Unsplash

We had this regular customer who was very weird indeed. I worked in an auto wrecking yard and he always came in and bought random, off the wall things. Anyway, me and a new guy load some stuff into the back of this guy’s van. He gets in to leave and the new guy is standing behind the van, next to the building. I say: "Hey, I wouldn't stand there if I were you." New guy looks at me puzzled, but moves anyway. Sure enough, weird customer puts it in reverse and punches the gas. Backs his van right through the wall of our office, right where the new guy had been standing…

CrookedSmileUte

34. Threat On The Docks

A former co-worker, Jason, told me this story. Jason was working at a dock in China and unloaded shipping containers from huge international cargo ships. A typhoon had just passed, and many of the inbound ships had been delayed for days due to the extreme weather. Once the weather cleared, there was a backlog of ships waiting to be docked and unloaded.

To make matters worse, a tropical depression had just been upgraded to a tropical storm and was expected to make landfall within 48 hours. It was organized chaos as the dock workers frantically tried to unload three times the volume of shipping containers in half the time. Jason was a Senior Cargo Agent, and his job was to verify that the information on the offloaded shipping containers matched the information on the manifest, and to visually inspect shipping containers for damage.

A cargo agent had to sign off on all cargo before an unloaded ship could disembark. As there were a limited number of spaces for ships to dock, it was crucial that the cargo agents verify the unloaded shipments as quickly as possible so that another ship could dock immediately. Everyone at the dock had walkie-talkies (hand-held portable two-way radios), and Jason heard Dock Manager 1 going absolutely crazy because an unloaded ship had been waiting in the dock for nearly two hours, and no cargo agent had verified their delivery.

Jason radioed Cargo Agent 1 assigned to that area, but there was no answer. He then radioed Cargo Agent 2, and still received no response. He then radioed the next closest Senior Cargo Agent 1 and asked him to drop everything and verify the cargo immediately. After thirty minutes, Dock Manager 2 radioed that the ship was STILL docked.

Jason then radioed Senior Cargo Agent 1 who he had sent over there and did not receive a response. He then radioed Dock Manager 1 who had been screaming into the radio and again received no response. Jason was now the only Senior Cargo Agent in the area, and it now fell to him to verify the unloaded shipment and get the delayed ship out of port ASAP.

As he got into his truck to drive over, a nagging feeling of dread kept telling him not to go. He ignored the feeling and drove there anyway, all the while trying and failing to radio anyone else in the area. When he arrived at the unloading zone, he couldn't bring himself to get out of the truck, and later said that it felt as if he was being physically pushed back into his seat.

Jason then picked up his radio with a shaking hand and broadcast, "Unknown threat near unloading section four. All workers evacuate immediately. This is not a drill." And just like that, a multi-billion dollar port was shut down. A HazMat team was soon dispatched and found that a shipping container damaged in transit had been carrying a heavier-than-air type of inert gas.

The gas leaked and displaced the air, then became trapped between several rows of closely stacked shipping containers. Every person that approached immediately lost consciousness. Five people were found lifeless near the damaged container, and Jason was later fired because he did not actually have the authority to shut down the port.

Jason filed the Chinese equivalent of a wrongful termination lawsuit, but was strongly encouraged to settle, or else the Chinese government might find him partially responsible. As a white foreigner in China, this was a very real possibility, and he ended up settling for a modest amount. Jason still blames himself for what happened to Senior Cargo Agent 1 and gave the settlement amount to the man's widow.

Forgive_My_Cowardice

35. Father Knows Best

My dad was driving our whole family in the car, zipping along as he was prone to doing. Then, just before a blind corner, he started to slow down for no apparent reason. Like, slowed down a lot more than was really necessary. A second or two later, another car comes speeding around the corner on our side of the road. It would have been a head-on collision had dad not felt the uncanny urge to ease up.

Minifig_Monkey

36. Physical Reaction

man in black jacket and black pants standing beside graffiti wall during daytimePhoto by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash

In 2014, when that year's X-Men movie came out, I went to go see it with my best friend. Two thirds of the way through, I felt the most off I've ever felt. Sick, chills, feverish, gut drop, time warped, the works. I peeked at my phone & had dozens of texts, missed calls, & voicemails. My dad had passed.

samdramayhem

37. Second Opinion

I hadn't been feeling well for a few weeks. I was having shortness of breath despite being pretty athletic and could feel my heart pounding. I saw my doctor, who diagnosed it as anxiety, prescribed some meds, and sent me on my way. But I just...had this feeling. A few days later, I woke up and had trouble walking to the bathroom without losing my breath.

I don't know why it even came to mind but all I could think was, "Something is wrong. This isn't anxiety. I need to go to the ER right away." So I walked myself to the hospital and asked if it was possible I had a blood clot. I was reassured that if it was a clot in my lung, there was no way I could have walked to the hospital. I convinced them to test me anyway annnnnnd it was a pulmonary embolism. Listen to your instincts, friends!

KikiTheArtTeacher

38. Nightmare is an Understatement

Things have been rough lately, but last Wednesday I woke up extremely sick to my stomach and very anxious. I felt like crying the whole day. My best friend's brother called later in the afternoon to tell me that my friend had taken his own life the night before. It has been a nightmare ever since.

HighDingyDoo

39. Seeking an Explanation

white enclosed vehicle trailerPhoto by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

I was with a large group of friends including my brother, and we were playing hide and seek outside at night. My brother and his friend decide to go into a snowmobile trailer to hide, and I told them I’d hide under the trailer. Little did I know, the trailer was balancing on two wheels. As I was hiding under the trailer, I suddenly got the worst feeling.

A feeling that I needed to get out of there right away. I can’t even describe the feeling but I got out quick. Seconds after I got up, they made the trailer unbalanced by getting inside and it crashed exactly where I just was. There’s no doubt it would’ve ended me in seconds. I stood there in complete shock. I couldn’t believe I was so close to never seeing my family again.

relatee

40. Til I’m Blue in the Face

My siblings and I were swimming at a neighbor’s house with their kid, while the adults were inside. Randomly, a thought came into my head of "Where’s my sister at?" She easily could’ve gone inside or have walked home across the street, but I felt like I needed to find her ASAP. I got all of us kids to search and we discovered she was at the bottom of the pool, completely blue. She made a complete recovery and is now one of the best parts of my life.

intergalacticsnack

41. Dog Days

I was letting my dog back inside. She walked right past me with no tail wagging or happy smile, walked right through the kitchen without wanting a treat, and went straight to her doggy bed. I knew something wasn't right, and within ten minutes we were in the car to the emergency vet. She had a tumor rupture apparently, and it was clear what needed to be done. Still breaks my heart.

marry_me_sarah_palin

42. Bail On Out of There

Robert Pickton | Court TV interview in 2002 about Robert Pic… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

I had a coworker who used to go to parties in high school. Several of the parties in her senior year were at some guy’s farm. She went to one and bailed right away saying it felt weird. The guy who owned the farm turned out to be Robert Pickton (if you know, you know).

rustyshacklefordrsw

43. With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

Came home very late one night. My parents and sister were already asleep. House felt funny. Dogs were barking in a strange way. I looked around and noticed that my stepmother's car was not in the driveway, but her purse was in the kitchen. My dad's wallet was not on its usual place. I then caught someone creeping around in the backyard, and the commotion woke everyone up.

The creeper was one of my sister's friends. Turns out, her friends decided to break in due to the fact that my parents never lock the doors and the dogs all knew them. They planned to steal my dad's cash and credit cards and take my stepmother's car for a joyride. We found the car in the next subdivision. Why was creeper-boy not with his other buddies?

He figured he could zip back over and spend some "quality time" with my sister, and my timing was just about perfect. He ended up ratting on his buddies and getting a reduced sentence. His parents were mad at me more for injuring their little boy than they were at him for breaking into people's houses and stealing cars.

Cabalagent1

44. New Rule: Always Pick up the Phone

My mom called me in the middle of the day on a Sunday. I was going to ignore it and just call her back later like I tend to do, but something just didn’t feel right. So, I picked up. She was calling to tell me an emergency squad was working on my brother and I needed to get a hold of my dad right away.

wildthingsroam

45. You’ve Got a Friend in Me

man in black t-shirt and black shorts sitting on bedPhoto by Ramiro Pianarosa on Unsplash

I was walking back to my dorm from class and had a gut feeling that I needed to see my friend right away. I walked into his dorm room and found him on the floor seizing. He is fine now, but it was still weird that I just knew something was wrong before I had seen him at all that day.

ASuds_65

46. Changing the Course of Family History

When I was little, my cousin who lived 30 minutes away was my best friend. Our parents used to meet up at my grandmother’s house every week just so that we could play together. Occasionally, I would go on sleepovers to her house. One weekend when I was staying over with them, it was coming up to bed time and I had a really weird feeling and just wanted to go home.

I was crying hysterically and my uncle eventually brought me home. This year, I found out that my dad had planned on leaving my mother that night, and me crying saying that I wanted "Mammy and Daddy" made him change his mind. My mother doesn't know this, nor do any of my siblings. My dad told me one night while we were out at a bar and he had a few too many.

caithamach13

47. First and Last Day on the Job

I used to clean vacant houses for a living. One day, I was working at a house near the end of a dead-end street. There were maybe six or seven houses on the one side of the street before an intersection with a stoplight, so it was a pretty heavy traffic area. I was cleaning out the property just fine when my Spidey-Sense suddenly went off the charts.

I was inside the house but I pretty much dropped everything, got in my car, and started to drive outta there. On the corner, I saw a weird looking guy and had a nasty feeling about him. When I got home, it was all over the news—that guy was wanted for offing an officer, making the start of his career right on that street corner about 15 minutes after I hoofed it. I told my boss that I wasn't going to go back to that property. He understood.

LightHouseMaster

48. Off the Road Again

car dashboardPhoto by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

I was driving home late one evening and I had the strongest feeling that something was wrong. At the time, this meant that I took the long way home because I thought my subconscious knew there'd be some speed traps on the turnpike. Next morning, it turns out an impaired driver had caused a huge multi-car accident in the exact stretch of road I would've been driving on. The driver and two others lost their lives, and another 5+ people were injured. I'm not a superstitious person by any stretch, but this is always something that's made me wonder.

Yung-Thick

49. A Horrible Event

I once went to an event with an ex and I was in a bit of a crummy mood all day for various reasons. The whole time, I felt like something really bad had happened to someone close or that a generally bad thing happened. The next day, I learned that just a few hours before I went to the event, a classmate of mine washed up on the beach.

Permalink

50. I’m Having a Reaction to This One

About ten years ago, my mom said she had a really tiring day. When she was going upstairs, she said “Goodbye” instead of “Goodnight” and it just really sat wrong with me. I checked on her a little later and she wasn’t waking up, so we called 9-1-1. Turned out she had taken a bottle of pills. I was terrified I was going to end up alone with my horrible stepdad. When paramedics arrived, they asked him if she had any allergies and he said no, and it still frustrates me that I had to be the one who told them about her allergies.

SlootyLooty

These Incredibly Annoying People Got Shut Down BIG Time
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

Some people assume they can get away with their bad behavior because they don’t think anyone will call them out on it. After all, most bystanders just roll their eyes and put up with it. However, some people aren't willing to take their nonsense—sometimes, people will actually stand up to these and shut them down, and in public, too.

1. Paying The Price

I worked at a high-end store, so it was common to see customers with a sense of entitlement. At Christmas time, I had a customer who was being absurdly rude to me and my co-worker. I had already told him quite clearly that there was a line and he would have to wait for his turn like everyone else. Once he got to the register, he called my manager an idiot after he had to re-ring something in. Little did he know karma was coming to him.

Another customer behind him who was about half his size tapped him on the shoulder and said loudly, "Would you mind shutting up and letting these people do their jobs? You are seriously ticking us all off". The guy then threatened him, but the smaller guy wouldn't have any of it. "If you were as tough as you like to think you are, you wouldn't have to be such a jerk. Just shut up". I magically found a 50 percent off coupon for my new favorite person.

Intotheopen

2. Obey Your Commander

My buddy and I were at a movie and these dudes were talking about how they had just gotten out of basic training. They then proceeded to bash the movie, making rude comments out loud and ruining everyone else's experience. My buddy told them, "Pipe down". They flipped him off but obliged. After the movie, we were at the front of the pack, right behind the six or seven guys who were being rude.

My buddy said, "That was really rude, how you were behaving", and one of them—the loudest guy—whipped out his ID and said, "Yeah, well, I'm a Marine, and I fight for your freedoms". All my buddy could do was smirk. He just so happened to be an officer, so he whipped out his ID and said, "I'm a Marine officer, and just because you have the honor of wearing a uniform doesn't give you the right to be a jerk".

Then he made them stand at attention right at the door of the movie theater and apologize to every patron exiting.

Jayhoe03

3. These Girls Got Schooled

man in white polo shirt wearing black sunglassesPhoto by Ashwini Chaudhary(Monty) on Unsplash

When I was in college, my friends and I were sitting at a table, and behind us, there was a kid sitting by himself. I will admit, he looked pompous—popped collar, gelled hair, super tan, etc. A group of kids sitting in the same area had been loudly making fun of his general fashion sense. Eventually, one of the girls got up, walked over, and proclaimed loudly, "I'm sorry, but I have to help you out because you look like a total dweeb". She then put his collar down.

The kid sat there in disbelief as she walked away, and his eyes started welling up. I was pretty infuriated to see that, and I knew I had to shut her down. I walked over to her table and, in the most conversational tone I could muster, I said, "Oh hey! Do you know that guy"? She said she didn't, so I began scolding her. I said, "So you just thought it would be appropriate to demean a complete stranger in public to look like a cool kid in front of all of your friends?

“I hope you feel better and that you all got a good laugh at his expense. Maybe next time you can pause to reflect before you're a total moron". I then walked over to the table and invited the kid to sit with my friends and me. It turned out he had just transferred to the college and he didn't know anyone.

gfdf

4. I Broke It Down For Her

I used to work in the toy department of a retail store. The Leap Frog laptop had just come out, and they were REALLY expensive. I was straightening shelves and I noticed a kid just wailing away on one of these laptops. The mom was nowhere to be found. I approached the kid and asked him nicely, "Is that how you play with your toys at home"? The kid gave me a sheepish "No" and placed it back on the shelf.

I was feeling pretty good about myself...until the kid's mother came out from nowhere. Her next move took me aback. She very rudely told me that I had “NO RIGHT” to speak to her child that way. I calmly looked his mother in the eye and said, “Ma’am, your son was about to break a $150 toy. Our store has a you-break-it, you-buy-it policy. If you would like me to give it back to him so he can continue hitting it, I would be happy to ring you up at my register for the damages”.

She then gave me a dirty look, grabbed her son, and walked off.

magellan2253

5. These Lunchtime Losers Got Chewed Out

When I was in high school, a guy I knew from my math class was sitting with his homework at a table in the cafeteria. He wasn't being a bother or attracting any kind of attention in any way. Out of nowhere, this guy came over, started calling him names, and asked him why he only had girls as friends. He was using all the gay insults his ignorant little pea-brain could come up with.

Nobody in the room really knew this kid, but he had admitted to being openly gay, and he was getting torn to shreds while the other guy and his buddies laughed. So my friend, who was about 5'10 and 150 pounds, decided we should go up and do something. This other guy was 6'3" and had five of his friends with him. Regardless, my friend marched off unfazed by their advantage, and I followed. They had no idea what was coming to them.

I watched as he tapped this guy on the shoulder and proceeded to chew him out for being ignorant and picking on a random kid just because he had no backup. The jerk tried to pick a fight, but my buddy just kept ranting, "You think you're tough for picking on a kid because he's gay? Do you think that being gay is a problem?

“That he had a choice in the matter? What if you were gay? Do you think you would have had the balls to let high-school punks like you know about it"? The other guy just shrugged it off, said, “Whatever”, and took his goons somewhere else. The kid was so happy that someone had stood up for him that he bought us lunch.

hitmanbill

6. Shut Your Pie Hole

cars parked in front of UNKs restaurant during night timePhoto by Shahbaz Ali on Unsplash

I used to work at McDonald’s when I was in high school, so I sympathized with other teenage fast-food workers. During one of my shifts, it was apparent that it was the cashier's first day working there, but he seemed to be doing okay. He entered something wrong, though, and he asked his manager how to fix it. The manager came over and started tearing into him in front of all the customers, calling him an idiot.

After I received my order at the counter, I asked the manager to come over and I gave it to him straight: "Please do not talk to that cashier that way ever again. Just because you are a day shift manager at McDonald’s does not make you a superior human being and gives you no right to treat others, especially your employees, like dirt". After I sat down, the other manager came over, brought me some apple pies, and thanked me for standing up to that guy.

Apparently, that manager acted terribly towards everyone.

miniskirtninja

7. Fight Or Flight

I'm a pretty mellow guy who travels for a living, and I don’t really let small things get to me. However, a couple of years ago, I was on a flight that was running 30 minutes late. I was already thinking to myself that the connection was going to be tight and it would most likely require me to run or briskly walk for a mile or so through the airport.

I was one of the last passengers to board the plane, and I had to check my bag since there was no more room. The four or five people behind me did the same thing. I worked my way down the aisle, and there was a guy asking people to shift their bags. He was trying to get his oversized bag to fit, and there was no room. He called for the flight attendant, who walked up and said, "Sir, we are out of the room. You will have to check your bag".

That was it for him—he went OFF on her. He started yelling, "This airline sucks. I'm a million-mile member. I want your employee number and name", and so on. At that point, I pretty much mentally snapped. I felt horrible for the flight attendant who was just doing her job, and this guy had spent five minutes making an idiot out of himself and burning up time.

People were gawking, cringing, and just hoping he would stop so they could move on. I just yelled, "SHUT UP. SHUT THE HECK UP"! I was shaking with anger. Then, I went off. I said, "Take your bag to the front of the plane, check it in, and stop with this insanity. You are what is wrong with air travel. Your sense of entitlement makes me want to puke. If you are a million-mile flier, you know the rules of flying. You should know how this works".

"Why punish everyone on this flight? You have insulted this lovely young lady, you have made everyone on this plane uncomfortable with your little show, and I'm now another five minutes late for my connection. I want you and your little Napoleon-complex issues to shut up and sit down. Do WE have a problem"? He started spluttering and looking all flustered but didn't say a single word.

Somebody at the back of the plane started clapping. Soon the whole plane was applauding me. I just sat down and waited while everyone clapped, and this guy took a long walk of shame to the front of the plane. The flight attendant thanked me, and so did everyone else. I didn't mean to do it, but I just can't stand people like that. The best part was I had free drinks for the flight, the attendant gave me a stack of free drink cards for my next couple of flights, and one of the passengers gave me a voucher for free WiFi that he had won.

It was very satisfying.

DangerIsHereOnReddit

8. A Chili Reception

I had worked at Chili's for about five years. I had so many experiences with rude people that I lost count, but one was by far the worst. I was waiting tables around graduation time and I had a party of 25 call ahead at about 7 pm, saying they would be arriving in 30 minutes. We set the table up for them and were anticipating their arrival.

They actually showed up about an hour and a half later than they said they would. We had since broken up the big table and seated other smaller parties there. When they arrived, they were angry that their table wasn't ready for them. The really soft-spoken, sweet hostess who was working that night simply explained to them that we thought they had chosen somewhere else to go since they hadn't come sooner. That's when the Karen came out.

The lady who was speaking to the hostess immediately burst out, saying that we should have known that they were still coming. She then said out loud that she knew Chili’s "was a terrible idea," and that we were all terrible at our jobs. Almost in tears, the hostess said that we would set up another table for them in a closed section and that I would take care of them.

These same people would always come in, be rude to everyone, NEVER tip, and constantly complain so they could get free food. When I waited on large parties by myself, I always started everyone with water just because it takes some time to get everyone’s drink order and get it out to them. I figured it was better to at least have some water available while waiting.

As soon as we got them settled in, several started complaining that they didn’t have water and that I was rude not to offer them a different option. I simply explained I would be bringing them whatever they would like and that the water was just to hold them for the time being. Apparently, that wasn't good enough for them. They told me I was an idiot and said, “Get this mess out of my face", referring to the water.

Most of them ordered strawberry lemonade, so I made all of the drinks and brought them out to them. The group then started to complain, “This stuff tastes nasty”. They told me it didn’t taste anything like what it did last time. I told them that we made it by the same measurements every time, but that I would be glad to make a new batch for them.

I went and poured out what we had and made another batch of strawberry lemonade. I took it out to them, and they again complained that it was nasty. I offered to get them something else, and they said, "We just want a waiter that isn't an idiot and knows how to make strawberry lemonade”. I got the manager to explain that we made our strawberry lemonade the same way every time.

They rolled their eyes and told the manager that I was being rude to them. Then, when they started eating their meals, they began to be even more disrespectful to me. They started pouring their drinks out on the floor on purpose, throwing food at me and insulting me right in front of my face. I had a couple of other tables complain that this large party was being extremely loud, which they were.

I went over and asked if they minded being a little quieter as they were disturbing the other tables in the restaurant. One kid then yelled, “OH, YOU THINK I'M TOO LOUD”? They all started being even louder than before, and some tables even got up and left. That was the final straw. I yelled over them and told them they were no longer welcome at our restaurant.

That shut them up. One kid told me that I couldn't do that, and I said, “When you start causing our other good paying customers to leave, I can do what I want, now get out”. They had the nerve to ask for boxes of their food that they hadn't touched because they were too busy being loud. I told them that I couldn’t care less if they wanted their food and that they needed to leave.

My manager and I stood at the door smiling, watching them all walk out. One girl told me that I had ruined her graduation party. I informed her that she had no class and got what she deserved. A few of them stayed and talked to my manager, begging him to allow them back because it was their favorite place to eat. He told them they cost the company money when they came in, and they were never welcomed back.

Orijinal_Jamz

9. Those Nasty Girls Got Served

brown wooden table and chairsPhoto by Carolina Marinelli on Unsplash

Back in college, there was a mentally challenged guy who worked in the dorm dining hall. He obviously had some problems but was with it enough for him to hold down the job. One day, I was behind some girls in line who were standing right in front of him, talking about how they didn't like being served by him. They even started calling him names.

Outraged, I gave them a piece of my mind. "He has ears. He can hear you. He's a person just like the rest of us, and you shouldn't treat people like that". They then called me a name and walked away.

tah4349

10. That’s What Big Brothers Are For

When I was in the fifth grade, a lady grabbed my brother who was in the third grade by the neck. She picked him up and threw him three to four feet against the lockers. She was mad because he had pushed her child out of the way when her kid cut in line in front of him at the water fountain. I couldn't believe it. I just started going off on her.

I was calling her every name I could think of while following her out the door. I wasn’t using your standard fifth-grade insults. My dad was a Marine, and I was saying all the stuff I wasn’t supposed to have heard from him that I amassed over the years. I followed her and her kid out the front door and got to the circle where buses pulled in to pick up the kids.

Then, she turned around and came at me like she was trying to destroy me. There were no teachers around. They were all inside, trying to find out what was going on. It was just her and me, and I could see in her eyes that she was really going to hurt me. She grabbed me by the shoulders, picked me up, and shook me as hard as she could the whole time I was screaming.

Then I heard car breaks, and my mom football tackled her and beat the bejesus out of her. My mom had layers upon layers of that lady’s skin caked under her nails and bruised knuckles from punching her so hard. That night, I got ice cream for trying to protect my brother and was sent to bed early for saying the words I shouldn’t have.

rustybullethole

11. Gym Rats

There were these two teenagers at the gym who went around to every single bench and machine, threw a small amount of weight on, proceeded to knock out a couple of reps, and then moved on to something else, all while never re-racking their weights. I tracked them down when I realized they were never going to put anything away. Being the big and muscular guy I am, I decided to put an end to it. I simply told them to rack their weights.

I watched and waited while they put every single weight back where it belonged before I went back to my own workout.

alexrandau

12. He Got His Just Desserts

white ice cream on brown cookiePhoto by Kobby Mendez on Unsplash

I was a student in a culinary arts program. We rotated through stations and ran a full cafeteria on the university campus. One of the stations—desserts—required that you serve and plate the food in front of the customer. I was helping this one woman when another guy, a regular, came in and budged in front of her. He was the rudest customer I had ever dealt with.

He cut in front of her and reached for the dessert that I was still plating. She said loudly, "Excuse me. That is mine. She's not done, and you can wait and not be so rude. You are unbelievable". He walked away with an unhappy, childish look on his face. She looked at me and said, "Sorry, I can't stand rude people". I couldn't have been more grateful.

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13. His Words Hit The Spot

My dad was driving around with his terminally ill friend. They needed to go to a pharmacy, and seeing as how my dad's friend would become short of breath easily, they were hoping for a handicap spot. Unfortunately, none were vacant, so they had to park farther away. As they were walking up to the store, a squat, muscular man came walking out of the pharmacy.

He started to open up the door of his Ford F150 that was parked in a handicap spot. He clearly didn't need to be in that spot, nor did he have a sticker. My dad's friend was fuming when he saw him. He called out to him as he was getting in and said, "Excuse me? Is your handicap physical or mental"? The guy's face went white as a ghost, and he quickly got into his truck and pulled away.

Jimmythejet

14. They Were In For A Rude Awakening

While on my lunch break, I was at the grocery store. This older woman, who had some obvious mental and emotional problems, was walking up to a checkout line. She went to take her salad out and it opened up, spilling everywhere. She then started crying, saying how she couldn't afford to buy another salad, and apologized for the mess.

A clerk and I went over and started helping her. The clerk told her it happens all the time and that they wouldn’t charge her, but the woman was still visibly upset. She continued to apologize and cry. Then, I heard two middle-aged women—hair all done up, expensive clothes, etc.—giggling and having little laughing outbursts every time the old lady said something. I was appalled.

To my amazement, they started to openly mock her, loud enough so we all could hear. At that point, I stood up, grabbed my basket, walked over to them, and quietly said, "Come on, quit it". They both stopped laughing and got beet red with anger. One of them said, "Excuse me? Who the heck are you"? I calmly replied, "She's obviously upset. She can hear you over there, and it's embarrassing for you and for her".

That was when they both lost it. "Who the heck are you? Who the heck do you think you are? Don't ever talk to me like that", etc. To which I replied, "Listen, I know you're both really unhappy because you married a man for money, and now he's cheating on you with a much younger woman, and your kids probably don't like you or respect you because you're obviously a terrible person, but you don't have to be mean to strangers.

“If you want to laugh, whatever, but don't start mocking people. Try to contain yourselves and act like the adults you never became". They were shocked, and it was so amusing to watch. They said, “We're not paying for this", and just walked out, leaving their food behind. Then the checkout clerk started laughing, and the guy behind me went, "Oh, yeah". I kind of think I did a bit of an overkill, but I was really shocked at how mean they were being.

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15. Back Of The Line!

person watching moviePhoto by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash

I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I was a big nerd, but also 6'4" and 250 lbs. We were waiting in line for about an hour or two before the movie started. The line was around the corner and snaked around the block. They started letting people in, and the line behind us began to push forward, becoming a mob.

People who were waiting an hour were being cut in front by people who had gotten there five minutes prior. People in line started whispering, "We have to say something. They're cutting”. So, I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Hey everybody, no cutting! Back of the line"! At that point, I saw an old friend in the midst of the crowd.

I called him by name and shouted, "Hey, yeah, I see you, back of the line"! Every person who was line jumping then shrugged, exhaled collectively, and proceeded to move back to their respective places in line. I heard a few people whisper, "You see that big guy? He told them to go back, and they did". It felt good.

JonnyCams

16. Surly At Summerfest

I was an inner-city school teacher in Milwaukee for four years. I taught summer school at the Juvenile Detention center for kids who were awaiting trial, sentencing, and release. I was not the least bit intimidating looking, and I think that allowed me to get away with calling people out on their bull as much as I did. I don't know why I felt the need to be the crusader of manners and tact, but I think society has digressed so much because no one holds people accountable.

Once at Summerfest—the HUGE music festival in Milwaukee—there were three children, approximately five, seven, and 11 years old. They were running around, knocking over trash cans, blowing whistles, and cursing up a storm. There was no parent in sight. It was around 4 pm. I sighed, walked over, and said, "Unless you really want to get in trouble, you need to stop behaving like this.

“You're embarrassing yourselves. Where is the person you came here with"? The 11-year-old kid's response had me fuming. "I don't have to answer to you. Freaking white people, always thinkin' they can tell people what to do. I don't have to listen to you". At that point, my friend, who was a Milwaukee detective, came over, pulled his badge out, and said to her, "You don't have to listen to her.

“She was nice and gave you a chance. But you DO have to listen to me". Her face just DROPPED. She threw herself on the ground and started screaming and crying, saying, "I didn't do anything, these people are just racist". Obviously, my friend got the officers on duty and security to come and get them at that point. I was more concerned about an 11-year-old being responsible for a five-year-old and seven-year-old, more than her behavior.

Snufffaluffaguss

17. I Made Them Face The Music

One time, I was at a show in Philly. It was in between bands, and everyone was milling around outside the venue. As I was standing, talking to some friends, I noticed five or six wannabe tough guy kids harassing this homeless guy. They were kind of pushing him around, forcing him to take pictures with them, and talking down to him.

Eventually, the guy slumped down on a wall, pulled his knees up, and started crying as the guys kept degrading him more and more. One of them shoved his camera phone in the dude’s face saying he was going to make him famous on YouTube. At that point, I had seen and heard enough and just lost it. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I remember flipping out on these kids for about five minutes.

I told them something along the lines of how the guy had nothing, yet they still chose to act like jerks. They had everything compared to him and he had nothing, yet they were the worthless ones. I pointed out how disgusting what they were doing was and how pathetic they were. I didn't care that they were five or six guys who could probably together beat my face in. I knew they weren’t a threat when, toward the end of my rant, they were all staring at the ground.

They were red in the face, clearly ashamed of what they had done. As my verbal berating ended, I was greeted with applause from everyone around us. I helped the old guy up, took him to WaWa, and bought him some dinner. He was weeping on the way there, thanking me, saying he never had anyone stick up for him in his entire life. It felt good.

SirDeeznuts

18. I Was About To Cart Him Away

man in black jacket and white helmet standing on green grass field near body of waterPhoto by Palle Knudsen on Unsplash

One day, I was helping my grandparents run errands. When my grandfather stood up out of the store’s mechanized wheelchair to use the ATM, some 19-year-old thug walked up and sat down in it. I gave him three polite versions of "He's using that" before he responded, saying, "Chill out, I'll get up in a minute". I started to explain that we needed the wheelchair available in case he lost his balance.

When he wouldn’t listen, I stared him in the eyes and said, "Get up", to which the dude responded, "Who do you think you’re talkin' to"? I told him, "I'm talking to you. Get up. Now". He again responded, "Who are you talking to"? At that point, he still hadn't gotten up. So, I showed him who he was dealing with. I rushed the cart fully intending to flip it over, and when he saw that I was serious, he jumped up and started muttering about how I'd better hope he never sees me again. My grandfather was 91. I don't think I've ever seen him prouder than he was at that moment.

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19. Girl Interrupted

In college, I had the opportunity to see a foreign film for extra credit for a Spanish class I was taking. I had to take notes during the film so that I could write a brief summary of the movie to turn in to my Spanish professor. The movie was playing in one of our big lecture halls and it was put on by the foreign film club at my school, so there were many students there watching.

I got to my seat, settled in, and started watching the movie. About 10 minutes in, two girls entered the hall and proceeded to make a lot of noise, like nothing was going on at all. They took their seats in my row but on the other side of the aisle. They continued to talk for the next 10 to 15 minutes—loudly—while the movie was playing.

I could tell the people around me were annoyed with subtle "ahems" and groans, and multiple heads turned to look at the girls. However, no one really did anything, and the girls kept talking. Finally, I had it. I got up, walked over to the girls, and asked them in the most polite voice I could muster, "Please excuse me ladies for interrupting your conversation. Would you mind shutting up so the rest of us can watch the film"?

I just stood there, and they got angry and left. The entire lecture hall applauded, and the movie went on. There were no more interruptions. I left that place feeling 10 feet tall. It was well worth the 25 extra credit points.

fondupot

20. Her Behavior Needed To Go

I used to work at Walmart. When it was slow, cashiers would be sent out to the floor to tidy up the store and help out the people working in different departments. One day, I was helping out a friend of mine in the children's section when a woman and her two kids came into the department. One child was still an infant, but her daughter looked to be around 4 or 5 years old.

The woman was looking around, completely ignoring her daughter, who kept trying to tell her mother that she had to go to the restroom. The kid wasn't whining so much as saying, "Mom, I have to go". The mother kept ignoring her and absentmindedly telling her to hold it. Finally, the little girl let it out: "Mom! I! Have! To! GO"! which woke up the little one. The baby started crying.

The mother finally addressed her daughter by yelling at her for being a pain in the neck. My friend and I were listening to this, looking at each other as if to say, "Man, what a moron", but there wasn't much we could really do. Then the woman screamed, "Will you shut up!? I wish you had never been born"! I was stunned. I couldn't believe anyone would say that to their child.

My friend literally dropped what she was doing and said, "What did you just say"? The woman started to say something about minding our own business, but my friend cut her off by launching into one of the most frightening displays of righteous anger I had ever seen. She tore into this woman, telling her that it was apparent that the little girl needed to go to the bathroom because it was all she had been saying for the past five minutes.

She told her that it didn't matter how frustrated she was with her child; no one should ever tell a kid that they wish they hadn't been born. The woman couldn't say anything in her defense because she was caught being horrible to her child. My friend finished telling this woman she was a failure as a parent by saying, "You're the reason birth control should be mandatory. Take your kid to the bathroom".

I could have clapped; it was so perfect. The woman left without saying a word. Apparently, the woman complained to management on the way out because my friend got hauled into the office shortly after that. She said she was completely justified in what she did and would do it again. The manager told her that he agreed with her, gave her a warning, and told her, "Good job".

gametemplar

21. I Slammed Back

person holding car door lever wearing round silver-colored watchPhoto by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

One day, I saw a woman slam her car door several times into the car that was parked next to them because “they parked too close.” I went off at that very moment. The lady doing the door slamming was parked over the line, and the car she vandalized was right in the center of its spot. I took down her license plate number, went into the store, found the owner of the other vehicle, and let them know.

freedomweasel

22. This Train Wreck Was Averted

One afternoon, I was on the train on the way to an appointment. I was just sitting in my chair, minding my own business when I saw something weird going on out of the corner of my eye. There were these two 18-year-old kids harassing a 14-year-old, calling him “white trash”. I let it slide and minded my own business because I had a meeting to get to.

Moments after that happened, I saw the two kids getting closer and closer to the 14-year-old, and they did the most abhorrent thing—they started smacking him in the face, demanding that he give them his iPod and headphones. That drove me over the top and beyond. I instantly became furious, stood up, and yelled, “Get off him”! Apparently, nobody was paying attention to the situation and looked at me like I was crazy.

As the train pulled up at the station, I made my way to the two instigators. They began talking trash to me and throwing some stupid gang signs up when suddenly, this little lady behind me started cursing at them in their language. Everyone started joining in, telling them what idiots they were. I tried to grab hold of them and call out for the authorities, but they just booked. The 14-year-old thanked me and everyone on the train. I made sure he was OK and went to my meeting feeling I did some good for the day.

GZerv

23. Stand Up And Deliver

I was at a 7-Eleven making a purchase when some yuppie lady interrupted my transaction. She angrily told the cashier that her coffee wasn't hot. He apologized and told her that he could make another pot right away. She said, "No, I'm way too busy to wait for that"! The clerk offered her a refund, and she responded, "No, I don't want a refund! I'm busy, and I want a hot cup of coffee RIGHT NOW"!

I felt so bad for this clerk who, judging by his accent, hadn't been in the country for very long and was shocked by her rudeness. I just snapped right then and there. I said, "Listen, you stupid yuppie. He apologized that the coffee wasn't hot and offered to make you another pot or a refund. What the heck do you expect him to do? The only way for him to comply with your request is to get a time machine and brew another pot before you get here.

“Does he look like some sort of time-traveling wizard to you!? You need to just shut up, get back into your ridiculous SUV, and try to act like an adult"! She just stood there, shaking. I couldn't tell if it was rage or fear, but after what seemed like an eternity, she ran out of the store and took off. All the people in line clapped for me. The clerk was also shocked at my outburst but told me, "It's good to know that some people will stand up for strangers in this country".

x3n0s

24. To Catch A Thief

white and brown starbucks cupPhoto by Gema Saputera on Unsplash

I was at Starbucks when a guy grabbed a woman's purse. I chased him down and we wrestled with it. When I got it, he tried to fight me. I yelled at him to grow up—he was clearly older than me. I then walked back inside Starbucks, and as soon as I stepped through the door, the place was packed but completely silent. Everyone was watching me.

I set the woman's purse on the table near her and asked if she was alright. She said she was, so I walked back to the front of the line where my buddy was and said, "And I would like a caramel mocha frappuccino”. The whole place erupted with applause, and the drinks were on the house. It was my smoothest moment ever.

Bamness

25. Her Entitlement Got Knocked Out Of The Park

I worked as a nanny and frequently took the baby to the park, where we did the normal "make friends and play" routine. There was a mom I frequently saw whose youngest child we would play with. One morning, we were playing, and when I looked up, I noticed that I was alone with two toddlers and her older pre-school-aged child. I called for her and looked around for 15 minutes before calling the authorities.

Twenty minutes later, I still didn’t see her, but the authorities and a social worker arrived. They took my statement, then left with the abandoned children. As I was walking down the street, about a block from the park, the mom came running up to me and pointed to the park. She asked where her kids were. I told her what happened, and an argument ensued. I couldn't believe what she was saying.

She was enraged that I didn't just sit and wait at the park with her kids while she ran to the store because I was a nanny. Apparently, I should be able to handle extra kids. I proceeded to tell her— as calmly as I could with the baby present—what kind of mother she was and how much she endangered her children. I also gave her a general earful about being an irresponsible, expectant, idiot.

There was some kind of court hearing after that, where she claimed I was babysitting her kids. However, when she couldn't provide the judge with my name or contact information, I was in the clear. I was not privy to how it worked out for her and the kids, though.

calamitybambi

26. Keep It Together, People!

My wife and I were waiting for a flight home from Vegas. It was around 3 pm and our flight was overbooked. We were hanging out at the bar right next to our gate, still getting our drinks while we waited. We then began to hear this horrendously loud argument happening at the counter. It turns out this couple—both in their mid-50s—were throwing a raging tantrum over not sitting together.

They had booked their flights on Expedia together, but the airline had moved their seats because the flight was so full. They were offered the next flight, but they continued to scream and moan. This went on for about five minutes. You could see this poor 18-year-old-girl behind the counter was just starting to break down. She needed help immediately.

Out of nowhere, my wife proceeded to get up, walk over to the counter, and just said straight to the poor girl, ignoring the couple, "They can have my seat and my husband's seat together if they promise to shut up and leave you alone. We'll wait for the next flight". The couple was shocked. They just stared at her and started giving her the stink eye, but they stayed silent.

We then proceeded to exchange our tickets and got our seats for the next flight. However, the flight was overbooked, so we received vouchers for two free round-trip tickets to anywhere the airline flew because we had volunteered our seats on an overbooked flight. We ended up using them for flights to go to Hawaii later that year. And the next flight was only 30 minutes later.

jaynus

27. The Sounds Of Silence

group of people staring at monitor inside roomPhoto by Jake Hills on Unsplash

My wife and I were at the movies. A group of loud and annoying teenagers sat next to us. They were talking to each other and commenting on every single line in the film. I let it fly for the first twenty minutes, thinking they would eventually shut up and actually watch the movie. When I realized they wouldn't stop, I made my move. I gently poked the arm of the girl who was the closest to me.

I calmly but firmly told her, "Would you please tell your friends to SHUT UP. Thank you". She nodded and said, "Yes, sir". They didn't utter a word for the rest of the movie.

Winged_Wheel

28. A Day At The Zoo

My wife and I were enjoying a great walk around the Omaha Zoo. We went into the primate area and we started checking out the monkeys, apes, etc. This one small enclosure had a climbing rope inside with a baby primate crawling around on the rope. A small girl edged closer to the glass to get a better look. Just as she did, this woman stepped up right in this other lady's face and started chewing her out.

She very loudly said, "Ma'am, your daughter is extremely rude. She just pushed my son out of the way, stood right in front of him, and blocked his sight. You need to learn how to control your children". The lady being chewed out was speechless. And the thing is, that wasn’t even the worst of what happened. Before the woman could even respond, I turned to face the accuser and just as loudly said, "No, you are the one being rude.

“I was standing right there, and the only thing that her daughter did was take a step closer to the glass. The area is crowded; everyone is just trying to see better. She never pushed your son out of the way, and his sight was not blocked. You're the one setting a terrible example. You need to learn how to behave in public because of this little display of unprovoked anger isn't it". Then, my wife and I just turned and walked off.

Every now and then, one of us will turn to the other and say, "I can't believe how rude that lady at the Omaha Zoo was"!

ronearc

29. Pumped Up

We lived in southeast DC which wasn’t always the safest area. My wife and neighbor were sitting on the front porch when there was an altercation at the gas station across the street. Two men had tried to pull up to the same pump at the same time. They both got out. One was in his 70s and the other in his late 20s. The younger man looked like he spent a lot of time at the gym.

The men started shouting at each other, and at one point, the younger man did the most shocking thing: He pushed the older man onto the hood of his car. Our neighbor was a quiet woman who worked with the deaf community and was probably 5'10" and 130 lbs. When she saw the push, she ran across the street and got in the younger guy's face. She yelled at him, saying, "What is the matter with you? You're much bigger than him!

“You didn't have to push him! I have two young boys at home and is this the sort of behavior I should expect when they're older? What is wrong with you"? The guy apologized to her, saying that his mother would be ashamed. He said he'd just had a bad day and that he overreacted. My neighbor told him that he didn't have to apologize to her.

He apologized to the older guy and drove away, presumably too embarrassed to get gas in front of the people who had just witnessed what had happened.

Uglypants_Stupidface

30. Quite The Ride

colored neon lights lighting up amusement park ridesPhoto by Joe Ciciarelli on Unsplash

A small group of friends and I decided to go to the state fair. There were about four or five of us. One of my friends wanted to go on one of the faster, more intense rides, and everyone else backed down. This was a ride where single riders weren't allowed, so I told him I'd go with him. He was new to the city and had heard things about this ride from other people, so he really wanted to go on it.

There was a good 40- to 50-minute wait. While waiting in the long line, a group of teenagers decided they would ruin everyone's day—they basically snuck past everyone, cut in line, and merge in with their friends. I looked behind me and saw people whispering and looking a bit angry. I’m 6’4” and somewhat muscular, but I usually don't like to use my size to my advantage, and I certainly don't like to use it to intimidate people.

I poked my head out of the line at the teenagers who cut in front of us and said nicely, "Hey, do you guys think you can go to the back of the line? Everyone back here has been waiting for at least half an hour". One of them looked back at me—getting smart—and said, "Deal with it". I told him again, a little more sternly, "Just get to the back of the line, alright? People are getting mad at you for thinking you can do whatever you want".

This time he thought it would be cute to come back to me and get in my face to try to make me back down. At that point, he was clearly getting angry and told me, "Tell me one more time, and I'll knock you out”. I told him again to get to the back of the line. He laughed, then he went for a punch, but that was a BIG mistake on his part. I grabbed his fist, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and threw him to the ground, lifting him off his feet.

Without thinking, I just took off my shirt in a blind rage and self-defense and told him, "Get your spoiled behind to the back of the line and quit acting like a pretentious little weasel before you regret it". His friends signaled for him to come back to them since they figured out I wouldn't be an easy pushover. I wore glasses, so my guess was that they assumed I couldn't put up a fight. They left the line, and it felt good.

ChocolateJigglypuffs

31. Those Mean Girls Got Shut Down

I worked a lot with the special needs students at my school and I have worked with people who have disabilities my entire life. One day when I was about 13, I came into one of my classes to find one of my fellow students with Down syndrome huddled on the floor with a bunch of girls standing around him, pointing and jeering. I immediately dropped to my knees to talk to him.

I found out that he’d had an accident, and the girls were making fun of him for it. He was crying and shaking. I soothed him, managed to get him to stand up, and got one of the other students to take him to the special needs classroom. I then turned to these girls I barely knew, looked every one of them in the eye, and proceeded to rip into them verbally.

They got such an earful that they were all blushing and hanging their heads by the end of it. I even made one girl cry. I didn't have many friends in middle school, but I eventually blossomed in high school. I remembered every single one of those girls. The looks I gave them when they tried to talk to me reminded them every time about what heartless little meanies they were. I still get mad about it.

anyesuki

32. Bus-ted!

I was on the city bus in Ann Arbor, MI. There was a very old couple that I would sometimes see getting off at the hospital’s cancer center. On one particular day, the woman got out of her seat 30 seconds too soon before the bus stopped and quickly lost her balance. She fell over onto a man who was roughly 55 years old.

He looked at her with utter disgust and pushed her off of him. She then fell to the ground. Some nice young men helped her up. She was obviously shaken up and off-balance. She then fell on the man again. He shouted out, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU DUMB WOMAN"! She seemed very disoriented and confused at that point, and her husband didn’t appear to see what was really going down.

The man got out of his seat and loomed over her in a threatening manner. He yelled, "I HAVE A BAD BACK AND YOU COULD HAVE HURT ME. GET OUT OF HERE". But here's the thing—this man was maybe 6'1'' and 200 lbs, and the old woman appeared to be in her late 80s and no more than 100 lbs. I couldn't believe what was happening. The bus driver stopped the bus out of confusion. I jumped up and told the man to get off the bus.

I said that I would call the authorities and that he had no business being on public transportation. He moved towards me. At the time, I was a 21-year-old female who was not too physically imposing. I looked him in the eye and told him to get out of my face. The bus driver finally saw what was happening and ordered the guy off the bus. I never saw the guy again on the bus, and some hot guy gave me his number when I got off. Score!

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33. Revenge Of The Nerds

a silver and red train traveling past a train stationPhoto by Umair D on Unsplash

I was on the train from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham with a lot of college students. I was seated between two groups. I guess you'd say the "popular" kids and a group of "nerds". You could tell mostly because my friend and I could hear the rude twitters behind us, and I got smacked with a chip they were throwing at a girl across the way. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.

One girl, who was quite large, got up to go to the restroom. I was already annoyed with what was going on but I had not said anything until the moment when the "pretty" girl put her legs up and refused to let the girl go. At first, the first girl took it in stride and made a joke about it, but the other girl just taunted her before finally letting her pass.

It didn't stop there. As the first girl walked away, the group with the second girl made oinking sounds. When she came back, this girl pulled the same thing, so I turned around, looked at her, and said, "You're so cool". She put her legs down, looked at the ground, and the other girl walked by. I turned to my friend and said loud enough so the whole group could hear, "It's such a cool thing to taunt and make fun of other people.

“Because obviously, you're so much better than the person you're making fun of if you stop to tease them. Yeah, it shows them you don't care about them". I paused, turned to the girl who was now blushing, and said, "No, actually, it shows people that you care more about them than they do about you. Grow up. Be nice". She didn't say a word for the rest of the train ride.

courters

34. Supermarket Hog

Whenever I see anyone litter or act in an incredibly rude manner, I tell them off. One day, I was at the supermarket, and there was a woman who had about three items on her belt, talking away on her phone. When a little old lady went over to put her stuff on the belt, the woman on the phone said, "What are you doing? This is my space. I'm just waiting for my husband to come with the rest of our stuff".

That got me cross enough as it was, but then her husband strolled up with a cart that was almost over-flowing with stuff, and I just couldn't hold my tongue. This woman had been hogging space on the belt and telling her husband what to get over the phone! I was in the next line over, but I told her that she and her husband could go to the back of the long line they were causing. They did not like that one bit.

They called the manager and I explained how vile and selfish they had been. To his credit, the manager told me I was right. He sent the people to the back and comped the old lady’s groceries to apologize for her inconvenience.

tomdwilliams

35. Do I Have To Paint A Picture? Your Kid’s Rude!

Some kid was in a restaurant where my mom and I were trying to have a quiet lunch. This kid started to throw crayons at my mom, literally from the next table. The kid's mom was too busy talking on her phone to care. I tried glaring, but she couldn't care less. In the end, I walked up to her to confront her, and she actually gave me the "one-minute finger".

That was it. I picked up all the crayons that were on the floor, on the table, and from in front of the kid, dumped them on her lap, and sat back down. I think she was so shocked, she just left. The manager of the restaurant gave us a free meal. Apparently, that particular woman was known for just letting her kid run wild.

ChromeDeagle

36. I Had This One In The Bag

green and yellow plant on groundPhoto by Gary Meulemans on Unsplash

I was pulling weeds from the outside of my fence on the sidewalk. I had a big paper lawn bag next to me, and I was almost done with the whole yard. This guy came walking down the street, opened a package of smokes, and dropped the cellophane wrapper on the ground in front of my house. I lost my marbles. I yelled at the guy, "Hey, I might be pulling weeds, but I'm not cleaning for you. I'm trying to make my house look nice".

So, he came back, picked up the wrapper, and put it in the lawn bag.

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37. Dis-concert-ing Behavior

I was at an Atmosphere concert with my girlfriend and best friend having the time of our lives. I drank a large quantity of booze at the many venue bars we'd gone to and I had gotten myself to the holy grail of sloshed. I was charming, funny, making friends—all the good stuff. It was perfect. Something made me look away, but when I turned back to the stage, I saw my girlfriend getting shoved by some dimwit.

It started small. He was trying to push his way to the front of the stage well after the concert began, and we had all gotten our good spots by waiting. When he tried to push her out of his way, she pushed back and held him back like a tough chick. That angered him, and he just started shoving her as hard as he could over and over.

What happened next will forever be etched into my brain. I reached up above the crowd and brought my fist down like a meteor scolding the heck out of his face. All he could do was stare blankly at me. Two beats later—as if it were planned—a dozen arms were wrapped around him and he was removed from the crowd. The other concertgoers and security saw the whole thing go down.

They promptly took him out. Even the people he was with disowned him and gave me handshakes. However, his girlfriend later threw a drink at me from the edge screaming, "YOU BROKE MY BOYFRIEND'S NOSE"! It was the best concert of my life.

BaronSpargo

38. I Tried To Put Her In Line

It was a Friday at around 6 pm, and I was in line at a supermarket. The lines were longer than normal. This entitled late-40s soccer mom was in front of me, tapping her foot and getting all sorts of agitated. We got up to the register and the woman started going off about how slow the line was and how ridiculous the wait had been.

The girl checking items through was young and obviously couldn’t say anything, so I stepped up to the plate. I said, "Lady, you need to CALM DOWN. You aren't the only one inconvenienced by long lines. Being nasty to this poor girl isn't going to make your groceries slide through any faster". Her jaw dropped as if everyone in her life just sat around, taking her verbal garbage wherever she went.

She shut up and continued through, glaring at me as she left. I sat back, looking satisfied with an “I don’t care” look. The female clerk smiled and said she couldn't have ever done that. A week later, I saw the clerk again, and she told me that the woman came back in, talked to her manager, and she got in trouble for not telling me that I was out of line for calling her out!

rowdynun

39. Told Off In A Tiny Space

people in restaurantPhoto by K8 on Unsplash

I was on vacation with my parents. My dad had planned for us to have this amazing dinner at a fancy restaurant. The restaurant was literally on the first floor of a small or medium-sized house. Seeing as the place was so tiny, all the customers had to keep their voices down so as not to disturb everyone else. We sat down for dinner and were immediately overwhelmed by a man talking loudly at the table next to us.

Not only was he basically yelling, but he was saying very inappropriate and prejudiced comments. He obviously had too much to drink, but everyone at his table looked too scared to say anything to him. My family and I tried to have our dinner and ignore him, but it was becoming very difficult. My poor dad, who had planned this great dinner, looked so crestfallen.

Whenever someone upsets a family member of mine, I snap. And that's exactly what happened. I turned around and said very clearly and loudly, "Could you please keep your voice down. I can hardly hear anything besides your voice". The guy was speechless, probably because I was an 18-year-old girl telling him nicely to shut up in front of an entire restaurant.

dededexter

40. Oh, That Holiday Spirit

I was flying home for the holidays. The guy in the seat behind me was very inebriated and very loud. He was clearly bothering everyone around him, but no one said anything. The flight attendants stopped serving him and half-heartedly shushed him, but it didn't work. He was sitting next to a teenage brother and sister duo.

He started waving his arms around and grabbing at the air. He smacked the back of my seat, and I turned around to see the sister shrinking as far back into her chair as she could to escape his flailing arms. She whispered to me, "Please say something". So all 5 feet and 4 inches of me stood up. I put some bass into my voice and said, "HEY! You need to be quiet".

He replied, "Huh? I just wanna get home and nobody will give me a drink". I said, "YOU just want to get home? That's all any of us want, and all we've heard all night is your darn mouth. You need to keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself and be quiet"! Luckily, it worked.

There was peaceful silence from him for the rest of the flight, and several people thanked me when we exited the plane. It was one of the prouder moments of my life and the only time I had ever done anything like that.

PxLxH'

41. Big Time Loser In A Small Town

I was at this bar in a small town I had never been to. A trashed redneck was being inappropriate to a cute girl and making her very uncomfortable. I can't stand people who do that. No woman should have to listen to that garbage, and it also makes all men look worse. I'm a very passive, non-violent guy, but I'm 6'6" with a pretty solid build, so I guess I can be intimidating. I knew I had to do something.

I stood right in front of him and told him that he was way out of line. I also threatened that if he kept it up, there were going to be problems. We stared each other down for a couple of seconds, and he left the bar. Several people thanked me, and the bartender gave me a free drink.

ClamJuicer

42. They Got Served A Cup Of Courtesy

grayscale photo of clear drinking glassPhoto by Pedro Forester Da Silva on Unsplash

Years ago, I was at a Panera Bread around the holidays. It was a full-on shopping season, and the place was close to some shopping malls, so it was extremely busy. This older couple ordered coffee, and the lady behind the counter gave them a to-go cup, saying, "I'm sorry, we ran out of clean mugs, and the dishwasher is running now, but I didn't want to make you wait".

She was very polite, but the lady got mad and started screaming about bad service. She actually yelled, "I need a FOR-HERE cup, not a to-go cup"! The poor girl behind the counter kept apologizing and saying they would be done in a minute, but the woman just kept complaining. Meanwhile, another employee came up to take my order. I saw my chance to get extra petty then.

I ordered my drink and said as loud as I could, "And a to-go cup is FINE with me. Unlike some people, I understand the drink will taste the same"! The old lady freaked about how rude I was while I waited for my drink. The manager came out and gave me a free loaf of their holiday bread "for being so patient". The old people left, still angry.

baconbabe456

43. He Was In Line For Some Embarrassment

I used to live in one of those "I live in a million-dollar house so I'm better than you" suburbs. It was the "poorest" of the surrounding towns, so the people there felt insecure and seemed to try to make up for it. I would make it a sport to counter any bad behavior. One day, there was a huge line at a coffee shop during lunchtime. They were taking orders and processing credit card payments on a mobile device to speed things up.

This guy had paid but was waiting for his drink. He said, “Wow, they can take your money fast enough; they just can't do their jobs fast enough. Ridiculous”. The employee gave me my drink and said, “I'm so sorry about the wait”. That's when I gave my epic reply. “Well, barring complete blindness or some mental disability, everyone here should know they'd be waiting, considering the size of the line”.

She started laughing uncontrollably and trying to hide her face. The other guy just glared at me, trying to intimidate me. I just responded to him, "What are you gonna do about it"? The server gave me a complimentary drink for the next time.

mkvgtired

44. Priority Seating Is Just That

I was taking a packed train on my way to work. There was a group of college-aged people standing in the middle of the train, close to an old lady holding three or four bags of stuff. At one stop, a person who was sitting down in the elderly seating section got up. One of the obnoxious college girls sat down and continued to gab with her friends. I was not going to let that fly.

I looked at her and said, "Nope, get up". She gave me this look like, "How dare you talk like that to me", and didn't respond. I told her she should give her seat to the elderly woman, but she still did nothing. So, I loudly said that she was selfish and should be ashamed of herself. She then got up, and the old lady sat down and gave me an appreciative smile.

MrLinderman

45. I Couldn’t Look The Other Way

white and red gas pumpPhoto by Jakob Rosen on Unsplash

I was at a gas station. There was a line of about five of us. The kid ringing everyone up had gauged earrings. He was doing an awesome job, being super polite, etc. This old lady behind me said to the other, "This kid is so disgusting. I wish I didn't have to put up with people like that". My ears were gauged, but I had no plugs in, and I had a very large septum piercing, but I didn’t have it in.

For some reason, the ring was in my pocket. This old lady went on and on, making sure she was loud enough that the kid could hear her, and she was embarrassing him. I knew exactly what I was going to do in that situation. After he rang me up, I turned around and said, "I'm so sorry to eavesdrop, but I couldn't agree more. I hear some people put stuff like that through their eyebrows, lips, and even their noses."

She smiled with satisfaction. Then, I took out my nose ring, which looked very sharp, and said, “I wonder if it hurts”? I started pushing it through the hole very comfortably but was making screaming noises as if I was piercing it right then and there. There was this BIG dude behind her, and his eyes went huge. After pushing it through and letting out a sigh, I said to her, "It's not so bad after all.

“Honestly, I am glad to see this young man has a job at all in today’s economy, and the only thing I find offensive is your blatant disregard for other people's feelings and that perfume you are wearing that smells like a flower threw up. Oh well. Have a great day"! The look on her face was priceless. The kid was smiling for the first time since I had entered the store, and the big dude behind her smiled and gave me a thumbs-up as I left.

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46. It Was A Targeted Move

I was at Target. There was a shopping cart in the middle of a parking space. I was alone, so I got out of my car and moved it into the corral directly across from the spot I was about to enter. Then came an inconsiderate Karen: She pulled around my car and parked in my spot, the one I had just moved the shopping cart out of.

I went up to the window and told them they were welcome for my moving the cart. They started sputtering and lying about not having seen me. So I put thumbtacks behind the wheels of her car and left.

jphx

47. It Was A Sign Of Things To Come

When I was in high school, one of the lunch ladies was deaf. She was always the one to cash the students out. Once, I heard some dude saying how he pretends not to understand her—basically mocking her—and that he never pays what he owes. I got so mad that I just went off on him.

I told him what a horrible person he was and how I hoped he would lose one of his senses so he could see what it was like. It may not seem like much, but I think I got my point across because I didn't hear him talk about her anymore. She was super nice too and she was really pleased when my school started offering sign language courses because the students could then communicate with her.

The look on her face when I started signing with her the first time almost made me cry. I could tell she was extremely happy people were trying to actually talk to her and not just pretend she wasn't there.

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48. Patience Wasn’t My Strongest Suit

person standing near a wall painting during daytimePhoto by Jossuha Théophile on Unsplash

I went to see the Wolverine movie in a very large theater. About halfway up the rows of seats, it had an aisle that cut across horizontally from one side of the theater to the other. Some idiot father was there with a toddler, and he let the kid run back and forth across the aisle, squealing the whole time. I put up with it for about 30 minutes.

Then, I finally had enough. I went down to the father and said, "Do you realize the entire movie theater can hear your child and that it's ruining the movie for the rest of us? Please make him be quiet". The father stared at me in complete shock, as if the concept had never crossed his mind. He immediately left with his kid. Several people around me said “thank you” as I sat back down.

dalek_999

49. No Can Do

I once caught two men around 12 years old about to throw a Coke can at an old woman from across the street. I got in the way and yelled at them, saying, “Try it and see what happens". They stopped in their tracks and attempted to deny what they were about to do. Afterward, I felt terrible and thought maybe I had overreacted. I thought perhaps I could have used less threatening language toward two kids, but it was probably the only way I was going to get through to them.

The old lady was completely oblivious to the whole thing.

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Two people clasping hands
Samuel Rios/Unsplash

Most of us like to set goals to motivate us toward a desired result rather than waiting for something to manifest itself.

The goals that are typically positive may include achievements like reaching a specific body weight, completing higher education, or saving enough money to purchase a home.

And then there are the goals that are more like consolation prizes because they seem unattainable in the present, like securing a relationship by a certain point in time.

Those who might be familiar with the last scenario shared their updates when Redditor eurekathatsit asked:

"How is your 'if we are single by 30, we’re getting married' friend doing?"

Tragedy strikes.

Canceled Plans

"Had a Married at 40 option."

"Lost contact with her for a few years and had started to rebuild our friendship. She’d got married and moved away, but was in the process of splitting up and remembering her old life."

"Had arranged to go and see her in her new flat, big night out planned. But then contact suddenly stopped again."

"Found out about 6 months later that she’d had a car crash and died instantly. Her (still) husband hadn’t told any of her old friends what had happened."

"She was the first one from our friend group that had died. It hit hard. Still think of her often and the mischief we got up to in our late teens."

– GeeGeeDub

Cancer Sucks

"We both got married before 30 to other people. She married a cool dude and had 4 kids. They had a beautiful family and so do I. I was genuinely happy for her and glad we didn’t 'end up”'with each other. She died of cancer a few years ago when her youngest kid was still in elementary school. My heart breaks for her and her family. I feel closer to them than they realize because I knew her since middle school. I think of them often and hope they are finding peace and happiness in this crazy life."

– walkabout16

Loss Of A Dear Friend

"With us it was 'if we are still single at 65 let’s just move in together - at least we like each other.' We met first year at university and had been close friends ever since."

"She died of breast cancer at 63. Miss her every day."

– Nagsheadlocal

Some managed to find success, while others, not so much.

Married Life

"Not me, but I have a former coworker that made that pact with his senior high school prom date. Lost touch for 7 or so years. Reconnected at the 10 year high school reunion. Got married 2 years later. Now 2 kids with a third on the way and VERY happy. It was cool to watch the majority of that story go down"

– Accountabili_Buddy

Going Along With The Ruse

"I married her sister. I never wanted to marry her, she was my friend and she thought of the 'if we aren’t married by 30.' thing."

– TheChzMouse

Tending The Garden

"He’s unhappily married to someone else. Spends all his time gardening now."

– MrFurleysJumpsuit

"so uh how’s the garden?"

– whatproblems

Love Success

"I kissed her this morning when I was leaving for work, we get married in 3 days."

"No joke, made the pact, reconnected in person after a few years on my 31st birthday which is 3 days before her 30th, we went out for a date and we haven’t spent a night apart since. And in 3 days we say the ol I Do’s."

"Thank you all for the kind words and the awards, I’m going to show my fiancée this later after work, she’ll love it. Wedding is in 2 days! (Aug. 18)"

– ArcAddict

A Wild Life

"She’s been living a WILD life. We made the pact at 22, she got married by 24, divorced by 25, new relationship and got pregnant at 26, married at 28 and divorced at 30."

"In that time she dropped out of college, went back to college, completed her associates, got nailed for a few drug charges and is currently fighting for custody of her kid with the dad."

– Goopyteacher

The feeling wasn't mutual when the pact was revisited.

Taking A Pass

"I’ve made that pact with so many people that I hope no one comes to make claims when I turn 30."

– anonfallenstarz

"So about our pact."

– TheNonMurderingSort

Seven's A Crowd

"He has like 5-6 kids. He actually hit me up when we were 30 (were 32 now) and asked about the deal. I was like “dude don’t you have like 5 kids???” I was not gonna take on that circus 😂"

– yoinkss

Bad Timing

"We made the pact at 15 as a joke. We finished high school, college and moved into early adulthood while he dated other people. I was single until 23 when I met my match who I’m still with to this day."

"This year he broke up with his girlfriend because he said he loved me and couldn’t be friends anymore because it was too hard for him."

"It sucks but I wish him the best."

– Caramel_Kind

It's understandable why people set such goals, especially if they want to make sure they are not settling for each other after kissing a few frogs.

But who's to say true love won't manifest in your 40s?

It's not an ideal benchmark, waiting to see if the other person has either found love or is still waiting by 30, because love is unpredictable and seems to come when you least expect it.

As they say, love is patient.

Unfortunately, people are always not.