Shy

"Shy. For the love of god stop labeling me as shy just cause I don't feel like talking to you."

- brisnoctis

"Came here to say this."

"I wouldn't mind being labeled as quiet, which is almost the same thing. But 'shy' often has a slightly infantilizing side to it. Like I'm some kind of scared cute little creature."

"There's really no need to talk to me like I'm a lost child at the supermarket, I'd just rather listen than talk right now."

"I also feel like once people have categorized me as shy, they assume I don't have anything meaningful to contribute to the conversation, and I feel like they're not really paying attention to what I'm saying when I do speak. Which is a shame because I really like to talk and give my opinion on things once I feel comfortable."

- migzard

Useless

"Useless."

"It's a word I've been labeled as multiple times throughout my childhood by certain family members. Absolutely ruined my self esteem."

- crowdfear

" 'Oh you aren't helping ME out with every little problem I should be dealing with!? You're useless!!!!!!!' "

"I hate that sh*t."

- Solitary_Stars

"Then again, it's not like you are an instrument or a tool to anyone."

" 'Useful' is not a term you'd want to use for humans, let alone 'useless.' "

- TreborNuh

That Southern Sound

"When people hear my southern accent and learn I'm from Alabama, I'm automatically labeled as less intelligent."

- boadicea-h5

"I live in Florida and people sorta just invalidate the possibility of me having brain cells just because I'm a 'Florida man.' "

- PsychologicalArm8990

"Man I feel this one."

"I'm from a tiny mountain town in North Carolina and once, when I was describing my hometown, I was asked if I even went to school."

"I was like ???? Girl what! this isn't the 1800s."

- psb811

"I'm from West Virginia and once got a similar reaction from a girl that I was talking to from California. She was asking me if I could read and stuff like that, and had all this pity for me."

"When I explained that I went to school and could read she didn't take it as that just being normal, but that I had broken out of the stereotype and achieved something not many people do where I'm from."

"I was just like holy sh*t how are people this ignorant? lol."

- DevilsNDeepBlueSeas

Alcohol Issues

"Alcoholic."

"Haven't had a drink in 9 years. I'm a lot of other things beyond just a guy who once had a drinking problem."

"I don't know why for some people that's the centerpiece of my identity."

- boeheim03

"Well, in my opinion it keeps it real. I'm an alcoholic and part of that is knowing I can't drink because of my genetic predisposition, illuminated by my past is a powerful deterrent."

"It's when people forget how bad they got that they do it again. Just like the cycle of economic strife and the subsequent rise of populism nationalism and fascism."

"Revisionist history serves no one."

- ericdevice

"Dude same. My mom and brother are super into AA and the way they talk about me and my sobriety drives me nuts. AA people are actually the worst. And I say that as a former AA guy."

"I actually believe that sticking hard to that label (which is a HUGE part of AA recovery) keeps people sick, in a way, and prevents them from truly healing."

- Sentientdoing

Big Doesn't Mean Violent

"I'm a big person an people automatically assume that I'm aggressive and violent."

"I don't like having to explain that I have no desire to cause anyone pain, I feel like that should be expected of common people. I can't control how big I am, it's not an indicator of my violence level or anything like that."

- Aggravating_Bat1786

"I'm 7 foot 1 and am not a skinny dude. I'm also Black and I have a lot of tattoos."

"People will switch sides of the street when I'm walking down the sidewalk. But really I'm a gentle dude and I've never hurt anybody nor have any desire to."

"Sometimes it hurts my feelings but at the same time I get it."

- umbrella_CO

"There's a guy who works at my local dog shelter who looks like a hairless bear with more defined biceps."

"Nicest guy. Has my preferred breakfast saved for me whenever I'm late. Two small pups at home. Genuinely curious, thoughtful, progressive, insightful, and articulate."

"Looks like a Rocky villain. Or a Mortal Kombat character."

- Lucky-Definition-189

Pants On Fire

"A liar."

"Trust is the most important thing to me, and I make a point of being honest. When someone goes off on me and calls me a liar (either to cover their ass or just because they do not want to admit their data is inaccurate) it is deeply insulting."

- 8dogsinatrenchcoat

"This, this right here."

"It quickly leads to a short fuse for me because I also make a point to be honest. I've stopped talking to many people because they're pathological liars, blatantly."

"I've been told I'm 'too honest' whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. To call me a liar is wild."

- Simpl3Nik

"I once been called a liar/cheater by a high school teacher. The sole argument and evidence was that they believed I couldn't have realistically done that great on the assignment."

"I had to argue with her for 15 minutes that it was, indeed, possible for me to achieve success."

"Made me hate being labeled as a liar as well as a loser."

- ExWeirdStuffPornstar

"I feel the same, but for a different reason."

"I was a liar. I grew up in a situation that pushed me to lie to protect myself."

"As a teenager and young adult I lied a lot. About anything and everything. To everyone, myself included. I believed some of the lies, I told them so much."

"Toward the beginning of my current relationship, I realized that I wanted to be honest with my partner. I started trying not to lie to her, and coming clean when I did."

"Through this, over the first couple of years of our relationship, I kicked dishonesty. The desire to lie to protect myself is still there sometimes, but I'm conscious of it and I do not lie anymore."

"Being called a liar now irks, because I've put forth (and continue to put forth) so much effort to be honest, something that is genuinely difficult for me sometimes. With one little word, a decade of concentrated effort can feel invalidated."

- Darkhymn

"It's funny because the people who hate being called a liar the most are either honest Abes or mind-numbingly conniving sociopaths."

"I had a close friend who scammed me for thousands of dollars via lies. He had this almost-famous phrase he was always saying:"
" 'I've got thick skin. You can call me a lot of things and I won't care. But if somebody calls me a liar I won't take that. I'm always getting in trouble because I tell it like it is so I won't be accused of being a liar.' "

"Turns out he's a heartless con man so people calling him a liar is bad for business."

- lasertits69

"My ex had a similar stance on this."

"Which would have been fine except for the fact that she was a compulsive liar. It made it incredibly difficult to approach her about something she lied about."

"Crazy right?"

- Classssssic"

Casual Racism = Racism

"Different from most Black people or pretty for a Black girl."

"My little sister gets that a lot. She'll say something awful back like 'I got lucky, my mom is light skinned.' "

"What's sad is some people still stay clueless that she is sarcastically pointing out the racism and agree with her!"

- Pscilosopher

"I feel this so f*cking hard. I also get 'one of the good ones' and 'you talk white' a lot too."

- ImJadedAtBest

"This would describe how everyone always seems to describe me. They always act offended when I tell them I find it insulting and nonsensical."

- mrockracing

"A friend of mine posted about how much he hates it when people refer to him as being the whitest Black guy they know and thinking it's a compliment."

"It clearly implies that there's something wrong with being Black. Things like that are not uncommon and really shows how ignorant people are when it comes to race."

- LobotomistPrime

Physically Small Doesn't Mean Emotionally Small

"I hate being labelled cute when I'm angry and having my feelings completely invalidated because of things I can't control like my stature and appearance."

- milkywaymistress5

"This sh*t irks me."

"It stopped me from getting a few jobs that I really wanted because people didn't take me seriously. You've really gotta prove yourself when people think you're just 'small and cute' and nothing more."

- Own-Researcher-5507

"I felt that. I'm rather small and I have this young looking face that make people think I'm just sooo cute and adorable."

"My sister is taller and has a more adult face. We can have the exact same angry behaviour/reaction to something and we get completely different results."

"She has her concerns considered and addressed whereas I am dismissed or infantilized."

"If I get angry I'm either 'cute' or brushed off because 'How can such a small thing be so angry?' "

"Actually, that's the attitude with every emotion. As if being physically small makes your emotional range smaller."

- Ledifen

Living In Japan

"A weeb."

"I've lived in Japan going on 30 years and never had the slightest interest in anime. In the early 90's it hadn't reached US shores yet."

"The real boom happened around 1996 or whenever Pokemon hit North America and the internet fueled a thermanukular asplodey of nerdity after that."

"Until then, it was small quiet enclaves of Studio Ghibli enthusiasts, but now you have entire sections at Barnes & Noble and cable channels dedicated to it, and good Lord did it bring the tourists vaulting over the turnstiles in crazed cultural consumption sprees. And blah blah blah."

"A quarter century later I can casually mention where I've lived for over half my 51 years and nearly always get a response containing some obscure Martian J-pop-culture reference I have no idea how to form a conversation around."

"I came to Japan for a reason and anime ain't it. I was looking for a job in the budding IT industry, not a waifu."

- the2belo

"This one!"

"I have a masters in Japanese history and lived there on an off for years. I do watch some anime but not very much. I specialized in pre-modern history, my nerd specialty is gender performance in Kabuki, not animation."

"I'm not weeb, I'm a historian. I still jokingly call myself one sometimes though…"

- ParadoxInABox

Personally, I relate HARD to the cute one. I'm (well) under five feet tall and I'm often dismissed as cute rather than having my concerns actually addressed if I'm dealing with someone in person.

I've been working on the internet since 2009, in part, to avoid dealing with it. And the petting. People would CONSTANTLY pet me like I was the office mascot.

I'm older, wiser, and way less shy about speaking up now, though, so I don't imagine things going down the same way if I ever go back to office work.

But please don't make me go back to an office.