People Describe The Most Memorable Moment They Ever Shared With A Complete Stranger

Growing up I remember the idea of "stranger danger" being drilled at me intensely. Strangers were all kidnappers just waiting for you to say hi.
But what if they weren't?
What if strangers were full of potentially life-changing moments that DIDN'T involve major felonies and bodily harm?
Reddit user Himmel001 asked:
"Is there a stranger you've never seen again with whom you've shared a memorable moment you'll always remember?"
I'm not saying let's teach kids to just go running off with whoever, but look at all of these impactful moments! Look at the stories these people came away with, look at the ways lives were changed...
Some Drunken Advice
"A man stopped in the street once and talked to me. He was a young guy, a bit drunk I think."
"I was wary cause I'm female, I was alone and it was dark - but he talked a bit about life and then said 'don't do it, it's not worth it, love' and then walked away."
"Which was weird, because I was planning on killing myself that night."
"Didn't do it obviously, and now eight months later, I'm the happiest I've ever been. I think I might owe my life to him and I want him to know that."
"Thanks dude."
"Better Than Normal"
"Yes. I worked at Disneyland in my late teens - early 20s. I was a character host while I worked there, meaning I walked around with the characters and facilitated interactions."
"I'm 38 now and I remember this like it was yesterday even though it was actually 20 years ago. It was just about Christmas and I was working with the princesses. Back at that time, they were sort of free-roaming around the castle instead of having a set meet and greet location."
"I was walking Belle and Beast offset for a break. Suddenly we heard a voice yelling 'Belle! Wait! I love you!' Something about the voice made me turn and there was a man with downs syndrome running towards us with his caregiver."
"Typically the rule is that once the characters are on their way out, they don't stop for anyone. Just wave and keep going. But we stopped for him."
"His name was Stephen. He told us how much he loved all of the princesses but Cinderella was his favorite. But Belle was his second favorite and he loved her too."
"As his caregiver and I talked, I learned that he hadn't had much luck getting to see the princesses but that they were having a nice time. I was so touched by his genuine excitement that I asked if he and his friend would meet us up by the Christmas tree on Main Street in about half an hour so I could give him a special gift."
"It was getting to be the end of the day and the princesses all used to do their last set at the town square by the tree. So I rushed Belle and Beast inside where I knew Cinderella was waiting to go out and say goodnight to everyone."
"I told her about Stephen and asked if we could spend some special time with him. Of course the answer was yes."
"Then I ran to the shops and got an autograph book and ran to all of the nearby break rooms to get as many characters to sign it as I could."
"Just before it was time for Cinderella to come out I went to find Stephen and his friend. They were sitting on the curb, just in front of the enormous tree."
"We spotted each other at the same time and his friend gave him a little nudge. He came jogging over and gave me a huge smile."
"I gave Stephen the autograph book and he was SO excited! Then I asked him to come with me to the area where I knew Cinderella would be coming to and we waited together."
"His face lit up when he saw her. He gave her the biggest hug and told her how much he loved her."
"They spent a little time together and then she saw some other folks. But by some miracle she wasn't bombarded with a ton of people so she had time to walk around the square with Stephen."
"He told us about his work, and his friends, and the movies he liked. We stood and watched the carolers in front of the windows of one of the stores with a warm golden light glowing around them."
"But then it was time for Cinderella to go."
"At Disneyland you never say that a character has to go on a break or end their shift. You tell guests something more true to their character. So I said that Cinderella had to go have tea with her fairy godmother."
"She turned to give him a hug and say goodnight. He went still and quiet for a moment."
"He looked up at her and said, 'Can you ask for a wish for me?' "
"Cinderella smiled sweetly and told him of course."
"He stood quietly for a moment longer and then said, 'Can you please ask her to make me normal?' "
"It was like someone knocked the breath out of me. My heart broke for him."
"He kept looking up at her with sad, hopeful eyes. I immediately started sobbing."
"Cinderella tried to compose herself and gave Stephen a hug and a kiss on the cheek, leaving a pink lipstick mark behind. She looked him straight in the eyes and told him, 'You are so much better than normal.' "
"She and I had to then rush away so we could get her off stage before she lost control."
"I tried to go back and find Stephen and his friend again once I got Cinderella settled. But they were gone by the time I came back. I never saw them again."
"But every year, around Christmas time, he pops into my mind and I hope that he is doing well and remembers that he really is so much better than normal."
Clara
"I was on the way out of the store when this old man just gave me the biggest hug."
"Came running up to me, called me Clara. I tried to tell him I'm not Clara, but he was too busy telling me how proud of me he was, how I don't call enough, he misses me."
"He kept telling me to stop worrying about something, that I'm smart and beautiful and whoever it was he thought I had a problem with will recognize that."
"This apologetic older lady comes up, all she says is sorry, he's confused. Meanwhile he's just going on and on telling her how proud he is of me."
"Obviously I told her it's okay. He was clearly having a dementia moment, lol. He thought I was his daughter."
"I think the wife (I presume it was his wife) was trying to tell him. He kept insisting that I was and getting upset that she said I wasn't. Finally I just blurted: "
" 'It's okay, dad. I have to get back to class but I loved running into you. What a surprise!' "
"He stood and watched over me get in my car, and waited until I left the parking lot before he went into the store (presumably). I could see his wife still trying to drag him in and him, I guess, saying he was waiting until I was out of sight, it took a while because I was at a light."
"I look for him, both of them, every time I go to the pharmacy."
"That was, 2 years now? Obviously, the thought has crossed my mind... this pandemic, the elderly, the really elderly."
"I haven't seen him again but I do look."
Subway Fairytales
"I'm a big, African-American guy & I was on my way home one night after work when a torrential Spring downpour flooded half the train station on 42nd & 8th in the city".
"A petite, Caucasian woman, probably late 50s, was stuck with no way to get past the newly formed lake at the subway entrance. I strode up to her in my black leather boots, gave her a Hollywood bow and said 'Madam...May I?' "
"She gave me the biggest smile, threw her arm around my neck & did this ballerina pose thing when I carried her to safety."
"You'd have thought we were on stage the way we moved across the water. Even though we hammed it up a bit she held me close and was so incredibly light in my grasp."
"When I put her down on the nearest dry step she gave my a hug and a smile that blew my mind, even to this day!"
"I'd like to think that she was part of one of them Broadway shows above ground because she DEFINITELY had the aura of a performer, y'know? The whole experience was fairytale as fu*k."
"I honestly would LOVE to have that same warm, fuzzy, accomplished feeling again. I hope I made her night. She certainly left me with a good impression I'll never forget."
"I Always Wanted To Be A Rainbow"
"Waiting for the bus one day, minding my own biz."
" 'Ohh, girl, I looove your bag!' "
"I turn and see an older woman, the first thing I notice is she has rainbow eyeshadow, which stood out amazingly against her dark skin. Literally all the colours painted on her eyelids, with a lovely maroon lipstain and a golden blush."
"Her whole outfit was a mix of tie-dye and pastel."
"My own purse was kinda tan with some pinks and blues mixed in, my brain told me to give her the purse to complete her outfit. I said thanks and she asked me where I got it."
"We chatted a bit while we waited for our respective buses. I told her I loved her make-up, and I wish I could pull the look off. I'll never forget what she said:"
" 'Honey, you can do anything and be anything. I always wanted to be a rainbow, so I'm doing just that.' "
"Then she strode away and got on a bus. Never saw her again, despite me going to that bus stop every day for 3 years."
"It felt so prophetic, and unreal. I hope that lady is doing well."
Expecting An Attack, But...
"Back in late 2007 we were in a place in Iraq called Diyala in a couple smaller towns, with barely any dirt roads. We mainly ran night patrols, over-night SKT's, etc."
"That means we mostly worked at night. There was a 2100 (9:00 pm) curfew, so anyone out past that time was going to get rolled up, period. No questions, no excuses."
"So we're rolling through this palm grove nearest a small town called Muqisha, and we started hearing:"
" 'Ameriki? Ayn Alamerikan? Adhhab wahdarhum!' (American? Where are the Americans? Go get them! My Arabic may be a bit off, if so, I'm soooo sorry)."
"This kid, maybe 9 or 10 years old comes out and starts screaming for help, for the Americans, that the Americans need to help and some other stuff I couldn't for the life of me understand."
"Well ok, keeping it low-key is a bust and we're probably gonna get hit with bomb or something now, so we take a tactical pause and sat there for a few minutes with our balls in our stomachs expecting an attack any second."
"But this kid is just having a breakdown on this dirt road, and we were like 'ok…we'll we're not getting attacked, so let's go see what's wrong.' "
"The kid sees us walking out and starts running towards the house he came from. We followed, and no sh*t, the kid was trying to find help because his mom was giving birth."
"So me and my best friend David (our platoon medic, and the one who gave me instructions - David was killed four days later in an area close to this town), got down in there and literally delivered this baby in the middle of a backwater Iraqi town, on a dirt floor."
"She named the little boy Lee-Alan."
"After everything that's happened since then I wish was able to find out what happened with that kid. I have a lot of questions about my time in Iraq, but that moment was worth it."
- 2ID11B
These Actors Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The Role | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The Actors Who Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The RoleFew people bought into the idea of Bryan Cranston in the role of Walter White before Breaking Bad..."Go Find Your Son"
"Almost a decade ago I was riding in a taxi from the airport talking to the police at my son's University."
"I'd gotten a call the day before that he'd failed to return to his apartment after his last exam. He'd waved to a friend as he finished his exam early, walked out and simply vanished."
"I was coordinating a search effort and was obviously distraught on the phone."
"When we stopped at my son's apartment, I pulled out my wallet to pay."
"The taxi driver grabbed both of my shoulders, looked me in the eye and said in a thick Russian accent 'You no pay. Go find your son.' "
"Then he gave my shoulders a shake and a squeeze and off he drove."
"That was the first of many examples of the kindnesses that were shown to my family as we searched for him. Sadly, a fisherman spotted his body on the seventh day of our search and we were able to bring him back home."
"We had a very fun 3 hour Skype with our son on a Sunday night. Two days later he was gone."
"Hug your kids as often as you can."
It Takes A Village
"One time, perhaps 9 years ago..?? I was at the Grocery Store pretty late, around 2-3am."
"It is a blizzard outside. The snow is coming down thick and wet and fast. There's probably 6 people in the entire store."
"One of those six is a frazzled looking young mother. Her 4ish year old, draped over her, fast asleep, with a hospital band around his wrist."
"Her cart has pedialyte, popscicles, children's tylenol, and a shopping list probably 15 items long. She's struggling to carry her child, push the cart, grab items, not wake the sleeping sick toddler."
"She also looks like she's gonna just break down and cry."
"I made eye contact with another shopper. We connected, we spoke with a look."
"I set my basket down. They abandoned the cart. We bombarded this young woman with nearly silent love."
"The other shopper was a grandmotherly sort of woman, who came up and with a look and a gesture, invited this woman to hand over a sleeping, sick child, and take a load off."
"There was a hesitation, but you could see the exhaustion realize, 'this is my village, this is what they talk about...' "
"There was a swift handoff. I've already grabbed the list, and the cart, and a surprise hug."
"Within 5 minutes, the list has been completed. Check out has happened. The Mom has had a chance to breathe."
"The toddler hasn't even stirred."
"We make the way to her car. I load the groceries in for her. They get her son into his booster seat. I brush the snow off her vehicle. The 3 of us share a hug."
"And then she takes her child home, and the other lady and I go back to our shopping. The whole exchange, start to finish, was maybe 15 minutes??"
"There were barely any words spoken, all things considered. But I know that we changed that Mom's night."
"We became her village. And I'll just never forget that."
Touring Rome
"In 2010, I randomly met a girl at a hostel in Rome. We toured around the city for 2 days together."
"She was an art-history major who really knew her stuff. The trip to the Vatican museum was like getting a private tour, with facts and insight about each painting, sculpture and tapestry."
"2 years later, I searched her name on Google and found out she died from cancer."
- gachunt
A New Shirt
"I was in the mental hospital 3 years ago. There was a man who had left on my 3rd to last day there."
"He had anger issues but otherwise was a distant person so I hadn't spoken to him much."
"If we did speak it was because he was asking when our next cig break was (he was beyond addicted to those) or talking about how amazing his daughter is."
"On my last night he came back. Covered in scratch marks."
"He had clearly ripped his shirt somehow and the marks were all over his chest, back, arms, and legs."
"The next morning there he was. Sitting where he always did in the morning for the smoke break but this time…this time he looked broken."
"He was wearing a scrub top and sweats. They didn't even look like his clothes."
"I remember sitting down next to him and asking if he was okay and that's when he told me. His daughter died in a car accident shortly before he was admitted into the hospital."
"He said he was the one who scratched himself up and without his daughter he wasn't going to have a new shirt soon."
"I offered him one of the shirts my mother had brought me. It was some band I didn't listen to anymore."
"The way he held my hand and the way he spoke to me. I don't think I'll ever forget."
"He is exactly who I think about when I start to get bad thoughts. I don't want my mother to feel the pain that I saw that man going through."
"I really hope he is doing okay now."
Werewolves In The Night
"Several years ago I was going through a haunted house attraction with a group of friends. A random guy in a werewolf mask came up and held my hand and we continued like that through the whole thing."
"I didn't know who he was or what prompted him to do it but it made me feel at ease since I was the 5th wheel of the group and everyone else was clinging to their partners."
"When we exited, he just walked off into the night like we didn't just have this moment."
Flowers
"I was walking down the road to get something to eat during a lunch break when this old lady walked by. As I passed her, I greeted her (it's common here to great strangers when walking by.)"
"She turned around and told me to stop."
"Then she looked into the window next to us pointing at some flowers the house owner had put there. She spent half of my lunch break explaining to me why these flowers are the best and most durable and how nice they look."
"She then smiled as she said: 'whenever your planning to buy flowers for your girlfriend just buy her these and they will last her a pretty long time' before she ended the conversation and left."
"I was standing there looking at these flowers for a couple of minutes smiling. She never told me what these flowers were and I never saw that old lady again."
"I don't like flowers, to be honest, but I saw how happy she was to have someone to talk to so this made my whole week."
"So to that old lady talking to a young guy on his way to lunch break about some flowers. Thanks for making my day :)"
- Anton_Germany
Holding Space For Grief
"The Greek family I met randomly."
"I got lost after leaving the funeral home when my young son died. They made me a tea and we talked about our loved ones."
"They had some baby things in their car, a coincidence because they had nobody having babies at the time. They just happened to have stuff."
"They gave it all to us, saying God sent us to them for a reason."
"There was a pink towel with bunny ears."
"3 years on, I have my rainbow baby; a daughter. I use that towel and remember my son, and that family."
"Wherever you are, thank you. You helped me survive the first few weeks after my sons death. You bearing witness to my grief and sitting with me holding space is something I will never forget."
- zieaendaire
Passenger Prayers
"About five years ago, my father and I were leaving a Wal-Mart parking lot when an SUV in front of us stopped abruptly and blocked a small intersection."
"We honked politely after a few seconds, but nothing happened. Since I was sitting in the passenger's seat, I hopped out and walked up to the car."
"I waved and walked up slowly, but the person did not seem to notice me. I tapped on the glass and could tell the person behind the wheel was not moving. After more polite, urgent knocks, I opened the driver-side door and saw a young woman passed out behind the wheel."
"I tried to wake her but she was unresponsive. By now another person had walked up and I told her to call 911 and request an ambulance."
"I remember during CPR training from work they recommend not moving the person if you cannot physically wake them."
"I did panic a little when I noticed the vehicle was in drive, but I was able to reach across and get it into park and also turn off the ignition, just in case."
"Anyway, by now a small crowd had formed."
"It didn't take very long for the fire truck to arrive (yay first responders!!!) and after telling my short story it was time for me to leave. I hopped back into the car with my dad and we drove home."
"I never heard about that woman again, never learned her name. I never found out whether it was drugs or a medical condition or whatever else could have caused her to pass out behind the wheel."
"But I will always remember standing there beside a short Hispanic woman who was praying in rapid Spanish."
"She had one hand on my shoulder and her other hand on the unconscious woman, and I didn't know what else to do besides return her gesture."
"Before long there were half a dozen people standing there with us, touching each other and praying (this was long before Covid). I'm not a religious person, but I like to hope that we made a difference that day."
"That woman will probably never know who any of us were, and none of us will probably ever see each other again. But I hope she is alive and healthy somewhere."
- IrrationalFly
Chaperones, Race Day, and No Kidnappings!
"About 20 years ago, I took my then 11-year old son to see the Le Mans 24 hour race."
"I had a backpack with a tent and our sleeping bags and planned to just buy tickets at the gate and then to pitch our tent somewhere around the track once we were in."
"Whilst waiting outside the station for a taxi to the course a breathtakingly beautiful, fragrant young woman dressed like she owned a fashion brand approached me and asked, in French, if we were going to the race."
"I said we were and she immediately switched into English (I'm going to blame my accent because all I actually said was "Oui" so I can't have got THAT wrong)."
"She asked if we would like to share a taxi with her as it was some distance. Clearly she could afford the cab ride on her own but despite my son's (inexplicable) reluctance, I agreed and we shared the next available cab."
"During the ride over, she explained that her boyfriend was a driver (in the Peugeot Courage team) and that she was meeting him at the track but had been warned that some women had been assaulted in the past there by taxi drivers!"
"So, she saw my son and me and thought: 'They're my chaperones.' "
"OK, so chatting (in perfect English) on the ride over - which she INSISTED on paying for herself (in full) once we arrived - she heard our 'plan' and said no chance. It was ridiculous."
"She pulled out her (and her partner's) 'All areas' passes from her handbag and said 'We will use these!' "
"So now, I'm walking into the participants entrance with a pass round my neck that read "Pilote" (French for racing driver) whilst she holds my son's hand and just confidently waves her own pass to the guards for both of them."
"I was in jeans carrying a back pack, she couldn't have been more than a dozen years older than my son but they smiled and beckoned us through."
"So, now we are in and I thank her and go to return the pass."
" 'Doesn't your son want to see the pits? You must meet my partner, you can give HIM his pass. The story will amuse him.' "
"After our tour of the pits her (infuriatingly cool) boyfriend then showed us how to get through to the Grandstand (with no ticket - honestly) where we watched the famous start to the Le Mans 24 hour race."
"Painfully loud, by the way. My lousy 'planning' also meant I overlooked packing ear protection."
"Anyway, after a couple of hours, we made our way out of the Grandstand and I tried to re-enter team area back the way we came to thank Stephanie (pretty sure that was her name) but the race had begun by then, so they wouldn't let us back."
"I left a message of thanks with the humourless guy at the barrier, but don't know if she ever got it."
"Peugeot didn't win the race that year (I think Bentley did) and I have never been back since but I will always remember that remarkable encounter."
"My son is now in his 30s and we still occasionally reflect on it. He explained to me subsequently that he was reluctant because thought she was going to kidnap us!?"
- Modestboaster
Puppy Love To Poopy Love
"I was in 3rd grade and was invited for my classmate's birthday party. I really felt so pretty that time because of my outfit. I was also wearing a sandal with 1inch heels."
"Then, I saw this cute boy who I think is the same age with me. This handsome stranger would be my boyfriend."
"I don't know if you guys experienced that phase during childhood where you feel like you're SO pretty that someone your age will suddenly catch a love-at-first-sight crush on you... but I did."
"Anyway, so as a little kid who's wearing a heeled sandals for the first time, I felt like a model and planned to walk in front of him so he could notice me."
"So I walked confidently towards my target, convinced we were about to fall in love. But exactly as I stepped in front of him, I suddenly farted WITH SOUND!!"
"Take note that he was sitting, so he probably heard it. It's possible he maybe smelled that amazing aroma of puppy-love-turned-into-poopy-love almost near his face."
"When I finally stepped past him, I nervously looked back at him, praying that he didn't notice."
"Unfortunately, he was looking at me too. Frowning. Because I had just crop-dusted him."
"Probably memorable because it's my most embarrassing moment. Kinda grateful that we never met again."
"It's been 11 years and I don't know if he still remembers that, but I hope not."
"I've never known his name and can't even recall his face. All I know is I've never been so humiliated."
- ailili7582
Okay, we've had lots of "moments" but we can say with 100% honesty that we've never had a supernatural love connection in a haunted house.
And we're a little jealous.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
- People Share The One Experience With A Stranger They'll Never ... ›
- Photographers Divulge The Strangest Images They've Developed ... ›
- People Share Their Most Memorable 'If It Costs You Your Peace ... ›
All of us have fears which some might call irrational.
Up to and including ghosts, witches, monsters.
But more often than not, reality can be far scarier than the supernatural.
And there are very few people indeed who don't have a memory of a moment when they were truly and genuinely scared.
And not by an otherworldly encounter, but by things that could quite literally happen to anyone.
Redditor GodhimselfUwU was curious to hear the scariest experiences people have lived through, leading them to ask:
"What’s the scariest non-supernatural thing that ever happened to you?"
Intruder
"I was 14, alone at my grandmas house around midnight."
"She was across the street at the bar she owned."
"I was playing games on her computer, about 15 feet from one of the windows facing the backyard."
"All of a sudden the glass from that window shatters, and I ran to one of the bedrooms."
"I can hear my name being called."
"Eventually I see my grandma's ex-boyfriend enter the living room where the computer is."
"He keeps saying my name."
"I’m scared sh*tless, but I walk out and confront him."
"He says my grandma stole his ID and that’s what he came for, as he’s taking money from my grandmas purse."
"He looks f*cked up on something."
"I forget how he leaves but when he does I call the bar and people come over looking for him."
"They didn’t find him."
"About a year later he did it again, and I was once again alone there."
"Except this time instead of breaking a window he decides to try to kick the side door in."
"I’m just there chilling when out of nowhere I hear the loudest bangs coming from the side of the house and I instantly knew what was happening."
"I immediately called the bar and they sent a bunch of people over before he could make it in."
"He apparently tried to jump from one of her sheds into the alley next to her house and broke his leg."
"He went to prison."- nfreshn
They're coming right for us!
"Two bison charging right toward me down a narrow wooded path in Yellowstone when I was 12."- pcc2
Uncomfortable in new surroundings.
"My sister has mental health issues."
"We were in a foreign country, driving across mountains on a one lane dirt road with no guardrails."
"She had a complete mental breakdown and threatened many times to drive off the edge."
"To this day, my mom swears my sister wouldn't have done it."
"All I say is, 'you weren't in the car'."
"'You have no idea'."- BlorengeJulius
Lost in the woods.
"Getting lost on 350 acres of woods in southeast Georgia."
"Was found about 6 hours later."
The dog found me hours before the people did.- No_Regrats_42
A near death experience.
"Was working as a linemen tasked to replace a 16m wooden power pole which requires climbing up to untie the lines from the isolators."
"I checked if the pole had any rot beforehand, climbed up, untied the lines, climbed down, as I was packing my tools up , the pole fell from its own."- LimaRadek
He wasn't who he claimed to be.
"A man claiming to be a meter reader was in our yard and tried the back door AFTER trying the front."
"It was unlocked because there was a field behind us and our gate had a lock, that he somehow got by."
"The meter reader man was nearly eaten by our Great Dane who was dumb and peaceful, except for when she laid eyes on him."
"Our other dog also wanted to kill him and he was up on our trampoline begging us to call the dogs off, which we, my then 11 year old sister and I, refused to do and went to get our dad, who worked from home."
"The guy escaped while we got our dad and my dad let the police know what happened."
"The real meter reader man came the next week."- Applesintheorchard
Had no idea what they were witnessing.
"I guess watching a loved one have a seizure when I didn’t understand what it was."
"Legit thought I witnessed a death."
"Scary stuff."- Peppapigisgodly
Always look both ways.
"I got hit by a car while in a crosswalk a few months back."
"Had a split second where I saw him coming and realized what was about to happen."
"I thought I was going to die."- jolalolalulu
Big Sister to the Rescue.
"Saved my sisters life."
"We were boating and my parents just kinda assumed we’d be ok with them only out a couple hundred feet."
"I was about 17 and she was about 7."
"I’m laying there chilling and see her slip and fall into the water and just straight up sink."
"Ran over, dove in and pulled her to shore."
"She spit up a bunch of water and was fine but that experience rocked me to my core."
"Not a super crazy story but almost seeing a sibling die has always stuck with me."
"I’ve broken almost every bone in my body, I died one time and was in a coma for a little bit but for some reason this one stuck with me."- Present-Trip5231
Often, an experience that left us scared does make for a good story down the line.
Though whether it was a good enough story to make having gone through the experience worth it, is debatable.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
Having to work for a living is hard work.
Some jobs come with difficulty and two extra sides of stress.
So the last thing people need is unwarranted hate.
I'm so glad I work from home. Writing alone.
I have issues with me, but that I can deal with.
I do hate internet issues.
But that is warranted.
Redditor PM_ME_URFOOD wanted to talk about the jobs where a ridiculous amount of vitriol is all part of a days work. They asked:
"What profession gets an unjustified amount of hate?"
Waiting tables was always the bane of my existence. Customers are rude. Staff is rude. It never ends.
Filthy Hours
"Trash men. They’re looked down on as dirty and uneducated, but they do a hard job that is absolutely critical to our public health."
kirkl3s
You're Out!
"Youth sports officials. I umpire baseball as a hobby and the way parents act is deplorable."
kennsing75
"The parents on the other hand deserve loads of hate sometimes. I was a coach for soccer and volleyball while I was in the Air Force. You would have loved to be a sports official for our leagues at our base. If a parent got sh**ty they are immediately ejected, no questions, and reported to whoever is their higher authority. It almost never happened."
DaniTheLovebug
Behind the Counter
"Any customer (client/patient) facing job. They get the abuse that stems from managements decisions, mistakes and incompetence."
HighlyOffensive10
"I did customer service for automotive companies at a call center for years. People get so unhinged, between dealerships, management, people calling into the wrong department, angry customers who were itching for a fight over a rental car. The job paid for five free therapy sessions a year, but honestly, it would take every ounce of restraint not to break some days."
"You aren't allowed to defend yourself or hang up, you can't transfer them to supervisors for a call, you technically work for a third party company that exists to keep the customer from ever actually speaking to the corporation. It was the worst job I've ever had, and that's coming from someone who used to work at a seafood processing plant."
Bromelia_and_Bismuth
I'm Hungry
"Food service. The workers have to eat too, you know."
stinky_cheese33
"Working fast food sucked. Not because the job was hard. But because people were *icks. For like, no reason. Working in an actual kitchen also sucked. Not because the work was hard, but because you never did it quick enough and your boss was a *ick for like no reason. But at least you didn't deal with customers."
thedankbank1021
Too much stress...
"Defense attorneys. People hate them because they defend violent criminals. However, as one lawyer put it, their job is not just to defend these people; their job is also to make sure that the cops did their job correctly."
TomoyoHoshijiro
I've always wondered about defense attorneys. How do they reconcile their morals?
They're Smart Too
"I live in Germany and currently in my (hopefully) last semester of university to become a pharmacist (4 years of university, one practical year and three exams of state required). A lot of people here think pharmacists are only cashiers and don’t know we get a scientific education. And God help me if I question a doctor's decision."
this_is_lune
Hard Hours
"I usually just lurk as a guest, but I made a Reddit account just for this. Cooks for public schools. They are constantly overworked, underpaid, and disrespected. Most schools have only a few ovens and microwaves, so school chefs have to either jam unsafe amounts of frozen food into ovens and microwaves, which is a giant fire hazard, or work non-stop from early morning."
Clingitty
Green Thumbed
"Plant breeders and plant geneticists. Imagine you're a plant nerd and you spend your life studying genetics so you can figure out how to improve food crops. Like, to make them yield more, taste better, be healthier, survive drought, etc. But on the internet, you're apparently trying to poison the world and control the food supply."
kjhvm
Heartless
"Veterinarians. My doctors CONSTANTLY get yelled at or called heartless when, for instance, we refer them to a hospital more suited to care for the animal than us. Like bro we didn't just tell you know we are giving you options and trying to ensure you seek the proper care. Don't call me a heartless b**tard for that crap."
Zfullz
No Fun Involved
"Janitors. Trash-related work. Sewage workers. Plumbing."'
SubiWhale
I feel for everyone in these jobs. They deserve better.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Short of having a shopping addiction, no one actually likes spending money on stuff.
Why would you ever willingly give it away? It's your money!
Which might be why it feels so bad when you have to spend money of something that should be free from the beginning. People/ corporations are going to chase that cheddar, though, so there's little you can do besides complain, which frankly might be the best thing the internet is for.
Reddit user, woodside37, wanted to know what we should never have to pay for again when they asked:
"What should be free?"
Let's get these out of the way first...No, let's get this first one out of the way first.
Hidden fees are the worst.
Hidden. F***ing. Fees.
"Transaction/processing fees when you order a digital product online. Such as a concert ticket, where you pay 6 euro extra while you pay online, and have to print the ticket yourself."
rickmitchel
"Or processing fees to pay bills that you need. Duke energy charges a $7 processing fee for you to pay your energy bill. Like wtf."
CrispyCrunchyPoptart
Pay To Pee
"Public bathrooms! The amount of human piles of poop around because the homeless have no where to relieve themselves!"
AuntyMarcy
"Live in a very tourist-y part of the U.K., all public toilets charge and most cafes/pubs/libraries won’t let people use their toilets. As someone who lives here year round it’s really frustrating and doesn’t seem to make sense."
JonesNewport83
Want A Better Society? Educate Them.
"College. Or at the very least, college APPLICATIONS. If you're gonna require it for most careers, atleast make it accessible for people. And I just think it's stupid that people have to pay to get rejected."
callmeventibcimavent
"Oh god I hate that so much. Same with applying to apartments it’s such a waste of money if you don’t get approved. It racks up quickly too."
Kydra96
It does feel grimy when "official documentation" that is "mandatory" has to be bought and paid for not by the people requiring it, but by the people needing it.
Forcing Us To Pay For Something We're Forced To Have
"ID cards issued by the government. Especially since you need them for almost every aspect of daily living."
waqasnaseem07
"I. Exist."
"Birth certificates"
alexchico3
"I'm not the biggest fan of free stuf but having to pay for a piece of paper that says "I exist" is ridiculous."
Spaghetti-Evan1991
It'll never not feel bad having to pay for something we expect to be free, but it feels ten times worse when it's something you need to get by in life. As in, need to live.
Let's All Agree To Take Care Of Each Other
"All base needs up to a level. I mean stuff we need to survive, eg. power, water,... and things we are required to use to be relevant in daily life internet,..."
"Seeing how now power companies are fuel companies are having THE biggest profit in years while more and more families are pushed into bigger and bigger deths just to get by."
"Same goes for internet tbh, poor kids are just not getting by in school becasue they lack the basic stuff every other kid has to get further in life. I am not saying they need the fastest possible internet with unlimited dl, but give them so they can work for school so the vicious cycle can be broken."
Amelsander
We Need It More Than Anyone
"All mental health services. If you don’t have benefits or a VERY good paying job, they are unaffordable for how often most people really need them. At $120-160/ session even once a week is not affordable for most people these days"
pennylayne77
A Fine Line Between Need And Want
"Water"
selfishnerd77
"Drinking water, sure. But water is an expendable resource and it should honestly be more restricted when we think about cases like people watering their lawns."
I_Am_Become_Dream
Paying To Live
"Insulin. People are dying because of greedy pharmaceutical companies."
Astronimus123
"But We're 'Pro-Life'" - Jerks
"Birth control of all kinds."
"For anyone who b*tches about spending taxpayer money, I'd ask whether it costs more to provide condoms or to house prisoners."
AlexReynard
"Giving birth (In the us)"
z0k0n
"As a female US citizen the more I learn about the whole giving birth sh*t the less I want kids. My friend just had a baby, there were some complications. She is now paying off a 14k hospital bill! The lowest I have hears is 8k. 8k just to have a f-cking kid! For a country that is gung-ho about forcing women to have kids they have missed the mark completely."
Main-Yogurtcloset-82
Everyone is looking for their payout, and unfortunately sometimes we're the ones who have to give it to them, whether it makes sense or not.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
The worst part of having breasts is Florida.
I didn't even say large breasts. Just breasts, any breasts. Florida and breasts are mortal enemies sworn to battle one another into oblivion until the end of days.
In other states, you and your ladies can live a more peaceful life. Here in Florida, it's A Song of Sweat And Fire Ants.
Ever get tiny little jellyfish stuck under your side-boob? Happens here all the time.
Bikinis should come with a "Sand Lice, Your Titty Crease, And You" informational pamphlet.
Wanna jog? Hope you accounted for the fact that the air is soup and will chafe and cauterize your nipples.
Know what limits your field of vision, making you more likely to accidentally step on a snake and/or gator? Boobs.
Know what slows you down as you try to escape the angry reptile from the above paragraph? Also boobs.
Reddit user Saibotnl1 asked:
"What's the most negative thing about having boobs?"
Now take all this stuff they said sucked, and then put it inside of a steam oven filled with mosquitos. That's Florida.
And Florida is incompatibile with breasts.
Cardio Is Hardio
"I love them but running can be a nuisance even in a good sports bra."
- [Reddit]
"When I go to work, there is a woman that usually runs on the shoulder of the road. I gasp at how much her boobs bounce. Isn't that doing damage to tissue? Painful?"
- notanotherbreach
"Yes! I literally always hold mine when going up/down stairs so they dont bounce. Running is uncomfortable even with a good bra :/ "
- k_g94
"If it's a sports bra that holds you, it's so tight that it's impossible to get into or out of without a whole team of people like a pit crew."
"If you can comfortably get into it, it won't hold the girls for long."
"Cardio is just not worth all this."
-[Reddit]
"As a kid I wasn't fit enough for jump rope, but now that I'm older and have the big boobies it feels even more impossible to ever indulge in."
- PoiLethe
Literally In The Way
"They get in the way!!"
"Lately I've been getting frustrated with exercise. My personal trainer will say to hold something a certain way and I'll try but it's so uncomfortable because my boobs are completely in the way."
"She has small boobs so she doesn't account for them being in that space right in front of your chest."
- J09Lynn
"My English teacher in 10th grade was drinking water one day when a few drops landed on his shirt. He then complained about getting older and how he never stuck out far enough to get his shirt wet."
"I just sighed."
"4th grade. 4th grade is when I stuck out too much to avoid drips."
- wheredMyArmourGo
"So very much this."
"I refuse to do mountain climbers when my trainer suggests it, she started to get mad saying it's a great exercise. My retort was that I'd really rather not knee myself in the breasts as part of my workout."
"The lady has small boobs and replied that she had never thought of that!"
- Pauliester
Growing Pains
"Probably growing them."
"It hurts, and if you get big boobs young and quickly, it’s both physical and social agony."
"It hurts to grow them, first of all, your chest aches and bumping them against anything really hurts - and since they’re a sudden, large addition to your body, you’re ALWAYS bumping them on stuff."
"But the social aspect is worse."
"Your female family members comment on them slyly and smirk at your response."
"Your male friends look at you weird and you have to realize they see you as more sexual than girls with smaller chests, even though you literally cannot control this."
"Other girls can be nasty and jealous."
"Eventually I learned to manage all this and I like having breasts now; but from like 11-16 I was so frustrated and upset that I had developed them at all."
- Individual_Ad_7523
Two Volcanos
"The sweat and itch!"
"Also that they're like two volcanos, which isn't especially practical during summers or when you're a constantly hot temperatured person anyway."
- Queen-of-meme
"No matter what I try, the skin under my boobs never cools down!"
- Local_Masterpiece_
"Boob sweat is the bane of my existence when it's even a little bit hot outside - and sometimes even when it's not lol..."
- PleasuredMeatStick
"I hate the feeling of sweat on my boobs. I just put tissue between and underneath my boobs to hopefully absorb the sweat so it won’t start to itch and drip."
- LuckyBugHarley
Technological Advancements
"I STILL am not able to remove them after a long day. Why?!"
"Why can't I just set em aside for the night, all done. Why hasn't technology advanced to this possibility yet??"
- IAmNotLookingatYou
"Absolutely they would. The relief we would get ... oh my god it sounds divine."
"Maybe I wouldn’t be so b*tchy."
- Object_Prize
"I’d honestly probably only wear them for ren faire, and leave them at home the rest of the year."
- AbbyNormalKnits
Double Trouble
"The double standard of girls with small chests and big chests."
"If you have a big chest no matter what you wear or do it's sexual. But for girls with smaller chests they can get away with crop tops or v necks or even swim suits."
- BigBunsLittleBunbun
"Lol the bigger girls who spent their entire grade school years getting sent to the principal's office for breaking dress code will agree with you."
"Loose shirts will tent and billow up in the wind as you walk-- dress coded."
"Tight shirts that don't tent but cling to your chest-- dress coded."
"And don't even think about anything but a crew neckline, or you'll be dress coded again."
- cryptic-coyote
"Exactly!"
"I always got in trouble for wearing dresses in school, but skinny Minnie wearing something even worse gets by no problem just because she doesn't fill it out the way I do."
- APD2269
Expensive
"They're expensive."
"Bras are expensive and you need regular bras, sports bras, probably something special like a strapless or low back if you have a special occasion or something."
"And don't even get me started on women's healthcare ..."
- SailorSpoon11
"Stage 4 breast cancer patient here, and it costs me about an extra $5000/yr to stay alive if everything goes well."
- insertcaffeine
"I just stopped breastfeeding and none of my bras fit anymore."
"I’ve just been wearing sports bras every day because I don’t even know what cup size I am anymore and I don’t want to spend a fortune replacing all of my bras."
- kaytay3000
"Plus if you choose not to wear bras for any number of reasons, you’re treated as deviant or an acceptable target of inappropriate attentions."
- letsjumpintheocean
Getting Comfortable
"Laying on your stomach can be tricky."
- ChadweenaThundervag
"Laying on your back can be tricky as well."
"And on your side."
"Just laying in general with big boobs is a hassle."
- Skkaj225
"Am guy."
"However women in my life have found it difficult to get a decent back massage because of this. I've seen plenty of massage tables with head holes, but none with boob support..."
- DeluxeWafer
"Semi-suffocating yourself on the beach while trying to get some sun on your back is fun."
- Miikami
Either Or
"The fact that I look like a walking refrigerator if I wear a loose fitting top, as it billows shapelessly around my body in an odd fabric rectangle."
"But if I wear something form fitting, I look like a lady of the night and am treated as such."
- batchofbetterbutter
"OMG this !!"
"I feel like all my girlfriends around me have such a fashion sense and can wear things with such grace but I always look as you’ve described. Like either I look like a couch pillow or Jessica Rabbit."
"Sometimes I just want to cut them off honestly."
- octokisu
"Yeah I’ve been wanting a reduction since a was a teen because of the back pain and catcalling, and many people I know with a bigger chest feel the same way."
- didithedragon
"I had no idea women hated their boobs so much! It honestly is shining a light on an idea I have never thought of."
- Peter_the_pear
Attempted Murder
"They might try to kill me."
"Breast cancer runs in my family and I have to have my first mammogram this year at 36."
"My mom was negative for both BRCA genes but there are 6 others they’ve discovered since she had cancer that we haven’t been tested for."
"Insurance won’t cover me to test unless she tests positive for one."
- Outrageous-Proof4630
"Fun fun fun."
"My mom died from breast cancer at 46. I started getting mammograms at 34."
"Luckily, I took the BRCA test and was negative."
- lil_ho_on_da_prairie
It's Constant
"Constantly being sexualized."
"I’m the least sexual person but people assume I’m super sexual because of my body. And I hate it"
- Plus_Bison_7091
"Yup, I'm ace and I honestly just want them chopped off to be rid of the constant sexualization of my body."
"It makes me really uncomfortable."
- zapsquad
"My friend in elementary school had a condition where she went into puberty super early and had large breasts by 3rd grade."
"We would walk together to elementary school every morning and get cat called a lot, but we were too afraid to tell our parents because we thought they wouldn't let us walk together anymore."
"She would have teachers make comments about them."
"When we were older she talked about how insanely awful and alienating it made her feel growing up. Her younger sister had the same condition, but went on puberty blockers for it."
- gentlybeepingheart
Destroyed
"These pendulous bags of hell have destroyed my back."
"Even a decade after a reduction surgery, I remain in daily pain. And now as an added bonus they get to be misshapen, scarred horribly, and completely useless for raising a baby."
- Originalluff
"I didn’t realize how heavy they are until I got together with girl with big boobs and woooooow they are heavy!"
- I_love_pillows
"I got C cups in fifth grade and those f*ckers went all the way to G by senior year."
"My posture was/is awful and I've felt like an old woman since I was a teenager. I don't even want babies, so they're never actually gonna be useful either."
- Rozeline
See what I mean?
They're kind of awful once they hit a certain size, and that size is pretty much ANY size if you're in Florida.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.