It might be hard to remember the old days, before every scandal and snafu was shoved down our throats by the tiny newsfeed machines in our pocked and purses, but there used ot be a time when we didn't have to think about politics every day. Those were peaceful times for sure, but were they better? Is being ignorant truly the wisest way to be?
Take a look at these political scandals from all over the world and decide for yourself if living in the dark is the best.
Reddit user, u/IanKean32, wanted to hear about:
What was the biggest political scandal in your country?
Public Funds Are Not Your Personal Piggy Bank
homer simpson money GIFGiphyAfter the sub-prime crisis in the 00's, portuguese prime minister Socrates was charged with white collar crimes for hustling public funds to finance void contracts in public construction and for changing laws to benefit certain friends and party members.
He got jailed and is currently in house arrest. High profile people of our political enviroment still visit him on a regular basis. Ever since than, no majority was achieved during votings and the country has since been ruled by party coalitions.
At Least It's Got A Cute Codename?
O nothing too big, just a simple investigation of a Car Wash being used to launder money that snowballed into the uncovering of a major political plot that stole/laundered something between 2 and 13 BILLION DOLLARS.
The investigation was adequatly named as Operation Car Wash
Summertime Sadness
In Puerto Rico. Our governor had a chat with other government officials and some of his close friends where they discussed corruption plans, they admitted to manipulating the press, they made fun of the victims of hurricane Maria, they made sexist and homophobic comments. And it all got leaked to the public. Everyone was pissed and we formed the biggest protest in our island's history, which forced him to resign.
That was a fun summer.
Just, No Government?
My country has been without a governement for more then a year... twice.
The first time my country has been without a government was for 541 days. A Guinness World Record !
At the moment we are without a governement for the second time. Our elections were on the 26th of May 2019. So at the moment we are at 479 days without a governement.
Here's to hoping we achieve a world record for a second time !
I live in Belgium btw.
And how has it affected people's lives?
Belgium
Belgium has several devolved governments (like state and federal government). Even without a federal government, there is still a state government in place to execute on state policies.
Furthermore, we don't have no government, the government is in "current affairs" e.g. it can only deal with urgent stuff and on-going business. A government shut-down like in the USA is impossible in Belgium.
It'd Be A Shame If Something Were To Happen...
season 6 legs GIFGiphySlovakia. A journalist got killed 2 years ago in February.
Mafia was involved and it's still not resolved.
In my country (Ukraine), every month there are attacks on journalists/activists which will never be investigated.
Serious murders usually take place once in 1-2 years.
How Dare You? Apologize For These Deaths I'm Responsible For.
South Africa. Our health minister left coronavirus patients to die in tents and when he got questioned he demanded an apology from the broadcaster
Add to this the rife corruption and how R500 billion has been stolen... no one is accountable, no one ends up in jail, they get put on suspension for years on full pay while people starve... let's not get started on the rapes and murders every day. The list goes on and on and on
Definitely Not A Bond Villain. Nope. Not. At. All.
A previous Taoiseach of ours (Prime Minister Charlie Haughey in the 1970's/80's) illegally bought an island off the coast of Kerry & built a mansion there, lording over it like a Bond Supervillain.
OMG, where did it happen?
He bought one of the Blasket Islands off the Irish coast, County Kerry, to use as his personal pleasure island.
Here's an article from the Independent, which has most of the facts outside of wikipedia, be warned, though. The 'Ind' is a noted Fianna Fail supporting rag of toolishness, complicit in their crimes, but it's a good read nonetheless.
I'm not heavily critical of Haughey, he's not in power now. But his outright chancery and crookedness set the foundations for years of crookedness in Irish politics, which became like a political mafia.
That's So Many...
Couple years ago in Chile journalist found that 1113 kids living under the tutelage of the state were already dead. Their deaths were not reported, nor investigated. When the news got out the minister of Justice, Javiera Blanco, who was in charge of the SENAME (National service for minors) was then destituted only to be given a life time job in the State Defence Council.
This was never talked about again.
Montenegro
Our president tried to create a law that would require all churches without paperwork to get owned by the government. Of course many of the churches in Montenegro were created way before paperwork was needed when Serbia and Montenegro were the same country. So basically the government would be getting tons of land that isn't even Montenegrin so massive protests followed.
Keep in mind this was all during the Covid lockdown so massive protests just led to more people getting infected. Also this caused tons of cultural hate between Montenegrins and Serbs when in retrospect we're all the same slavic people. Idk how to explain it very well since I myself do not understand the situation the best.
Poland
Poland. Technically there is no year without scandal.
One of the former Prime Ministers was accused for being Russian spy in 90s.
Leaked recordings which ended governments.
Minister of Health bought respirators for Covid patients... from arms dealer.
Entire scandal with elections.
Now the parliament votes for bill which allows politicians avoid punishment for anything if they prove they acted against Covid.
Oh McDonald
GiphyThe Prime Minister and his associates in the Conservative Party took $360,000 in bribes to award one company the right to build the railway to the west coast.
The scandal was uncovered and Sir John A. McDonald resigned as Prime Minister in disgrace in 1873. McDonald was elected PM again in 1878 and continued serving in that position until 1891.
Pick one....
Pakistani here. Not sure reddit has enough space to cover our political scandals. We've got PM (sitting and ex) assassinations, military takeovers, PM tried and hanged for murder, president plane crash, mysterious murders of PM's brothers, entire thing with war on terror, PM sacked for refusing to write a letter, PM sacked due to Panama papers money laundering charges. Basically no PM has ever served a full term. And countless other corruption, murder, horse trading and stuff scandals. So pick one and I'll give you the details.
Too many to name....
Malaysian here, where do I even begin?
Haha I'm a Malaysian too! we just had one some time ago, about a durian plantation. to all non-Malaysians reading, here's a list of some of the scandals that have happened here in this year alone:
MP caught vaping in parliament.
Minister practically shaming a high schooler.
Company wanting to force durian farmers off their land.
And those are just the ones that i could list off the top of my head. there are more, I assure you.
Hail Queen....
sarah burke queen GIFGiphyThe Queen fired the Prime Minister (who was democratically elected) - Australia, 1975.
Also, in 1967, another Prime Minister went swimming at a beach, and was never seen again.
"death squads"
Venezuela. I don't think the reddit servers have the memory space for a reply that does this justice.
But still, here's a taste from Reuters (July 2019):
"GENEVA — Venezuelan special forces have carried out thousands of extrajudicial killings in the past 18 months and then manipulated crime scenes to make it look as if the victims had been resisting arrest, the United Nations said on Thursday in a report detailing wide-ranging government abuses targeting political opponents.
Special Action Forces described by witnesses as "death squads" killed 5,287 people in 2018 and another 1,569 by mid-May of this year, in what are officially termed by the Venezuelan government "Operations for the Liberation of the People," United Nations investigators reported."
Onions got you
paparazzi GIFGiphyAustralian here. Ignoring the constant leadership spills, most recent one I remember was when a news channel ran a doco exposing the One Nation party for trying to cozy up to the NRA (US) and probably some other stuff I don't remember, after apparently running a sting operation for the previous three years. A little while later a candidate for the party resigned because footage of him in a strip club was aired.
EDIT: The leader of the One nation party also pulled a stunt where she walked into the senate dressed in a burqa to try get it banned, and recently has been feuding with Australia Post over stubby holders.
Then there was the one time a minister called the leader of the opposition a witch in the middle of parliament.
And then there's the prime minister that just straight up disappeared into the ocean one day. I could go on.
Thieves....
1MDB, I'm from Malaysia and God has this scandal destroyed my country. If u guys don't know about this, basically Malaysia's ex prime minister (Najib Razak) created a company called 1mdb and was aimed at generating extra revenue to fund development around my country. He ended up funneling all the money to his bank account. He was convicted recently but some idiots still believe in his innocence.
Bare in mind this is a very short summary of the scandal.
Bombed Out
Luxembourg.
De Bommeleer. Years ago there were a series of attacks with bombs. Years and years of investigations have brought up nothing, except changing stories and a lot of butt covering. And rumors it was one of the royal family. Allegedly.
I've found also some german articles.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.