Just say NO! That's a famous 80's catchphrase about staying off drugs, but it is also one of the truest and most life-affirming mantras that many of us have come to appreciate. Saying no, putting one's well-being first, have become the new narrative for a society that was always over-extending itself. Sometimes you just have to decline an offer or decide that, no, this situation isn't healthy for me. And then the freedom you feel... there is nothing else like it.
Redditor u/SketchyByte wanted everyone to share the times in life they have never felt better by asking... What is the most satisfying "no" that you have ever said?"Just try..."
Go ahead, try it. NO! I love it. I can't tell you how many times I gave a yes out of fear, guilt, or shame. Then later all I had to ruminate on was regret. I don't enjoy the NO at the expense of others, but more often than not, I just have to recognize what a certain moment calls for and embrace it. I think the following people can explain.
Sorry Boo
let's go courtroom GIFGiphyI got offered a lot of money to basically screw someone over in a court case. I said no and the satisfaction of telling a seriously spoiled rich kids dad no was the most satisfying day in recent memory.
Humans Suck
I work in an Animal Shelter. We had this very scared Cane Corso mix named Tae, who had the perfect look for the worst kind of dog owner: cropped ears and tail, muscular, beautiful grey coat. Tae needed a special low traffic home without any kids because he was very nervous and uncertain, likely due to his past, and we wrote an entire profile explaining this. A guy waltzes in, slams money on the table, and announces he's taking Tae (without ever meeting him, mind you.)
After finding out he had a three year old at home, I told him that wasn't an ideal situation for Tae and that we wanted to think about what was best for the dog. He gets nasty and says it's fine because Tae is going to be chained up outside. I was so satisfied to tell him we won't be adopting anything to him, as it is stated in our contract our dogs must be indoor pets.
No, he didn't like that.
Mother's House
Honestly, it would have to have been splitting up with my ex. He was at his mother's house at the time, and he said he missed me. I stared at the message for so long he sent another, "this is supposed to be where you say you miss me too." But i didn't miss him. Or walking on eggshells around him, having zero help with our newborn child, having so much trouble. So I said but I don't miss you. Easily the best no I've said, I only wish I had said it sooner.
"No, I'd prefer not."
Religious in-laws. Lots of holiday meals, they always stop before eating to Give a Blessing, taking turns, FIL assigns the leader of the prayer. For whatever reason, they do not single me out, and I certainly do not volunteer. FIL has a tendency to put people on the spot when he wants something done. After a decade, I assume it'll never happen.
Well.
Thanksgiving. About to eat, FIL turns to me "Will you lead the blessing." (note lack of question mark.)
"No, I'd prefer not." It came out of my mouth before I really thought about it, but it was the right answer. FIL looking at me like I just sprouted a new head. I repeat, very politely. "No, I'm sorry, I'd rather not." and that was it, the obligation was passed to one of my BILs.
I mean, I respect their faith, but I don't share it. The only meal blessing I know is the Grace* learned as a catholic kid, (took me a long time to understand the actual words) said at speed, which if I'd used that would have been mocking. And I'm not about to thank a heavenly father I don't believe in. I'll bow my head in silence, but this is not my faith, not my prayers.
My husband managed to stop himself from laughing, to his credit.
*blessesolord, antheezigfs, whicheeraboutoreceev, fromeyebuntytokrice, hourlower, AMEN.
Blocked
GiphyNot exactly a no, but declining my ex-wife's friend request on Facebook felt pretty satisfying.
"Not Today"
See they get it. Are you envious enough yet to try it? Go ahead. NO. I'll wait. It can also be a silent NO. Just today this rude young lad tried to cut me off in the line at Target. Back in the day, I'd let that go. I'd wonder if it was worth the argument? What's the big deal? Then I said... NO. You do not get to treat me this way. So I informed him where the line began, and stretched to, so he could march his happy backside yon. Read on...
Rent Some Guys
Animated GIFGiphy"so i see you have a truck"
"no... i will NOT help you move...."
"well damn."
LOL.
Yuck!
I said 'no' to a crappy job offer. They asked me if I was working already and I said I was unemployed but I wouldn't work for their company anyway.
There's one account that I won't accept projects on because of the way they abuse their vendors. I think my exact words were, "I'd rather eat cat food."
Dodged a Bullet
I got fired because the company panicked during covid and decided to fire me and another guy, they were genuine a-holes that didn't care about their employees. I could go into details but it would take way too long, so you'll just have to trust me on this one.
A few weeks later they call me back and asked me to join as they now realized that they actually needed me, he was almost certain that I would say yes.
I straight up told him "no". He sounded sooo disappointed and shocked.
Now nearly a year later the company is going under, everybody left because they hated the boss, and I can't say I feel sorry for them.
Peace Out
Overworked at an underpaying job in a warehouse. 14 hr days. 9 bucks an hour in a 15 degree industrial freezer. 2 15 minute breaks. They hassle you for taking a crap in between. I felt sick that day and boss man comes up to me with ANOTHER stack of orders after we were already doing the biggest one that day. Says "Hey I need you back in the freezer and i need you to pick up the pace a little bit" I just said "no" and walked the hell out. Hitchhiked home. Sun was shining. Dude that picked me up was playing Radiohead. Twas magical as hell.
Worthless...
Good Bye Reaction GIFGiphyAfter cheating on me, during our break up conversation, she said, "I wish you would have fought for me instead of giving up so easily.."
I said, "maybe if you were worth it."
Keep Your Job
I applied for a job, got it, was shown around the workplace, they explained how things worked etc. The day before I was to start they called me and said the guy changed his mind and was going to stay. A few weeks later they called me again and said the guy quit and I can now have the job. No.
The Voice
I used to work in an IT support call center. I eventually moved to a new job within the same company, but no longer doing support. Every time someone emailed me because I helped them previously, I really enjoyed telling them that I could no longer help them and they had to call the help desk. I love not having to use my "customer service voice" any more.
Bye Bye Bye
Get Out Theatre GIF by Tony AwardsGiphyI had an ex send me a text months after we had a horrible and frustrating break up. It just said "I love you." I did the same thing where I stared at it for a long time. He had tried everything to get me back and I was just so over it, so I replied "I don't care." That finally got him to leave me alone.
Not Worth It
I did this to my boss at my last review. I didn't get a raise and was told I had to do three certain things to be considered for a raise.
Boss: You do these three things and you'll get a raise. Are you interested?
Me: No
Boss: So, you're just happy where you are?
Me: Yep
Boss- That's disappointing.
To clarify he couldn't guarantee a raise amount and he has no real control over how much I make. If I did those three things the company could have said "here's your raise enjoy this quarter". If they even gave me a raise. An unspecified raise isn't worth all the extra work they wanted.
Shush...
A cheating and manipulating ex asked me to connect via FB to 'just talk.' According to his opinion the time that had passed from when I found out he is a back boneless cheater until that day was long enough to be 'friends.' I said NO... And lived happily ever after!
Risk Factor
I was made redundant from my old job before Christmas due to COVID and I'd been wrestling with it for a while as I hated the job for years.
In the redundancy meeting they said I'd need to do a load more work and be limited to 3 days a week and I just said no, I'll take the redundancy. Risky move but I had 2 months notice to work through and I figured I could get a job in time.
After the meeting I saw I has a missed call from a job wanting me to start in 2 months as a day rate contractor and that is now coming to an end. I was offered a new permanent position at a 33% salary bump than the job I was made redundant from. Risky, but worked out.
Fur baby first...
cat fail falling GIFGiphyWhen I was given an ultimatum in my first relationship:
She said, "Either you give up your cat (my furry buddy), or I won't move in with you."
(She wasn't allergic to cats - she just didn't like them.)
So when asked, "Is your cat going?" I said, "No . . . you are!"
Click
When I finally grew a pair and told my "ex" (if you can even call it that because that was clearly NOT a relationship) to hell off. I stopped giving in and believing any bull that came out of my ex's mouth, sent my final text and BLOCKED. That thing even had the nerve to call me from a landline but I was smart enough to immediately hang up. There was a voicemail but my old phone got stolen, and I never ended up listening to it. Thank God.
Tired but Free
A couple years after I bought my car, the dealership called me in to discuss some sort of deal involving my financing. For two hours, they tried to convince me to trade in my car for a newer model before I realized that I could just ask for my damn keys back and get the hell out of there. At that moment, I felt both exhausted and liberated.
Gotcha...
Went shopping for rings with my then fiancé (been married for 16 years now) and when we walked into the jewelry store my ex girlfriend was at the sales counter. We ended up finding some rings there that we really liked, but they had to order some more because they only had the floor model. When I went to pick them up a week later, my ex wanted to know if I would take her back.
I was polite, but said that I was happy with my new relationship and that we really were getting married. I'll never forget the look on her face as I tried on my ring. Guess she shouldn't have cheated on me when we were together.
Stay Back
Schitts Creek Eww GIF by CBCGiphyWhen the guy I had a crush on dumped me and made me feel like crap eventually came back to me asking me to hang out and I said NOPE.
"NOOOO!!!!"
NO is not a curse word, nor is it hate speech. Some may see it that way but as you have read... NO... is an imperative part of life. Take it from my experience, you don't have to be a yes man in order to be a good person, or solidify relationships. People will understand, and if they don't, then they aren't introducing the NO in their lives nearly enough.
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Reddit user Ninac4116 asked:
"Who are some exposed frauds that still have a following despite being debunked?"
Playing With Fyre
"That dude that went to prison for fraud for Fyre Festival, Billy McFarland. He is out now and wants to try again."
~ Can_Not_Double_Dutch
"Grifters gonna grift. His sleaziness was already well documented with that credit card/access card BS before the Fyre."
~ mcburloak
"The justice system certainly failed on this one. A long running pattern of documented fraud even before he committed the massive Fyre Festival wire fraud in the amount of millions of dollars and guy is out within a few years."
"What a f*cking joke. There are thousands of people serving more time for drug offenses and stealing 1/100th as much."
~ perfektstranger
* Billy McFarland is an American con artist and convicted felon who co-founded the ill-fated Fyre Festival as well as several other fraudulent businesses.
The New MLM
"All of those YouTube 'financial freedom' classes/courses/programs."
~ TiaMaeLove
"I consider those to be Gen-Z pyramid schemes."
"'Learn how to get passive income by teaching people how to get passive income by teaching people how to get passive income!'."
"'Something, something grind mindset...'."
~ Kurt0690
Totally Not A Cult
"Keith Raniere who started NXIVM too."
"There's still a bunch of women that hang out outside of the prison he's in singing his praises every day."
"It's weird man."
~ HotGarbage
* Keith Raniere is an American cult leader who was convicted of a pattern of racketeering activity, including human trafficking, sex offenses and fraud."
GiphyAlso Totally Not A Cult
"Warren Jeffs and Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)."
"Dude is literally in prison and still has a significant amount of devout followers."
~ alienwitchkitty
"To be fair, the FLDS is very isolated from the outside world (think no internet). It's possible that they genuinely don't understand the severity and overwhelming evidence of his crimes."
"Though you'd still think that watching your prophet marry children as his brides would set off some red flags."
~ lo_profundo
* Warren Jeffs is an American polygamous cult religious leader who was convicted of several sex crimes and two assisted sex crimes involving children.
"I’m a long time postal worker and I once did an intake at the plant of a pallet of letters from Warren Jeffs. They have to provide us a sample for this kind of mass mailing for billing purposes so I read the letter."
"He was sending it to every church of every denomination within our province (Canada). I imagine other plants got similar pallets."
"The letter was a demand that they give all properties and tithing money over to Warren Jeffs and the board of the FLDS. He wanted every priest/pastor to tell their congregation that they were wrong and would now be following Heavenly Father’s wishes to completely turn over everything to the FLDS and every member was to write letters and make calls demanding Warren’s immediate release."
"This mailing cost was in the thousands of dollars and I suspect every church in Canada received one, potentially tens of thousands in cost. That’s all money from his followers, terrible waste."
"For months afterwards we saw so many of these letters come back through the plant labeled return to sender. I would be completely shocked if they got even one positive reply. Massive waste."
~ janesfilms
Absolutely, Totally Not A Cult
"L Ron Hubbard. My uncle is Scientology level OT8."
"I'll never understand why he buys into it (literally and figuratively)."
~ thatoneguy889
"L. Ron pulled a ‘hold my beer’ before it was even a thing with saying the Ringling brothers (circus guys) were about to be upstaged by the biggest scam in history, then proceeded to write the Scientology books."
"Even knowing Hubbard was a failed sci-fi author, and that he had a history of failed scam attempts, people still believed the Scientology books were educational/historic documents and a guide to a wonderful life/afterlife. Mind blowing."
"Equally if not more of a scam than Joseph Smith reading the gold tablets from a hat, that only he could see and decipher because that is what God wanted. The level of gullibility of mankind throughout history is impressive in all the worst ways."
~ _calmer_than_you_r_
* Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was an American pulp science fiction author and the founder of Scientology.
GiphySleight Of Hand
"Uri Geller."
"He still to this day claims he has mystical powers and won't admit he's just doing magic tricks, despite being exposed by James Randi."
~ agent_x_75228
"The crazy part to me is that he is actually quite talented as a magician."
"He could make a good living just doing magic tricks and billing himself as such."
"He didn't even have to lie to be successful."
~ starmartyr
"His exposure on The Tonight Show with Carson is so fun to watch."
"You almost feel bad for him. Almost."
~ BulljiveBots
* Uri Geller is an Israeli-British television personality and self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other illusions to simulate the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy.
"Dr Phil and Dr Oz."
~ 335i_lyfe
"Oprah has pushed so many terrible people and I feel like it really should be discussed more.
"My mom's been in a cult for years because of her pushing Gwen Shamblin and the Weigh Down diet on her show."
~ _angesaurus
"She propelled so many charlatans and their mumbo jumbo into the mainstream."
~ Dangerpuffins
* Phillip "Dr. Phil" McGraw is an unlicensed clinical psychologist and TV personality who appeared as a relationship and life strategy expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show whose methods have been called "exploitative" and "appallingly cruel."
* Dr. Mehmet Oz is a television presenter and physician who appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and his own program which drew criticism from the medical community for false medical claims and pseudoscience including faith healing and various paranormal beliefs.
GiphyBody By...
"The Liver King guy, Brian Johnson, not sure if he still claims to be natural though."
~ RegularEmbarrassed36
"Dudes got a physique that is pretty much impossible to achieve natural."
"Like it's still hard work even if you're not natty. But don't give other kids the idea it's achievable."
~ herroebauss
"It's not just him giving kids the idea, he's quite literally RIPPING THEM OFF, selling all these products, selling his lifestyle, taking their money pretending that he's helping them."
~ battleduck84
"He admitted he was using steroids, went clean for a bit, and unless there's been developments in the last few months he's back on steroids and claiming he's not."
~ blames_irrationally
* Brian "Liver King" Johnson is an American fitness social media influencer.
Who Profits From The "Prosperity Gospel"?
"Joel Osteen"
~ Blue_Period_89
"The guy just sells toxic positivity, begs for more money, and claims it under the Christian God. I'm a Christian and I can say with full confidence that what he teaches is NOT what Jesus is about."
~ cutiegirl88
"Pretty much all of the mega church leaders are frauds."
~ usedmotoroil
"I'd say 100% of them. It is anti-Christian. Any excess should be given back to the communities they are in."
"That's why they don't get taxed. But now it's just a grift."
"They don't give a f*ck about anything other than the size of their bank accounts."
~ theshane0314
"Absolutely 100% they are frauds and lying weasels."
"Osteen or Copeland or any of the others who unabashedly pound the pulpit, so to speak, on the 'prosperity gospel'—they have incorporated their sin as their strength in the eyes of their followers and those imbeciles eat it up."
~ Thunderhorse74
* Joel Osteen is an American televangelist, businessman based in Houston, Texas and one of the more prominent figures associated with "prosperity theology" and a focus of its critics.
GiphyFilipino Fraudsters
"Bongbong Marcos and his family."
"Their family literally stole billions from the Filipino people yet they are still out of prison. Their family matriarch, Imelda, was even sentenced to prison for graft, but no one dared to arrest her."
"Bongbong is now even president of the Philippines and has a huge cult following because of how they tried to distort history."
~ holyguacamole-
* Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is the second child and only son of former president, kleptocrat and dictator Ferdinand Marcos and former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
The Power Of Motorola Compels You!
"Faith healer and psychic Peter Popoff. The divine voices he heard were actually his wife using a radio."
"He’s still selling his 'Miracle Water'."
~ SnooChipmunks126
"Popoff was exposed in an investigation on a news show.
"He 'retired to a quiet life of contemplation' when it aired which everyone knew was horsesh*t."
"A couple years later he’s back grifting."
~ Renaissance_Slacker
* Peter George Popoff is a German-born American televangelist, charlatan, debunked clairvoyant and faith healer.
GiphyNo, Vaccines Don't Cause Autism
"Andrew Wakefield, who was trying to get his own vaccine approved, so he tried to make it look like another vaccine was a problem."
"He did research without getting proper consent, falsified results, and so on."
"He's become the darling of the vaccines-cause-autism crowd, even though his behavior was so egregious that he lost his medical license."
~ DrHugh
"Oh it's so much worse. Wakefield's alternative vaccine (cofounded by a quack who didn't have a medical license, believed he could cure autism with his bone marrow, and had his name spelled wrong on the patent) was a cash-grab, to capitalise further on the greater scheme."
"He was paid to discredit the MMR vaccine by a lawyer who recognised the amount of money there was in suing the manufacturer on behalf of concerned parents, in collaboration with a then-small group of parents who believed it made their children autistic (called "JABS") who have since rocketed in popularity as a direct result of the whole debacle."
"Wakefield lost his license primarily because he did not receive informed consent for procedures. Not only did the handouts he gave to the parents not even mention all the procedures performed, but they did not mention risks. The handouts literally do not contain the word 'risk'."
"He also lied. A lot. Like, the results of his study were shaky at best, and half of them were just completely made up."
"Oh, and giving colonoscopies to children ended up being a horrible idea, because one of them got a perforated bowel. He f*cked up that kid's life forever. It's... disgusting."
"Autism isn't actually that bad. And it's kinda disgusting that it was being treated as something worth risking actual death to avoid.
"Also, the head of Andrew Wakefield's hospital at the time of his departure (when he got fired because his colleagues got sick of his sh*t) went on to describe him as, quote, 'a Wanker and a Fraud'."
~ Otherversian-Elite
How Is He—either one—Still A Thing?
"Logan Paul. This really annoys me. The dude has been called out for multiple crypto scams and yet I still see his sh*tty energy drink all over grocery stores and gas stations.
"I really hope he goes down for real."
~ Zelgon
"It's crazy that he even still has a following after everything he's said and done."
"People were actually cheering and rooting for him in his recent scammer vs scammer joke of a boxing match."
~ labwongames
"The world isn't running out of unattended 5-10 year olds with iPads anytime soon. That's why he still has a following."
"Or am I thinking of Jake Paul? Eh, two sh*ts, same a**hole."
~ The-Mighty-Caz
"When I taught middle school several of my students were huge fans of Logan or Jake Paul. They’d come to school in their merch and listen to their sh*tty music while they did class work."
~ SadandBougie
* Logan Paul—once called "the face of douchebag entitlement" and Jake Paul—known for prank videos—are brothers and American YouTubers who started out posting sketches on Vine.
Giphy"Multi-Level Marketing (MLMs). The vast majority of people who sign up for them make very little and a significant number lose money."
"And yet, they're everywhere."
~ LadyMageCOH
"99% of MLM sellers lose money. It’s only those at the very top that actually make anything at all."
"It’s such a scam and a fraud!"
~ greens_beans_queen
"That's why they used to be called pyramid schemes. They came up with the term MLM to make it sound better."
~ Bijorak
45
"Donald Trump/MAGA… the guy has over 50 felony charges and civil cases for fraud and rape and still has followers?"
"It’s cuckoo bananas."
"He is a con artist… and it’s so glaringly obvious!"
~ Acceptable-Bullfrog1
"I try not to be Trump this Trump that, but this is what immediately came to mind."
"He’s not good at business. He’s not good at being president. He’s oblivious to rules he doesn’t want to observe. They think he’s Christian and like, when have you seen him going to church even to fake it?
Everything he does is as obvious as his fake tan that makes him look like Magda (MAGAda? 😃) from Something About Mary.
"His MAGA minions claim they’re these shrewd people that show up on the car lot and get exactly what they want for less than it’s worth when really they’re the type to show up on the lot and leave with a Hummer they don’t need and can’t afford."
~ Orgasmic_interlude
GiphyIn the words of Carl Sagan:
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle."
"We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth."
"The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken."
"Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”
~ Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
What proven frauds, scammers and grifters would you add to the list?
