You should trust your intuition. It's usually correct. Ever been somewhere and had those alarm bells go off in your brain? Be aware: If something genuinely doesn't feel right to you, it's likely because it isn't.
After Redditor euphoricwarriofangirl asked the online community, "What was your 'Something's wrong, I can feel it' moment?" people shared their stories.
All we have to say to some of these stories is... yikes.
"I was on a ladder..."
I was on a ladder at my work, and thought "someone could die falling off of this." I get home to find out my best friend died while falling off a ladder at the same time.
"My mom didn't call..."
My mom didn't call at her usual time. I had an overwhelming sense of dread. I called an ambulance. She'd had a pulmonary embolism. Despite arranging for her to be flown to the nearest trauma center she died six hours later.
"I always could just feel..."
Every time one of my ex-partners cheated on me. I always could just feel when it was happening. I can't explain what was going on or why, but I knew something was.
"I'd been having..."
I'd been having very brief speech problems I'd just written off. Then I couldn't find my way home from work, so I couldn't keep living in denial.
"That feeling confirms to me..."
I describe it as "feeling death." I remember the feeling clear as day. I was driving and kept looking around because I was certain there was some hazard I couldn't find. I got to my destination fine but within 15 minutes my brother is calling me that my dad passed.
Felt it again a year and a half later on the elevator at work. This time I recognize the feeling. I checked in with all my loved ones. They are okay. Later that day found out a super awesome co-worker died of bee stings.
That feeling confirms to me that there is something more than what we can see.
"When my kitten..."
When my kitten refused to eat and drink for a couple of days. Honestly had a "she's gonna die" panic moment that night. Two days after the discovery, we took her to the vet. After being there literally all day, they discovered she ended up having an incurable infection in her intestine. She was put down that night, after my brother, father, and I visited her to say goodbye.
"It felt like this oppressive cloud of dread..."
I woke up one random morning with this horrible, overwhelming sense of doom. It felt like this oppressive cloud of dread on top of me. I have anxiety, so I'm familiar with the anxious impending doom feeling, but this was not it. It felt ominous. I tried to shrug it off, go about my morning routine. Midway through making coffee, my best friend calls me. Her mom passed away that morning.
"I can't really describe it..."
Not mine, but my Grandma's. My grandpa was on the liver transplant list at the time. She was working and she decided to go home for lunch. She never, ever does that but something was pulling her that way. When she got home, Grandpa was in a coma with his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He would have died then if she hadn't come home and called emergency services.
My body has its "something is not right" moments. I can't really describe it, but I'll pause whatever I'm doing and then immediately hit the ground or try to get somewhere safe. Seconds later, I will blackout and eventually recover. It's weird. It's happened while riding my horse (she's extra tall, so I galloped her over to the porch, slid off of her, and then blacked out on the porch. When I woke up, she hadn't moved and stood over me with the dogs hovering and the goats as well), at work at the vet clinic, several times just walking to a room in a house, in the bathroom, etc.
"I honestly don't know..."
I connected with this guy on Tinder and I just felt weird about him. I can't put it into words, but something just felt off so I stopped responding to his texts. Then like three weeks later, I started thinking about the situation and decided that I ghosted this perfectly good guy for no good reason. I texted him and we started talking.
About a week later, we decided to go out on a date. I asked him for some bar suggestions so we could meet for a drink. He suggested a bar right around the corner from his house despite the fact that we lived nearly an hour apart. I was a little annoyed but ok fine. So I got there at 8, which is the time he told me to meet him. Dude was half an hour late. He texted me to let me know he was on his way (about 15 minutes after we were supposed to meet), so I stayed. He didn't really have a good reason for why he was late, just that he got wrapped up in things. Off to a good start.
So we had our date and while he was extremely hot, he just wasn't for me. It was like I would say something and he would respond by just jibber-jabbering about that topic. It wasn't for me. But listen, he was hot so I decided to at least get laid while I was out so we went back to his place to fool around.
I honestly can't explain it. He did nothing that I can pinpoint, but I just felt very very weird about him being on top of me. It was like, oppressive. I just felt scared, which is weird because I usually really enjoy the feeling of a man on top of me. About 5 minutes in, I bailed. He let me leave, but he didn't take it well.
So I'm driving home on the interstate in the dark and in the rain and he just will not stop texting and calling me. At first I was nice to him because I did feel bad for abruptly leaving like that. But then he just got angrier and angrier and started lecturing me so I hung up on him and stopped responding. I would have blocked him but I wanted the evidence in case I needed to call the police.
This went on all night long until about 8am and then picked up around 2, so I guess he got some sleep. This went on for the better part of a week. I honestly don't know wtf would have happened if I'd actually tried to date the guy. I dodged such a big bullet.
"I was driving..."
I was 16 or 17, and my family was heading out of town to visit relatives for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I was driving for the first leg. It was night, and the interstate through town was almost empty. I was in the right lane, had cruise set right at the speed limit, and a semi was slowly passing on the left. A car came off an onramp that turns into a temporary lane that ends as an exit. The car didn't have room to merge on unless I slowed down, but I got this feeling to not let it pull in front of me. His turn signal comes on, requesting I give him room to merge. I bump up the cruise control 1mph to keep him from merging. Right as he's being forced down the exit ramp, the back of his car lurches with a mechanical tearing noise and a shower of sparks, and I watch his right rear wheel land in the road as he disappears down the ramp.
If I'd let him merge in front of me that wheel would likely have gone through the windshield.
"A few years ago..."
A few years ago I was dating this person, and they were not responding to any text messages I was sending. I usually assume if someone does not respond they are busy. But for some odd reason something felt off about it this time. Turns out he was stuck up on a mountain with a girl he was cheating on me with.
Did not suspect the cheating but felt like something was wrong for sure.
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Most people have friends they've been close to for most of their lives.
But at the same time, friends evolve, and everyone finds themselves losing touch with any number of people they at one point considered their friends over time.
Most of the time, this isn't intentional, but just simply happens.
On rare occasions though, people might realize that their friends were not exactly who they thought they were, and didn't like who they revealed themselves to be.
Redditor One-Refrigerator69 was curious to hear stories of people who realized their friends were not exactly the nicest people to be around, leading them to ask:
"When was the moment you realized that your friends are assholes?"
Compared to others...
"When I started hanging out with better people."- Darklink326
All it took was getting my life together
"When I quit drinking ‘cos it was killing me."
"There were people I literally saw every single day who just disappeared as if by magic."
"12 years ago this week, as it happens."
"I’m not anti-drink, far from it."
"Some people, me included, just can’t enjoy it without it becoming a problem."
"Everyone is different."- bigdaftgeordie
A little perspective goes a long way.
"After I realized that other people don't sh*t on each other on every possible occasion in their circle."
"And that it isn't right when a 'friend' uses every known insecurity as an argument against you when you do not behave the way he/she would want you to."- ViscousPlateman
Lack of respect for other people's things
"I let my friend borrow my ps2 when I went to boot camp."
"When I came back, he said he sold it and gave me $50 I think?"
"This was in 2006."- madmike-86
Lack of mutual respect
"When he does sh*t to me and acts like it’s no big deal, then I do the same back and he gets offended."- Primary-Maybe-2749·
Constantly being taken advantage of.
"They only bothered with me when it suited them."
"I'd rather have nobody than have to deal with that."- zombi33mj
When they literally revealed themselves to be criminals
"When they robbed me at gunpoint."- Ok_Student8032
When they stopped liking them after a change of situation
"Fourth grade, when my parents economical situation went downhill and suddenly no one invited me to their birthday party."
"Until Seven years later no one had never invited me to their birthday, or to anything at all actually."- Justalittletoserious
Not being able to get a word in...
"When they tell me to shut up when I say anything."- the_golden_cheese
Violently playing with emotions
"She got a boyfriend and would let him listen to our phone calls and not tell me, even if I was crying about personal stuff that I would only ever tell her."
"Then they both started lying to me about my crush liking me back, forcing both him and me into awkward positions, telling everyone we liked each other so they'd play along, swapping places constantly to make us sit next to each other, pressuring him into giving me a lap dance, making him kiss the prettiest girl in the room, etc, and encouraged me to shoot my shot more and more."
"All the while they knew he didn't like me, he had told them both directly."
"One night I was crying on the phone cause I was so confused why my advances weren't working, and they just kept explaining it away, blaming some other bullsh*t reason and telling me to try again."
"The next day they told me they were laughing throughout the whole call, because I didn't get it and I was so upset."
"I should add I had no dating experience at all and nobody had ever liked me at this point."- Juliemj
It's always sad when our friends disappoint us.
But when our friends proved to be completely different people than we thought they were, it can be devastating.
As the saying goes, one never truly knows who their friends are.
When visiting any foreign country, one should always be familiar with the laws and customs of the land.
After all, what might be generally accepted on your home turf, might be frowned upon, if not illegal, elsewhere.
For that matter, even locals might need a refresher course on what they can and can't do while at home.
A recent Redditor was curious to hear what tourists and locals alike should avoid doing in the USA, leading them to ask:
"In the United States, what should you never do?"
Stay out of the skies!
"Don't fly a drone in Washington, DC."
"The whole D.C. Area is a no fly zone."
"It's a federal offense."
"Just don't do it."- PeytonCarrK
Cops can't be bribed.
"Don't try to bribe cops when you get pulled over."
"I had some Argentinian friends immediately pull out their wallets and start pooling their cash when they got pulled over once.'
"Fortunately someone in the car noticed and told them to put it away immediately."- PeytonCarrK
"Don't pay off the police."
"My dad has friends from several third-world nations where it is common practice to give the police some cash when you are pulled over."
"However, if you try to bribe a police officer here, you'll get into a lot of trouble."- JohnASmiley
Know your rights.
"Everyone, including foreigners, has the right to be silent and have a lawyer when being questioned."
"Don’t say anything."
"Also, even if you speak English fairly well, ask for an interpreter."- WickedLilThing
Enjoy all that nature has to offer... carefully!
"Don't wander off in the national parks."
"It's very real wilderness and you can get lost and die out there."
"This includes going over railings you aren't supposed to, or off trails."
"People have died accidentally falling into a steam geyser that looked like normal water, mauled by animals or left to the elements."- AlphaOhmega
Allow plenty of time!
"Expect consistency at TSA in airports."- WickedLilThing
Some terminology doesn't translate...
"If you’re from England, they’re called cigarettes here."- Yung_Onions
Make sure your license is up to date.
"If you come from a walkable country don’t come here expecting the same."
"There are some areas with good public transportation and bicycle/pedestrian friendly streets but for the most part, especially outside of cities, the areas are designed to accommodate cars more than anything else."
"The reason a lot of Americans drive everywhere is because, depending on where you live, we have no choice."- The_Cars93
Wait for instructions.
"Get out of your car and approach the cop when being stopped by a cop unless told to."- hildrash
Whether your'e waling down a street in a foreign country, or the street you've lived on for your entire life, it's always wise to be on guard and aware of your surroundings.
Not to mention, obey the law.
Who doesn't love a good joke?
And one needn't be a professional comedian to always have a joke in their back pocket to make people laugh.
Particularly as there are certain types of jokes which are almost always guaranteed to elicit at least a tiny chuckle.
They could be knock-knock jokes, "little johnny" jokes, and of course the "yo mamma" jokes.
Though always teetering on the boundaries of good taste, the possibilities of jokingly insulting the mother of a friend, or foe, are endless, and more often than not, hilarious.
Redditor nobody-and-68-others was eager to hear the funniest "you mamma" jokes people have ever heard, leading them to ask:
"What are the best “Yo mama” jokes you got?"
Yo mamma's so fat...
"yo mamma so fat she wakes up in sections."- LolCoca
"Yo mama so fat when I had a threesome with her I never met the other guy."- 1nzlocky
...How fat Is she?
"Yo mama's so fat she outweighs the needs of the many."- BenefitsCustardbatch·
"Yo mama’s so fat that every time she turns around, it’s her birthday."- Amphibutter·
Yo mamma's so ugly...
'Yo mama so ugly, criminals break into her house just to close the curtains."- Cap_the_pro
"Yo mama so ugly your dad wakes up with morning wouldn't."- lukeedbnash
"Yo mama so ugly, her portraits hang themselves."- SolHalcyon
This could have so many meanings...
"The earth was flat until they buried yo mama."- jaymo54
Fat AND Ugly?
"Yo mama so fat, when she goes on a diet, the stock market drops."
"Yo mama so ugly, she threw a boomerang and it refused to come back."- SophisticatedOtaku
Needless to say, not all jokes are to everyone's taste.
Something to keep in mind when sharing these jokes with others.
Particularly with, "yo mamma", or anyone else's...
People Explain Which Things Are Acceptable In 2022 That Weren't When They Were Growing Up
Societal norms gradually change over time, and it's not until a generation looks back and notices just how far they've come.
One of the major differences people from earlier generations find fascinating is how things were much more rigid compared to current times.
Curious to hear examples of this, Redditor FCFSDeals asked:
"What’s now weirdly acceptable in 2022 that was not acceptable growing up in your generation?"
Prior to cellphones, calling protocol was vastly different once upon a time.
Answering The Call
"Not answering the phone. When we only had landline phones (yes long time ago), there was no ringing phone that went unanswered. Now we screen or just plain ignore calls until we are good and ready to deal with it."
– ekimlive
Respectful Hours
"Also, no one expected to reach you at any time, 24-7. I miss those days."
– techretary
Proper Etiquette
"But there was phone etiquette: no solicitation calls; no polls; and nobody called after 9PM unless someone was in jail or the hospital."
– Positive-Source8205
Appearance guidelines seemed to have shifted between generations.
Body Art
"People have already said tattoos, but body piercings also exploded in popularity. It used to be girls could get their ears pierced, and that was it. When I was in high school, some guys started doing the one earring look and tongue, nose and bellybutton piercings were starting to become popular."
– viderfenrisbane
Comfort Is Priority
"Wearing sneakers to work at a fortune 100 company."
"At the beginning of my career it was suit and tie, then business casual and now I wear stan smiths, jeans and an untucked polo in the most senior position of my working life."
– Big_Requirement_3540
Casual Political
"I worked for the US Senate in 2009 (in a totally non-political job for the Senate Curator). I wore clothes from Hot Topic on the Senate floor. Some days I wore old jeans with holes in the knees if I knew I'd be climbing ladders to clean artworks. One of the women on the team had a full chest tattoo and made zero effort to cover it up because no one cared. The day I met Senator Inouye to discuss what paintings he wanted in his office, I had on trainers."
– ballerina22
Benefits Of Letting The Hair Down
"They realized that they can't erode wages and expect us to look like we're on Mad Men at the same time. Allowing long haired freaky people has made them sh*tloads of money over the years."
– throwawayqw123456
Hair Coloring & Tattoos
"Any type of hair coloring would result in serious trouble at school. I also remember tatoos being frown upon as being found mostly on people that got out of prison."
– no_cause_munchkin
The advent of the internet was a huge game changer, and rules were made up as we went along.
The Bandwidth Situation
"2 people using the internet at the same time."
– ProfessorPanga
Phones In The Classroom
"Middle/high school students being allowed to have their cell phones in class. Being caught with our cell phone when I was a high schooler was an automatic detention etc."
– TrumpHairedHarambe
Consequences Of Having A Phone On Campus
"I graduated in the late 90's, and the president of my class got expelled one week before graduation for having a phone on campus. It was in his car, and this was after hours. It rang and a teacher heard it. They made an example out of him. He lost his admission to West Point."
"Now my 8th grader finds it super unjust that her science teacher makes all the kids put their phones in a box at the front of the room during tests, and feels super justified in never ever giving up her airpods to that sort of thing."
"Different world."
– electrolytesaregood
When I was a cast member at Disneyland in the early 2000s, we had to abide by the strict, clean-cut appearance guidelines required of all cast members–with different rules applying to each respective gender.
Men, for example, were not allowed to wear jewelry or have visible tattoos. We also had to maintain the length of our hair to not exceed past a certain length, and sporting facial hair was a major no-no.
Now, the "Disney Look" has changed, allowing all cast members to reflect their personalities through “gender-inclusive hairstyles, jewelry, nail styles and costume choices; and allowing appropriate visible tattoos," according to the Disney Parks Blog.
To the Mouse, I tip my hat for these awesome changes.