People Explain Which Trivial Thing They've Done That Created Absolute Chaos Later On
Why is it, that it seems most of life's biggest consequences are birthed from the tiniest of actions, often without intention? So many of us fight, struggle, plot and methodically plan for certain outcomes for many things in life but to no avail. Then suddenly like a Julia Roberts movie you turn a corner and BOOM.... everything changes. Heck, it makes you nervous to go outside, but then maybe staying in will lead to the biggest BOOM. Oof, I can't decide. It's all a coin toss.
Redditor u/Homelss_Emperor wanted to hear from people who are still trying to decipher how they unintentionally played a part in some major dramas by asking.... Butterfly effect. what is that trivial thing you did that caused a serious chaos later on?It was a whole thing.
Broke a glass and spilled juice all over the floor when I was 8. We we are at our uncle's house. It got under of a quite heavy cabinet. It was sticky and my father move the cabinet a little so my uncle's wife can clean it. Behind the cabinet, there was a small box and inside that small box, a cellphone. So that's how my uncle's wife found out he had a second phone and was cheating for a long time. It was a whole thing. They ended up getting a divorce.
Fill the hole...
Kinda a long story so I'll sum it up. When i was in high school I had to dig up a dead tree in our yard. I lazily didn't fill in the hole like my dad requested because I was exhausted after moving everything left it for a couple days and my mom ended up breaking her ankle after taking a nasty fall from that same hole. She went to the hospital where they did surgery on her ankle and she caught gangrene.
No big deal it was treatable at first they did some minor amputations and gave antibiotics. Nothing they gave her did anything but slow it down. So when they finally found one that worked well for her what they didn't realize is that in a weeks time she would have several heart failures a day because of it and eventually it got to the point we had to let her go.
The Help Desk.
Not exactly chaos, but it had a big impact. After I graduated college, before I could land a full time job, I was doing temp work. I'd just finished a weeklong temp assignment as a receptionist at an office. It was Friday, but they called me and asked if I could come back for one more day since their receptionist was still out.
I did, thinking nothing of it.
Turns out that my husband was starting his first day at the company working Help Desk, and his first ticket was to install a new printer at the receptionist desk. If I hadn't agreed to one more day of work, I never would have met him.
Second Life....
In 2007, I played an online game called Second Life. My avatar bumped into another and because of lag, I moved him. We joked about it and somehow that night I said to him "yes, but I'm not taking your name in marriage." We've been married for 12 years. A lot has happened.
One More Minute....
Not a bad kind of chaos, but showing up for a final exam at the wrong time lead to a shitload of cascading events that result in me meeting my wife and having a successful life.
i was on academic probation my junior year of college because i liked partying more than studying, and refused to learn my lesson. I pulled all-nighters for my final exams, and needed a 2.0 or better to stay in school.... part of being sleep deprived meant that i mixed up the times of my last exam.
It was at noon, but i thought it was 5pm. So I show up to a now-darkened building, freaking out. I was scrolling through my contacts hoping to call anyone i knew from the class when i bumped into my professor, knocking the stuff out of his bands. He was packing up the last load of his things, as he was heading back home to Canada for the winter break, and had me marked as a 0. I needed a 75% or better on his final to stay in school.
He gave me 20 minutes to take this test, which i was able to get a B on, which let me stay in school, graduate, get a professional job (after a year of min wage bullshit), move to a city with my friend where i met my wife... If i was literally one minute later rounding that corner in that lecture hall 9 years ago I wouldn't have had the life i have now.
The Riot Starter
A few years ago I brought yellow slime crystals to school, I left them under a desk because I didn't want them anymore. I was in a pretty bad school so all the teachers assumed it was a form of cocaine. Which led to a whole drug search of the school, which turned up all sorts of knives, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and stolen goods. Next thing I know 100 kids were suspended/expelled. Now, I was the culprit who accidentally started this.
When all the kids got back, people were getting jumped left and right of being suspected of the drug search. They were all looking for me, and only my closest friend knew that it was me. The security tightened around the school, but kids were even getting jumped at their homes, because of all the contraband. So yeah. I basically started a riot because of yellow slime crystals. :/
Me + 6....
I made an impulsive decision to drop an Administrative Law class with a world-renown professor to take an advanced Constitutional Law seminar that had been added during the summer break after our Law Faculty had poached an up-and-coming professor from another university.
I was having second thoughts on law as a career and figured I might as well take a class I like as opposed to a class people said I needed. There were only 6 other people registered in the seminar, including the man I ended up marrying. He was a foreign student that semester and I'd never have met him otherwise.
Ended up with a career in administrative law, of all things, too.
Shirt Off. Guns Out.
Drunk too much one night. Seen myself shirtless. The next day decided to hit the gym for the first time in my life. 2 years on, currently studying Exercise science & nutrition. Got my own studio in the city. Steady job. Couldn't be happier. My drunk mind tends to see things from a new perspective. Sober OP may have been complacent but drunk OP may have been like "what the hell is this crap?"
127 Jobs...
I've been waiting on this question for a long time!
I missed the train to work one day by one minute about 6 years ago I'm a head chef so this sh!t matters, because I was an hour late my team screwed up a table that was a critic and her family they had strict dietary restrictions that my team didn't take into account without me.
The review came out it was really freaking bad, so bad that people stopped coming to our place and the company went under. I firmly believe that if I didn't get stuck in traffic that day I would have saved over 127 jobs. It still keeps me up at night!
Teenage Dream....
In high school I had a crush on girl A and my friends figured it out. Embarrassed, I claimed they were wrong, I couldn't like girl A because I like girl B. They all chime in, then go for it! She'd totally date you.
Turns out girl B was wonderful, it lasted 4 years and it was one of the best relationships I ever had. We eventually had to break up but we are still on good terms.
I was such a dumb high schooler.
The Infected
Best I can think of is in senior year of high school, I went to school and had a slight stomach ache and I was like it's nothing probably just hunger or something I ate, and next morning full blown stomach bug in which I spent the whole day throwing up. I recovered by evening and I was able to return to school the next day, which the school had one of the lowest attendance rates where it almost reached the level in which school would've been forced to shut down because too few people showed up. One day I infected almost 60-70% of everyone at the school with the stomach bug.
in the woods.....
I was at a hotel on a family vacation, sneaked outside to smoke a joint late at night, I must have left the door to the hallway ajar or something, later on a full blown community of raccoons come charging into the joint, man did they run wild.
EDIT : it was a mountain resort hotel. ( in the woods ).
Simba Forever....
When I was seven, two friends and I walked to a dumpster to retrieve my Simba plush. Their asshole neighbors stole it from me and threw it in there.
Five minutes after we got my Simba back, the dumpster suddenly caught on fire and five of the buttheads went to the hospital with serious burns.
Whenever I tell this story, I always start with,"Hey, my friends and I set a dumpster on fire when we were seven."
Life Moves Forward
Was talking about a cute boy that walked into the restaurant my best friend and I were at. He was wearing headphones but not listening to anything. We get to talking, exchange phone numbers, etc. I was stuck in a >2 year LDR with an abusive fool (though I didn't realize it at the time). Fell in love with boy from the restaurant, realized how crappy my situation was, tried to get out. (Now ex) BF at the time went ballistic, cut my name into his arm and sent me pictures, harassed me and my friends, threatened to kill himself if I left.
I left, he checked himself into a mental hospital after continued abuse over the phone. Now I live with the boy from the restaurant, we have three cats, and we're currently brainstorming ideas for our wedding (not engaged yet... but he's horrible at surprises so I know it'll be soon). It's a good feeling to love and be loved. I'm realizing now that this story may not be entirely relevant but I'm on mobile and already typed this out.
To the Border....
Well, while not chaotic, this does remind me of when my mom decided to run away with me and my siblings, (she didn't and still does not have custody) she wanted to cross the border into Mexico. I complained and she was somehow convinced to hide out in the deserts in California.
If had I not complained, things would have been different. My mom would still try to illegally cross the border with us and either we would gave been caught and I would not have spent 6 months in what was effectively prison, or I would be an illegal immigrant in Mexico.
The Rando Love
Took my car to the shop and ended up needing a ride to my running club. A random guy offered. Our 6th anniversary is in October and we have a house and 3 dogs together.
Frat-tastic jungle juice....
I lived in Miami in my early 20's. This was the height of my party days. Even though I rolled with a big group of high-achieving recent college grads, we were young enough to treat every weekend like Spring Break.
I had this "bit" where I'd dump a bunch of of 5-hour energy's into the jungle juice we made to pe-game every Friday night. It was a well-known thing in my circle of friends.
I did it yet again this one Friday night. But that same night, this guy who had just started casually dating a girl in our group decided to come out and party with us. He drank a bunch of the jungle juice. Nobody thought to warn him that it was essentially a vat of bootleg 4-Loko.
An hour or two into the night, he starts freaking out b/c his heart is beating so fast. I realize why, I tell him he's just stupid caffeinated, and my friend/his sweet, very drunk kinda-gf takes him home early. They have a fun, if drunken and messy, hook up that night.
A month later she's pregnant. Soon enough, my gal pal is a new mom. A year after that, they're married. Now they've got a multiple kids together and live in a border town in TX b/c he's in the military. My dumb butt, frat-tastic jungle juice started a freakin' family. But it seems to be a happy one, so... meh.
I'm Sorry
Soooooo.... One time on a night out many, many years ago. A guy I knew said he had a friends mums phone number as his friend had lost their phone and was using their mums. He said, "Shall I text her pretending I'm a guy that's in love with her" or something like that. I laughed and said yeah, not thinking too much about it.
Anyways, years later I find out that this friend's dad had seen the message and attempted to kill himself in his garage. I felt awful! I still do.
A Long Story
My wife and I were almost adopted siblings. Not what I did, but when my Mom got pregnant in High School, she confided in a high school friend.
THAT high school friend spoke to her next door neighbor about potentially adopting me since she had just found out she wouldn't be able to have more kids after giving birth to a daughter.
She decided against adopting me, the unborn baby.
Well anyways, Mom had me and kept me and 18 years later I dated and later married that woman's daughter. So, by deciding not to adopt me, she set in motion a series of events that led to me marrying her daughter.
A Quick 5....
Leaving five minutes earlier than I should had which caused us to be in the right spot at the right time to get T-boned. Now, we are piecing our Jeep back together after three weeks of insurance stuff.
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Getting disowned by your family can either be absolutely devastating or a massive relief. Either way, usually it's to get rid of toxicity within a family structure, whether on purpose or an unintentional result of the situation.
Here are a few stories about being disowned by family members, from the side of the person who was disowned. Heads up, these might get a little ugly.
Now THAT’S a toxic family.
<p>I don't consider myself disowned, but I have been cut off from seeing my younger siblings. I've pretty much disowned certain family members myself.</p><p>My mother(50) has been abusing her position of EPOA for my Alzheimers addled Grandmother(80) via extortion, and unlike everybody else, I choose to hold her accountable for her actions, because her selfish actions lead to my nana nearly needing her feet amputated from having lack of medical care and attention.</p><p>I told everyone what she was doing and nothing happened. No one wants to prosecute her because apparently legal fees are more important than getting my grandmother justice.</p><p>So, essentially, I was 'disowned' for exposing her extortion.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Mumsacunt/" target="_blank">Mumsac*nt</a></p>At least there was a happy ending.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDY3NC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjQ0ODQ1NX0.50384xr_KZ6kXnpm2NPzxtQUNKoxaiuvdeefciyQ3bU/img.gif?width=980" id="6a14b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1841f01792526bfa9519bd02ba86da10" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="360" />bart simpson whatever GIFGiphy<p>Mom saw that I'd worn some of her clothes while she was in another province for work. I came home to her screaming that I'd sold thousands of dollars of her clothing to my high school friends (we were so poor we had to steal food; nobody bought any clothes, nobody stole them either lol).</p><p>She then said she was going to destroy everything I owned, and in a panic I hid in my room and put the dresser against the door. She started throwing herself against it, and I was terrified to realize she was gonna get in. My lava lamp fell, I caught it, and threw it when she forced the door open. She screamed, I jumped out a window and ran barefoot to a friends house.</p><p>She called the police accusing me trying to murder her, I turned myself in and told the police that I did assault her and would accept any charges. They released me to my friends house and told my mom that they'd charge her with child abandonment if she kept pushing.</p><p>Her ex best friend drove four days to get me. She signed over the ownership papers and I've had an amazing dad ever since.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Individual-Youth958/" target="_blank">Individual-Youth958</a></p>Talk about mommy issues.
<p>My mom decided when I was 13-14 that she didn't want to have kids anymore. Her and my dad divorced. So my dad moved out of the family house and my mom was newly single.</p><p>So she gets my sister out first by asking my sister to go away to stay with our dad for the weekend. When my sister came back, my mom had packed all her items in boxes and said, "find somewhere else to live." Sister was maybe 15. Her reasoning is she didn't like the crowd my sister was running with.</p><p>With me, I stuck around longer. I took more abuse and neglect. My mom didn't cook, or clean, or have food in the house. And despite getting child support, if I asked for shoes, or anything, "ask your father, don't ask me."</p><p>Despite not having food or money, she wouldn't give me the alarm code to the house, or a key. I could only come home if she was home. One day she agreed to drive my friends and I to the movies. Well she and I got into a small argument about something in the morning (I don't remember what) and I left and arrived home in the afternoon. She was home but wouldn't let me in. I was a 13-14 year old kid (before cell phones were that commonplace). Ringing the bell, peering in the windows. She wouldn't let me in. Finally, I found an open window and climbed through and she coldly looked at me and said, "you know, I could have you arrested for breaking into the house if I wanted to."</p>This mother is a monster.
<p>I was told by my mother that my general existence causes more problems than it solves, and I had two weeks to either leave or kill myself. She didn't care which I chose to do, but if I killed myself I needed to make it look like an accident or she couldn't collect on my life insurance. She decided this needed to happen because I'm disabled.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/alchemicals/" target="_blank">Alchemicals</a></p>Screw that mess, indeed.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDY4MC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTA2MjU0MX0.n131ClXLEFf7zJlsU81cnGvFDmY3hpXFsPud2V1_XxE/img.gif?width=980" id="e1c11" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5e6939807d6cc78a7e46681e1b29188a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="480" />Sad Murdoch Mysteries GIF by Ovation TVGiphy<p>My dad. It was mostly my decision because we used to do hard drugs when I was a kid. Growing up I thought it was normal until friends found out and told me they were worried about me. I first overdosed when I was 14 from drugs he gave me and let me just say it was all downhill from there. </p><p>I'm 13 years sober now but I kicked him out of my life around the same time. My dad still says horrible things about me and his whole family believes him... so I cut them all out. It's definitely for the better as I have created my own family with supportive friends. Screw that mess.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/jessvszombies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jessvszombies</a></p>Very culty.
<p>I was a Jehovah's Witness, and I started asking the wrong questions.</p><p>There is now several hundred people that watched me grow up, the only social circle I was allowed to have, that must pretend I don't exist if they ever see me.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/excusetheblood/" target="_blank">Excusetheblood</a><br></p>WTF to all of this.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDY5Ny9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODE2NzY4N30.jnPPGZOY8r2ocnAZwVQS3RG2rWB-8IJ4l2FsHKAraWQ/img.gif?width=980" id="668cd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dea203429b9f16653755bcfac9e60e41" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="500" data-height="280" />britney spears GIFGiphy<p>Where do I start?</p><p>My mother and I have never gotten along. As a child she has been overly critical of me (Asian parent). Even when I was small I remember her telling my Dad "If she can't even cut in a straight line what can she even do?!". I was 5 when she said that. When she realized that I was not going to grow up like she did or have the interests she wanted me to have she grew more critical of me. She laid of a bit when my little sister came around and she favored her more. I always felt like I was never enough in her eyes. She only was affectionate during family get togethers, vacations or sometimes in public.</p><p>When I came out of the closet, she didn't believe me. She always said lightheartedly that she would love me no matter what but when push came to shove my bi-ness was just a phase. We then went to church for the next few months afterwards (I was catholic). When I hit depression in my teens each time she picked me up from therapy she always kept asking "When am I going to be ok" or hinting how much my sessions are while on anti-depressants. She then cheated on my dad when I was around 18. When I had my son, she came to be supportive after the birth but ended up critisizing how dirty my place was, my parenting and subtly hinted at calling CPS. Post partum hit hard and a failed suicide attempt ensued.</p>Good riddance.
<p>My biological father is an abusive alcoholic, but also super Christian? And super redneck conservative. He gave up his rights when I was 4, which my mom always told me was for the best. After I found out I was pregnant, he added me on social media and saw where I had shared some posts with pro-choice views. I guess it bothered him because he blocked me lol</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Emotional-Fruit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Emotional-Fruit</a></p>We all have our vulnerable moments we try our best to keep hidden.
They say, "Never let see you sweat," but sometimes that is easier said than done.
Taking Others Down With Them
<p>Perhaps one of the biggest indicators of someone being insecure is the need to make others feel the same by pointing out their flaws. </p><p>Can people who do this sleep at night? </p>Hurtful Tactic
<p>"putting someone down in a group conversation to make themselves seem better."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gosustp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">modernagehippie<br></a></p><p>"In my engineering class last semester I was basically put in a group to give a few solutions to a problem. I made a suggestion and one person in my group was like, 'wow that's a bad idea' and I basically just shut up for the rest of the thing. Then when all the groups presented their solutions, ofc they all had variations of my 'bad idea' and I internally face-palmed so F'ING hard. </p><p>And to clarify, yes the professor thought it was a great solution."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gotl1e3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The_Beast_Meister</a><br></p>Sharing In Others' Joys
<p>"The inability to be genuinely happy for others."</p><p>"If other people's success or happiness feels threatening or uncomfortable, that is usually due to insecurity. If you're confident, you can separate their life from yours, not compare and focus on your own lane and you can be happy for others for succeeding in theirs. Understanding that your value isn't diminished by the fortune of others."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gotktll?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">poozu</a><br></p>Bad Gossip
<p>"When somebody can't stop badmouthing others." </p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gosl514?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WhaChuLookingAt</a></p>Pitying The Unfortunate
<p>"Pointing out someone's flaws as a 'joke' or a way to look cool."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/goss636?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hej__alle</a><br></p>A Pat On The Back
<p>Some people are not content in just knowing they have done well. </p><p>They need approval from others by listing their accomplishments to elicit a reaction. What they end up getting, however, is one big eye-roll.<br></p>Seeking Validation
<p>"Fishing for compliments. Nothing annoys me more." </p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gosjtv0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JohnWhoHasACat</a></p><p>"When my wife and I moved into our house I got approached by the neighbor across the street. He introduced himself, said he was retired from the military and said he makes a ton of money from disability. I think during our 10 minute or so conversation the topic of money was brought up at least 5 times and it all circled back to how well off he was. And then he started talking sh!t about the neighbor that lives next door to us."</p><p>"I could tell he really wanted people to be impressed and like him." </p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/got9ehx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Edge80</a><br></p>I'm So Incredibly Smart
<p>'People never shutting up about their IQ."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gosd5rq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">advicemovingon</a><br></p>Intellectual Prefix
<p>A parent of a child I teach is in Mensa and she's convinced that means she can teach him better than us. '<em>I'm</em> in Mensa and <em>I</em> think-' is a prefix to everything she says when we try to put anything in place for him. Why should his less than 50% attendance be a problem? His mother's in Mensa! That means he'll learn more at home (never mind that he's 10 and can't count or read)."</p><p>– <strong></strong><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/got514y?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MerylSquirrel</a><br></p>A Dose Of Sarcasm
<p>"Yeah, I have a distaste for that too. Fortunately i'm much more acute than a lot of other Homosapiens who just aren't as fortunate as I to develop such a well perceptive disposition. Inconceivable that such incomprehension could draw breath in this world but not surprising that I consider them so simple minded. I mean I am very apt so it's no surprise that they couldn't reach my level knowledge. Yeah honestly i'm even sometimes surprised by my own intelligence and learning ability."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gosmbnh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pleasantry_</a><br></p>Keeping Appearances
<p>There is nothing wrong with expressing gratitude for the good things happening in a person's life – whether it's a good job or a wonderful marriage.</p><p>But there should be a statute of limitations before it gets into bragging territory. <br></p>Look At Meee
<p>"Posting 15 times a day about your life on social media. Secure people don't need to seek validation for everything they do."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/goshwb8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DeathSpiral321</a><br></p>Soul Mates
<p>"Constantly having to post how amazing your relationship is."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gosg57f?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TopCod5724</a><br></p>Aftermath Of A Breakup
<p>"My sister in law does this, and then boom she broke up with who-ever-the-hell-cares and proceeds to post a bunch of those 'inspirational' quotes about how the most caring, soft hearted people get taken advantage of and then they turn into the coldest, hardest person you know."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/gosmh1u?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">killerrqueeen</a><br></p>Feigning Busyness
<p>"Acting like you're so much busier than everyone else. I have a coworker who pretends to talk on the phone with people, always emails everybody at 10:00 pm to make it look like he's 'working late,' constantly complains about how much is on his plate, etc. He feels the need to constantly be validating his worth to everyone."</p><p>– <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsnlgi/what_screams_im_insecure/goscad3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dick-nipples</a><br></p>Rules, rules, rules... we all need them yes, but some are just plain ridiculous. Of course life would be chaos without order, well more chaotic but let's not micro-manage every little thing. Of course every once and a while an unintentionally good surprise can spring from nonsense. Rule makers should really think long and hard before they implement anything severe. You never know when it's gonna bite you.
Redditor u/TabblespoonFarmer3 wanted to know how we could apply all "the rules" into our own lives by asking... People of Reddit, What stupid rule at your work/school backfired beautifully?Free Time
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDg5Ny9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2ODA5OTcxOX0.jfw8x_eqGqfSjc05ZesI5P-YI9oEhOSB0HVzYBF4PwY/img.gif?width=980" id="2cc53" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b70b5adb3c49f20f40e33de9256120a0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="320" data-height="240" />Michael Jordan Reaction GIFGiphy<p>My boss started putting "all staff required to start 15 mins earlier than indicated" on the roster. I started keeping track of my unpaid overtime and stung her for 3 paid days off. That's not required anymore. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsdkob/people_of_reddit_what_stupid_rule_at_your/gorkcow?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">muthaclucker</a></p>The Drive
<p>I was working as a medical assistant at a private practice medical clinic. Our clinic manager wouldn't allow the new receptionist to drive to the bank to deposit cash. Made her walk carrying the money bag so that she couldn't "drive away with the money." Bizarre. I know. That went on for a few weeks. Then the receptionist was mugged and over $1000 in cash was stolen. She was allowed to drive after that. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsdkob/people_of_reddit_what_stupid_rule_at_your/gorftxt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">IndyMazzy</a></p>Bad Policies
<p>Back in the early 00s, my high school implemented a policy that you had to wear your ID tag at all times. If you didn't have it on, you were sent home. So many students "lost" their ID tag to go grab food or skip a class. We were the only graduating class to wear them all four years. The policy ended soon after. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsdkob/people_of_reddit_what_stupid_rule_at_your/gorcqon?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">sushinova</a></p>Just Google
<p>Not mine, but an old roommate of mine was a senior developer for a small company. It was an open secret that one of the other senior devs, a guy who had been there since the beginning, would sometimes spend time looking at plastic surgery photos--before/after shots, photos of active procedures, etc. <span></span></p>When at Starbucks
<p>I worked at Starbucks for like 5+ years before and during undergrad and at one point our district manager thought it was a good idea to implement a "just say yes" policy, where we literally weren't allowed to tell the customer no. Lasted for about 3 months and in that three months our unaccounted product and waste went up over 300% because when the POS didn't have a way to punch in a customer request we had to just do it anyways. </p>Extra Laps
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDk4OC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDc2MjM3M30.UOoTP4s5njT6fwQpN7YVXhKHJWo2uD_KtN8SXJBfFWw/img.gif?width=980" id="d619f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5801e69bb7989f0ec00f31b7af769440" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="480" />animation swimming GIF by Percolate GalacticGiphy<p>The bottom floor of my secondary school was a square that had corridor all the way around. After some incident where a kid got knocked over, they implemented a one-way system. Unfortunately, they were Very Strict on enforcing it. If you accidentally walked past your class, you couldn't just turn around. They seemed very proud of their new rule... until everyone started showing up late for class because they had to do extra laps of the bottom floor. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsdkob/people_of_reddit_what_stupid_rule_at_your/gor97o1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">FrosnPls</a></p>Missed Calls
<p>I worked on this company that had mandatory 1 hour lunch breaks. Since we ate on the premises, our lunch break was often 15 minutes or so. We tried negotiating having shorter lunch breaks so we could leave earlier and beat traffic. Next day an e-mail was sent from the own stating the fixed work and break hours for the whole team, and they were to be followed no exceptions.</p>Making Contact
<p>A place I used to work had a rule that executive-level staff needed to be contactable when on leave, so they had a section on the leave form for the address of where you'd be staying and a contact number.</p><p>Some knuckle-shuffler in HR decided it applied to all staff and the shenanigans began. People would put down the address and phone number of sex shops, sports grounds, medical clinics. I gave the latitude and longitude of the place I was going camping and the UHF channel my radio would be tuned to. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsdkob/people_of_reddit_what_stupid_rule_at_your/gorbaea?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Flight_19_Navigator</a></p>In a Mini...
<p>Late 80's high school- rule was no shorts. Classmate came for an exam with basketball shorts on that were below her knees. Teacher made her go home to change. She came back in a micro mini skirt and wrote her exam. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsdkob/people_of_reddit_what_stupid_rule_at_your/gorb4gr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Spellflinger2019</a></p>The Good Gang
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDk4NS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDM2NTY3NX0.62DhHcplX3z9K2UTQmTu90xAA2FoUz0OEULzJrRRnAo/img.gif?width=980" id="22ea8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="da40850f9943bedaa78f06a42bc404da" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="336" data-height="237" />one piece pink GIFGiphy<p>A long while back, but my school banned the color pink because a bunch of students were wearing it one October and they thought it was a "gang" thing.</p><p>It was for breast cancer awareness month. The rule didn't go well for them. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lsdkob/people_of_reddit_what_stupid_rule_at_your/gori911?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">WaywardWriter</a></p>The naming process of new life is an enormous responsibility and can be an emotionally exhausting decision. This person is going to be glued to this "title" forever, or until they're tired of being saddled to it so they change it; when they're free of their parent's constant gaze. Thankfully I will never have children but I do have to name pets. And that is taxing as well. Thankfully there are people around who can set us all straight when we're not thinking straight.
Redditor u/Kubanochoerus wanted to hear about some of the bad ideas they were able to help avert by asking... Nurses and midwives of Reddit, have you ever tried to talk new parents out of a baby name? What was it?