People Explain Which Deadly Things People Always Seem To Underestimate
Corbis / Contributor via Getty Images
Chickens are not to be trifled with, fam.
People underestimate the chubby little velociraptors, but if you spend any significant length of time with them you'll soon find they're ferocious enough to kill. We don't normally think of them as predators, but they are downright bloodthirsty.
If chickens, particularly in groups, see blood - they go on the attack as a group and don't stop. They can, and have, scratched or pecked human beings to death - typically by tearing open veins and arteries.
We're not saying you should be afraid, just maybe don't underestimate them. If we didn't all like chicken nuggets so much it's quite possible we would be overrun by clucky murderers.
Reddit user ThomasHarrison618 asked:
What can kill you that people often underestimate?
... and yeah CHICKENS immediately came to mind for me. Not that I have a personal vendetta or anything, regardless of anything that may or may not have happened in my years owning a chicken in a small Manhattan apartment. Those stories are for another article.
Let's take a look at the stories other people had about stuff we tend to underestimate.
A Stomach Ache
Bacteria. Appendicitis. Dad told me to man up, shut up and deal with it, and to fix my diet, and that it was just a stomach cramp that everyone gets. I'm on the smaller side and pretty fit. If I had followed that advice I would've been dead by the next day.
I had to have emergency surgery. Dad was giving me that lecture again when the doctor walked in and shut down every single point.
That's how my paternal grandmother died. Her husband, my grandfather, told her to stop complaining. She was in her 20's with 4 kids.
- ppw23
Just Passing Out
I almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning two days ago. I spent about two days just passing out in my bed, I was so tired. Eventually somebody smelled gas, because I couldn't, so they called the energy company who had somebody there maybe 30 minutes later.
Her CO meter was going off as she walked up to the door before it was even open. She said open windows and leave right now. That was when I realized I had been passing out for two days, and in such awkward positions that my back was sore as hell.
So I got to the hospital and my resting heart rate was about 130, and I was told my skin was an off color, but other than passing out I felt no symptoms. I didn't notice my heart rate was so high because it wasn't accompanied by heavy breathing like usual. I was the only one home most of the time, I might never have woke up if that had continued for much longer.
- et50292
Tylenol
Tylenol overdose... the difference between typical dose and dangerous overdose is surprisingly few pills.
- blipsman
A case I will never forget from when I was in nursing school. I was doing a rotation at the Children's Hospital and a kid who was 15 was going under for a liver biopsy. He had overdosed on Tylenol in a suicide attempt at 13. He was on his second liver transplant and, like the first, this one was beginning to reject.
It was heartbreaking to see a kid whose suicide attempt was seemingly going to eventually be successful, but only after years of attempts to reverse it :(
I'm an RN and I've seen people die of accidental Tylenol overdose. Lots of pain, taking it around the clock without paying attention to the label. It's a dangerous drug. I never take Tylenol for any reason to be honest.
Choke
Choking on your food. Eat more slowly, chew your food people it won't run away from you.
Choking on food when I'm alone and dying as a result is one of my biggest fears, tbh
Like just knowing that I'm not going to make it and slowly fading out while staring at my dog who is worried but cant help me? No thank you, I'd rather just not eat
Zzz
Falling asleep on the toilet and smashing your head on the tile. After working 12 hour shifts 14 days in a row, it nearly happened to me, luckily we had a bath mat so I just got a minor head wound.
Botox
Botox. Botox is the most lethal poison in the world, not when injected for your face, but when ingested. If you ingest about 0.00007mg of botox, it would be lethal and kill you.
I have Botox injected into my lower back to relax the muscles - I wonder if someone who tried to eat me would die? I'm sure the chances of dying at the hands of a cannibal are pretty slim, but that'd be the ultimate pay back.
Don't Bleach It!
Using Bleach to clean up Urine .
The chemical reaction with the ammonia can create Chlorine Gas that can kill you.
Mixing chemicals together for cleaning. A guy at work did this to clean a toilet at work & ended up gassing himself. He survived, but wow.
How do people not know that? Though the smell alone is terrible so I automatically assumed it could kill you lol.
- big-spo
You are reasonably safe using household strength cleaners to sanitize your bathroom. Just don't use it to hose down the cowshed.
Wrestlemania
Wrestling with your little brother. One awkward angle and his spine and skull break and crack leaving you with a corpse. Play safe.
One of my fraternity brothers died after a drunken wrestling match with a couple friends. They were all horsing around and someone accidentally crushed his windpipe.
- gogojack
Bucket
Water buckets kill about 20 toddlers per year in the US. It happens when they inspect the bucket only to fall in head first. It's a very small risk relative to other dangers, but it's not zero.
Poop
Bearing down to move your bowels.
When I was a paramedic I used to find people dead on or next to the toilet with one floating in the bowl. When you bear down it stimulated your vagal nerve and that slows down the heart. Sometimes a bit too slow.
I'm sure there are exceptions, but everyone I ever encountered that went out that way was in their fifties or older.
- SCCock
I have epilepsy. I also have chronic constipation caused by various other medical issues. Bearing down too hard to push one out will sometimes give me a seizure.
- eekknock
I knew a boy in high school (he was a couple years below me) who died from a seizure on the toilet...not a nice way to go. He was on a camp too and they couldn't unlock the door to get to him until it was too late (not even sure if they knew straight away or just went looking for him when he didn't come back)
Cavities
A cavity can lead to sepsis.
Untreated cavity becomes abscess (abscesses are a pocket of pus in a tooth caused by an infection) infection spreads to bloodstream then you become septic.
Doesn't even need to be an abscess. Bacteria from the mouth can temporarily enter the bloodstream and lead to infection of the heart valves (endocarditis). (This can also happen in people with good oral hygiene but poor oral hygiene increases the risk).
Brush ya teeth
Abscesses which lead to septic arthritis.
I had an abscess on my gum, my phobia of the dentist (due to childhood trauma) meant I wouldn't let the dentist remove my tooth. I was 8 and developed septic arthritis. My mom tried one last time to get my tooth removed else I'd be taken to theatre. The dentist had to sit on me while a nurse and my mom held me down. Septic arthritis can kill, it can develop into sepsis which is often lethal. I was a healthy child but that abscess could've easily killed me. Do not ignore abscesses, the bacteria can get into your bloodstream and easily cause complications.
Me-ouch!
Cats...
I had a friend who nearly died from a cat bite that got severely infected, a cat got into his backyard with 3 dogs, he was trying to help the cat because it was stuck he was holding high because his dogs were jumping, it bit his wrist and within 48 hours was in hospital ICU with doctors contemplating amputating his arm from the elbow down.
He didn't blame the cat.
The Kangaroo Sanctuary
Kangaroo's can be extremely dangerous if they decide to attack. A large big red kangaroo can disembowel a person with one kick with the power it has in its legs.
A lot of people may have seen the guy that punched the kangaroo in the face, he was extremely lucky the kangaroo had the 2 dogs to worry about as well. You see for a split second the kangaroo deciding whether or not to kick the sh!t out of him but his attention turns back to the dogs, that bloke was very lucky.
Bug Bites
Won't quite cause instant death, but Insect bites or smaller injuries when not treated right can very quickly lead to blood poisoning or other nasty stuff which can very likely land you in hospitalization. Especially when your immune system is for whatever reason (recent illnesses, poor hygiene, HIV, etc.) is already weakened.
Don't neglect insect bites! Scratching them will not only further irritate your skin, but also spread the insects secretion into your blood, which encourages infections in either the surrounding skin or your bloodstream!
Also take greater care for disinfecting open wounds!
Yosemite
Yosemite National Park. Everywhere.
I live near the park and have friends that work there and hear of people dying there all the time. People climb rocks in areas roped off and marked with warnings and slip and die. People back off cliffs doing selfies. People have huge chunks of rock fall on them and crush them to death. They decide to go for a dip in the Merced River and don't realize that the current is so fierce, and get ripped to shreds when the water pushes them over massive jagged rocks.
People die there all the time. It's a thing.
- dma1965
A Melted Ice Cube
Water or slippery trash on the floor. With bad luck and a hard enough blow to the back or front of your head, a receipt or even a few drops of water on the floor can send you to your death.
I always get mad at my husband for letting fallen ice cubes melt on the kitchen floor especially because someone could skip and hit their head on the corner of the stove.
I think about death a lot. :(
Coconuts
Coconuts, an average of 50 people die a year because they were under the wrong coconut tree at the wrong time and a coconut fell on his/her head and killed them.
Crafters Beware
Glue guns. Less than 5 minutes ago I turned round and it was on fire and it was a pain to clear up (dont even ask me how it set on fire i have no idea)
Feel The Pain
Taking pain meds every time you feel pain. Unfortunately pain is natural for humans to feel, it tells us there's something wrong. Headaches can mean stress; lack of sleep, water,etc.
As a child I suffered from frequent migraines and would take advil, ibuprofen, and other over the counter pain meds almost daily. Turns out I had asthma and the lack of oxygen caused my headaches.
Unfortunately the years of pain meds have consequences. I now suffer from IBS, acid reflux, and gastritis as a result. Do not abuse over the counter meds, save pain meds for when you really need them. If you can deal with it then don't take anything. Long term it only harms our bodies.
Another downside is that I am limited in the over the counter meds I can take now because only certain ones work for me. My body has built up an immunity to most pain meds.
Straight In Your Throat
Your own tongue, hit your head the wrong way and that f*cker is straight in your throat.
- canekobe
Get Used To It
I work in emergency services for elderly people. They sometimes forget that they take serious drugs like strong pain killers. If they take them for a long time they forget the danger coming from it and start to drink alcohol. That can kill them. So basically getting used to danger can kill you
We often find ourselves having to guess how to make things work and make things fit--in our lives, but also just in our possessions. Will these pants fit me? These shoes?
Will this screw fit my table? Will this charger fit my phone?
If everything was somehow standard, wouldn't it all be so much easier?
u/DigiQuip asked:
What's something that's not standardized but should be?
Here were some of those answers.
No More Vanity Sizes
Sizes for clothing.
Especially for shoes. How hard would it be to just list the sizes in centimeters (or inches if you're American)?
WHY DO WE USE STANDARD MEASUREMENTS FOR OUR CLOTHES, BUT THEY ARE DIFFERENT SIZES IN DIFFERENT BRANDS???
Calvin Klein's men's slacks: 32'' waist
Bar III men's slacks: 32'' waist
Perry Ellis slacks: 32'' waist
THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT WAIST SIZES. WHYY?!?!?!?!
Ah Yes, Three Chilis
There's a standard for chili heat levels (the Scoville scale), but food manufacturers never use it. Instead, they use a varying number of chili icons which mean nothing at all.
It's always fun going to like a Thai restaurant in Canada and trying to figure out whether the chili icon means Thai spicy or Canadian spicy.
Ah Yes, This Could Kill Me
Household electrical voltages and sockets.
Interestingly enough, there was an attempt: since 1986, there is an international standard socket, IEC 60906-1. However, only South Africa has implemented it so far.
And it is unlikely it will ever be implemented in other countries, as the EU is even advising against it since 2017:
REFIT found that "the harmonisation of plug and socket outlet systems in Europe, by introducing changes in national wiring legislations (would have) important transitional periods (above 75 years)", and that the cost to "replace the old socket-outlets (and the corresponding plugs of the appliances being used)" was estimated at 100 billion Euro, "generating a huge environmental impact, producing some 700 000 tons of electrical waste".[3] REFIT does not recommend harmonising the plugs and socket-outlet systems in Europe.
Can we just get a little consistency here? Please?!
No Stacks
After working in a grocery store, can diameters should only come in a maybe 4 sizes. And they should all stack.
But they don't. They never do.
I feel your pain. I hate those narrow jars and cans that are slightly narrower than 3 wires of the shelf so they tip over if you don't place them perfectly.
A Computer Mouse, Not A Little Baby Mouse
Modern rechargable batteries.
We spent years with standard size batteries. We are now stuck with proprietary batteries which aren't designed to be user replaceable and often dictate the life of the device.
Yes absolutely. I found this fact especially annoying when looking for a mouse. Most of the more expensive mice come with rechargeable batteries, and it seems that modern tech reviewers are claiming this is better than some standard double A.
All Standard, Yet None Standard
I worked in a hardware store long enough to learn that apparently everything is standardized.
"I need window screens."
Okay, what are your dimensions?
"It's a standard size window."
─
"I'm looking for a replacement ceiling fan."
Okay, do you want small blades, large blades? A modest 30" span or a robust 56"?
"Just standard size."
─
"Do you think this large, bulky, cumbersome commodity will fit in my vehicle?"
I don't know. How big your truck?
"It's a standard one."
protip: it's a sedan. it's always a sedan.
Welp, Here's Your Problem
Based on years of helping my Dad in his shop, doing bodywork on vehicles - fastenings. Bolts, screws. rivets, clips... the sheer amount of specialized fastenings and required tools is insane. Even the variety of types in single vehicles is excessive.
Not to mention many of them are so cheaply made that there is no reusing them.
So Many Sign Languages
Not necessarily something that should be standardised because it would affect many cultures negatively, but I've always wondered what it would be like if every country just spoke one language. Sign language should probably be standardised, but re-learning sign language for people who use it may be difficult and time-consuming
Perhaps We Need To Rethink Policing
Police responses to missing persons across the nation, and the information requirements for police reports to be filled out with specific and complete information at the first point of contact by the person reporting the missing person, regardless of the age, status, or suspected reason for disappearing.
Police should NEVER be allowed to decide a case isn't valid at the first point of contact.
A Recipe For A Lint Fire
The laundry exhaust receptacle in homes should be centered exactly eighteen inches (45.7cm) from the floor with eighteen inches (or 45.7 cm) of clearance on both sides.
The exhaust duct of a clothes dryer should be in the middle of the back of the machine, and centered eighteen inches/45.7 cm from the floor. The dryer should have adjustable feet to allow for slight errors in measurement.
Once this is done, a laundry dryer can be pushed into the wall and we won't need to craft a length of ducting to connect the two.
Just a little bit of sameness and consistency could really go a long way here.
Some things ought not be tried again.
Sure, they made sense the first time. It may have held charm, at least some sense of purpose on the second go around. But eventually, surely, an essential truth became clear: never again.
Reddit is apparently crawling with people carrying around that permanent grudge towards some thing they've done in the past.
Lucky for us, we can learn from their mistakes.
senorllama57 asked, "What is something you will never do again?"
There were, of course, plenty of people who discussed horrible jobs they've held in the past. They may have had little choice at the time, but now that it's all in the past they feel free to share how they really felt.
The Customer Always Seems To Be Wrong
"Work retail. I think every kid fresh out of high school should work a retail job for a year. It builds character." -- ProfessionalTheme415
"How did you get out!?! Lol. It's like a black hole where I work. Everyone that tries to leave comes back." -- threebillion6
A Lot Going On
"Work in a nursing home. The sights, screams and pleas Will haunt me forever." -- M_Lamora
"Honestly working in a nursing home was one of the most weird jobs I ever had. I've never been threatened so many times in my life. I once had a memory care resident ask me if I would help her jump a caregiver."
One After Another
"Work in a call center." -- Evilsmurfkiller
"Sucked the soul right out of me within a year." -- Bandana-mal
"I was at one for 2 and half years and it was not until I left I realized I had work-related depression. I was overeating, not eating, sleep deprived, slept all the time, I had such rage that would come out at times...
"I did not care what happened to me, I left because they were gonna fire me over something dumb because they just fire people for being there long. I left over a year ago, and I have not been this happy to wake up every day in years, my life is so much better now." -- UnusualLight0
Others discussed past struggles they've encountered within the romantic realm. Unfortunately, these lessons came with plenty of emotional struggle.
Committing
"Get married. It'll be 19 years this August and my marriage is my marriage. I reserve the right to have a girlfriend at some point if she passes away before I do, but she's the one and only wife, end of story."
-- StChas77
Stay Attuned
"Ignore red flags when talking to someone I want to date. I've done it twice now, and both times sucked" -- YareYareYandere
"Listen to your gut. If something feels off, you're probably not imagining it." -- SurealGod
Don't Forget About You
"Okay first off I'm sorry if this might sound cringe :D . . . That would be hmm become too attached/codependent on a person. Whether it may be of a lover, friend, or just acquaintance."
"Idk if it's coincidence but they either end up gone one day or become total di**s when you least expect it and I'm forced to cut ties."
And some people chose to recall the things they were so certain would be fun and enjoyable, but turned out to be so not.
A Bad Ratio
"I made a super elaborate meal once. It was ... okay. Certainly not worth the effort involved." -- Astramancer_
"Take an hour to make something, only takes 15 minutes to eat. It's bullsh**." -- SurealGod
Hours and Hours
"Times Square on New Years' Eve. It was fun once, never need to do it again." -- AnswerGuy301
"I was going to answer the same thing. It seemed like it would be so much fun but now that I know what it entails — never again" -- hi_its_me
"I have never been and never understood the attraction of waiting for hours and hours in the shivering weather." -- amrodd
Think of Grease Splatters
"Prepare steaks when drunk" -- Kiaulunne
"Not for your reason, but same here. Cooked one at 2am after half a bottle of rum. Quickly ate and passed out after. Woke up around 8am dying for water and realised I left the gas stove on... So glad nothing burned down..." -- schofield101
Turning Point
"I will never get drunk again. Tipsy, buzzed, sure. Thats fine."
"But when I was in front of that toilet for an hour, being so weak I couldn't even sit up, having people constantly come in to check on me, worrying that I might have alcohol poisoning, that is exactly not a fun time"
-- Raemnant
So take some notes! Or maybe there were some true horrors you went through that this list seems to be lacking.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
You know what they say, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Because the people who have our best interests in mind typically have good intentions when they give us advice, but there's a chance that that advice can go horribly wrong.
Try not to follow the bad advice given here, because you don't want to get the results that these guys did.
U/Duckerton375 asked: What's the worst advice someone ever gave you, but you still followed?
The workplace can bring a cornucopia of terrible advice. Don’t follow these unless you want to get fired.
​Bad jobs are usually not worth it.
Stick with a job no matter how bad it is. I stayed with a terrible job working retail, dealing with horrible customers and sexual harassment. I was told I wouldn't find anything better.
"No, no, you misunderstand. I said you wouldn't find anything better at making you feel like complete garbage."
This gets really creepy really fast.
"After you put in a job application, you need to call them at least once a day every day until they hire you."
Note: this did not get me hired. It got me called out by the HR person I was calling and forbidden to ever contact their facility again.
I work for a law firm that employees over 1500 people in the home office alone. Once I received a call from the building security saying, "Insert Name is here to speak with the owner." Well we are run by a committee so that's odd. Found out they just applied for a job and wanted to talk directly to the person that would potentially hire them. Told him the firm will contact them to schedule an interview. They refused to leave without "talking to the owner." Had security escort them out of the building.
​This is absolutely not true.
"Sleep is for people who do not want success" great words from my uncle, it almost killed me.
Now I may be oversleeping.
​Interpersonal relationships are also a big breeding ground for terrible advice. Don’t listen to any of these.
Heartbreaking.
My father always tought me and my brother that "having friends is bad and in the end they will never be there for you" so everytime I told my father about my friends he would get kinda mad and give me the advice to stop talking to them.
Now I am afraid of people and have several trust issues, thanks dad.
​This won’t end well.
In the fifth grade my teacher was talking about bullying, then she said "if anyone tries to bully you just agree with them." So the next time I got bullied I agreed with the bully and they bullied me more.
Dude one time I saw an anti bullying video that told the victims to just BE NICE TO THE BULLY. Like the bully was hurling insults and the victim was smiling and complimenting him. My first thought was about how much I hated the mere thought that this would work. My second thought was of how the people who came up with that method had clearly never been bullied.
​Oof.
When I met my now wife at the age of 19, one of my coworkers said that it's very important to start at the bottom with presents and work your way up, she still has the socks I gave her on our first anniversary on the wall over our bed as a reminder...
I'm still trying to teach my boyfriend about good presents and bad presents. Biscuits from the supermarket = bad present. Cheap unbranded laptop battery from China as my only present = bad present (and only lasted 2 months). Anything off my 7-page wishlist = good present. It's literally a list of things I want to receive as presents.
​Can tell you from experience that this is a bad idea.
Had a falling out with some friends. My husband recommended I reach out to an old friend who ghosted me suddenly in a manner that induced some pretty severe abandonment trauma. Went for it anyways because "it's been so long, surely they changed". Am now experiencing the same things as last time.
When you follow bad advice, it can lead to mistakes that you just can’t come back from.​
Buying a house is tricky.
"Buy a home now before the prices go up!" -my FIL in 2006.
We bought in 2007 and paid $259,500 for our 1,300 sq ft house (we really couldn't afford it and had an 80/20 so we had 8% interest for one loan and 6% on the other) and in 2008 it was worth $97,000 so refinancing wasn't even an option. We watched all of our neighbors walk away or get foreclosed on but we kept paying our bills and as of this very moment our house is worth $462,000. I'm so happy we stuck it out, we both worked our @sses off and the house will be paid off in 2 years.
It worked out for us, it's a horrible idea. Especially since 1300 sq ft houses are $460+k
My heartbreaks for future generations, I honestly don't know how people are going to afford housing in the future.
It’s there for a reason.
"Never apply for any government assistance."
Cue years of suffering trying to work full-time with a painful disability. Quit a particularly terrible job, and wanted to apply for food aid until I could find another gig; a friend with lots of DHS experience recommended I apply for Social Security "just to get in the system." Turns out my disability was bad enough to get accepted the first time, which I wasn't expecting. Really could've used that support, oh, the 30+ previous years of my life.
Credit is important to have.
I was told to not get a credit card until after college. I was super fortunate to have my college paid for so I had no loans, car paid in cash, no credit card or anything to start building credit. Found myself out in the world at 22 years old with a credit score of 0.
So while a lot of this bad advice came from trusted people, oftentimes they were too misinformed to give that advice in the first place. Don't trust the word of one person--do your research, and make decisions for yourself.
It'll be way better in the long run
Every once in awhile, somebody comes along, enters your life, and catapults themselves to that awful, unique position at the top of your list of the worst people you have ever met.
Sometimes, the person's blindingly terrible behavior and overall essence is actually impressive. We ask ourselves, "how could a person like this actually exist on purpose?"
Alas, they do. And you have to deal with them. Or, if your lucky, you can carve out some distance.
Redditors shared descriptions of the worst people they've ever had the misfortune to meet. Some have escaped the relationship. Some are are still stuck in the clutches.
LoneStar202 asked, "Who is the worst person you have ever met?"
Some chose to talk about the acquaintances they simply couldn't help but encounter. External circumstances beyond their control made the stars align in the worst way possible.
Keeping the Peace
"There was this guy who used to come into the McDonald's where I did security overnight (yes, that's a job), and he was the biggest ahole I've ever met in my life."
"Ginger, 5'6 or so, named Colby, had a perpetual scowl on his face, looked for any reason to start a fight with anyone. He and his friend would come in when it's super busy, not order, and then yell at the staff that he paid and wasn't given a receipt in the hopes that they'd give him free food rather than deal with him."
"I kicked him out for six months on two separate occasions for coming in drunk and throwing things, drinking beer in the restaurant, starting fights, you name it. Only got in my face once and I never had to fight him, but I'm much bigger than him and the law is on my side."
"Not that I would necessarily have won. I'm big and strong, but I have no idea how to fight and he did. I called his bluffs because I was pretty sure he wouldn't attack me and he didn't."
"Funny, I just realized I've finally forgotten his last name. Not that I'd mention it. He might be less of a @ss now and he's no longer my business."
-- Shippo-chan
You Know 'Em
"I work with a real life, archetypal, Karen. She's two-faced, mean, anti-vax, and just generally the whole nine. The first interaction I ever had with her she had to make fun of me behind my back for being a dude with earrings."
"Recently kicked up a stink by making an 'anonymous' email address and emailing our HR department saying people were discriminating against folks not getting the covid vaccine.
"Luckily she's burned too many bridges for anyone to really take her crazy anymore but man is she frustrating to deal with."
Others discussed the family members that, for obvious reasons, they were forced to put up with for years and years. But even family isn't enough to keep a person like that around.
Marrying Into It
"It sounds cliche, but my ex-MIL. What made her the worst is that she was a covert POS."
"We always lived about 1k miles from them, so I didn't pick up on it for far, far too long, but goddamn, I've never met anyone with as much unacknowledged hate and cruelty in their heart."
A Thing of the Past
"My father. Cheater, never paid child support, verbally abusive to my mother, sister and I. Just all around bad dude."
"Haven't talked to him in about 15 years and am 100% ok with that."
-- itsdjc
So Many Problems
"My brother. He's like a cross between Kramer (Seinfeld, 'my newest thing' and mannerisms) and Frank from Its Always Sunny (illegal activity and completely illogical 'logic')."
"He's ripped me off for thousands of dollars (getting close to 5 figures). Constantly stealing anything he can, but claims 'borrowed' if caught with it. Been to jail 3 times and is currently on house arrest after over a year of probation violations. "
"The epitome of 'easier to say sorry than ask permission' (but the apologies are hollow) and 'what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine.' No consideration for anyone or anything. Manages to break virtually anything he touches. Hasn't had a job in over 1.5 years, but has been trying to fraudulently collect unemployment."
"Constantly thinks everyone is out to get him and people are stalking the camper he lives in (has security cameras that he watches frequently and often 'patrols' the area). Tries to break into locked doors and safe, and pulls the 'why don't you believe/trust me' line."
"I'm just scratching the surface here. He'd use your clippers/razor to shave his family jewels and not clean up the mess (something he's done multiple times)."
-- ChuckoRuckus
Finally, there were the stories of classmates. Whether it was high school, college, or even graduate school, there were enough people there all in one place that one or two rotten people were never far away.
Crash Landing
"Guy from my high school was a wannabe thug. He ended up going to juvi junior year. After a year of juvi. He became a true criminal. Broke into people's homes. Stole from stores and got heavy into drugs."
"Then he eventually died after robbing the wrong store at gunpoint. The owner came out the back and shot him with a shotgun."
Wait for the Twist
"My gf's college classmate. Narcistic. Thought of himself as very important so he came into the church where we were graduating, on his HORSE. He damaged a 1000 or something-year-old church floor in Leiden. He thinks he didn't do anything wrong."
"And the weird thing is, we were graduating LAW SCHOOL"
Ride Like Lightning, Crash Like Thunder
"I had a classmate who wanted to become a stock broker and a millionaire. He said more than once, with absolute pride, 'When I'm rich I wont donate a single penny to the poor!' I asked him why and he said 'I have my own problems, and the poor being poor is not one of them.' "
"He opened his own business when he was 23 and was pretty successful, but suddenly a fire burned the place down while he was in it and he suffered from third degree burns all over his body."
"He later confessed setting the fire himself and was found guilty on insurance fraud. He's only 24 now and his professional life is basically over."
-- Sadlycoris
A Sudden Shift
"A teacher I once had. Didn't know me. Never spoke to me much."
"One day just randomly snapped at me. Yelling at me telling me that I had no future, that all the awards I got were to go to waste, that I the article I published which I spent hours working on and submitted didn't matter. That even though I was 14 and had many great achievements, I would end up just like that said teacher."
"Worst person I have ever encountered. Did collateral damage to my life as now I am a high school student with no more ambition. Wanna be a journalist? Wanna be a writer? A lawyer? Not anymore buddy."
Hopefully, you don't have too many of these people in your own life. But, let's face it, there's one or two people on your mind right now.
Here's hoping you managed to let go and get away.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.