People Explain The Worst Thing They've Ever Been Accused Of But Were Completely Innocent
It's a big fear of ours, as humans--that we will be put into a position of guilt and be unable to prove our innocence.
Unfortunately, sometimes it happens. You're flustered. You're lost for words. Do you even have a way to prove it's not you? Or are you up the creek without a paddle?
How you handle being accused in the moment can be very telling.
u/Turmtaf asked:
Whats the worst thing you've ever been accused of while being completely innocent?
Here were some of those situations.
I Ain't Robbin' No Banks
Bank robbery. I was early for my first day as a gas jockey in a new city. I was across the street from the gas station, digging through my backpack when suddenly somebody told me to show them my hands. I was totally confused to look up and see two RCMP officers, hands on their sidearms (they didn't draw, or anything). Turns out there had been a bank robbery around the corner a few minutes before and my gas jockey uniform and backpack matched the description. They looked inside my bag (containing my brown bag lunch and a paperback) and then they were gone in a flash. Apparently, the guy didn't get caught until after another bank robbery in the same area.
These Are Some Big Rumors
My first week of high school, I got called into the office because rumors were flying around that I was planning to blow up the school and had already rigged it with explosives. This was obviously news to me.
Then about a year later, I had my wisdom teeth removed and missed a week of school. When I finally came back, my friends had to explain the freaked out looks I kept getting from classmates.
Apparently a boy who regularly picked at me had vanished from school about the same time I did, and the rumor going around was that I had killed him, eaten him, and then been arrested. Everybody was surprised to see me because they'd spent the past week telling each other about how I was in jail and he was in my stomach.
Folks sure make up weird rumors. The boy was fine, FYI, he'd just been suspended.
Baseless Accusations
I helped a friend of my mother move when I had just turned 18 for no pay, and this lady accused me of stealing one of her guns. I booked it straight to the police department to explain the situation. When she tried to report me, they told her she was crazy, they already spoke to me, and that criminals that steal guns don't go directly to the police.
Ain't No Cheater
Anabolic steroids. I was a high jumper on my college's track and field team, and we would have to do urine tests every so often. Well, one of mine came back from the lab positive for anabolic steroids, which give women who take them strong manly like features. I was 5'8" and 125lbs. Luckily the lab broke the tests into two samples and eventually tested the second sample, showing it was clean. Apparently the lab had a contaminated batch of test tubes, and the company had to fly reps into my college to apologize to me and a baseball player this both happened to. It was a scary couple weeks.
First Graders Don't Do Drugs
Had just moved to a new school in 5th grade. Was never great at making new friends, so I thought I'd "sugar them up" by bringing sugar mixed with kool-aid, something that was popular at my old school. Who doesn't love a bunch of ten year olds licking their fingers and dipping them in a baggie of sugar? Apparently, an older kid had given several 1st graders heroin during this time and it got pegged on me. I was removed from class, police came, I cried because I didn't understand why they thought my grape kool-aid was heroin. I kept telling them to taste it. The principal finally did and realized I was telling the truth. Awesome first week of school.
Again...First Graders...Drugs
Drugs. Shockingly enough, my parents divorce made me act out at nine years old, and I kept distracting other kids in class. My mom was convinced it was because I was doing drugs and yanked hair out of my head and made me get blood tested. They found nothing, because I was nine years old
But Why Did She Even Accuse You?
Accused of breaking a girl's arm on a bounce house at a local fair when I was like 8yo. Had been on there only a few seconds, was just doing my thing and I heard screaming. We all stopped, the girl had an obviously broken arm and pointed at me and said; "He did it!" (with her non-broken arm, of course).
Dude in charge kicked me off, no refund.
I found my family and explained it to them and my uncle said he was recording me on his camcorder when it happened (1982, the camcorder was the size of a briefcase and ran on VHS tapes, but we had no way to play it back while there)
Went home, plugged the thing in to the VCR and played it back - absolute 100% that it wasn't me. But then I got a life lesson in how being right doesn't mean you win - my dad pointed out we'd have to walk 15 minutes back to the bounce house and argue with them, with no way of showing them the video unless they sent someone to our house to watch it... All to get the 10p that I paid for 5 minutes on the bounce house. It would have been, at best, a pyrrhic victory. Most likely they'd tell us to piss off.
I Ain't Stolen Nothing
In third grade I walked to a convenience store with $2, and spent 20 minutes trying to decide what candy to get—picking things up, and putting them back.
The old lady clerk accused me of stealing and said to never come back. That was a bit problematic given it was the only gas station in my small town, and I've moved back and been living here for the last 15 years.
We Out
I got kicked out of a sit down restaurant during my company Christmas party for doing drugs in the bathroom. When the manager told me to leave and that they "don't allow that behavior here", my boss and 20+ other employees vouched for me that I had not left the table for 2+ hours (the entire duration of the party). The manager called my boss an idiot and made me leave. No one in my company has been back since.
I Love My Son
Probably kicking my young son. I was carrying something like hot tea or soup and he went to grab me, so I put my knee out to stop him getting close to me and scalding himself, but for some reason, everyone else in the room thought I kicked him or kneed him. Very strange situation.
So many animals are only dangerous because of their need for survival or hunger.
Humans make the relationship with the animal kingdom worse.
Is there no way to co-exist?
One Redditor wanted to discuss aspects of the animal kingdom.
"Which animal gets undeserving hate?"
Tigers and lions. Have you seen the videos of the tigers and lions who have bonded with their human? It's possible.
Bless You
"Bats. They eat billions of insects. You should be thanking them."
Flying Goths
"Vultures, eating dead bodies might seem ugly to some but other animals do the same thing but also murder them so how is just finding something that’s already dead and eating that worse, also eating a carcass removes deadly diseases like botulism from the environment."
Anuniqueusername20
"I always show my appreciation to the local goth turkeys."
iamquiteunhappy
The Yeeted
"Blob Fish... they just get yeeted out of the water and the massive pressure difference makes them look 'strange.' Kinda rude I guess. Like if we get yeeted into space and Aliens would laugh at our disfigured forms and print T-Shirts of it."
tinylittletoe
"I think I read somewhere that the pressure change causes their cells to explode and that’s why they look so horrific after being pulled out of the water. Dunno how factual that is."
0utlandish_323
Not the Villain
"Hyenas, partially because a whole generation grew up watching them help kill Mufasa lol."
Natural-School5690
"They’re awesome. They have a unique matriarchal society and they’re pretty smart, as well as tougher than hell. Wouldn’t want to smell their breath though."
Ermaquill
"I've seen people arguing this before but people hate hated hyenas years before the lion king came out. They were constantly used in folklore as villains and opportunist and were often considered unlucky in most african cultures."Eaglekingoftheskies
Skunks? Um... from afar, they're cute. But stay away...
Genius
"Crows. Yes, I understand the caws can be annoying, but they're far more intelligent than a lot of people give them credit for."
anotherrroom
Loners
"Possums! They eat pests and won't typically bother you unless rabid or provoked."
DrChefAstronaut
"Quick reminder then you need to specify which kind of possum, because not everyone here is from America. There a lots of possums here in Australia but they are completely different from the American kind in temperament! Only annoyance with possums here is if they get into your roof. Meanwhile in New Zealand, possums are ALWAYS a pest."
theexteriorposterior
Bad Movie Vibes
"Sharks!"
TurbulentWeek897
"The guy who wrote Jaws ended up writing another book explaining how misunderstood sharks are. Because the movie Jaws scared everyone, and fishermen began to hunt sharks, making them endangered."
ChronoLegion2
"I was gonna say this! They're not bad guys they are just doing shark stuff! It's the freakin' dolphin types you gotta watch out for. Orcas will kill for fun. A shark is just trying to eat and don't see that well."
Genderneutralbro
Powerful Babies
"Black Cats.They aren't evil and they don't bring bad luck."
SuvenPan
"It's a frequent mistake, but black cats actually bring good luck and blessings from The Void!
"Be sure to tell all your friends. If we work together to insist that black cats are good luck, we can help turn over the discrimination. Also, I have proof that they are good luck - whenever I see a black cat I become happy. Coincidence? I think not!!"
theexteriorposterior
Heroes
"Frogs. They eat the mosquitoes and other bugs you don’t like."
dragonborne123
So many animals need some PR help.
Which ones would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Has science gotten to a point where we can make mashed potatoes by just adding water to flakes, producing a smooth and consistent texture?
Yes.
Am I still going to take the extra time to wash, peel, chop, boil, and mash my own potatoes, getting zero textural consistency but maximum deliciousness?
Also yes.
Because sometimes the "old way" is just better, and I'm very serious about my potatoes.
Reddit user Devastator1981 asked:
"What’s one thing you still prefer to do the old-fashioned way—regardless of technology—and why?"
My seriousness about potatoes is, apparently, a passion matched by many...
Board Games
"Physical board games/card games. Most of the app versions of the games I like aren't that great. Plus, it's more fun to play with someone."
- Junkolm
"Especially old ones. My friend has a Trivial Pursuit from the 80s. All questions are completly impossible, so we added improv/clues/charades. Funniest boardgame I have ever played."
- ipakookapi
"Yes! Family game night is a weekly occurrence for us. We have close to 100 board games."
- tolai87
"Great answer. Shuffling and fanning cards just feels so satisfying too"
- bokchoy_sockcoy
"I have the original Cluedo board game that used to belong to my grandfather as a boy. Still one of the best board games ever made."
- blisskinjo
Photos
"I print photos and keep them in photo albums. I like to keep the special moments of life as a book and go through it page by page."
- SuvenPan
"There’s something satisfying and nostalgic about seeing the physical photos. I have my favorites displayed in frames, so I can see them every day. Makes me happy."
- macaronsforeveryone
"I only have a few photos in a photo album but I love this idea, I need to get a camera that prints out the pictures itself"
- Several-Orchid9640
"I agree, I took a look at my album with photos from childhood and it was so satisfying to go 15 years back and enjoy those special moments again... I like physical photos because I know they're in a safe place, they will be forever with me and can't disappear unlike the photos on my phone. Also, they look more... realistic. Or is it only my thought?"
- YourLocaIWeirdo
"I back all my photos from throughout the years 3 times. One on my PC hard drive, the second on an external hard drive, and 3rd in the cloud system. I'm paranoid that if I had them in just one place, I could lose them forever"
- Gbrown546
Books
"Read. Love to have a book where I can turn the pages."
- Jonsmile
"I was the same until my eyesight started to weaken. Reading glasses are a pain. I have several bookcases full of books that I love, and love to reread, but I have rebought many of them on my Kindle. Being able to change the font size was a game changer for me."
- Square_Body_Trux
"Books over a kindle always"
- Warm_Quantity_326
"I prefer paper, but I listen to audiobooks a lot because of how much I drive for work."
- This_Personality3731
"Books, where you can turn the pages, are so much more relaxing than swiping on a screen all day, plus I love the smell of new books and the sound of the page when I turn it, but those darn paper cuts if you aren't careful."
- Several-Orchid9640
Drawing
"Drawing. I never really got the hang of digital art. It's much easier and more satisfying for me to have all of the tactile input from my work. Also, I sew, and along the same lines I prefer to hand-draft patterns."
- WitheredFlowers
"I think digital is easier than traditional painting. No buying paint/brushes, no mixing color, no prepping canvas, no varnish, no storing canvas and transporting when selling."
"But traditional drawing and painting also has its pro's like you said :-)"
- LAUSart
"One of the things I love about art and artists is that no matter the medium, content, or materials, it is always art and always something to be appreciated."
- PizzaTem
"I personally use a combination of both. I can make a beautiful sketch and then I transfer it into my drawing tablet, colour and go from there."
"I've also found that I can sketch and get concepts out so much faster by hand than if using a digital medium. Something about being able to easily vary pressure while hand drawing is difficult to replicate digitally. But I do really love the ease of coloring and features available in a digital medium. Pros and cons in both!"
- deadlysirensong
"I love drawing physical art but I definitely want to get into digital so I can touch up my drawings and maybe even move over to that format."
- Crazyguy_123
Buttons
"Physical buttons for climate controls in a car. I refuse to buy a car that only uses a touch screen for everything. Much safer to not have to fiddle with a touch screen while driving."
- Ghertomp
"Touch screens are a great invention. They’re awesome for so many things. They open up so many possibilities for all sorts of technology."
"But not everything needs a damn touchscreen. Touchscreens on cars are typically a huge distraction and hazard. It might look pretty and shiny but yeah, I’d much rather have a knob I can twist without looking."
"And why do things like dishwashers, washing machines, and refrigerators need touchscreens? I feel like it just drives the price of those things up. If it doesn’t add some sort of functionality I’d rather not have the touchscreen. Touchscreens are dope but they don’t need to be on everything"
- Jailbreaker_Jr
"Physical buttons on most things. I understand how touch screens and trackpads are more flexible, but I really enjoy the tactile sensation, the certainty that you definitely pressed the right button, the extra sensation that allows you to more precisely press buttons, and the ability to press buttons with things besides your bare finger (like a gloved finger or your knuckle because you're holding something), and probably a few other things I can't think of right now"
- Quazimojojojo
Menus
"Physical menus at restaurants. I'm with the boomers on this one"
- cptfuzzybeard95
"Wait some restaurants don't have physical menus? TIL"
- Minimum-Activity3009
"QR menus were really frustrating until I upgraded my phone. Also hate when they don’t render right away."
- xi545
"same like what if your phone's dead? what do you do then??"
- CrescentCaribou
"Use your limited data in a brick building to spend 5 min downloading a huge pdf of the menu that’s fuzzy anyways"
- dheidjdedidbe
Compact Disc
"Buy music. Unfortunately buying cds just isn't as easy as it used to be. But I prefer physical media, and just convert it to digital. I hate streaming music. I don't trust the stuff I love to always be available. I like having ownership of what I listen to."
- jbnagis
"I love buying and album and find those deep tracks"
- flyinhawaiian02
"There was a used CD store in my old neighborhood. I loved going in and buying a pile of the '10 for $20' CDs. So much fun for (comparatively, for me) not too much money: the satisfaction of choosing from the diverse selection, the nice walk there and back, listening to the CDs as I ripped them, and then hearing the 'new music' come up in my playlists!"
- a_marie_z
"Yes. Omg. Buying CDs is so difficult now!! My car has a CD player which I LOVE, I dread the day when cars no longer have CD players and all my CD are filled with dust."
- prettyxxreckless
"Same here. I shouldn't need to be hooked up to the Internet to listen to my tunes. That's why when I hear a song I like, I'll write it down, prowl through the library and rip the CDs that have what I'm looking for."
- IStubbedMyGarlic
Writing notes
"Make notes on paper. I will typically use index cards because they are not as easy to "fly away" or get crumpled or lost. But hey.... that's just me!"
- NoBSforGma
"IIRC there's some research that shows that writing things down on paper makes it easier to retain than if you write it down on a computer."
- Jealous_Hospital
"Had to scroll too far to find this!"
- NefferTT
"Index cards are powerful. Flip them, fold in half, tear them. If you keep them in a pocket card deck, the startup cost for study is even lower, in many cases, than a phone index card app, and it’s more intuitive to quickly use color-coding or underlining when making them."
"Plus, they’re easy to sort so that you’re self-quizzing harder topics more."
- ferdielance
"I also use mine to make shopping lists. Left one-third: supermarket. Middle one-third: Stuff to get at other shops. Right one-third: Where I'm supposed to go for shopping. I list these and cut one card in thirds! Put those in my pocket and I know just where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to get."
- NoBSforGma
Fire
"Cooking using firewoods. It gives more aromatic flavor to your food"
- IshigamiiiIchigo4u
"I especially love slow cooking stuff wrapped in foil / leaves / etc in the embers. Best potatoes ever. Apples stuffed with honey cinnamon butter. So many yummy things."
- fia-med-knuff
"For some reason, I've always wanted to try that. It seems really cool"
- Vexachi
"I read this as fireworks and was so confused for so long."
- EnvyInOhio
"Charcoal, too. Not sure why, but whenever you burn straight carbon instead of a hydrocarbon, it just tastes better. That teeny little bit of oxygen makes all the difference."
"Propane is great and very efficient, but you just don’t get the flavor."
- betterthanamaster
Coffee
"Not sure if this counts, but I grind my coffee by hand and use a simple brewing method (either chemex or french press) to make it."
"I think having full control over the process leads to better tasting coffee than I get with any automatic machine. Also, having a ritual that I do every morning and takes a little elbow grease helps kickstart my day."
- NebXan
"French press coffee is good but I hate cleaning them. I just use a funnel and a filter."
- ipakookapi
"I don't use a machine but I use the sort of coffee where you get a spoonful and put it in a boiling cup of water. :)"
- Vexachi
"Glad I'm not the only one. I own an espresso machine and electric grinder specifically for it (grinding 6 shots of espresso by hand takes forever...) but if I just want a cup of coffee French press, chemex, and aeropress (for traveling) are where it's at. The minute to weigh and grind are absolutely worth it for the quality over regular store bought pre-ground drip coffee."
- rpitcher33
Now that you know what Reddit is still kicking it old school about, it's your turn in the confessional.
What do you do the good old fashioned way?
Not everyone is a renaissance person or jack/jill of all trades.
Certain professions are suited to certain types of people.
So we don't have to bad-mouth the jobs we deem out of our depth or "beneath us."
Maybe let's give a few jobs a try and more props to the people who do them!
Redditor atomicturdburglar wanted to help out a few career paths with some positive chat.
"Which profession unfairly gets a bad rap?"
I've had so many jobs. I'm interested to see what y'all add to this list.
From Behind
"Gastroenterologists get a bad wrap because buttholes are gross and who would want to spend time there, but these guys save lives."
guyuteharpua
“dignified”
"I was a cleaner. People used to treat me like furniture and assumed all kinds of things about me. That was the best-paying job I ever held, with the best benefits, and most vacation! I went back to school for a more 'dignified' career, and my 'dignified' job sitting at a desk ended up being worse in every way."
DearAuntAgnes
Hot Skills
"Plumbers. People always assume they’re gross greasy old dudes but really they’re extremely skilled professionals."
randomnessamiibo
"I'm straight up so jealous of my plumber. He's really fit and like movie star handsome, nice and great at his job, an honest professional, just built himself a gorgeous dream home in a great neighborhood. Dude is just slaughtering life."
Essential People
"Janitors. Give them respect, people, unless you want to empty your own trash and clean your own work or school space. Seriously, being nice to the janitor saved my tail one time when I was locked out of a room that contained some vital work material. The big boss didn't have keys to that room, but guess who did?"
Roguefem-76
"I’m a teacher and the first people I befriend at the school was the janitors. They keep that place running. I made a point to learn about them, things they like etc. and on Custodian Appreciation Day as well as Christmas I make sure to get them a little something as my way of saying thanks."
makeitwork1989
Sky People
"Meteorologists. Lotta jokes along the lines of 'must be nice to be wrong half the time and still keep your job.' Do you know how difficult it is to predict the weather 2-3 days out, let alone a week out?"
wxmanify
I don't understand the weather. So I'll pass.
Tip Accordingly...
"Hospitality industry."
Reeceqld
"Was hoping someone wound say this. I miss working in restaurants. Good Pay, good people. Unlimited time off. Physically exhausting and mentally challenging but so worth it."
Wingkirs
Full of Thanks
"Embalmers. Thankless job people think they are creepy but who else would do that."
Signal-Opportunity-2
"Embalmer here. Luckily it isn’t always thankless. Surprisingly, in my experience, families do appreciate and understand the care taken with their loved one which makes it all worth it."
The People at the End...
"Morticians. Really don't get why; they're the last ones to ever let you down."
cwbrumm
"A lot of them are family owned enterprises passed down through the generations. If you've grown up hearing about that kind of stuff, it doesn't seem weird at all. Most people don't want to acknowledge our mortality, but it's one of those certainties in life; along with that comes job security."
"But people definitely assume we’re creepy/morbid/obsessed with death when they hear embalmer. And while it’s true sometimes, overall we’re a (relatively) normal bunch who have the unique gift of somehow being able to healthily compartmentalise the horrific things we see on a daily basis."
deathbloomsonce
"My job's certainly gross, but there's usually not as much of an emotional component to it. I've got empathy for people but not enough patience to deal with them all day every day. It exhausts me. But spending hours listening to music, chatting with a coworker or two while figuring out exactly what happened, why this person died? That's rewarding to me."
Beat_the_Deadites
"I've working in coroner/ME systems for a good while, and there's a fair amount of job switching between county morgues and funeral homes. Funeral homes can pay better and may be less busy, but you also have to deal directly with grieving family members, i.e. take money from them during their darkest days. It's a delicate and often thankless job."
The Counters
"Auditors. Clients are rude to them. Bosses treat them like s**t. And Public just wants them to work like donkeys and find fraud even though it's not their primary responsibility."
chesapeakeripper_18
"I think I'm pretty nice to the auditors that come into my company."
"Apart from that one year where I had to explain the same thing to a guy three times and then had to teach him some basic accounting principles, like how to deal with prepayments and why we were accruing certain costs. I didn't want to deal with him again after the first day."
DragonStar1
Objection!
"Lawyers, when they're/your/lawyer they're good lol. But yeah people often like, don't understand what the job of a lawyer truly is so people are quick to demonize them."
"Yeah there's some that truly are out there abusing loopholes and being scummy, but most lawyers are just doing what they're supposed to. Making sure their client is getting charged fairly. Even if they are guilty, they still are there to ensure a just punishment and not overkill."
Reddittoxin
These all seem like reasonable jobs. Some difficult but worth the effort.
There is nothing more satisfying than gorging on a dish with the perfect variety of ingredients creating a symphony of flavors for a completely euphoric experience.
Not all culinary creations excel at this. It depends on the individual whose taste preferences may be different from that of others.
All it takes is one ingredient to spoil the party.
Curious to hear from strangers Redditor poetic__ asked:
"What ingredient automatically ruins a dish for you?"

You would never expect these as responses for the assignment.
When The Emperor Lost His Groove
"Poison. Kuzco's poison. The poison for Kuzco."
– Warkitz
Doesn't Plate Well
"Spaghetti sauce if it's a plastic dish."
– misswallflowerr
"A bit of water and lemon juice gets the stain right out of plastic."
– Gundarium_Alchemist
Someone Swam In Your Soup
"Hair"
– GboyFlex
"Little black curly hair."
– highxv0ltage
Nope To Beach Picnics
"Sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere."
– Halcres
Now we're getting somewhere.
Finding The Right Balance For It
"Too many cloves. I have had many tooth pains in my lifetime and the taste of clove oil lingers dreadfully in my mind. I do like curry powder and some of my favorite pickle brines include a lot of cloves. The taste just has to be balanced with the other spices and seasonings. If I get any faint hint of it I'm immediately grossed out."
– glistening_cum_ropes
Doesn't Mix Well
"That piece of spices in your stew that you thought it was meat."
– Bewluga
"Ginger? Chomping into a piece of ginger when you thought it was meat.... 🎵You'll get the shock of your life."
– SynthPrax
Faking Sweetness
"Stevia. Blech"
– paytonsglove
"I'll never understand why people think stevia is a replacement for sugar. Doesn't taste anything like sugar. Same with Sucralose."
– anfcrazylady
Let's get specific.
Jiggly Dessert
"Jello. I have spent FAR too much time in a hospital as a child. according to my mother jello was basically all I could eat. since I got out, it's been my only culinary hate. taste, texture, just, nope."
– Nepeta33
There's A Time And Place
"Raisins where there should not be raisins."
– stressandscreaming
"Hey alright! Chocolate chip cookies! Don't mind if I do.... oh F'K YOU!!"
– conradbirdiebird
Tainted Sweets
"Rose Water."
"I want to love Indian and Middle Eastern sweets. They look so good, but nope every time it goes in my mouth all I can taste is rose water. Like chewing on the potpourri from grandmas bathroom."
– OkBoomerEh
I'm not a shrimp fan, however, I can eat it when it's fried in tempura batter.
My family would periodically order fried rice–which I absolutely love–whenever we ate at Chinese restaurants.
Even though we ordered pork or chicken fried rice, I found that many of the LA Chinese restaurants we ate at threw in surprise shrimp as if to spite me.
I would pick them out and eat the rest. Now, I don't know if it was just me, but I would still taste hints of shrimp juice every time, which ultimately ruins the dish for me. Yeah, it's just me.
Stay in your lane, shrimp!