
An act of kindness. Strangers lending a helping hand. People from all walks of life sharing a few laughs. These are examples of the things in life that offer a ray of hope for the human race.
As the past few years seemed to have brought out the absolute worst in people during the bleakest of times, Redditor MOSTLYSANEBOI wondered if we as a species are still on the right track.
Curious to hear what strangers online have witnessed that left them feeling otherwise, the Redditor asked:
"What incident made you realize humanity is doomed?"

Educators have experienced sobering realizations about our youth.
Future Generation
"No event but being a HS teacher."
– Toihva
"why I have retired 10 years earlier than planned. i'll be very poor but I just can't do it anymore."
– bakemetoyourleader
In Need Of A Reworking
"I actually gave one of my fellow educators a minor mental breakdown during lunch the other day by reminding them that our students are going to be of voting age in the next few years. I don't work in a terrible district or anything, but boy, if you guys only knew some of the stupid sh*t I've heard from these kids."
"I love them to death, but I feel kind of sad about some of the people that we have going out into the world. Our education system needs a huge reworking. But sadly, it's all by design."
– psychobilly1
People Are People
"At my previous job, nothing hit me harder than the time I met up with university students from Harvard to talk about our research project and realizing that they're no different from anyone else."
"The only thing that was different was the fact that they had better grades in high-school and or had some sort of family connection to the establishment (they all came from wealth despite their claims). Literally that's it."
"Up until that point, I figured that these students were amongst the best of the best in our field, when really they're just as good as me or anyone else who has had at least a few months of training, and even then, they're still... normal. They have flaws, ideas, dreams... just like you or me. People are people."
"Edit: Yes. A lot of them are genuinely smart and amazing people who earned their merits. But like I'm trying to convey, they're still just people like you or me."
– mjohnsimon
Some people's behaviors warrant a face-palming, eye-roll-inducing combo.
Swipe, Then Swipe Some More
"I have to limit how much I view social media because there are so many absolutely disgusting people being cheered on and celebrated for things that they should be ashamed of."
– black_soul_gym
T.P. Shortage
"The search for toilet paper in 2020."
– I_want_to_lurk
"Yeah that was wild. We ordered a bidet so we didn’t have to deal with it. It’s amazing how much less toilet paper we use now. It’s like 1 roll a month maybe."
– thebeandream
People working in retail got more than they bargained for.
Simple Math
"I work retail and we are running 50% off this week. People are unable to tell how much 2 of the same product will cost. The products are priced with both the original price and the sale price."
– aniacret
Moronic Customers
"Retail is like this. Customers are f'king morons. I worked at a hardware store and so many people wanted male-male electricity plugs for their Christmas lights. We called this obviously not real item 'suicide wire.'"
"One couple came in and I explained why that is so unsafe. The husband was like 'oh yeah. Duh. We are dumb' while the wife kept arguing. Husband managed to cool her off but she still didn’t get it."
"EDIT: Also had a customer come in with an alarm clock he purchased saying it didn’t work even after putting the battery in it was stuck on a certain time. Without thinking I pulled the stock sticker off the front and showed him it worked just fine. Then I saw his mortified face and realized he didn’t even think to take the sticker off."
– Spiderbubble
Gone Bananas
"I used to work produce. Had a customer ask me where the bananas were... while I was standing in front of a 6-foot tall wall of bananas, with a cart full of boxes of bananas... actively putting them on the wall of said bananas."
"Look man questions are free but you can't ask me to point something out while I'm actively holding said objects. I stared that f'ker down until he walked away cussing me out 'I just wanted to know where the bananas were."'
– flic_my_bic
Tourists And Students In A Room
"I worked at a 24hr convenience store in Harvard Square in the 90s and dealt with mostly tourists and Harvard students. Seeing all these people from around the world and all of our 'brightest' minds collectively in one room made me realize just how stupid people are. It’s amazing we’ve gotten this far. Morons, all of us."
– Sirnando138
The Panic Is Real
"Probably after experiencing how rapidly many people turn into selfish, aggressive, uncivilised thugs over mundane things. Each year, when shoppers are allowed out in public, Black Friday degenerates into the charge of the barbarian hordes. I've seen deranged mothers clawing each other's faces over the last slightly discounted 4K TV. Fist fights over who is next into a store."
"Then we had the lock down in 2020 and I got to see shrieking harpies, pulling each other's hair out over toilet roll. Ramming trollies in aisles. Spitting and swearing nutters charging and tackling other shoppers over pasta and water. Bedlam."
"Recent 'fuel shortages' in the UK saw some areas beset by panic buyers, people getting assaulted on the forecourts. Road rage outside filling stations. Scenes not out of place in a Mad Max film."
"I shudder to imagine how people would react to a real crisis."
– [deleted]
The following issues have a global impact but are continually being swept under the rug.
Environmental Concerns
"I studied ecology and then taught Biology and Environmental Science for 16 years. Warnings from Scientists on climate change have become more and more dire, and global leaders/corporations continue to talk about taking action but they don't actually do what is required. They have instead become skilled at making the average citizen feel bad and responsible for it."
– aartadventure
Ignoring Past Mistakes
"The absolute unwillingness to make decisions based on history. 'The last 3 times we tried it this bad thing happened but itll work this time' it doesn't."
– bludstone
The Plastic Problem
"Not rly an incident yet seeing the progression of one-time use plastic waste and how much plastic is thrown away every day. I work in a hospital. The amt of garbage one pt generates is stupid. In ICU, more stupid. And at my hospital there are about 300-400 inpatients every day. And there are 14 hospitals in just this metro area. This sh*t is all made from oil. One-time use take-out food containers…"
– minnesotaris
Megalomaniacs
"When I realized psychopaths rise to positions of influence at a disproportionate rate."
"Something fundamentally self destructive about humanity, not enough people seek positions in society to better society. Far too often it’s selfish people seeking to abuse positions of influence for their own benefit even if it means screwing over everyone else."
– Anagnorsis
And Then There's This
"I’d say 2 world wars in under 25 years would do the trick."
– GooseOk4994
The question we should be asking ourselves is, "what can we do to save the human race?'
Because at this point, it seems that, as a species, we are going nowhere fast.
Allowing total failure is not an option.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Have you ever heard of a certain job that people call a career and thought... "PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR THAT?!?!"
All hard, honest work is good work.
And then there is just trash work.
And I don't mean garbage collection, that is honest work.
I don't know how some people live with themselves.
Redditor MrTuxedo1 wanted to discuss the careers they don't believe people should chase. They asked:
"What job do you have no respect for?"
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.
Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.
Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.
What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.
Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."
But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"
Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:
"What smells good but shouldn't?"
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
At one point in time, we've misplaced things that we've considered priceless possessions.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
What's worse than returning home from a night out or a workday and discovering your home was broken into? Being home when the break-in happens.
Home invasions are a common trope portrayed in horror films like The Strangers and Funny Games, and they're absolutely terrifying because they are based on real-life incidents.
Redditor silentagent47 asked strangers to consider this horrifying hypothetical.
"You have 5 minutes to prepare before a guy breaks into your house with the intention to kill you. You can not exit your house. What is your strategy to survive?"
The hunter becomes the hunted, inspired by TV and movies.
Duplicating A Scene
"There was an episode of Burn Notice where Michael puts aerosol cans in the microwave with kitchen utensils and hits popcorn button. I really want to know if this works or not."
– JohnSterlingSanchez
Epic Burglar Trap
"Speed-watch Home Alone."
– pluribusduim
It's about the choice of weapon.
Jump Scare
"I get the vacuum cleaner ready in a certain room, I turn it on as hes about to enter to create a distraction, then I jump out when he's inspecting the noise and bonk the f'ker on the head with the piece of 2 inch steel tube I keep as a weapon."
– BustedBastard
Beware of Dog
"Unleash the Hounds"
– myassonreddit
Make A Weapon
"Duct tape a bunch of knives to the end of one of those tall lamps to make a spear of blinding and then proceed to go sicko mode."
– DubTheeBustocles
Preparing For A Thwack
"Turn shower on, for some reason I have a shovel behind my wardrobe?? So grab that. Wait for him to check shower, whack with shovel. Boom."
– hypersp00p
It's Just A Game
"Corner camp with a shotgun."
– Arrow3619
A Warm Welcome
"Hairspray and a lighter to his face."
– WorkingClassSheep
The effectiveness of these tactics are questionable, but points for creativity are warranted.
Stand Still
"Put a lamp shade on my head and stand in the corner of the room."
– Cannabis_Sir
Make It Erotic
"I turn on all the lights, take off all my clothes, rub butter all over myself, and start a fake conversation on the phone. As soon as he breaks in I say into the phone: 'I’ve gotta go, my next appointment is finally here…”
– FrankieTheAlchemist
Forget The Stairs
"Go to the LIVING ROOM."
– on-oath-never-again
Removing The Element Of Fun
"Draw an X on my forehead and grab a beer."
– Candycoatedmuffin3
And that's why I would opt for living in a commune or apartment complex.
People who own houses are just asking for forced entry.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.