If you're a Dateline NBC aficionado then you know that every hometown has it's secrets and issues. Those issues are the reasons we run as fast as we can to find new places to call home and, they can often be the reasons we stay... flaws and drama always add a bit of character and pastiche. But of course some issues are just to much to stick around for.
Redditor u/Jblaze908 wanted to know what towns maybe we should all skip to visit.... What is it that you hate the most about the city or town that you live in?
Unpure Flakes....
GiphySaint-Petersburg, Russia, weather.
It's a 6 million city at the latitude of Anchorage, Alaska. There's crappy, dirty snow everywhere from early November till late March or even April. PerepeL
Life needs options....
I live in a fairly small rural town and I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world but I do admit to missing the ability to go out for dinner later than 7 pm. I also miss options, it's really only the couple of pubs in town and that's it, there are more options if we pop over to one of the other surrounding towns but that means a bit of a drive.
I also miss going out for after dinner coffee. We used to do that a lot when we lived in the city, totally not an option out here. vivian_lake
Gurnee for the "NOT" win!
I live near a Six Flags and an outlet mall. The town is nothing but retail and chain restaurants. There is no downtown area outside all of that. Nits_rik
Gurnee, IL? sanchower
Yup.... Nits_rik
It's not terrible or anything. It's just... blah. It's in the dead zone in between Chicago and Milwaukee where you aren't really close to either city, but you're still kinda in the suburbs. But the Six Flags has some pretty legit coasters, and Mars Cheese Castle and the Ren Faire are right over the border. So you've got that going for you. sanchower
It's like a Survival game...
Potholes, road work that takes forever, combined with bad weather. Welcome to Montreal! gamecoder95
Recently drove from Toronto to Montreal. It's insane how noticeably crappy the road infrastructure is once you cross into Quebec. It's like the government doesn't give a f**k. No snow/ice removal, and oh my God the potholes. Reddit
Just watch "The Wire."
GiphyMurder. Definitely the murder. Baltimore. mattz2015
Also drugs! Sorry, just finished watching "The Wire." ThePlayfulPython
People Suck!
I live in Plymouth, UK.
A few days ago a suicidal man was stood on top of a multi-story car park. Large groups of people just stood around with their phones out recording it. One woman yelled at him telling him to jump and called him a coward while the emergency services tried to help him. People around her laughed.
I really hate the people in my city. Jerry_Cola
Damn Tourists!
L.A. I work in downtown and it gets very annoying when influencers and/or people who just moved in get upset when you're "in their way." I'm sorry I ruined your photo; I just want to get home. nonilpadre
But we need water to live...
The water.
I moved here from another nearby city that had some of the best municipal water in the entire state and I miss it SO much. My current city's water is incredibly hard. We get calcium buildup on EVERYTHING. Pots, pans, glasses, showerheads, faucets, coffee maker. I feel like I need to buy stock in C.L.R. And in the summer, when the water levels get low like they always do, it takes on this weird "dirt-like" taste. Like the exact same taste you'd get if you fell face down in the dirt and got a mouthful.
Don't get me wrong, it's not Flint-level bad. The city assures us it's safe, meets all relevant health guidelines/codes, blah blah blah. But it's one of the most common complaints I see and hear from other people that live here, too. Apple2Geek
The list goes on....
I live in Austin, Texas. Every allergen known to man seems to be here. pielord599
Don't forget traffic that appears out of nowhere. You'll be moving right along on 35 outside of downtown when all of a sudden you're at a crawl for no reason whatsoever. lipp79
I'm so bored....
GiphyMy entire town shuts down at 8pm every night. Except for the self service gas pumps. It would be nice to be able to get food/snacks/Gatorade after I get off work but instead I have to drive 20 miles to the next town over.
Edit: Wow, my most upvoted comment on reddit. I'm in tears, I love you guys! Also the town I currently live in is Elk Horn, Iowa. Population of less than five hundred people. We do have a pretty kick a** pizza place here and the most interesting thing is how many people with Danish heritage there are here. Literally over 3/4 of the town I believe. alleng919
LEBRON!!!!
Cleveland, Ohio. Every one thinks it's an awful, terrible place. Our economy was based on Lebron James, who left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM For people who want a taste of Cleveland, and a laugh.
Cheers to Weird!
Austin-
Austin is known for "keeping it weird" and being a fun, cooky place. Recently, the whole place is being developed, and all of the places that the transplants move here for are being bulldozed for condos. The city is slowly getting unaffordable, and losing the parts about it that are special. Everyone I know is getting scattered to the wins and a lot of my favorite places to hang out have been closed. A lot of people chalk it up to progress, but I'm terrified of becoming the next SF where regular people can't live in the city and rich people live like poor people. On top of everything I am pretty sure we have whole neighborhoods of nothing but rentals - which makes the housing issue worse.
The city is already insanely segregated- you can't live west at all unless you have money. Like the whole west side save a small strip. imhereforthemeta
The Company....
Seattle. Amazon, Microsoft, and other big IT companies have HQs here, resulting in lots of people moving here suddenly, rents and house prices skyrocketed as a result, and you feel poor all the time as software developers woosh by in their Tesla's and BMWs. I feel like if I'm ever going to want to own a house I'm going to have to move away. Which is a shame: I love the area apart from the damn expenses. typicalrowerlad
Too Much....
GiphyI live in a small city in the UK called Bath.
We're one of the main tourist cities of the country and we have 2 of the top universities, but we're too small to accommodate so many people. It's always crowded, always expensive, and there aren't enough well paying jobs for students or graduates to be able to afford to live here. Everything closes at 11pm, we have an insane amount of traffic, and literally one of the busiest roads in the nation. Massive drug problem, no police station (only aiding the drug problem), and the worst clubs I've ever seen.
But it's beautiful as hell so. SmashMetal
ATL for Life...
Atlanta traffic, has to be the worst iv ever experienced or ever will. oliyonion
One time I was driving through Atlanta (never been before) and my dumba** was going like 75-ish on the highway and was getting blown past by every single car including cops... only to later learn that everyone goes at least 90. RuthRuthRuthBabyRuth
Grand Ole Country.....
Nashville,Tn
It is getting way too expensive to live here. Your choices now for affordable housing is either Antioch which is almost an hour drive or Ashland City which is backwoods good old boy country. FxDriver
Orlando!
In Orlando, that means you get to share the road with the following drivers: lost tourists who drive like crap in the first place, foreigners who drive like they're still in their homeland, yuppie-a**holes who are the most "important people in the world," gangsta' wannabees who have seen "Fast & Furious" way too many times, and elderly retirees who should have had their licenses revoked long ago.
We also have some of the highest car insurance rates in the US. scottiebass
Blame Ontario...
- people can't drive for crap
- major inferiority complex as a city
- too many old nimbys preventing progress
- a city council that is a barely literate group of bickering children who only grow up long enough to give themselves a pay raise, again
- old people complaining about the university and kids just doing what people do at that age
good old London ontario. uncle-tacitus
Maine for the Win....
GiphyI live in a moderately sized town in Maine. What drives me up a wall is how annoyingly comfortable these people are. It's almost as they feel they're entitled to everything. What's even crazier is if someone is minding their own business on the freeway and you go to pass them, that person will make it their mission to make sure you don't. Then once you do pass them they go back to the same speed they were before. TheRealPizzaPope
Curious to hear from strangers online about their developmental growth, Redditor 1234kyou_ asked:
"What did you swear in your childhood you would never do, but ended up doing anyways?"
Some hobbies that delighted us as kids never really go away as these Redditors have experienced.
The "Bird Creep"
"Birdwatching. I used to think it was the lamest way someone could spend their time when I was a kid. How could anyone just sit around and look at birds? What are you, some kind of bird creep? ... 20 years later and I'm obsessed with birds. Love hearing their songs and seeing all the beautiful colors."
– Koala-teas
Unfilled Dream
"Give up drawing."
"I actually broke my own heart when I recently found a school project we did back when I was a kid. We had to write a letter for our future selves and mine starts with: 'Hey, did you become an artist already? I really hope you did not become a boring adult with a boring job who gave up on his dreams and passions.'"
"Well, sorry little me, but I kinda did."
– Aesma_
Tending To One's Garden
"Gardening. We had a large garden. We raised and preserved what we grew. It was me and my sister's job to care for this garden. This was back when whipping your child was acceptable punishment. I was whipped sooo many times, because I hated that I had to grew and preserved vegetables I did not like. I hated it! Swore I'd never have a garden. Never do THAT to my kids. Then I had kids. A switch flipped in my head. I had to have a garden! I never made my kids take care of it. Gardening was my 'me' time. But being little kids, they wanted to be with mom and 'help' with the garden. I 'gave' them an area and they were allowed to grow whatever they wanted. If it was a fruit or vegetables , they had to eat it. As a result, they both love gardening and neither are picky eaters."
– Eogh21
When it comes to keeping it in the family, it's not always the goal.
Like Father...
"I have become my father."
– jer1303
Like Mother...
"I have become my mom.... even the voice is similar."
– rogue1206
Dad's Cynicism
"I've taken on a lot more of my dad's cynicism than I would like, but mostly I have my mom's wonder and carefreeness."
"But my dad is rich and mom is poor."
"He does not share the wealth he just shares 'you should've done X like this'. But his advice is the level of 'tear down the sign punch them in the face and say you're looking at your new employee'. I've also never heard a single dad joke from him."
– BugTester350
Posthumous Disapproval
"When I was touring houses to buy before the pandemic, my mother's spirit must have possessed me because I opened my mouth and her voice said 'i don't know, i don't think I could live in a house without both a coat closet and a linen closet.'"
– TJtherock
Adulting is hard.
The Financial Hole
"Get into debt I can't pay off."
– lilviviv
Potty-Mouth
"I said I wouldn’t curse unless a nuke was dropped on my house. That was a f'king lie."
– -notjosh-
Can't Wait, Don't Hate
"Have sex before marriage. Thank f'k I never made good on that one since I'm 41 and have never been married."
– squid1891
I'm a pretty fussy eater. Always have been.
I grew up in a Japanese family where regularly eating natto was a thing.
Natto is a Japanese dish made from Bacillus subtilis-fermented soybeans. It's known to have magical health benefits but the smell is overwhelmingly powerful, and the nutty taste leaves little to be desired.
Many people not used to eating exotic foods can't stand the flavor and slimy, sticky texture–let alone the pungent aroma.
I swore as a child that would be the one food I would never eat again after having a bad experience.
And yet, here I am as an adult, eating it for breakfast 2-3 times a week after truly understanding the health benefits.
Natto–which is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals– helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels, reduces blood pressure, and can prevent heart disease. Some studies have suggested it can prevent certain cancers.
Once I trained myself to get used to flavor and smell, I actually crave it now.
It's definitely an acquired taste, but it's crazy to know that we are all capable of liking or appreciating something previously thought of as repulsive once we set our mind to it.
"Hiring managers of Reddit: What makes you immediately throw out a résumé?"
Not In It For The Long Run
"I once received an application from a man in his 60s."
"Solid CV, lots of experience."
"In his cover letter he wrote 'I'm applying because the Job Centre asked me to'."
"Please note that I intend to retire in 6 months time'."
"We had a good laugh, then sent him a very polite rejection letter and wished him a great retirement."-BeerPoweredNonsense
Season 1 Lol GIF by NBCGiphyMake Sure They Actually Get The Right Document...
"One time I had someone upload how to upload their resume from Dropbox instead of their resume."- rabidwhale
Always Proof Read!
"I'll usually still interview unless there is no relevant experience, but I've seen some atrocious resumes."
"I've seen people use crutch words like 'uh' in writing for a job description."
"I've also seen a sentence 4 lines long with zero punctuation."
"The same resume will have 'attention to detail' as a skill set."
"I've interviewed for one of those resumes, and the applicant said 'I dunno" to about 80% of my questions, and it turned out he didn't even know what job he applied for'."
"It's not that I'm overly picky, but if someone can't spend the 20 minutes or less that it takes to proof read their resume, are they going to put a lot of effort into their job?"
"Maybe, but it's hard to know."- ChristyM4ck
Read Book Club GIFMake Sure It's Legible
"The only time I have ever had to throw out a resume was because someone possibly had it in a bag with their lunch and the paper was soaking wet and dissolving as I tried to unfold it."
"It was just unacceptable to process."
"The application was left in a drop box so I don’t know if it was a prank or an actual applicant."- 416unknown
Unprofessional Email Address
"Back in 98 I asked a new group of hires at GIECO to write their email addresses on a list that was passed around."
"Remember email was kinda new back then.. "
"One young female employee's email address included 'mybaldc**tchie'."- catjugglinpimp
the messengers aol GIFNever Send Someone In Your Place
"It’s been a long time but I used to do hiring for a cinema."
"Staff were often young, for many it was a first job, making popcorn and selling tickets type of gig."
"I would not pursue anything where parents came in with a CV for their teenager or if parents were contacting me on behalf of their teen."
"Big red flag."
"Either their kid didn’t want he job in the first place or they’re incapable of taking initiative and it doesn’t bode well for how they’d be as an employee."- FigJamAndCitrus
"Having your parents submit your resume while you stand silently beside them."- krim2182
It's Pure, Dumb Luck!
"I remember a meme or maybe a tv skit from a while back."
"The hiring manager had a huge pile of resumes on his desk."
"Someone asked how he was going to sift through them all."
"He took 2/3rds of the pile, threw them in the trash, and remarked 'I don't hire unlucky people'."
"Lol."- SpecialSpite7115
Im Out Breaking News GIF by Homes.comGiphyAll About The Formatting
"This doesn’t matter 100% of the time but bad formatting."
"If it’s hard to read I probably won’t read it."- Far-Gain-3081
Depends On The Job
"If it's a professional position, significant spelling errors will make me pass on a resume."
"If it's a warehouse job or something, I'm less concerned."- staffsargent
Don't Treat It Like A Text Message!
"Former hiring manager here."
"I tossed MULTIPLE resumes that used text message abbreviations throughout the resume and cover letter and one that included emojis."
"While you can do pretty much anything from your phone, it doesn’t mean you should."- spectacularuhoh
text texting GIF by Fifth HarmonyGiphyChoose Your References Wisely
"Not me, but a friend who checks resumes/CVs had a belter."
"Candidate had a conviction and his reference was his friend 'Baz'."- LexiRae24
Make Sure You Have The Relevant Skills
"I know it’s pretty specific but If your looking for a scheduling job make sure you know how to use Excel and clearly state it on your resume."
"It will probably get thrown out otherwise."- LoyalPlanets
As stated before, no two hiring departments will have exactly the same prerequisites and red flags, so no matter how hard you work, your resume is never going to please everyone.
That being said, multiple misspellings and a cheeky e-mail address are a surefire guarantee of not pleasing anyone.