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People Share The Weirdest Thing They've Ever Seen Someone Fake For Attention

People Share The Weirdest Thing They've Ever Seen Someone Fake For Attention
Photo by Brad on Unsplash

It can be hard when people aren't looking at you, isn't it?


This is a frivolous statement, as any well-minded person understands attention is given to those who need or deserve it. If someone needs help or if someone does something worthy of our time then it's perfectly fine for that person to demand consideration, to demand the eyes of an audience.
Then there's these people who probably aren't used to not being the center of attention.

Reddit user, u/bel_kitty, wanted to know about the biggest awkward attention grabber you've seen when they asked:

What was the weirdest thing you've seen someone fake for attention?

Sometimes your own body is just a form of currency to pay with to try and grab some views. Doesn't matter how silly it is, you'll throw yourself in front of a bus so long as someone watches you.

Social Media Makes People Do Dumb Things

"That Instagram idiot that licked the public toilet then lied about getting Covid"

pewzapdie

Faking Sleep PTSD

"There was this one dude, Jake, hated it when the attention wasn't on him. This was roughly 12 years ago but once after a party ended he was deemed too drunk (he had a beer and 2 shots of sour pucker liquor) he stayed the night them pretended to sleep and that he was a soldier during nam and was running all over the place with his eyes closed. One of his buddies ended up tossing a bucket of water on Jake but that didn't wake him up. That same buddy tackled Jake before he ran outside to make a scene and that magically woke him up."

"Whenever there were get togethers he would saying he's gonna hurt himself when people weren't interacting with him. People stopped paying attention cause he would say it every single time and when he realized it he'd start throwing a tantrum that everyone hates him and that he has no friends so no one would care. I responded, "the police will care. Let me call them" he stopped that act real quick"

SingleWar5

It's A Strategy?

"As an American seeing those soccer (football) players just fall over and start screaming when another player brushed past is just weird. I've heard various explanations for it but it's just a really weird thing to do as a pro athlete."

bobsyouruncle1950

"As a British person who watches NHL and regularly sees players taking pucks to the face and being checked into the boards, I also wonder why football players do this!"

Retrosonic82

Kids might be the most attention grabby. Once they find that one method to make sure all their friends and the adults in their lives are gazing upon them with interest they'll definitely keep doing it.

We All Know You Don't Have This Condition, Ashley!

"One of my classmates got an asthma attack and everyone was flocking over to them to make sure they were okay."

"On the other side of the room another one of my classmates also got an asthma attack, even though it was common knowledge that she didn't have asthma (there were very few people in class that had asthma and we all knew just in case it was an emergency). They faked the hard breathing and exaggerated gasps."

"It was weird that someone would do something like that just so they would have attention."

AmeriRos

Best Excuses For Late Assignments That Were Actually True | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Don't. Tell. Anyone.

"A kid in elementary school faked a speech impediment so she'd keep getting out of class for speech therapy."

"Initially it was real, but speech therapy had totally cured it. She just didn't want anyone to know. One of the words she mispronounced was "yellow." She would say, "Lellow" instead."

"One day we were on the playground together and she said, "I'm gonna tell you a secret!" she leaned over and whispered in my ear, "YELLLLOWWWW," with a hard "Y" at the beginning. Then she laughed and said, "Don't tell anyone!"

"So I didn't, until just now."

NeedsMoreTuba

Pretending It's Something Serious

"Took care of a bunch of 7 year olds at my old job as a camp counselor and one of them thought it would be really funny to fake a concussion and say he has amnesia....safe to say my work called an ambulance and when they got there he didn't have a concussion and it turns out some kid told him if you hit your head hard enough you loose your memory."

"We didn't think he had amnesia but we were afraid of brain damage and the kid refused to stop joking around so they had to call 911. The kids dad wasn't pleased, tried to blame me and get it taken out of my paycheck but that's illegal and got stuck taking care of him for two more summers as my "punishment"

manicnitemaregxblin

Forming Fake Familial Connections

"When I was in middle school, a girl who was a senior at the high school died."

"This girl in my class said it was her cousin, she even broke down crying in class, shaking, hyperventilating..etc."

"Turns out it was not her cousin, in fact, she never even met or knew of her till she died."

Cannonfury

Then there's these people, who felt the need to try and snatch some eyes and turn some heads even when it's not appropriate, or socially acceptable, to do so.

Lying About A Tragedy

"Overheard a cousin of mine telling people that our uncle died in the 9/11 attacks. I punched her so hard because she was making a fool out of her entire family."

Caitini

Solid Decision If You Don't Want To Lose

"My grandmother faked a heart attack because she and my dad got into an argument at Thanksgiving."

"Grandfather was so embarrassed."

acorngirl

Incapable Of Letting Go

"Oh man, I could write a book about my dads ex wife"

"Once he decided he was going to move out this time for good, she started walking with a cane saying her back was so bad she couldn't work anymore and cried the whole time walking about with the cane while my dad and brother-in-law were moving his stuff out. Couple weeks later she shows up at my dads duplex without her cane exclaiming she read a book and now her back is better and she could go back to work!"

"And when my dad was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2016 (before they broke up for good), a few weeks later she kept saying she had Cancer in her ear, he was so worried about her. She went to the doctor and it turned out she just had ear wax build up. It was when he got sick and started seeing counsellors he finally realized how unusual her behaviour was."

JamieLLong

Can't Beat Biology

"A girl I knew pretended to be pregnant because her best friend was pregnant at the time. Then she got her period in class and pretended it was a miscarriage to not get caught."

patrickseastarslegs

When You Can Look It Up Online But Can't Say Anything

"One of our senators is the lunatic daughter of a late dictator"

"She never finished college, but keeps insisting that she graduated from Princeton, as well as one of the top law schools in our country. She doesn't show any paperwork, photos, degrees, diplomas, or records of any kind."

"She just insists it's true despite it being the easiest thing in the world to debunk (as it was, over and over through a simple email or phone call to the schools in question.)"

"Her bizarre, elaborate statements to dodge simple yes/no questions about her academic credentials have become somewhat of a meme."

AdvocateSaint

There's definitely something off if you're lying about which school you attended to try and stay in power. That's just one opinion, and perhaps these people should reconsider what they're doing with their lives if that's the path they're on.

Indigenous Americans Share Their Tribe's Best Ghost Stories And Legends

Reddit user A_KULT_KILLAH asked: 'Native Americans of Reddit, what are your or your tribes ghost stories, legends, or supernatural occurrences?'

Sasquatch
Jon Sailer on Unsplash

People the world over develop their own specific folklore, heavily influenced by the natural world around them and their own culture.

The North American continent was no different.

Reddit user A_KULT_KILLAH wanted to know about the myths and legends of the Indigenous peoples of North America.

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Every now and again, when talking to a friend or family member, a rather shocking piece of information might casually slip out.

Information one imagines they wanted to keep secret for as long as they possibly could.

In some cases, it's something embarrassing, that everyone will be able to laugh about with the passage of time.

In other cases, however, it's information that stuns us silent.

Learning something we wish we hadn't.

Redditor DarthAbhinav11 was curious to hear the most disturbing information people have ever been casually told or overheard, leading them to ask:

"What is the most disturbing thing you've heard said casually?"

An Acquired Taste

"I work in a deli and some lady asked me to cut her ham extremely thin to the point of seeing through it."

"I heard her justify it as 'so you can get rid of the ham taste'."

"I still think about this one."- Alternative_Net8931

Utterly Horrid

"When I was walking to my front door."

"My neighbor had their window open and was scolding their 3 year old adopted child."

"She was howling crying."

"'Do you want mommy to send you back?'"- BoredBSEE

It Arrives Sooner Than You Think...

At Macy's, two teen girls: 'Women over 30 have the ugliest elbows'."

"'OMG. I know'."

"'Very disturbing'."

"'I always ask my mom to wear long sleeves when we go out to eat'."- CapitalPhilosophy513

Never Too Late

"I when younger I worked at a pool and had to lifeguard senior aerobics classes."

"Most participants where 65+."

“'Where’s so and so'.”

“'Oh he won’t be here, his wife was put into hospice'.”

“'Well I feel bad for him, but we do need some more single men around here'."

"'He’s not bad looking, has a retirement too'.”- CuriousOne9320

Round And Round It Goes...

"'If the Earth is spinning, then why my front door is always facing east?'"- SuvenPan

"Something I once heard a passing stranger say for which I have no context: 'He wears a scarf around his neck so you can't see where he's decaying'."

"I've been curious for years and it annoys me that I'll never know."- xyanon36

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

"An ex after I ended things 'I don’t understand, if I want to be in a relationship with you but you don’t want to be in a relationship with me why do you get to win?'"- TinyFurryHorseBeak

Not His Decision To Make

"Was at an end of season event for my kid's baseball team when he was little."

"The coaches brought Italian ice for everyone."

"Mom has just served her kids and husband and comes back with her own."

"As she's sitting down to eat, I hear her husband loud whisper behind her something like 'absolutely not'."

"'You don't need any more calories'."

"I just watched her face fall."

"I can't imagine what their marriage must look like behind closed doors and what life must be like for her."

"Heartbreaking."

"Note that this woman was already probably a size 2 at most so this was not a scenario where there were serious weight-related health problems."

"This guy was just a jerk and this really wasn't the first time that season, but his reminders that they aren't living up to his standards were usually aimed at his kids on the field."

"I try to assume the best of people but that guy sucked."- littleirishpixie

The Truth Hurts

"I was in an accident once and was hospitalized."

"The accident left me severely disfigured."

"I was out of my mind on pain meds when I arrived at the hospital and told my family to call my girlfriend and let her know what happened and where I was."

"My mom called my girlfriend and my sister not knowing the particulars of my life called my ex."

"Neither knew the other had called and both ended up showing up."

"They arrived within an hour of one another while I was asleep."

"Since someone was there with me it gave my family a chance to go home and take a break."

"So I woke up to my ex and my girlfriend talking to one another."

"Obviously my girlfriend was mad my ex was there and things got heated between the two."

"My ex being level headed suggested they step into the hall since I was half awake and in no condition to deal with the drama."

"As they're arguing in the hall voices are being raised until finally a nurse comes to reign the situation in."

"The nurse breaking them up made my girlfriend leave."

"As she was leaving she yelled 'you can have his a**'."

"'It's not like I wanna be with some burnt up scarred dude anyway'."

"'He's f*cked'."

"At this point I was still bed ridden and hadn't seen a mirror."

"I was aware my body was f*cked but had no idea what I actually looked like."

"Hearing that was such a gut punch and it really messed with my head at the time."- Burnvictim49percent

Where To Even Begin?

"I am a tutor."

"I heard some of my students say ;What's the point in learning history? We should live in the present'."

"We are German."- GentlemanPirate13

Most of the time, when a friend or family member warns us or apologizes for sharing "too much information" or "TMI", what we've heard isn't that shocking in the grand scheme of things.

Indeed, as evidenced by the sad and shocking stories above, when people really share TMI, they often have no idea they're doing so.


A hand adds a yellow post it to a wall of yellow post its
Photo by Kelly Sikkema

There are rules in life where people are expected to just know how to operate without being told.

For instance, if someone falls down... help them.

When you like a sweater in a store... get money to buy it.

Just leaving with it won't go over well.

And there are more rules, or guidelines to adhere to...

Redditor christygl7 wanted to hear about what is expected in people's homes without words, so they asked:

"What's an unwritten rule in your household?"

If you have to pee... lift the seat cover.

The people in Port Authority always miss that one.

Routine

Cleaning Chores GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy

"Either my wife or I can do any chore when noticed. We thank each other for routine chores as we appreciate each other."

cwsjr2323

"That’s how my fiancée and I handle chores. Whoever’s around when the core needs to be done does the chore, typically. I find she does more regular cleaning of the whole apartment while I do more dishes and cooking."

radtech91

Trashed

"Replacing the trash bag IS PART OF taking out the trash."

UndiagnosedReptard

"Similar to this, in my house, the rule is if the toilet paper ended on your turn (or there’s barely enough for the next person) then it is your job to procure the next roll and put it in the bathroom. It is NOT acceptable to let it run out for the next person."

wavesnfreckles

"We have extra stored in every bathroom. I make sure of it. However, if it runs low/out on the roll, my wife will 100% of the time take the new roll and set it on top of the empty tube on the spindle, refusing to replace it. I actually called her over and shamed her into changing it in front of me the other night (not in an abusive way - we were both laughing about it)."

on_the_nightshift

Finder's Keepers

"If you find money in the laundry while you are doing the laundry, it's yours."

Rich1926

"Yep. My boyfriend learned that lesson the hard way when we first started living together. He had a bad habit of just crumpling up bills in a big wad in his pocket, usually just ones, but sometimes he accidentally leaves a twenty in there. I tipped myself the twenty. It took him a couple of days of trying to figure out where it went before I took pity on him and told him."

"He now both turns out his pockets and washes his own clothes. I still find the occasional single dollar in the dryer."

Head_Razzmatazz7174

Dropped something?

"If food is dropped on the floor it becomes the property of the dog. The dog knew this rule before we did."

Altruistic-Bit-9766

"That was one of the hardest things after our family dog died. Dropped something? Who cares! Riley will get it. But then he didn’t."

"Also, I don’t live at home anymore but coming home to him barking and crying out of excitement and greeting me always made my day and I looked forward to it every time I opened the door and could hear him wiggling in excitement on the side hahaha. It’s a little less exciting coming home now."

ohno807

Obligations...

Water Stay GIF by Kinda FunnyGiphy

"If the water you take from the Brita pitcher leaves what’s left below a certain line, you are obligated to refill the pitcher on penalty of death."

halcyon3608

If you stay in my home and don't refill the Brita pitcher...

I'm setting your hair on fire at 3 AM!!!

Flushed

Go Away Pink GIF by HacklockGiphy

"Check the toilet after you flush."

NANNYNEGLEY

"This. My brother-in-law never does this. It's annoying and disgusting! You don't want to clean up after yourself because you think it's gross? How do you think it makes me feel to clean up after you?"

purplestarsinthesky

WAKE UP!

"Wake someone up if their alarm goes off. It's a pretty weird one but setting up alarms is a conscious and deliberate decision for all of us and you want to wake up when it goes off, so we just help each other out."

DonMartiniMacaroni

"I'll do this a few times, but my roommate needs to learn not to hit snooze because he's taught his body that alarms don't need to be woken up to. I don't wake him up anymore. He started waking up to them."

stumblinbear

"I’ll wake them up because it annoys me when people snooze especially if I’m next to them in the bed and I don’t have to get up."

chill90ies

No Exceptions!

"Shoes off at the door. No exceptions."

Next-Dark-4975"

"Shoes-on people must not be using the same public bathrooms that I do. 100% of them have a lake of dirty urine in front of the urinal. They must also be amazing at finding two urine-free spots that are shoe-sized on the shores of said lake. It’s fine if they want to bring that into their homes. It’s not allowed in mine, though."

Bmadray

Table Manners

"No tech at the table."

"Even with a teenage daughter this has proved eerily easy; we all love food though!!"

"Also murder is out of the question, it is non-negotiable. If any of us kills another then they are outlawed in the true sense."

"Other than this, we are pretty cool."

Dante2005

Woof

Well Done Applause GIF by MOODMANGiphy

"Let the dog out to go potty before you use the restroom. (Seriously, the dog is asking to go out and you think she can wait while you take a 30-minute poop first? Not cool.)"

InfiniteBackspace

Always let the dogs go first.

If you wait, you won't like the surprise they leave!

person using laptop computer to make a credit card purchase
rupixen.com on Unsplash

Sometimes we look at a product and think "who would buy that, and why?"

For me the "Flowbee" home haircutting tool comes to mind. If you're unfamiliar, it's a shaver you attached to your vacuum cleaner so you hair was pulled past cutting blades.

It was sold on late night infomercials in the 1990s.

Who wouldn't want to style their hair like this?

Flowbee infomercial GIFGiphy

As fabulous as that looks, results did vary with most veering toward "yikes!" yet by 2000 the company reported 2 million were sold.

And *surprise* you can still buy one—for about $150.

It seems no matter how bad a product is, someone will buy it.

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