Life changes in an instant. Every second can be a new discovery and a change of course. So one can only imagine the impact on a person's life when they are released from incarceration and they notice the life and the world has moved with warped speed without them.
Redditor u/EddiesThings101 wanted to hear about life for some on the outside by asking.... People sentenced in the 80s-2000s what modern world change shocked you the most?
A What Phone?
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I remember helping a guy who went in, in 2005. Got released 2014. Had a black and green audiovox phone in his effects and asked where he could activate it. I had to explain that it wouldn't be happening lol
Like 3 months later, "y'know, I like the iPhone but I'm gonna wait for the release of the newest one."
Adapted pretty quick. lazarus870
Smoosh....
No matter what year you go in when you come out and stand on carpet for the first time is the most disturbing feeling. stuckondense
My Uncle was in prison for 20 years and the first thing he said when he got to his mom's house was, "whoa, I haven't felt carpet in years! It's so soft!" And then proceeded to walk around barefoot for about 10 minutes just smooshing the carpet with his feet. elarkay
Otis.
There was that documentary of someone who was sentenced in the 70s, Otis I think, and he just couldn't believe the stuff he was seeing, since he lived in New York, with all the screens it was just a different city then all the different colored drinks and people wearing ear phones like they were in the secret service. It's an interesting thing to watch. waawaaaa
Hungry Howies.
I hired a guy that was released after 17 years (circa 2005). A week after he started working he bought a phone. He had a child like wonder with push to talk and texting. A week later he was pissed off that he couldn't text his order in to Hungry Howies. if_I_absolutely_must
Action!
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Knew a guy who was blown away by digital cameras. He had purchased an old, terrible one and couldn't get over how amazing it was. litttup1
So Much Chatter.
A co worker a few years ago had spent 10 years in jail. He got out right when blue tooth headsets for phones were huge. He'd talk about all the random conversations he thought people were trying to have with him, and smart phones freaked him the hell out. bigmac22077
So Many Cars....
Prisoner transfer I did one time for this man who was sentenced to life in 1968, and it's the first time he'd driven past the CN tower in Toronto and he couldn't believe how tall it was. That and he was blown away by how many different car brands there were. MissMyCrownVic
In the recent past pretty much everything below Front was Parking, rail, industrial. Now the parking and industry are leaving and condos, and towers take the place. green_bin_coon
Current Functions.
Got a call from a woman filing a claim on some abandoned funds... I got all her information and then asked for an email address and she said "What's email? I keep hearing about it, but you gotta understand I've been in prison a looooong time." Scottolan
I'm honestly surprised there aren't mandatory classes in prison that help keep people up to date on current events and technologies. It would go a long way to help ex cons function normally in society once they get out, and isn't that the whole goal of the prison system? Infinite_Jets
No Smoking.
I remember getting the bus years ago and this old bloke got on heading away from town centre towards the more residential areas.
Without a second thought he sparked up a cigar, one of the passengers told him you can't smoke on a bus! He apologized and quickly stubbed it out but said he got discharged from prison that day, and when he went in you could smoke anywhere you wanted so this was a massive culture shock to him. RooR_
Ahhhh Memories....
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My cousin's husband (that she married while he was serving 10 years beginning around 2008) wanted the first thing he did as a free man was to go to Hollywood Video, and rent movies to watch with her. Then she blew his mind with Netflix. At least the idea of Netflix and chill wasn't far from his original plan, but he was shocked about there not being video stores anymore. baxtermcsnuggle
Old Friends....
My friend's older brother was jailed in 1994, and served 15 years.
He said when he went in, anyone with an in car phone was super rich, and to then see absolutely everyone have a completely cordless, pocket-sized phone, was amazing.
He also said that all the TV adverts had websites to visit, or were for completely online stores, which were a bit of an alien concept, as he'd never really seen or used the internet.
He also found the chip and pin process of paying for things on a bank card, extremely exciting.
EDIT: I'm unfortunately not in touch with the friend anymore after an incident with the haddock and the umbrella, so I can't get any further answers to your questions about his brother. Last I heard was around 2012, and he seemed to be doing OK, and had a job and a place to live. rocknrollnobody
CD's Out!
Not me, but my father. I remember him trying to flip a CD upside down and put it back into the CD player like you would do with a record because it was skipping. Didn't notice how much of a big deal that must have been to him at the time. Adjusting to life on the outside can be really tough. NightxShade
Oh the Fanny....
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My uncle went away when fanny packs were in and when he got out in the mid 2000s we had to break the news to him. chinslapped
Google It....
I knew a guy who was in prison from about 1999 or 2000 for about 12-13 years. When he got out he did a few odd jobs for my family (my mum was friends with his parents and was helping him earn money for stuff like mowing the lawn and cleaning etc).
While he was over we found that he had no idea how to use Google, how to find a phone number in his phone contacts and barely knew how to send a text message. We helped him out with a few of those skills... but lost touch a while later... I'm not sure where he is these days. RQCKQN
Stuck in the Net....
Not me personally, but we had an older guy rent out a room in our house a few years back. Usually we rented it out to students but someone let us know that he had just moved to our city and needed something temporary until he found permanent accommodation.
It was a bit frustrating because this guy would not use the internet to search for a car or place to live.
Didn't know how it worked and didn't trust it. We tried to help him learn how because we thought he was just old and stubbornly resisted technology but nope. Turns out that he had spent 11.5 years in maximum security prison after being framed (by WA police!) for murder in the mid 90s. Came out with trust issues and a dislike for the 'new' internet.
Edit: Western Australian not Washington Police. And here's his Wikipedia page for those interested in his case. LarkieShark
Blindsided....
My friend got out of jail recently and was blown away by how many LEDs are everywhere and how many stores are using insane amounts of LED billboards. We were all at a buddy's house and he was blinded by all the bright LED light in the house. Biffmcgee
Attention Span...
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I was talking to a lady who runs the education for a federal prison in Florida. She said when they start getting rambunctious or off topic, she mentions a new feature of the newest iPhone and all the sudden they're very interested in what she has to say again. sharkkkk
Everything!
I asked a friend what the hardest thing was for him re adjusting to being free again, this is a roundabout of what he said. "Closing doors. I'd leave the fridge open every time without fail for months, you're not allowed to open or shut anything for yourself and I'd I'd accidentally let the pets outside by forgetting I needed to close the front door someone else had opened in front of me, you forget the last one in rule etc, and have to learn it all again." "What was the thing you found you liked the most?" "Candy crush!!" gets phone back out and starts playing, 5 mins later exclaim they've leveled up excitedly, so sweet. ArtyMostFoul
Better Hearing....
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Communication. It used to be only the rich had phones, now even kids have phones! Intertops
Hello WaWa....
Not my personal experience but a man I worked with after he was released from prison after being sentenced as a young adult was blown away by the touchscreen ordering at Wawa and could not fathom why the employees could not take an oral order from him. grunchk1n
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.