
Professionals Reveal What Their Jobs Have Desensitized Them To
[rebelmouse-image 18358983 is_animated_gif=But it's not always the same thing. There are so many professions in the world that the possibilities are truly endless. And entertaining!
An unknown Reddit user asked the users:
Here's what the workforce had to say.
No Sob Stories
[rebelmouse-image 18358984 is_animated_gif=People complaining, just to complain so they see what they can get for free. Customer service is bullsh-t.
The Opposite Of Symphony
[rebelmouse-image 18358985 is_animated_gif=I was a manager at a music instrument store for a few years. As a result, I have learned to completely tune out the cacophony of 20 different musicians all playing different instruments in different keys / tempos / times simultaneously.
Drunk Or Desensitized
[rebelmouse-image 18358986 is_animated_gif=People drinking, or just having alcohol on their desks.
The Truth
[rebelmouse-image 18358987 is_animated_gif=Being understaffed. It used to stress me out when I couldn't get everything done, now I'm just like "If management cared what the yogurt section looks like, they'd hire more people."
Just Go, Ma'am
[rebelmouse-image 18358989 is_animated_gif=Customers threatening to leave. We have too many issues with too little people. If you're unhappy with the service, please look elsewhere. Were trying out best.
We're Not Five
[rebelmouse-image 18358990 is_animated_gif=Being on my phone at work. I used to be terrified that I would be caught by my boss but after a while I realized that everyone does it and as long as you still get all of your work done, no one cares.
Green
[rebelmouse-image 18358991 is_animated_gif=I work at a Credit Union. Incredibly large amounts of money that I will never dream to have in my lifetime get handled by me every single day and I don't even think about it anymore. It's crazy how desensitized you get to large amounts of money when you see it all day long.
I Can't Care
[rebelmouse-image 18354705 is_animated_gif=Compassion.
Everyone I work with has a textbook case of Compassion Fatigue.
I work in a homeless shelter, and it is nothing like what you think it will be. I have to deal with people threatening me almost daily. People yelling in my face and swearing at me is so common I barely take note of it anymore.
Like every shelter, the shelter I work in has limited space (except in the winter when we'll take everybody we can off the street), so nightly I'm having to turn people away. People break rules that get them kicked out, rules they were specifically warned of when booked into the shelter, and we're uncaring a**holes because we're not giving them a fourth chance.
I'll break the rules to help people, doing stuff I've been specifically told not to, but the second I have to say "no" I'm an uncaring a**hole who's only in it for the money. I once found a shopping cart on top of my car because I wouldn't let someone assault another person. This is not the only time my car has been vandalised due to my job.
I've had people pull a knife on me for such stupid sh-t as not letting them use the vending machine at 2 am because it's in a room with 50 sleeping people.
I've had to wrestle a suicidal man out of a window and hold him down until the police arrived, only for him to show up 6 hours later to scream in my face because the police only took him to the drunk tank.
I've finally gotten through to someone, and they were on the path to improving just because for the first time in ages someone gave a shit about them, and then they died the next month and I never found out why. This was not one of the people that died inside the shelter. There's been a few of those. If you work here long enough, it's not a question of "if" but of "when" you'll find a dead body.
It's not even uncommon for me to be bagging people's stuff when they don't come back, and to find used needles, uncapped, hidden under clothes.
I work with some of the most manipulative people I've ever met, and after working there for years, it's just so hard to care about anything anymore. I hate my job for what it's doing to me mentally. I used to have more empathy, but it feels like it's being drained more and more each year.
Ya Nasty
[rebelmouse-image 18348908 is_animated_gif=Just gross sh-t. I used to work in an IT department for a Healthcare company whose office was in a super rundown part of south Seattle. My window was on a main street next to a power box where a few homeless people would camp. You can't see in from outside. I would routinely see guys pee and sh-t less than a couple feet from my face. Shoot up drugs. You name it. One time we had a guy high on who knows swinging a pan furiously at something that wasnt there.
It's Just My Job
[rebelmouse-image 18358992 is_animated_gif=The pizza dough spin thing you see in movies and tv. I do it everyday for my job like it's nothing. People still come in and are amazed we actually do that and sometimes I have to step back and think "yeah, that's pretty cool"
So Sad, So True
[rebelmouse-image 18348614 is_animated_gif=Sadly enough......overdoses. They are having Narcan parties here in my area. One person is in charge of administering the Narcan if one of the people at the party overdoses. We roll up and get a report from the druggie like we were in a hospital" They are in the bath tub, we put some ice in the tub too....2 rounds of Narcan and they still aren't breathing" they don't even try to deny it any more. Zero f*s given.
There's Nothing That Shocks Me
[rebelmouse-image 18358993 is_animated_gif=Stupidity. I am genuinely just not shocked anymore. I work IT.
"No, you can't plug an extension cord into itself and expect to get infinite power."
"Yes, you have to pay for the equipment that you signed paperwork agreeing to be responsible for and then allowed your child to break it."
"You downloaded porn onto a company computer, while on the company network... yes I'm informing your supervisor, and i would expect a notice of termination pretty soon if I were you."
"The servers are down for regular scheduled maintenance. What do you mean we didn't send out an email warning about that? We emails regarding this on lists multiple seperate dates in the past month, including 3 warnings specifying what hour the maintenance would begin from today alone."
Wasteful
[rebelmouse-image 18358994 is_animated_gif=I worked in electronics recycling for nearly a decade. The first time I saw a brand new console come through, I was shocked. By the end of my employment, I wouldn't even flinch at a bulk-box full of PS4s.
No More Emotions
[rebelmouse-image 18358995 is_animated_gif=-sshole clients and "big problems". Nothing phases me anymore. Clients freak out and I'm just like "no problem , we'll get it all fixed up.,, we always figure it out." Because it's true. We're not saving lives, the shit we do isn't that critical in the big scheme of things.. so I really cannot even try to care when I'm getting yelled at on the phone or hear someone throw a fit. I'm just not phased anymore... and at one point years ago I would run off and cry, and I can hardly control laughing in their face.
Be The Change
[rebelmouse-image 18358996 is_animated_gif=People. I work retail management. Honestly, even if you're a genuine and pleasant specimen of humanity, it doesn't really register. Someone at some point is going to take a flaming dump all over my day for something I have no control over and was completely uninvolved in. Or someone already did.
That said, please keep being nice to service/retail workers. Be the change you want to see in the world.
Just Let Me Be Lazy
[rebelmouse-image 18358997 is_animated_gif=I used to work in a food factory. I got desensitized from trying to be efficient.
i thought up 1001 ways to do a job quicker/with less waste but there were no promotions based on merit, only hours worked. so if i figured out how to do a job 25% faster i would figure it out just to see if i could do it and then promptly never use that technique again because it would start seriously cutting into my overtime. another time i came up with a modification to a table that would save them thousands of dollars in product waste, i told the plant manager when he was wandering around on the floor, a month later my modification was installed without so much as a "thank you begaterpillar". that was when i was like wellll f-ck you too and did my job just fast enough to not get fired. i worked it out once and it was something like i only had to improve ~0.003% an hour to keep up with my projected pay raises. if i got raises for good ideas i had and they implemented i would have been all over that but nope, no room in the bureaucracy.
Good For Fireworks
[rebelmouse-image 18358999 is_animated_gif=Loud sudden noises and not reacting to them. being in a restaurant as a busser and waiter, you cant be jumpy, if you do youre gonna drop your tray. The other day a busser dropped a plate and it made a huge crash, everyone snaps their neck around and i just slowly turn my head and shrug my shoulders. that reaction in me is officially broken.
Unsure About Who's Telling The Truth
[rebelmouse-image 18352688 is_animated_gif=Dead grandparents. I'm a college professor and around due dates they seems to drop like flies. I am hoping some life insurance actuary will pay me for my skills.
So Gross
[rebelmouse-image 18359000 is_animated_gif=As a casino dealer, I've been desensitized to name calling, public drunkenness and public urination/defecation.
Ay
[rebelmouse-image 18359001 is_animated_gif=I work in juvenile probation. I see so much evil from people that very few things surprise me. When I hear my friends talk about their "problem chid" I almost laugh because their issues are so tame in comparison to what I see daily.
Sometimes you only need to experience something once, to know it's a never again situation.
I always say, try everything once.
Well, now that I'm older, a caveat to that is... try it all within reason.
How many things have we all walked away from saying the one time experience will suffice?
In fact, knowing when to say no is one of life's wisest choices.
Redditor Croakied wanted to discuss the times we've all said... "once was enough!" They asked:
"What is one thing that you will NEVER do again?"
Love. Did it. A few times. Moving on.
Stay Still
"Jump off a moving train."
DenseDriver6477
"My dad used to jump on a train when he was little to go to school. He broke his nose like twice doing it. He also would not recommend."
Darphon
“vaportini”
"Smoke alcohol. Me and my friends bought something called a 'vaportini' in college where you could pour alcohol into a bulb and after low heat separated the alcohol from the liquid, you could inhale it thru the glass straw you inserted into the bulb. Basically you got drunk directly into your bloodstream/brain and it never hit your stomach."
"If you did too much, your body wouldn’t make you vomit or something, there wouldn’t be a simple self regulation/safety measure. You’d just get alcohol poisoning. Felt very dangerous, the drunk wasn’t a regular drunk feeling. We used it once and were like okay, never again. I’d be surprised if you could still buy it, although it would be incredibly easy to replicate at home."
michelangelho
It’s heartbreaking...
"Fall in love with a drug addict."
Rains_Lee
"Good call, don’t do it. The drugs will always come first. Can’t go out unless their 'ok' with how much drugs they have and money left over if any, cant make love unless they have their fix for the night and even still it never feels normal, can’t trust them after the lies to get drugs and the manipulation they put you through, and you can’t change them no matter how much you try and wish they would. It’s heartbreaking."
Cvilla411
More me time...
"Give up my life for work. F**k going the extra mile for a place that doesn't value you and pays you crap even though you go the extra mile for them. You have 1 life with only so much precious time to enjoy it and slaving away at some job is not worth it. Do what you can to reduce your workload and find better employment, or hell try to change the working conditions at your current job to improve things for everyone if you can."
Mrhappytrigers
Well Obvi...
"Donate a kidney."
ToffieMonster
"Well, you could donate the remaining one. You just won’t be around to say anything about it."
shavemejesus
This is definitely list I can relate to. No thank you on a lot of this!
I Quit
"Smoke cigarettes, it's been two years since I quit."
SuvenPan
Forget It
"Climb mount Kilimanjaro. Toughest thing I've done and it's not worth it. I'm all about tough treks and camping but to put yourself under tough conditions and suspectable to altitude sickness only to get to the top for 10 minutes for a picture. No thank you."
Monks_
"I agree, it was memorable. Once was enough for my husband and I. Thankfully we stayed at American style hotel run by the US Navy with a hot tub and bar. Alcohol was definitely needed after all that."
Whatsherface112
I'm living alone!
"Sign a lease with a stranger without hanging out with them a few times beforehand. My past roommate experiences in college were terrible. Roommates either ignored me, hosted parties til 3 AM on weeknights, made the house the hangout and drug-den for them and their buddies. Meet up once and they'll put on an act for you. If you can, try to see how they act drunk or frustrated."
"Try to hang out with their buddies too so you can see the type of people who could be coming into your future place of residence. As soon as I can afford it, I'm living alone! Now, I investigate a potential roommate's social media and hang out at least twice before signing a lease with them."
fleursdefer
Stay Away
"Take back a cheater. Know your worth my brothers and sisters."
santichrist
"Ughhhhh going back and forth on this one. My boyfriend of 5 years has cheated on me. Several times, actually but says he’s really changed and is ready to settle down and wants me to move in with him. I’m on the fence. So they never change???"
madlecroy
Sleeptime
"Take a laxative and sleeping pill at the same time."
karmaredemption
Once, twice, three times... I'm out. Bye.
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People Imagine How They'd React If Their Significant Other Wanted To Sleep With Other People
There is an age old question that has been getting more traction surrounding sex for partners the last decade or so.
And that is... "is just one enough?"
Were we really meant to only be with one person forever?
There are so many flavors to taste.
What if your partner wants more cookie dough with your strawberry?
Redditor Pineapple-Status wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on opening the bedroom to others. They asked:
"What would you do if your long term SO suddenly wants to have sex with other people?"
I say I'd be ok with it, but I'm remembering my last relationship and I feel like I'm not a "put my $ where my mouth is type" on this issue.
Bye
"Wish her well and spend the next 2 years getting myself back to a place where I am ready to get hurt again."
wickedblight
It's Time to Roll On...
"Personally I would leave them."
"I think they're the ones leaving you. I don't think the relationship changes at that point; I think it ends. If you have a monogamous relationship, they are telling you they want to end that. They might be suggesting starting a new, non-monogamous relationship, but that is a separate thing. The original relationship is over."
octopoddle
ethical non-monogamy...
"OP, it's no different than anything else they want: you either agree and stay together, disagree but stay together, disagree and break up, or even agree and break up. What you're talking about is called 'ethical non-monogamy.'" The seminal book to read is called The Ethical Sl*t."
"It basically boils down to be whatever you want, just don't lie about it. The tricky thing is that this is something that was not present before, but is present now. So it's a potential fork in your road. If you're against it, it's up to your SO to decide if sex with other people is more important to them than a life with you."
Tokugawa
a different story...
"I think it depends too how intently they're interested. If it's a thing they bring up because they're curious but it's not a dealbreaker for them, I'm fine with that even if I don't want to proceed. A solid relationship involves open communication, and it'd make me happy if my partner trusted us and our bond enough to voice that curiosity with me."
"If it's something their heart's absolutely set on, then it's a different story. Either way, it's kind of strange to me how these posts always assume simply asking your partner how they feel about opening the relationship means they're now wholey invested in the poly lifestyle and they'll resent you or cheat if you say no."
donkeynique
Others
"Happy that we have common interest, sad that it's different 'other people."
i_lick_icicles
Sex is always an issue. Remember when it was just fun?
Mine
"Leave her. I’m far too possessive and jealous to be able to mentally accept polyamory. If she has a desire to be with other people I’m not going to stand in her way but I’m not going to be there when she gets home either."
Thiek
Not Me...
"Break up. My parents were poly and it's just not for me. I've been honest with every relationship I've been in that I'm not interested in any type of open relationship. If they want to be with someone else that's fine but we'll be over. My husband is aware of this and on board (and has been for over twenty years!). So if he came to me with this yes I would be heartbroken but I'm not willing to budge on this and it would be the end of our relationship."
GoldDustWitchQueen
Let's Talk
"Counseling time! We're married. I'm chronically ill (stage 4 breast cancer) and have no libido. We try to make intimacy work, and obviously in that case it wouldn't be working. So. Time for a pro to sort out the marriage, and possibly a sex therapist for me."
insertcaffeine
Awkward Positions
"I’ll put myself hypothetically in this position. My partner and I only want each other. We’ve made this abundantly clear to each other. However, if she came to me with desire to open our bedroom and she wanted to sleep with people outside our marriage."
"I would simply express how I vehemently do not an open bedroom and that it would kill any desire I have to want her, be with her, love her, etc. Our couple dynamic has been working well through our ups and downs. Involving some stranger in the ONE thing I find most sacred with my partner is the best way for me to lose any interest or passion for the relationship."
RedFlaim
Farewell
"Break it off, because they definitely already have someone in mind and you telling them no won't change the fact that they were only one step away from following through with it."
Caressticles
Well it feels like a lot of people still believe in one partner, happily ever after. Good for y'all. But big props to these couples who have open and honest conversations about their wants and needs.
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Many of us sometimes fantasize about what we would do to our worst enemies, especially in the moments when they're actively making our lives worse.
While most of us would never actually do any of the things that we contemplate instead of screaming at that super annoying person at the office, we do get pretty creative with the ideas.
Redditor take_me_there_ asked:
"What WOULD you wish on your worst enemy?"
This One Would Hurt
"A conscience. Let her realize the horrific things she’s done."
- Jenny010137
"Seriously. Introspection, self awareness, and empathy are traits that would improve a lot of sh*tty people."
- el_muerte17
"Oh I wish I had thought of this one. If my enemy had a conscience, wow life would be much different."
- Shelbysouth43
No Pearly Whites For You
"I’d like all their teeth to turn really yellow and stay yellow no matter what they do."
- toothfixingfiend
"What did I ever do to you?"
- Spideredd
"I don't even know you! Give me back my enamel!"
- AngryMustache9
Everything You Own Is Orange Now
"Permanent Cheeto fingers. Just orange cheese dust getting on everything."
- cocoapuff1721
"This has to be one of the most evil things I ever heard, yet absolutely hilarious."
-Merk0411
"The Midas Touch: Snack Edition"
- MaryVenetia
Ouch, But Forever
"Stubbing and breaking their toe and right as it’s about to be done healing it happens again over and over for the rest of their pitiful time on this hell we call earth."
- No-Bee-2971
"Sisyphoot"
- Alpha_6
"More of a Toemetheus imo"
- PykeTheDrowned
Self Reflection
"For them to realize how big of an a-hole they are."
- mayhemanaged
"Same for me. The trouble is mine probably knows what a tremendous a-hole he is, and just doesn't care (it's what defines him, is his outlook more than likely), so, give mine a conscience as well, he undeniably lacks one."
- RhoadsOfRock
"a crushing moment of self realization is something that can destroy you mentally. I wish that on them."
- chancetodream
Bury Them Under A Mountain Of Minor Inconveniences
"Always being hungry two hours after eating no matter how large the meal. Slow internet. Traffic jams no matter the location. Self doubt. Allergies. Favorite shows spoiled."
"Nothing major enough to be life altering but constant, low grade inconveniences that wear on your soul every day."
- I_Love_Small_Br**sts
"Every bite of food they eat/drink they drink being slightly the wrong temperature."
"Coffee? Warm but not hot. Cola? Cool, but not cold. Muffin? Ever so slightly frozen."
"Not enough to ruin their life, but just enough to not quite have full enjoyment of anything.."
- HappiHappiHappi
They'll Never Be Able To Use Their Computer Again
"Quick scan with McAfee on their computer."
- halflife_3
"You f**king monster."
- Orion_2kTC
"The constant pop-ups from McAfee is too far."
- _Land_Rover_Series_3
That's A New Level Of Evil
"Bed bugs."
- thrawn1825
"Currently dealing with bed bugs, and I can absolutely confirm this is the kind of thing I would wish upon my worst enemy. It is miserable and painful, and I've tried everything to get rid of them at this point."
"I would easily wish this upon my worst enemy, x10."
- ArbitrarilyStagnant
"Oh hell no, you went there... Hopefully they aren't living in an apartment complex or you've cursed everyone in the building."
- expect_less
Well of course I know him. He’s me.
"$100,000. I sure could use it."
- Sparklesperson
"'It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy'"
- FishyVonFishenHymer
"Lol I thought this was that deep sh*t like 'pray for those you resent to have all the things you want in life….' Then I realized."
- No-Chipmunk9527
Forever Constipated
"That they can never have a satisfying poop. They always feel like they have to go to the bathroom and when they do nothing comes."
- [User Deleted]
"Wow. That's evil. Always feeling the need to pee would be good (as in horrific) too."
- ipakookapi
We definitely don't recommend implementing any of these plans (not that most would actually be possible), but here's some new ideas for the next time you're stuck in a meeting with your most annoying coworker and need a little fantastical escape.
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I grew up poor, and I remember the little things that made me smile when we just happened to have enough that week.
The little things that a truly rich person would not think twice about.
Ah, the luxury of it.
What spells luxury for you?
Redditor ConAir161057 wanted to compare notes about the things in life that feel like items only money can buy. They asked:
"For people who grew up with little money, what always felt like a luxury?"
New clothes. I had so many hand me downs and thrift store clothes... new seemed like a dream.
Anxiety
"After growing up in a home where every unexpected problem was a financial emergency, my idea of wealthy became 'I just want enough money that if something breaks I don't get anxiety about how to deal with it.'"
Obiwan_ca_bl**me
Literature
"Getting to buy something from the scholastic book fair."
Rich*itch3232
"My school, at the end of it a bunch of books were 'donated' and then spread out on a table in the library. We all got to go pick one book. So even if kids didn’t get to purchase a book, in the end they had a chance to still get a book. It’s actually how I got my first Harry Potter book. Was a cool idea for any school staff or parents active in their kids’ schools."
glass_pillow
Christmas
"Getting new clothes at Christmas from relatives. I don't know if that is exactly a luxury or the kind of answer you are looking for, but we never had a lot of money when I was in middle school. I went an entire year wearing the same pants everyday. The funny thing was my parents didn't even buy them for me."
"I got them for Christmas from my Grandparents. All the kids use to give me so much sh*t for wearing the same pants everyday. I always told them that I had 5 of the same pair which made me feel good inside and kind of made them ease off even though I know they didn't believe me."
"I remember I fell on the school bus one day and the jagged floor cut a hole right in the knee cap and the panic that went over me was just insane. It was one of the worst feelings of my whole life because I knew that I didn't have any other pants to wear and that now all of the kids in my school were going to know that I only had 1 pair. Needless to say I could not wait for the last month of school to end."
themagicman_1231
I'm Away
"Summer camp, or basically any school trips that had to be paid for. At my school the kids who couldn't afford to go on trips that happened during school hours still had to come to the school, we just sat in a room and did extra work like it was detention."
Helpful_Yams
"I was lucky. If you taught at the day camp your kid could go for free. That was just day camp though not sleepaway camp. My mom found a camp teacher who had no kids of his own and he signed me up as his kid so I could get free day camp. Did that all through elementary school."
randtcouple
Big Deals
"Going out for pizza was a big deal. Those free mini pizzas for reading books were huge."
Shroom4Yoshi
Food is always an issue when you're broke.
Damage
"Being able to turn on the heat in the cold and pay a professional to fix damaged appliances, plumbing, and other issues."
Liggettef
Spoiled
"When my grandma would come pick me up and spoil me. My parents didn't have much money and were addicts so when my grandma would come get me I would come back with new clothes, video games, toys, etc. I used to think my grandma was rich but she actually just had a stable income."
nawlepen
"I was in this position when I was younger. I always thought my grandma had SO much money… but all she did was go to work everyday. Always made sure I had clothes and all my school supplies. I miss her pretty bad."
Keywork29
Water
"I am from a small island in the Pacific. While I mostly still take cold showers, I have always felt that a hot shower is the finest luxury one can experience. I had my first hot shower when I was 22 years old and I can never forget it."
FSMPIO
"This is the kind of luxury I think people take for granted, I always avoided showers in the winter as a kid since most of the time they where cold showers and the temperature here was around 12c° during those times."
PowerfullDio
Showerware
"Towels. Honestly, I was almost 10 When I realized people didn’t just put back on their dirty clothes after a shower because my family was so large (12 kids total including myself) and extremely poor. I thought towels were just for hotels or were maybe a prop on television. I went to a friends house and she asked for my help folding her towels. I remember laughing and thinking she must be rich."
"Long story short, I wasn’t sure which way to fold the towels, and begged my mom to buy them after I revealed that my friend, Simone, had them. She bought a box of used ones from a local auction and I walked around with them on my head feeling like a frigging empress after that, even though—-let’s be clear… these were second hand towels!"
shakezula1025
Or BK...
"Grew up poor and when I was a kid I used to think you were rich if you had a dishwasher and a millionaire if you had one of those refrigerators that have a button for ice. McDonalds was also a luxury, a couple times a year on our birthdays."
chinderellab*tch
Everyone should have access to all of these things. Why is life unfair?
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