Most of us have no problem following the rules, but there are few out there that test every restriction, bend each policy, or outright break a rule without thinking of the consequences. Usually it's someone just acting the fool or doing something profoundly idiotic. When it's so bad that a new rule not only has to be applied to them, but to everyone else after them, we can't help but be bitter. Just remember, behind every ridiculous rule is a village idiot who made it necessary.
Redditor u/rochelleskincareasli asks:
What rule was changed because of ONE stupid person?
Can't Handle Being An Adult
We just lost remote working privileges cuz someone in a different office can't handle being an adult.
Same here. Used to be that I could pack up my laptop, tell my supervisor I'd be online remote tomorrow, and just work from home.
Then some f*ckwit confused his work laptop with his personal and watched a sh*t ton of porn on his work laptop on the clock. A week later and all of our laptops and docking stations are gone and replaced with towers.
What A Pain In The Class
My university dorm orientation meeting was full of weirdly specific rules. The ones I can remember are:
- No pickaxes (some student attacked another student with a pickaxe)
- No piranhas (other fish were allowed but it turns out dangling sensitive ... parts into piranha tanks is irresistible to certain college students)
- No pooping in the showers
- No lowering/raising things into your room via the window (my best friend's dad turned out to possibly be the reason for this one, he used to sneak beer in via rope and bucket)
- Please for the love of god don't poop in the showers
Please for the love of god don't poop in the showers
WTF!! Why won't they allow you to waffle stomp?
The Wrong Girl
Valentine's Day is newly not allowed at my school because last year kids kept cutting girls' balloons. One kid did that to the wrong girl, and the next day she came to school with a knife and stabbed him.
holy sh*t, that went from 0 to 100 real f*ckin' fast.
The Long And Shorts Of It
I work in a warehouse I'm not allowed to wear shorts in because one day the bosses came around and decided it didn't look professional for the shippers to be wearing shorts. Keep in mind there are only 4 of us here and the boss only comes to visit once a year or so, we also only sell to stores and very rarely have to deal with the end user. Makes +30C days kinda suck.
Edit: ok guys I'm taking you up on your suggestions and buying a kilt.
Does Their Case For Safety Hold Water?
I can't bring my water bottle on the plane because someone decided that it'll be a good idea to hijack some planes back in 2001.
Nooo no no that was from a different guy who tried to assemble a bomb in the airplane bathroom. They looked at his ingredients and were like "WE ARE BANNING ALL OF THIS! WHAT IS THAT? IS THAT A LIQUID?? WE ARE BANNING THAT PHASE OF MATTER"
I gotta mention Hannibal Buress' bit about TSA, a classic. I wrote the all-caps quote with his inflection in mind.
It's even worse: there was never even any concrete evidence that the plot ever even existed, and it can't actually work in real life.
Oh, and even if it did, the existing security regulations at the time were enough to stop it.
It Only Takes One Guy
I work for a government office through a dispatch company. Half of the people who work in my same position are through the same dispatch company, and the other half are private hires. Due to a rule with the dispatch company, we're not allowed to own or operate vehicles to go to/from work, but private hires can. Until recently this was fine, since the government office reimbursed the people who HAVE to use public transport, as well as any private hires who opt to use public transport. The people with cars were also compensated, but often to a lesser degree since it tends to cost them less to go to work.
Last winter, one private hire was in a car crash (on personal time/weekend, not en route to work) and DEMANDED that the government office pay for the repairs his vehicle needed, citing how it wasn't fair that the dispatch employees/public transport users were reimbursed more for travel when he had to "pay for his car's upkeep out of pocket." He was so aggressive about it that they changed the rule, and now they will only reimburse up to $3 a DAY, with a monthly cap of $70.
It costs me $240 to get to work every month, and this was a big hit for me financially. So, f*ck that guy.
If You Drop Too Much, They Drop The Policy
Someone told me this story. At one factory where they make Coke, they let you keep any of the bottles that dropped. So, meaning it was free. When they let this happen people would intentionally drop the bottles to take home. Then they took away the generous policy.
[username deleted]
they let you keep any of the bottles that dropped.
Yeah, I don't know how they didn't see that one coming though.
Even Google had to stop their "free dinner delivery when working late" policy because people were staying just late enough for the policy, ordering enough for their whole families, and promptly leaving when the food arrived. A small minority of people just f*ck everything up for everyone.
Benny Hill Chicken
No backpacks in the gym, ever. Because of one guy.
It was the homecoming pep rally and the principal had come up to the mic for his speech. Suddenly there was a sound of wings flapping and squawking. As if out of nowhere, a live chicken was released onto the gym floor. The principal, vice principal, and several staff members began attempting to catch the chicken. Then it got better.
The kid in charge of the music was in cahoots with the chicken kid. He immediately switched the music to the Benny Hill theme. So the administration is literally chasing a chicken around the gym to the Benny Hill music. It was chaos.
No more backpacks in the gym.
In fairness, those kids won, so there's really no need for any more backpacks in the gym.
absolute legend. totally with it.
If The Pants Fit...
In the Teletech company handbook it clearly states that vintage golf pants from a thrift store are NOT considered dress casual because of one *sshole. I am that *sshole.
👏👏👏 I worked for an office that tie and jacket were required and this old hippie guy I worked with would go to goodwill and thrift stores and buy the worst looking they had just to prove a point 😁
It's All Fun And Games Until Someone Gets Hurt
Everyone played Runescape in the computer lab when I was in middle school. One kid would try to look over your shoulder at your hands as you typed your password. This caused a couple fist fights. Runescape was promptly banned.
Unappreciative Much?
My husband's work used to give each worker a $50 grocery gift card to use toward their Christmas dinner. People complained about having to pay tax on that gift card so they took it away, now we get nothing. What an improvement, thanks guys!
Yup. Some people will complain about anything. Somehow people procreate with these people and I will never understand why.
You Can't Make This Stuffed Up
You ever looked at the US tax code? Probably not. But if you looked closely, you'd see it's the ultimate example of rules being changed due to one stupid/clever/greedy person.
My favorite example is the age old practice of Taxidermy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJP1DphOWPs). Did you know you can write off the cost of having an animal preserved, provided you then donated the animal to a museum or university? Still to this day!
I told you that so I could tell you that specific portion of the tax code used to be a lot less specific. So much so, that a number of people opted to book 12+ person, 2 week long safari excursions, complete with lodging, airfare, meals, booze and more, then would shoot a lion on the final day, send it to a taxidermist, donate the now preserved corpse to a museum or university, and write off the entire 14 day trip, and all expenses, under that specific provision of the tax code. So a $500 write off became a $50,000 write off.
It Was Cold That Day, We Could Tell
My company no longer has a Halloween costume contest among the locations in the area because of me. We all dressed up as X-Men. I was Mystique. We got complaints.
You just body painted your d*ck and thought that was enough, didn't you?
Fake It Until You Break It
Local bar had wooden nickels that got you free drinks or could be used later if you didn't finish a bucket. Someone made counterfeits. They were good counterfeits, but just the same.
Ruined it for the entire bar! All for a $2.50 beer.
A bar I used to frequent (sadly long gone) had a weekday happy hour special: buy a drink at regular price, get a ticket for a second drink free. They were just your typical carnival tickets that came off a massive roll.
Lots of us regulars would not even use the ticket the same day, but hoard them for later (which was allowed, they could be used at any time before midnight on any day). We were broke college kids and the hoarded tickets were used on days when our money was thin. Had probably a couple dozen or so in my apartment at any given time.
Some *sswipe bought a roll of tickets at the Dollar Tree, didn't even bother to try and get the same colour/design, didn't bother to try forging the owner's signature on the back of each ticket, didn't bother to try roughing them up (the real tickets were re-used and in bad shape).
A Cold-Hearted Lesson
So I was around 11/12 years old. It was winter here in Sweden, and often around -10C or colder. When arriving to school, most of us would rush inside to escape the cold. Well, some mannerless b*tches kept misbehaving, so the teachers decided to lock the doors until the first class started. All of us had to wait outside in the cold.
I distinctively remember one day when it was so cold that even my friend's dark brown hair and nearly black eyelashes turned white. Yet the damn teachers Still. Would. Not. Let. Us. Inside.
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.