It seems like, these days, you hear way more about Muslim people and ideals from non-Muslim sources, and that has created a lot of cloudy misconceptions about Islam and Muslim people, which, as you probably noticed, has stirred up a whole lot of Islamophobia lately. Here, we hear some of the greatest misconceptions about Islam, from Muslims.
1. Muslims are more than just their religion
I am may be a Muslim but that's not my identity. I am a Pakistani, I like reading, I like movies, I am very introverted, I have depression and anxiety, I struggle with words while speaking, I am a cat owner...just kidding they own me, I am a business student, I can't cook to save my life, I am a procrastinator, and I also happen to be a Muslim.
When people are criticizing Muslims, I just want them to know that a Muslim is not all I am. I live my life just like you do, we have the same worries, same likes and dislikes. I have a family just like you do. I worry about what will happen once I graduate university, I worry about my cat with chronic constipation, I worry about my mom and her frail health, I too have daddy issues like some of you. I am not so different from most of you. So when people think of me as some great threat, I wonder why can't they see me not just as a Muslim but as a person in my own right, with everything that makes me who I am.
Islam is a small part of my life. I pray occasionally, I fast in the month of Ramadan and yes, while my religion contributes to some part of me, it is not everything about me.
2. Muslim people are the biggest victims of extremist terrorism.
If you look at the countries that have the most terrorist attacks, they are all countries that the West has been heavily involved in. Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have all had extensive foreign involvement and in the case of the former three, have been absolutely torn apart through direct Western actions (for Syria it is mostly escalating the situation). The same happened in Afghanistan. What do you expect would happen when you leave a country without a capable government AND arm groups there? Don't tell me they fear extremist Muslims more. They wouldn't be there at all had it not been for Western meddling. The same people who fear for their lives today might have lived out a completely normal life had it not been for the West.
3. That there isn't this one single community called "Muslims"
...and there is so much diversity within communities that consider themselves Muslim.
There are gay Muslims, Muslims who are gay but find it difficult to handle, Muslims who know nothing about their faith, Muslims who don't care about their faith much, Pakistanis who were born into a faith but they don't really care about it, people who converted to Islam and became quite conservative then slowly became more relaxed over time, Muslims who are extremely committed to the faith in a peaceful way, Muslims who are extremely committed to the faith in a dodgy way, etcetera.
If I walk down the street in the UK people may think I'm Muslim as I'm brown and can look Muslim-ish, but I'm an Ex Muslim atheist. But that doesn't mean I've disowned my background or family, it just means I have to deal with both the discrimination faced by Muslim and the discrimination you face leaving religion (which affects people from lots of faith backgrounds), it's a "double-bind".
4. Islam means submission, but it's not what you think...
Islam means Submission. However, many people connote "submission" to this idea of strict and unquestionable obedience. The submission in Islam is not an illogical and irrational meekness, on the contrary, it is to (Continued)
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submit to the events of your life and the world through deep mental (rational and logical), spiritual, and emotional comprehension, WHILE moving forward. In the prophetic tradition (Hadith), it is said, "Strap your camel, AND put faith in God;" which means, you must submit your faith in God WHILE taking natural occurring reasons into account. You do not park your car with the door open and say that God will protect it - that's illogical.
5. Forcing a woman to wear a Hijab is a family practice, not a religious one
Are there women who are forced to wear the scarf? Yes. But that is not the correct practice. In Islam, the deciding factor is Intention. There are many women who wear the Hijab but their mothers, sisters, or daughters do not. It's a choice, like everything else in life.
The issue is that some choices are either forced or limited. In the same way that some Christian women are forced to cover their bodies or wear hats in church, and some Jewish women have to cover their heads at all time with hats or wigs, forcing members of your family to do something is based more on familial practice than a religious one.
Anonymous
6. Islam is a religion of diversity
There many more things I would like to talk about but the last item that I would like to share is on DIVERSITY. From the very beginning, Islam was a religion of Diversity and still is to this day. Walk into any mosque in America, and you will see rich, poor, black, white, brown, Asian, European, African, and Americans humbly sitting side by side -ironically, this cohesion work best in the USA, and it really frames the beauty of the Religion due to the cultural context of America.
Are there extremists? Yes. Are there literalists? Yes. Are there people who want to incite violence? Yes. Is there intolerance? Yes. Is there oppression of Women? Yes. Are there people who do not know how to mediate their identity? Yes. All religions (not just Islam) has been used as an excuse for violence for thousands of years. It does not mean that religion is inherently dangerous, it is the scapegoat.
7. People don't understand our standing on multiple wives
Many people criticize the Prophet's social standards of multiple wives or harsh rulings; yet many people do not take historical and social context into account. Many people do not realize that (Continued)
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his first Wife, Khadija, was older than him by 20+ years, she was a professional independent woman, and SHE proposed to him. She not only supported him emotionally, but also financially and was the bread winner in the family. When she passed away, he was not intending to marry again, but married because of revelation or due to political alliances. One of his wives was Jewish (Saffiyah) and she spent time with her family on Saturdays to support them in the sabbath.
8. Let's tackle the elephant in the room: ISIS
Imagine that you see on TV thousands of your people killed by foreigners. Innocent people just going about their lives, killed. This makes you angry. You join a group that promised you revenge. You travel to the country of the people that attacked you and take violence to their door in retaliation.
Does that seem plausible? Does that seem like something unique to any one culture or group? I wasn't writing that while thinking about a Muslim joining a radical group in retaliation to prejudice. I was writing that from the perspective of an American that participated in the invasion of Afghanistan. We aren't so different, you and I and everyone else.
I want to say, that in my experience, it is actually all the Islam hating that is causing more and more muslims to go to ISIS.
Many of these people are in a weak state after the US invasions, seeing the hate towards muslims just makes them give up on trying to argue and head to ISIS. Being bombed day in day out isn't healthy for anyone.
That being said, the vast majority of Muslims do not agree with extremist actions. Saying that all Muslims agree with ISIS is like saying all Christians agree with Westboro Baptist Church.
9. We believe in Jesus and the virgin Mary
I'm surprised now one said this yet. We believe in Jesus and virgin Mary. We believe in prophets Noah, Adam, Abraham, Moses, Joshua ...etcetera. We believe in ALL of them. I'm always surprised by Christians who think we don't believe in Jesus or that he will return at the end of times. Though, similarly to the Jewish faith, we do not believe that Jesus was the son of God. However, unlike the Jewish faith we do believe he was a prophet.
It's all in the Quran, plain and simple.
10. In fact, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are sister religions
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are what are known as Abrahamic religions which means that there is a lot of overlap between our religions. We all believe that the Hebrew patriarch, Abraham and his descendants, hold an important role in human spiritual development. All religions recognize Abraham as the first prophet. In many ways, our religions are all more similar than they are different. You can have good Christians and bad ones, you can have good Jews and bad ones, you can have good Muslims and bad ones. You see all the time that there are (Continued)
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that there are controversial passages from the Quran, the Torah, and the bible passages that are often taken out of context to justify hateful actions. The list goes on! I have made efforts to study all religious texts, so that I don't make assumptions about other religions based on biased media portrayals or "hear say". It's important to me to learn about everyone's perspective, because at the end of the day we're all just trying to live our lives according to what we think is best.
Anonymous
11. Just because a Muslim does something...
Just because a Muslim does something, does not mean the action is Islamic.
12. Iran is actually pretty non-religious
At least in Iran, everyone is forced to appear Muslim in public, but most people are atheist or at most spiritual. We are victims of an oppressive regime. Just because the women wear headscarves, doesn't mean they are at all religious or in any way support the regime. Many don't.
Funny story, during Ramadan, all stores are supposed to be closed, and everyone is supposed to fast from sunrise to sunset. Many restaurants will stay open, but just put a curtain up over the entrance, so people can duck behind the curtain, eat a kabob sandwich, and be on their way.
13. Not every Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you meet is Christian...
In the same way, just because someone's name is Mohammed or Ahmed doesn't mean that they are Muslim. Parents pick names, but people are free to believe what they want.
14. Allah is not some special God only worshiped by Muslims
"Allah" is the translation of "God" in Arabic just like "Dieu" is the word for it in French. Seems like a lot of people say stupid stuff like "Those Allah worshiping Muslims..." Not realizing that (Continued)
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Christians in Arabic speaking countries say "Allah" too during worship. You don't expect the French to say "Oh mon God..." It's usually "Oh mon Dieu..."
[deleted]
15. There is no Islamic culture
We're extremely diverse. Even the Arab speaking ones. Just like there is a difference between northern Spain and souther Spain, or urban and rural France. There is a broad amount of interpretation and religious tradition from region to region. We're not homogenous and there is no Islamic culture.
16. The oppression of women is cultural, not religious
Oppression of women. Most of the oppression of women by Islam and Muslims that is highly publicized is usually due to local customs and traditions. Muslim women have been presidents and prime ministers, and the vast majority are not slaves to their husbands. Violence towards women and forcing them against their will is not permitted by Islam. Care for widows, orphans, and the poor is one of Islams strongest teachings. Unfortunately, many women are oppressed, however, this is a global issue and not just Islamic oppression.
17. As a man who grew up Catholic, Muslim people restored my faith in humanity.
I have a Muslim story.
We were getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan and we were doing a lot of "cultural awareness" training - learning about Islam, learning to speak a little Pashto, and so on.
I got tasked to arrange a visit to a local mosque. No contact had been made with them before; I wound up cold-calling them. "Hi, I'm in charge of a bunch of soldiers and we'd like to visit your mosque during a service". One of many things in my career I thought I'd never say.
They were absolutely welcoming and very eager to have us visit. We were, after all, their neighbors, and they were very keen to get to know us.
So we hung out at the back of a service, and then met with the Imam for a Q&A session afterwards.
Now I'm a little ashamed to say that a couple of my guys were spoiling for a fight (very rude to do that; we're guests here guys!) They started asking very pointed questions about Islam and its relation to the Taliban, to international terrorism, and so forth.
The Imam though, he was a crafty old soul (and I say that with nothing but love and respect). Each time he got hit with a question like that, he would (Continued)
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Each time he got hit with a question like that, he would pull out his English translation of the Quaran, flip to the appropriate passage, and then hand it to the questioner for him to read aloud - thus having the questioner answer his own question via a quote from the Quaran. An absolutely brilliant debating judo technique. Defused every fight before it could get started. Tied my guys in knots.
By the end of the session, I wanted to high-five the man.
I also have to say this - I'm an Atheist, but I was raised Catholic. I'm used to Catholic services where the church quietly fills up from the back, everybody looking like they'd rather be anywhere else but here, nobody making eye contact... to see the undeniable joy that the congregation in that mosque had in seeing each other, and to see the struggle to get into the front row (with guys pressed up against the wall on both flanks) was really a very alien experience.
Overall, that whole congregation just impressed the hell out of me and I left with a certain amount of faith in humanity restored.
Incidentally, standing in the middle of Kandahar City as the sun starts to pinken the horizon and hearing the "pop" of amplifiers being turned on and the "thump thump" of mikes being tested as dozens of mizzeins got ready for the morning call to prayer... followed by that call to prayer... that's an experience that will be with me for life.
18. Islam is actually very sex positive
Here's an interesting one that I learned recently from reading a few articles about sex and homosexuality in Islam: for the time in which it began, Islam was a very sex positive religion. Though the culture of many Muslim societies has shifted away from that, religious doctrine itself still has lots of sex-positive messages. Abortion is allowed, contraceptives are allowed, legally married couples should have sex not just to procreate, but also to develop a stronger emotional bond. A woman's pleasure matters and husbands should take care to pleasure their wives. Celibacy is not a virtue in Islam the way it is in Christianity; we don't have monks or nuns, who do not have earthly pleasure; Muslims are in fact encouraged to some degree by our religious texts to have sex. Also, people should not feel guilty about their lust because lust is instilled in them by God (though they should exercise self control and not ogle women, because women are to be respected).
Growing up in a Muslim home as the daughter of immigrants from Egypt, I never heard any of this, because of CULTURAL taboos against sex. But within the context of religious doctrine, sex is nothing to be ashamed about having or wanting (within established relationships; some VERY edgy contemporary scholars might even say that green lights sex whilst dating... which might be why Arab culture bans dating...)
Thanks for reading and don't forget to share :)
Some of our possessions are no-brainer, have to have them, best things in the universe. Others are total beaters, through and through liabilities, that should have been trashed years ago.
But what about those possessions that fall right in between?
These are the things we love as much as we hate. Like some people or places in our lives, these objects and us have a love/hate relationship--and, surprisingly, almost as much baggage as the human version includes.
Some Redditors sat down and shared their best examples of these kinds of possessions.
lliorca336 asked, "What do you have a love / hate relationship with?"
Some set their sights on the elephant in the room. They described their excitement as well as all the issues that come with the expansive, unbelievably powerful internet.
The Whole Dang ThingÂ
"The internet." -- LM1120
"Yup. On one side, it can really help people who feel alone. However, it can also breed toxicity." -- RHCube
"Back down it was as simple as don't use it but thats not really possible anymore" -- Derpsterio29
Even More WholeÂ
"Technology in general."
"On the one hand, it's nice that I was able to deposit a check just now while sitting down on my bedroom. On the other, screw anyone who has the audacity to call me and greet me with a robot."
Horrifyingly Convenient
"I have it with none other than 'Google.' "
"I hate it when Google tracks my every move. I even feel scared sometimes. Like just the other day, I was watching 'Padmavat' on Amazon Prime. It wasn't even my account, but my husband's. We had to stop in the middle due to something."
"And as soon as I opened my Gmail next, the very first email on the top was a 'Spam' email asking me if I missed out on watching 'Padmawat?' Really Scary!"
"And then, I love it when it takes me down the memory lane. Like just today, my Google Photos app asked me if I would like to see where I was on this day in 2010? I thought why not. Turns out, I was at my friend's wedding. Which reminded me, 'Oh! It's her anniversary today!' "
"I simply sent one of her gorgeous pics wishing her happy anniversary. We had a long chat, after which I sent over all of the pics from that day. She was really happy to re-visit them and tagged them as the best anniversary gift!"
-- toxasagt
Others chose to discuss those necessities of day-to-day life that they've actually come to love completing over and over.
But that doesn't mean they don't get annoying all the time too.
ProcrastinatingÂ
"Showers."
"That weird thing where I'll waste time before entering the shower because it feels like such a chore that takes a long time, I'm gonna need 5 h to dry my hair afterwards etc., but then when I'm in the shower i never wanna get out."
-- Victoria749
Cruising, Until Your NotÂ
"Driving is my biggest love/ hate relationship. I absolutely love the feel of driving when there's a small amount/ no traffic and the feel of being able to go wherever you want in your country is so freeing. Start/stop traffic, car maintenance costs, insurance, monthly payments, terrible roads, the possibility of an accident, driving through new places without clear signage etc..."
"Man, driving at its best is one of my favourite things in life but at its worst I wonder why I ever got my license and look toward busses with jealousy."
-- LTPfiredemon
It Will Never EndÂ
"Cooking. I hate the necessity of having to prepare food and the process itself, but I usually like the result, and if I cook for other people, I get many compliments for how it's good."
"You know, when I hate to do that, then at least it gotta be tasty."
-- Ziriath
Others spoke about the luxuries in life. It almost feels absurd to complain about such wonderful, unnecessary possessions.
And yet, they are luxuries with a slight catch.
The Nut BarrierÂ
"Chocolate."
"Probably my biggest trigger to ruin my diet. Doesn't even have to be good chocolate. Doesn't even have to be mediocre chocolate (by American standards). I'm talking about, like Palmer's Double Crisp super-cheap, probably-not-even-actually-chocolate Chocolate."
"My only saving grace is that I'm allergic to peanuts, and a lot of the really really cheap chocolate has peanuts/peanut butter in it, so it's no longer a temptation."
More and MoreÂ
"Having a home gym:"
"Love: Not having to go far and not having to deal with other ppl and their bs."
"Hate: Everything you want is much more expensive than you expect... and you keep wanting more"
Another Take on Tech
"Modern technology. For every way it makes our lives easier, there's at least five ways it makes things harder."
"But overall, it's generally worth it... if you can get the stuff to finally work, which might take you all day."
-- Arekai4098
So the next time you find yourself out of wits in frustration, only to come back to that same object or task the very next day, don't feel so alone.
Everyone out here is emotionally confused about their inanimate objects and abstract concepts.
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People Identify The Common Misconceptions That Only Exist Because Of Clever Marketing
We live in an era defined, amongst other things, by the unparalleled barrage of content that blasts our eyes and ears throughout every hour of every single day.
Truly, it's exhausting to be alive in the contemporary media landscape.
Generations before had to deal with posters, billboards, and magazine advertisements, then radio commercials after that, and then TV commercials came along.
We thought the consumer seduction reached its peak with those.
But then, lo and behold, social media came about. And now the "information" peddled by brands and advertisers is everywhere. And so so much of it is misleading, or flat out incorrect.
Some Redditors shared the examples that came to mind.
Cameron213 asked, "What is a common misconception that only exists because of clever marketing?"
Many people chose to talk about the marketing efforts used to push health and nutrition products onto consumers.
It's no surprise that there were so many examples to choose from. People in contemporary times are obsessed with health, fitness, diet, and longevity.
So of course, marketers have taken some liberties.
"Zero"
"That things with 'zero sugar' can still have 0.2 grams of sugar per unit which is why tic tacs claim to be zero sugar but can still be dangerous for a diabetic person" -- Whynotgarlicbagel
"Always check the ingredients"
"I found some 'no added sugar' ice cream that had concentrated caramelised sugar syrup as a flavoring"
"Also no added sugar just means they haven't added any sugar. Not that it's zero sugar" -- EmergencyAdvance
The Natural WorldÂ
" 'Natural' food isn't your definition of natural." -- Gmax100
"Cyanide is natural" -- Izwe
"Everything is natural, nuclear power plants are as natural as beaver dams" -- Skylake52
The Anti-Fat MovementÂ
"Low fat is good for you. Well not just clever marketing, also lots of lobbying from the sugar industry" -- UltimateAnswer42
"That's a big one. Fat being the 'bad' macronutrient was something that took me a while to unlearn. I felt my healthiest when I ate a high fat, lower carb (50g or so) diet." -- Cameron213
Give Tators a ChanceÂ
"White potatoes are somehow unhealthy even though they are a very nutritious starchy root VEGETABLE."
"Just because when you smother oil and ranch on it it becomes unhealthy does not mean potatoes themselves are unhealthy."
Leave It AloneÂ
"Vaginal odor being bad was a thing for a while, and that it could easily be corrected with over the counter treatments such as douching."
"First of all. A vagina is gonna smell like a vagina, not like flowers. If you're concerned about the way your vagina smells you should see a doctor."
"Second of all, the vagina is self-cleaning and doesn't need extra soaps to help keep it 'fresh.' In fact, those soaps and chemicals can cause harm and create real infections."
-- ZeD00m
Other people chose to point out the marketing efforts that have aimed to influence our expectations of culture and the social playing field.
What is "cool" and acceptable is what sells. The question is, who decides what is "cool?"
NOT RequiredÂ
"Makeup as a necessary norm." -- b2lose
"Man, FU** makeup! I don't wear it and have yet to have anyone I work with question my professionalism for it. I hate it, it's expensive, and I won't wear it." -- TheRedMaiden
"I love this, and I'll also throw in: shaving as a necessity. I've had so many people tell me it's 'unhygienic' for women to have leg hair." -- buriedclementines
Manufactured StatusÂ
"That teenagers are cool, tbh. Teen culture is 95% manufactured by suits trying to make a buck." -- crookedhope
"When have teenagers ever been cool to anyone but themselves?" -- troomer50
"right? this kills me as an adult. all the cool teenager sh** that 'parents don't understand' was absolutely designed by grown a** dorks just like their parents." -- likearealreptile
Passing the BuckÂ
"The notion that climate change needs to be combated by individuals making changes in their day to day lives by buying green products. Corporations, global shipping, and factory farms all contribute massive amounts of pollution and greenhouse gasses that can't be offset by using less straws or buying a hybrid car."
"An entire city's worth of individuals couldn't even come close to offsetting the pollution created by a handful of ships used for global shipping, yet advertising would have you think that individuals could replace real systemic change and regulation."
And then there was one total, bald-faced lie. It had to do with an upsettingly common purchase that comes with an arbitrarily high price tag.
Maybe it's time to rethink it.
Pulling the Strings of Supply and Demand
"That diamonds are rare." -- icecreamterror
"That you should spend so much on a diamond and wedding, but can barely scrape by. Sure, let's throw a $30k banquet then go jumpstart the car again to get home." -- Choontz
"Futhermore on this; that 'cognac' diamonds are a desirable colour in a diamond, and are worth more than colourless. Jewellers originally struggled to sell stones of this colour so came up with a marketing concept to make them seem more unique, more special, and just as desirable as, or moreso than, colourless diamonds (which are generally far rarer, particularly if they are classified as flawless with few/imperceptible inclusions)."
"Similar idea with "champagne" diamonds...they were given this name to make them sound more appealing, too, so jewellers could still use them and increase the volume of jewellery they produce and sell." -- teenytinytinkerer
Of course, this list is so far from exhaustive. Pay attention for just the next few hours and I'm sure you'll come up with your own list of at least ten in no time.
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In the age of the internet, sometimes it can be very cool to hate on things just because other people do. Bandwagons can be fun, right? But honestly, not all of the things hated on actually deserve it. Save your hate for things that actually call for it.
Wanna jump off the bandwagon? Then keep reading!
U/lit3rallyuseless asked: What doesn't deserve the hate it gets?
​Film and media are probably the biggest contender for being hated on randomly. It may seem harmless, but not always deserved.
Actors are people too!
Actors who played characters that people didn't like.
Really if you hated the character then the actor did a good job (assuming that was the role).
The best cartoons.
Child cartoons. Some are actually really good, even as an adult.
I feel like watching cartoons aimed at generally a younger audience allows for you to be reminded of some life lessons, I know I forget some things, or didn't realise others, or it at least partially renews my awareness of something I should still like or appreciate
This doesn't deserve awards, it's just my opinion that is apparently shared by many.
This man did nothing wrong.
Guy Fieri, he literally is the nicest person in the world but since he looks like he was electrocuted by mountain dew people want to saw his head off.
Even before that, I was witness to his other charitable work. A few years back, Santa Rosa was hit by some terrible fires and he showed up at a few shelters and personally cooked up and served some killer buffet food. No cameras, no massive team of PR, just a dude with an assistant to keep him on schedule to hit up other shelters in the area. Guy Fieri legit earned a lot of respect in my book for that.
You know who DEFINITELY doesn’t deserve hate? Animals. They’re just living their best lives, and need to be left alone.​
The best cats.
Black cats.
We got a black cat for the first time last year. I've since formulated the theory that black cats might get some of their reputation from the fact that people can't see them well in the dark and so they seemingly appear out of nowhere and they might be instinctually cautious because they know people have a tendency to kick them while walking in the dark. Our black cat is the sweetest cat I've ever known.
They get a bad rep.
Sharks. They are beautiful, complex creatures, deserving of respect and, like any wild animal should be left alone in their natural habitat, but they get this reputation as vicious bloodthirsty monsters. This is only because every shark attack is news, and only then because they are so rare. More people are killed EVERY DAY by mosquitoes than sharks kill in a year.
Any apex predator that has remained evolutionarily unchanged for hundreds of millions of years, whose existance predates TREES, is deserving or our respect and admiration. Shine on, you crazy cartlaginous fish, shine on.
So cute too!
Opossums. They're neat little critters. They eat tons of ticks that carry Lyme disease, (mostly) don't carry rabies because their body temp is too low, and they're the only marsupial native to North America! They get a bad rap because their first defense is to hiss and bare teeth, but failing that, they just play dead.
If you don't have the predisposition to hate them, you'll find they're pretty cute too.
E: this is about /opossums/, the north American species.
Kiwis, I feel for you, but this comment isn't about your possums.
​Hating on other people for just living their lives also seems to be a big contender for things that don’t deserve to be hated on.
This is so true.
Unemployed people. A lot of people genuinely are looking for work and did not want to lose their last job/it was beyond their control (like a layoff) but they get so much hate and called lazy by most people. I know too many unemployed people that are actually really trying hard. They definitely aren't lazy. (Not saying lazy unemployed people don't exist, but to be fair, so do lazy employed people too lol)
Leave the weather man alone!
Meteorologists. They try their best to predict the weather based on patterns, models, and data. They're not perfect because predicting the weather is insanely difficult. When they get it wrong, I think we should go easy on them. It was probably an outlier result almost no one could have foreseen.
I've seen people get angry over the meteorologists for getting it right. Like they control the weather - it is their fault we are having rain, that kind of BS. Never made sense to me, but hey, I have plenty of relatives I clashed with growing up.
Please stop being d*cks to these people.
Customer service associates.
I hate when customers think that I, the minimum wage person forced to sit there and listen to them yell, am personally responsible for every policy they disagree with. Like, ma'am, if I had that much power and influence, I wouldn't be sitting here on a Saturday evening serving you.
Wholesome and necessary.
People don't deserve hate they give themselves when they are not doing too good at the moment.
I'm in a weird place and I didn't know I needed to read this. Thanks buddy.
If you haven't heard it from anyone else today, I'm proud of you.
It seems like people hate on things simply because they think they're meant to hate them. But you can always be the change and make an effort to stop being an a**hole about certain things.
No matter what though, sometimes haters gonna hate
Money means different things to different people.
Reddit user, u/TopTierUsername101, wanted to hear what you would do when they asked:
How much would $100,000 change your life?
Just Get The Basics Out Of The Way
There's the standard responses, where people ran down the list of the essentials they could get out of the way.
Making The Unmanageable Manageable
A ton.
Could pay off all debt and put a very nice down payment on a house.
Would make the mortgage manageable.
Give All The Money To The Kids
insanely.. i'm 19 and i'd be able to pay for university, pay for my car and help my parents who are on the streets rn get back on their feet and get my siblings out of foster care
You're the person I'd want to get the 100K. I don't need it; tons of people on this thread don't need it, but you my friend sound like you could use it for good.
Allowing You To Focus On Other Things
5-6 years of rent while i get my Ph.D sounds pretty fantastic
I hear this. I'm about to move with my partner so they can continue their education and would love to have $100k to live off of while I find work.
Wouldn't Go As Far As You Think
Then there's those other people who wouldn't be greatly affected by $100k, instead saying it would continue to help them comfortably move forward. Who doesn't like to be comfortable?
Almost Livable!
It would be almost enough for a downpayment on a house for us in our area. Housing is crazy expensive.
It would be less than half of a downpayment on an avg house in my area. This is basically keeping my generation from owning property and it's terrifying.
(avg. House here is about 1.2million)
A Slow Burn
Immediately? Not much at all. I'd pay off all my debt, take a chunk out of the house Im about to sign on. The monthly savings however would really allow me to change my life though.
Same here. A lot would change on paper, but the real effects wouldn't be apparent for several years.
This, also the peace of mind that would come along with it would be the most significant Change
Preparing For The Future
Just more money for retirement. That's all, business as usual.
Same. I mean, I'd say I'd spend some and go on vacation, but my vacations are typically camping somewhere cool and then hiking, so it's pretty frugal as far as vacations go. I'd like think that I could retire a little earlier if I had an extra 100 grand thrown at me, though.
Making A Huge Impact
Finally, there's those people who would do quite a bit if you were gifted $100k. This runs the length of saving lives to crafting a livable future.
Eliminating That Feeling
I'd be able to afford my own apartment instead of living with 3 ppl. I'd be able to focus more on building my life instead of just trying to survive every day. I'd be able to donate to charities and less fortunate ppl in my area.
Overall it would make my life less stressful and make me feel like less of a failure.
America Isn't Very Good Sometimes
Dude, that's almost 7 years worth of insulin. Can you imagine not having to wonder how you were going to manage your life threatening disease for 7, well technically 6.9, years? God, I could actually put money toward my future rather than trying desperately to stay alive in the present.
If the current rate of inflation continues, and if I am lucky enough to live until 75, I will have spent over 7 million dollars on insulin alone, not including other absurdly expensive diabetic supplies, like test strips, that are absolutely necessary for my survival.
Just for some context, each test strip, without insurance, runs you around 1.50 ($75 for a 50 pack of strips) and as someone who leads an active lifestyle and is insulin sensitive, I need to check my blood sugar roughly 6-8 times a day, more if I'm sick or an unforeseen event occurs that affects my blood glucose levels.
It's f-cking criminal what my country is allowing to happen to type one diabetics like myself.
Money Can't Buy Happiness, Until It Does
It would: pay off my husband's student loans and some medical bills that he has left, pay off my dental bill, pay off our credit cards, and then maybe we could get some upkeep/fixit stuff done around the house. The rest would go into savings. We'd have a good amount of money freed up each month, and that would also go into savings.
So, really, $100k would change my life by finally giving me a decent savings account that could be used in the future to hopefully avoid debt. It would be a very nice thing to have.
Dan Price, the CEO of Gravity Payments who became famous when he cut his 1.1 million dollar salary to ensure every one of his employees received a $70k a year salary, probably said it best when he noted, "Money buys happiness when you climb out of poverty. But going from well-off to very well-off won't make you happier. Doing what you believe is right will."
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