Sometimes it's the little things that light the biggest fire in us.
Mind Your O's
<p>"People saying 'loose' when they mean 'lose' upset me so deeply. I don't correct people, but it hurts my head."</p><p>"Wanna loose weight? I'm afraid I'll loose her and I love her so much. Sometimes I think I'm just a looser."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1qv6o?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">tinypiecesofyarn</a></p>Writing Off Whole Swaths of the Population
<p>"Oxford comma is best comma."</p><p>"Anyone who says otherwise is categorically wrong, and I respect them less as a person."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi0xh2w?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">the-tonsil-tickler</a></p>Know Your Negatives
<p>It's 'I couldn't care less,' not 'I could care less."' -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi0yohw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">homevp</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"That one did piss me off.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"If you couldn't care less, then you could not care less, dipsh**. - Sounds like you don't give a F about it. Cuz you couldn't care less." </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"If you could care less, then, it sounds like you care more about it than the saying is meant to intend." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1fhnf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Etil9</a></p>It's Fun, But WRONG
<p>"Reese's rhymes with pieces, not feces. It's f***ing obvious." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi0ykdr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">sjmp75020</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I ate too many Reese's pieces and it gave me explosive Reese's feces." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1g1vg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">jerrythecactus</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"100% agree. Didn't even though this was a thing until I was an adult. Not sure where such appalling pronunciation came from." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1gses?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Elation18</a></p>Mismatched Priorities
<p>"Drinking age smoking age etc should be 18 not 21" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi16qkr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">threadgrinder</a><span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"If you are old enough to join the army you should be old enough to have a beer." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1rge2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Mandelbrotpizza</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I don't care what arbitrary number is chosen so long as it's consistent. If you're old enough to vote or join the military then you're old enough to decide what to do with your own body." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi2b3jf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">FeatherShard</a></p>A Short, Sweet Denunciation
<p>"It's 'by accident' and not 'on accident.'"</p><p>"Yes, language is living, but 'on accident' lives in the mouths of the irredeemable. Thank you for attending this talk."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1g6tc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">HollyHobbyOxenfree</a></p>Let's Be Civil
<p>"Barbeques lit with commercial firelighters and cheap charcoal will make all food taste like commercial firelighters and cheap charcoal"</p><p>"Use good quality charcoal and use home made firelighters (twisted kitchen-roll soaked in veg oil)"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi16dk2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Hugh_Jampton</a></p>Entertainment
<p>"Enjoying professional wrestling is no different to enjoying a TV show like game of thrones."</p><p>"Tell people you like wrestling and you get the 'you know it's fake, right?' And then go on to rave about whatever tv show they are enjoying."</p><p>"It's the same damn thing!"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi10df5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">misschanandalarbong</a></p>Digging Craters With Each Pour
<p>"Cereal before milk" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1bor0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">i_need_allthehelp</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Never even considered it could be done any other way,people are monsters." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1rkmj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Mandelbrotpizza</a></p>Hot Take on the Tots
<p>"Tater tots are the superior fried potato." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi109dy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">NotHisRealName</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"This comment really hashed my browns." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1jzcr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">StalinsPerfectHair</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"My man, this is the winner right here." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kpz2c3/whats_the_most_meaningless_hill_youll_die_on/gi1eh6y?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">xDecenderx</a></p>To be called a person of principle is typically a feather in one's cap. Staunch, unwavering convictions about ideals are a wonderful expression of humanity, right?
Not if those convictions land you with an injury or a room of people laughing at you.
Explosion on the Wrong End
<p>"In grade school, maybe age 11 or 12, I had these cheap jeans. I figured out that I could flex my belly and pop the button open, found this funny and guy friends in class got a laugh too. One of them turns to a girl, hey girl checkout what OP can do."</p><p>"I flex my belly and let out a huge fart while the button popped open. She turned away, my buddy laughed, and i never did this trick again."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt6dj1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">brother_meowzone</a></p>Biohazard
<p>"A buddy bet I couldn't finish the spiciest chicken sandwich at this joint known for insanely spicy chicken in under 30 minutes. I knew I f***ed up when they gave me gloves to eat the sandwich so the sauce couldn't touch my skin and made me sign a waiver. Won the bet, but really I lost in the end."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt19lb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">mixedwithmonet</a></p>The Dunk of No Return
<p>"In 2001, my sister got me a Sony phone, a tiny little thing with a flip down front. She worked in a phone shop and got discount. On the box, it said the phone was waterproof and there were tiny rubber seals in places."</p><p>"I believed them."</p><p>"At the pub where I worked, this aspect came up in conversation. Some guy said the phone couldn't be waterproof, and that shower proof was probably more accurate. Remembering the box, I argued the point . . . And dropped my phone into a pint of beer in an effort to prove it."</p><p>"I was wrong. Brutal but well-earned life lesson."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvswhpv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Queen-of-Beans</a></p>THWACK
<p>"Cliff diving, saw a old man do a front flip off a 40 foot cliff. I said if he can do it, so can I. I did the flip alright, followed by a belly flop that Zeus could hear. Knocked the air out of me, but luckily people were floating near by to save my dumb a**." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvsoi9r?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Skarface08</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I bruised my a** by jumping off a similar height rock and landing in a seated position" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvsux3w?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">theknightmanager</a></p>Another Dunk, a Little Warmer
<p>"When I was around 12, I was neglecting to flush my piss. Too busy playing armored core. So my dear mother brings me into the bathroom, and tells me if I don't flush next time, she's going to dip my hands in the piss. I looked at her, made a hammer fist, smashed it in the toilet, covered myself in piss, only a little on her(thank god.)"</p><p>"I wasn't even a malicious child, just salivated at the opportunity to show I could withstand the punishment and was thus unafraid."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt5i5u?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">sweetperdition</a></p>A Big Ol' Swig
<p>"I was about 4 years old and my grandfather was making something with buttermilk. I saw it in his hand, and I cried and screamed and begged to have some. He kept saying 'No, you won't like it!' but I persisted. He finally poured me an entire glass." </p><p>"I took one swig and I'm sure he could see the disgust on my face, because he looked like he had won." </p><p>"I stared at him right in his eyeballs as I chugged the entire glass."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvtactk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">steffinator117</a></p>The Bait and Switch
<p>"My partner was a heavy smoker, and at the time, I'd never touched a cigarette. I would subtly—and sometimes not-so-subtly, but always lovingly—urge her to quit. She told me I had no idea how hard it was. I decided to take up smoking for about a month and then quit just to show her I could do it."</p><p>"That was ten years ago. I'm on a pack a day. She no longer smokes."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt42ev?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">UniversalPolymath</a></p>Reclaiming the Clock
<p>"Parents put a curfew on the computer when I was ~12 during summer break. No gaming from 10pm-6am."</p><p>"A reasonable person would go to bed at 10-10:30 and wake up at 7 to play, right? 12 year old me just <del>stood</del> stayed up until 6am, woke up my parents, and played until noon. Then died until dinner."</p><p>"Rinse and repeat for a few days until my parents got sick of waking up at 6am. Then I went back to gaming until like 2am."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvsmywy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Hailene2092</a></p>Technically, You Did Do It
<p>"Walked through the brush of our treeline to get a football to prove it wasn't poison ivy. I did it. I got the football."</p><p>"It was poison ivy." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvstupv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Hellboy32607</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I once did something similar, but it turns out I'm immune to poison ivy."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The rest of my friends? Not so much." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvszpke?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">aetherwaves</a></p>Lingering Defeat After a Victory
<p>"I stabbed my leg with a pencil in elementary school. I told people I couldn't really feel much pain (which, at the time, was true). There was a spot on my leg from the lead for years." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvskyps?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">movealongnowpeople</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Lol, I still have a piece of graphite in my left hand from getting stabbed with a pencil 33 years ago." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt0qeh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Dyolf_Knip</a></p>Not How That Works
<p>"I told my 6th grade friends I could just jump off a two story roof and not get hurt. Guess who only got a scraped knee that day? Not me. I broke my leg." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvtdzwv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">DemiDork231</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"There's always that kid in elementary that thinks he can fly." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvu3sui?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Obyson</a></p>Tase (Tease)
<p>"Let a friend tase me in the butt for 1000 pesos (about 30 US cents lmao)" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt6wb8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">uhhvet</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"When you get tased in the ass for 30 cents, you're doing it for the kink, not the money" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvtqstb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">__xor__</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">'My best friend's husband took my tazer and tazed me through my jeans and the material of the back pocket. The pain was something else. I also had a red mark on my booty for days."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I will get him back one of these days. I am certian of that...'" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvuq1m7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">fr332B3M3</a></p>Extraordinary Gut Health?
<p>"Chugged way too much Apple cider vinegar.....huge mistake." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvsuqas?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">dhensonjazz</a><span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The implication that there's an appropriate amount of apple cider vinegar that one could chug is excellent." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvurq0t?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">FoldupRabbit1</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I just got sympathetic heartburn from this." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvtgrrg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">buff_history</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>Dumb, Horrifying Children
<p>"As a kid I told my friends I could hold my breath for a long time, long enough to pass out, in fact. And that's exactly what I proceeded to do." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt1ogx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">hellbentforleisure</a><span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"My friends and used to have those breathing contests in the pool where you'd go underwater and see who could hold in their breath the longest. I'm a really competitive person so of course I won."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I passed out in the pool when I was 9 doing this. The lifeguard was too busy flirting to care and he thought I was faking it." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvtfhwl?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">slightlylessright</a></p>Faster, Faster, FASTER!!
<p>"Played that stupid f***ing 5 finger filet game with a compass back when I was in school. As I got more confidence I obviously got faster and inevitably the point went right into the side of my finger tip. F***ing idiot." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt1pyq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Borodave88</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I played that stupid game at scout camp... I stopped after one of the younger scouts got to cocky because he could go faster than us older guys and sliced about 1/2 inch into the webbing between his fingers.. I can still see the blood." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvth4h1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">xdrakennx</a></p>All Claims to Iron Hands Died Then and There
<p>"when i was 6 I stapled my fingers because i had convinced all of my friends that i had iron hands" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvsshp4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">ShelikeMykicks</a><span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I was around that age too and I was fiddling around with a stapler and stapled my pointer fingers together. It was the skin just next to the nails so it barely hurt."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I went downstairs to tell my mom who was doing laundry that I stapled my fingers together. I still remember the look on her face to this day." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvt2bkg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Frankfertt</a></p>The Feeding Approach of an Anaconda
<p>"Won a doughnut eating contest. In 10 minutes I ate about 17 doughnuts, and seconds before the time was up and I had all my thoughts set on having a hearty cleansing puke a motherf***er who wasn't even taking part yelled that throwing up afterwards should disqualify you." </p><p>"Somebody counted that I took in a few days worth of calories. My appetite came back two days after."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hep0l9/what_is_the_stupidest_thing_youve_done_just_to/fvsz8n6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">_citizenzero</a></p>When the children of toxic parents grow into capable adults, parental control gives way to a new friction. The kid, fully grown, presents a sudden equal force, one with opinions and words and a mouth.
Never Too Old to Gaslight
<p>"Either 'that didn't happen, you're making it up' or 'that didn't happen that way, you're remembering it wrong.' I'm still relearning to trust my own memory because I spent thirty years being constantly gaslighted."</p><p>"Now I just go to therapy and keep conversations with my parents nice and light and surface-y. Saves a lot of trouble."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtv23z?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">seriouslaser</a></p>One and Done
<p>"My father had, over the years, developed an 'I call, you come to where I am' set of mind. I was at my parent's house for the weekend from college. I was a senior, and was close to graduating. I had worked hard. My parents weren't able to contribute to higher education."</p><p>"I was in the house talking with my mother, and I hear him whistling for me to come to him. I continued my conversation with my mother." </p><p>"He whistled again. My mother advised me to go see what he wanted. I told her it wasn't going to hurt him to wait or come in here if he really wants me, and we continued our previous conversation."</p><p>"He came stomping into the house, and demanding to know if I heard him. I told him I did. He asked why didn't I come then. I asked him if he expected me to come to him like a dog whenever whistled."</p><p>"From the look on his face, I don't think it had ever crossed his mind that he was treating me that way. It was something he never did again."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtwfeh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">spamgolem</a></p>A Trickle Down Theory of Trauma
<p>"My brother and I sat down with our dad with our grandfather as a mediator to explain the effects of his verbal and emotional abuse through the years. I cried the whole time as I explained that I had almost killed myself earlier that week by driving off a bridge because I couldn't take it."</p><p>"His response? 'Well, my father beat me. So really, you're getting the better end of it. It could be soooo much worse. This is just how it goes. You guys are going to do the same thing to your kids too, and they might be the ones to break the cycle, but there's nothing you can do about it.' "</p><p>"My brother and I said f*** that and immediately jumped into counseling and dismissed him as a father figure and sought new men we could trust."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fru0j37?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">otterchan</a></p>Grasping at Straws
<p>"Just as unsatisfying as you'd expect."</p><p>"Cried. Played the victim. Made excuses. The apologized. A week later pretended nothing happened & went off on me for not forgetting everything when she apologized."</p><p>"She's very mentally ill."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fru1m92?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">kendiesel937</a></p>Varying Degrees of Success
<p>"My mother wasn't really toxic but emotionally distant. When I had a heart to heart with her, she hugged me and we cried together. Our relationship has greatly improved."</p><p>"My dad is super toxic. When I tried to have a serious talk with him about the damage he's done he was adamant that he did nothing wrong. He even laughed when I told him that I was suicidal in the past because of him."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtt1hs?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">SomeVelvetSundown</a></p>“The Fear Killer of My Life”
<p>"Bio Father: scared the holy sh** out of me most of my life. The day I called him on his abusive, drug addicted, alcohol dependent ways and was able to look him dead in the eye with a 'F***. You' was the most liberating, fear killer of my life."</p><p>"Mom, she's struggled with her own mental illnesses most of her life. Those eventually got projected on to me. Morality doesn't come from stone half-a**ed religious belief. Self-medication isn't a healthy coping mechanism. I stood my ground, explained how she was being a goddamned a**hole, and ever since we've been on great terms."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fruc3n3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">TheRevSev</a></p>Layers of Toxic
<p>"It's never gone well. Alcoholism is terrifying to confront." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtxeio?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">CantHandleFacts</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"It is. They almost always get violent." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frv7jxz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">dontniceguyatme</a></p>An Established Theme
<p>"They'd rather gaslight their own child than own up to anything." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fru07tr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">RoadFlowerVIP</a></p><p>"I just did. I was screamed at, I'm pretty sure gaslighted? Said I was being dramatic and stupid, immature. Lazy (severely depressed) and snippy (extreme anxiety and ptsd because of said parents) It hasn't been a good day." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtymey?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">youraverageslytherin</a></p>The Brick Wall Kind of Confrontation
<p>"Got angry, swore at me, cursed my existence, the usual toxic parent stuff." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtszaw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">GarunixReborn</a><span></span></p><p>"Well, I haven't talked to my dad in over 3 years, so I'd say it went alright." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtypn6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">puffmonkey92</a></p><p>"Well, I haven't spoken to my mother in damn near 10 years." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtygpp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Satanicbuttmechanic</a></p>The Twilight Zone of Arguments
<p>"Horribly. I've tried multiple times and it only results in circulate conversations where it's all turned around on me and I'm left feeling like I'm crazy."</p><p>"We'll go from me saying I feel x when you do x and then I'm being told I'm lying about example x because I told a lie 18 years ago."</p><p>"The topic changes a thousand times, we wind up yelling at each other, and then my parent will suddenly pretend to understand after all, I'll hear all about how loved I am, then after I leave I realize there was no apology and no resolution to what happened at all."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frtya6w?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">69schrutebucks</a></p>That's One Way to Take It
<p>"He moved to a bunker up north and keeps trying to convince me that we're living in the end times." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fruev2h?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">waitforaberrymuffin</a><span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Oh, glad it's nothing too crazy then." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frxm94j?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">i-wanna-see-it-all</a></p>Toxicity In Multiple Directions
<p>"My mom. She went to rehab got kicked out after a few days for harassing other patients, came home harassed me and then took off. Have blocked her out of my life since."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fru0684?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">[deleted]</a></p>A Disproportionate Response
<p>"Not great. When my dad picked a fight with me over the fact that I moved out (wtf) I told him the reason I moved out of the house was because of his toxic behavior."</p><p>"Dad flipped his sh**, said I was an ungrateful selfish spoiled brat with a personality disorder and that I was brain controlling my mother and sister. He was <em>literally</em> screaming and frothing at the mouth. It was terrifying."</p><p>"All because an 18 year old with a full time job decided to move out. Yeesh."</p><p>"On the plus side, Mom started to realize just how awful he was. They've since divorced and now none of us talk to him aside from occasional holiday cards. It's a huge improvement!"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fruife2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Moldy_slug</a></p>Finally Some Good News
<p>"It went better than expected. My mom had a moment of self-realization and had never realized the effect she had on me. She apologized and has since changed her behavior."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fru8kyl?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Cheyenne5555</a></p>When the Eight Year Old is More Mature
<p>"My dad was throwing a fit because I called his behaviour nonsense. He didn't let go and was sulking all day. I got tired of his BS and said sorry. I was 8." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fru14u1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">Gmax100</a></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">"My dad is just like that; entitled, always takes anger out on whoever the Hell it is closest to him, always plays the victim, etc. We mostly get along well, and always bond over video games, movies, etc., but I'm thankful him & my mother broke up when I was born; there's no way I could handle living with him." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/fru9w70?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">EloquentScumbag69</a></p>Utterly Deflating
<p>"They thought I was joking." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frucb6s?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">bbthatguy</a><span></span></p><p>"I was honest with them as a teenager. They just laughed at me." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frual2v?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">blizzaga1988</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Same." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frusyv6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">sydude_365</a></p>Brutal Honesty
<p>"When I was trying to find a job as a teen, I was chubby. And very unhappy about it."</p><p>"My dad used to ask me what jobs I applied to, how much it paid, etc. And then one day he told me, 'When you hand in your application, tell them it may not look like you work hard, but you really do.' "</p><p>"I was so crushed, that my dad had such a low opinion of me. I tried to tell him how that made me feel, but he just laughed it off. That was a long time ago and we're still not close. For that comment and many other reasons."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frudc53?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">whocares023</a></p>Hard Work After the Confrontation
<p>"Back when I was around 12 or 13 my mom uses to be in a horrible mood and scream at us for little to no reason. This mostly was caused by stress. I would sometimes wake up with anxiety attacks and nightmares of her."</p><p>"Sometimes she got physical about it but usually it was just the "u are a disappointment" etc. At some point I just got so tired of it that I just snapped. We got into a big fight, didn't talk for a few weeks."</p><p>"After my father realized what was going on he decided to contact a therapist. We now (22 currently) are fine and have decent relation."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gqnr4c/serious_people_who_have_confronted_their_parents/frufn8w?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">UnclesPoopsock</a></p>In a perfect world, facts would be important to everyone. We do not live in a perfect world. We live in a strange and reactionary place where facts can often be brushed aside as opinion or seen as offensive.
Good Faith
<p>Treat them as good-faith actors. They're not trying to be wrong... They believe what they're saying. Ask questions.</p><p>"I didn't know that. Can you explain it a bit more?" Then when you have a natural opportunity, say something like "I always thought... "</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f23ph3r?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">riotacting</a></p>I Believe You, But...
<p>At work as a foremen we use the phrase "trust, but verify" I believe you but it's my job on the line.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f23r5cm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dirtystreetz</a></p><p>Yup, aircraft maintenance is the same way.</p><p>"I trust that's correct, but I need to verify. So if anything goes wrong we've both had eyes on it."</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f24ngkp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">xxkoloblincxx</a></p>Mission Impossible
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTE3NjM0NC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzMxNTY5M30.Gky4lgKKhEuJedkEQqo35qKj_FwtjG7e23vCcBQ-u5M/img.gif?width=980" id="8a908" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3c925db788e580f97ca5250d0a50d674" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Giphy<p>You don't. Someone will always be offended.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f23ljft?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">matthew-1138</a></p>Us vs The Problem
<p>Avoid telling people they are wrong and avoid telling them, "No, ...". People want two things: to feel heard and like they belong. Telling someone they are wrong doesn't accomplish either.</p><p>Provide evidence for a counterpoint and let them draw their own conclusions. You aren't trying to tear them down, you're working with them to find a solution to a problem. It just so happens that the evidence you have found supports a different solution than theirs. The minute you view it as me vs them and not us vs the problem you will have already failed.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f23nay2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">KamikazePuffer</a></p>This Nurse's Method
<p>I once heard a visitor to the hospital where I worked make some outlandish claim, and a nurse simply responded pleasantly "It sounds like you need more information!"</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f24a4gs?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">afmpdx</a></p>Just Don't
<p>Choose your battles. Fact checks may be okay once a week, but not like twice a day.<span></span></p><p>Walk away without "convincing" the other person. If you get argumentative, they'll often double down. My sweetest fact checks pay off hours, days, or even weeks later: "You know, I looked that up, and it turns out you were ..."</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f23yaeg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">ChangeMyDespair</a></p>Just Play Dumb
<p>Say, "Oh, really? I haven't heard that. Where did you read it?"</p><p>You disarm them by admitting you weren't aware of something they supposedly are, and ask them for a source. From there it can be easy to figure out if their source is a blog or scientific study, or whatever.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f247hrc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">culb77</a></p><p><br></p><p>I use this often. Generally Instead of offering an alternative viewpoint or facts of my own I simply keep asking question like I'm genuinely interested and uninformed; anxious to know more. Also if they make a number of false claims it's important to simply ask 1 question at a time. That essentially forces them to fact-check themselves and justify their viewpoint without giving them any options in terms of which questions of yours to answer.</p>Missing Some Information
<p>I had a student swear that her mom was a doctor and she became one because she knew somebody. I could NOT let her drop that and have other students believe that shit. I stated that there isn't a doctor in this country that hasn't gone to college and medical school. She insisted. After a couple of back and forths, I just finished it with 'I think we're missing some information'. Best line I ever used.</p><p>Turns out, her mom was an ultrasound tech for a doctor.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f25urn3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank">JoatMon325</a></p>In The Most Polite Way
<p>I was backpacking through Yosemite last week and was just corrected in the most polite way. We were looking out over an amazing view and I thought something was half dome. A nice English fella then said "I'll be honest with you, I don't think that is quite correct." </p><p>Realized I was wrong immediately, and then thanked him for correcting me. Really seemed effective, on me anyway.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/dbs4pv/how_do_you_fact_check_someone_without_seeming/f251qda?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">askredditbanned19</a></p>Knowing When It's Important
<p>Not always possible. Some people are offended by facts and data, and that's not an exaggeration. The real trick is knowing when it's important to fact-check and when it's not.</p><p>If my parents assert that only citrus fruits produce citric acid, I'm just going to nod my head</p><p>If my parents start telling me crime is through the roof and it's all black people's fault, I'm going to wiki empirical data to prove them wrong.</p><p>If they want to be mad at me for not taking their word at face value, even after they've been shown contradictory data from a reputable source, that's their prerogative. I've done nothing wrong.</p>Have you ever found yourself in an argument so stupid and/or pointless that you were sure you were being punked? Like you keep looking away from the other person to check your suroundings for places Ashton Kutcher and a camera crew could come popping out of?