People Divulge The One Secret That Would Change The Way People Saw Them If They Found Out
Everyone has a secret–a shameful history, an embarrassing tendency, or a life hack they want to keep to themselves.
Whatever it is, secrets can either completely destroy one's reputation because of a regretful past or make them venerated for an admirable act done anonymously to avoid praise.
These mysterious qualities keep you from fully understanding who your friends really are.
Do you truly really know your boss, the person you've looked up to all your life, your child, or even your spouse?
What would happen if you discovered something about them that wasn't intended for you to find out?
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor Difficult-House6853 asked:
"What’s a secret that would change how the people around you look at you if they knew?"
If you think you know everyone in your little community, you have another think coming.
Former Group Member
"I was in a cult for a couple years."
– Sleepy-Spacemen
The Escape Plan
"All of my friends and family are Jehovahs witnesses, they think I am but I plan to leave. 85% of them will shun me when I leave."
– Allegedlystupid
Complete Christening
"Our house was the first one on our street to be built. My husband and I had sex in every single house on our street while they were under construction. I imagine our neighbors would look at us differently if they know we’d f'ked in their house before they even had a chance to."
– MediocreMerkin
The discussion people have with themselves can be startling.
The Passive Confidante
"People think that I’m a good listener, and that just makes them say things to me that they really shouldn’t. I’m only listening because I don’t want to be rude, not because I care. Don’t tell me your family secrets, please."
– A_Guy_From_The_ME
Inner Dialogue
"My intrusive thoughts. Holy sh*t sometimes i surprise myself on how gnarly i think in just a second."
– MaybeNot_MaybeYes
All The Vulernabilities
"How incredibly terrified I am nearly all of the time. I'm not confident, I don't think I'm in control any more, I don't think I can do this. And still, here I go"
– Bron_3
Let's play trivia with the people you think you know well.
Lawbreaker
"I’m a convicted felon. Nothing violent, a white collar crime."
– PhotographIcy600
Easily Detached
"I have a very hard time liking/growing fond of people, even after knowing them for years. I could just drop all contact with them and not miss them at all. Was like this even as a child, all the way to now…"
– Infinite_Ebb_2856
More Than Meets The Eye
"I’m a janitor. But I’m worth over a million dollars because I own real estate."
– Flashy-Weather3529
Everyone is entitled to keeping secrets.
But has anything good ever come as a result of revealing something you've kept close to yourself?
I have. Coming out while I was in college made me feel like a heavy burden was lifted once I received an outpouring of love and support from friends and family.
What changed was not only their perception of who I truly was, but also how I viewed them.
I regretted having underestimated them–thinking they wouldn't embrace me for who I am as a person–when the exact opposite wound up happening.
I do acknowledge that everyone does not have the same experience.
I've been very lucky and I count my blessings for all the love surrounding me in my life.
People Explain Which Teen Movies Made Them Think 'The Older I Get, The More I Agree With The Adult'
There's a fairly common formula in movies geared toward a teenage audience.
A group of teenagers face one central conflict, to varying degrees of importance and severity, but manage to solve it in a surprisingly short manner of time.
The heroes of these films are usually a hodgepodge of traditional high school archetypes (star athlete, math nerd, girl whose beauty is disguised by a pair of glasses), all of whom the intended audience can completely relate to and root for.
And then we have the adult characters, who are often buffoonish stereotypes, or the outright villain, whose sole mission is to ensure the protagonist will not achieve their ultimate goal.
As teenagers, we often find ourselves ready to boo these grown-ups from the minute they appear on the screen.
But when we revisit these movies as adults, we find ourselves noticing that their behavior isn't quite as bad as we remembered.
Or, more shockingly, we actually find ourselves rooting for them!
"What teen movie is the epitome of 'the older I get, the more I agree with the adult?'"
The Teacher Was Right All Along...
"Rewatching 'Scrubs', I realize I’m no longer a JD., I’ve become a Cox."- RenegadeRinker
They Were Just Being Protective!
"I watched 'Sixteen Candles' recently and I now do not approve of Samantha going anywhere near Jake Ryan."-goblininstigator
All It Takes Is A Little Perspective
"Sadly, 'The Wonder Years'."
"I always couldn’t believe the dad was real, with his pissed off attitude from work."
"Now I understand."- hashn
The Wonder Years Thumbs Down GIFGiphyNothing Wrong With A Little Precision And Order!
"The movie 'Juno'."
"Jennifer Garner's character is at first portrayed as a 'square', then you realize she's a mature adult and her husband is a man-baby."- DaveFarted
Add It Up, The Wedding Cost Nearly $150,00!
"Not a teen movie, but 'Father of the Bride'."
"Watching it as a kid, Steve Martin seemed like an old grump."
"Rewatching it as an adult, holy sh*t he is the only sane person in that movie."- DrOctopusMD
It Was Literally His Job To Protect Them!
"'The Lion King'."
"Oh I thought Zazu was just an old fun-killer."
"What do you mean, Simba can't be king?"
"Why would you prevent the kids from going where they want?"
"As an adult and father, I'm 100% Team Zazu."- Oneiric86
the lion king GIF by DisneyGiphySeriously, Would Your Dad Have Been So Cool About It?...
"'American Pie'."
"As a new father, I hope to be like Jim’s dad when my little one is a teenager."
"Caring, loving and a complete embarrassment to them."- BanjoPhatterson
It's A Parent's Job To Worry.
"The mom in 'Ice Princess'."
"So you have a daughter who has a talent for and seems to like physics and has a shot of getting into Harvard."
"This girl throws it away for ice skating where she has only been competing for less than a year, where if she gets injured she's done and when she reaches 30 she's pretty much done."
"There is no way she is at an olympic level at that point she would need years of training! "
"Hell yes I would advise against it to!"- testmonkey254
Always Be Respectful Of Your Roommate!
"Goob, 'Meet the Robinsons'."- beepboop232
Meet The Robinsons Google GIFGiphyPeople Are Complicated
"Dr Doofenschmirtz."
"He’s just trying to do something right and being a good dad."- LukeLJS123
Dancing
"In Dirty Dancing, Jerry Orbach just wanted a family summer vacation and instead learned entirely too much about his daughters’ sex lives." - User Deleted
Menace
"Mr. Wilson in Dennis the Menace. Seriously, f**k that little miscreant and his parents that turn a blind eye to his shenanigans." -HotTub_MKE
Wimpy
"Haven't watched the movies, but I assume that the movies are similar enough, Diary of a wimpy kid, bro, your mom just wants to stop being a housewife and have a job and you complain that she isn't in the house anymore to be your personal slave, when you get from school you don't even greet her, you just give her your back pack, you little sh*t, do one thing in your life, did you ever thank her for anything Gregory?" - Torture-Dancer
Wonka
"Gene Wilder in original Charlie and the Chocolate factory “stop, don’t... come back” - isaacmorton
Good Will
"Good Will Hunting."
"A great film to watch as a smug, witty underachiever, however genuinely smart & funny you might be (at least according to your friends)."
"But go back to it 15 or 20 years later, perhaps after losing your wife to cancer, and you'll freak out at this scene."
"Source: No idea how smart or funny I really used to be, but I was definitely smug. I married the person I'd been with since we were both 16. She died at 33." - cdeverett
Rugrats
"Rugrats. The parents were so young and just doing their best. I like it was a group of neighbors that were best friends too. I get really stressed out on their behalf now. Especially the one where didi just wants to make it home before her banana tree she bought died in the car but no one could get their sh*t together." - cunexttuesday12
Daria
"Way late to the party; but I’m gonna say “Daria”."
"I used to be a disaffected teen too. All my problems were SO HUGE! And Daria’s parents just DIDN’T UNDERSTAND!"
"I watch it now, and Jake Morgendorffer is who I identify best with. He’s supposed to seem silly and crazy and out of touch, but now I just see a guy who worries so much about providing for his family, dealing with insecurity about his masculinity, and trying to relate to his daughters any way he can in spite of being completely baffled by them, because his hypermasculine upbringing left him ill-equipped to relate to girls."
"Poor Jake. He just wants to be a better dad than his dad. And in spite of his goofiness, I think he does an okay job." - corran450
As teens we're inclined to revolt from our parents and teachers, or even be revolted by them.
But the older we get, the more we understand that nine times out of ten, they were just looking out for us.
Just as we realize that Mr. Hall of Clueless was being pretty generous giving a C to a student who didn't seem to know how to pronounce "Haitian"...
Some people are daredevils, and laugh in the face of danger.
As a result, they'll willingly partake in dangerous activities like bungee jumping and skydiving, or will go scuba diving with sharks without a second thought.
Others though, proceed through life with extreme caution, and wouldn't be caught dead partaking in any of the above.
However, these same people might not realize that they might have once put themselves in extreme danger without even realizing it.
As some things which appear to be completely harmless and risk free, might actually be far more dangerous than they might seem.
Redditorcltdawg08 was curious to learn what things are deceptively dangerous, leading them to ask:
"What is a lot more dangerous than most people think?"
No harm in hitting the snooze button, right?
"Playing the 'well, my alarm turned off, but I just wanna rest my eyes for a bit' game."- IIITysonIII
Don't be fooled by their "chinny, chin, chins"...
"Pigs."
"They look slow and fat."
"Saw a guy nearly get killed by a pig."- theycallmelilsnowy
Always try to get those 40 winks...
"Sleep deprivation."
"It slowly kills over time."- CyndaWott
Don't underestimate the importance of a helmet.
"Being knocked out."
"In movies, the hero hits someone on the head, or the hero is hit on the head, and they're out for hours."
"In reality, if you are knocked unconscious for more than a few seconds, you'll be inundated with traumatic brain injuries."
"Even a mild brain injuries can drastically change a person's personality, if it doesn't kill them, which is a real possibility."
"TL;DR: Don't get knocked out, and if you do, see a neurologist."
"I speak as someone who has had over 10 concussions."- canucksquatch
Consider calling a professional...
"Garage door springs."- Cvrk2·
Especially without proper supervision
"Factory work."
"I started one like 2 weeks ago and quit after the first week."
"A mistake in a metal fabrication shop could easily cost you your life or serious injury."
"Not for the clumsy type like myself."- StoneySphynx
ALWAYS get a second opinion...
"Reddit advice."- Pro_Banana
Get your body moving!
"Sitting for long periods of time."- Accurate-Bread-7574
Kitten Stretching GIFGiphyTalk to a doctor first.
"Using OTC meds."
"There is a very good reason why these drugs emphasize to not use more than _____ days consecutively without a Doctors orders."
"Some of these drugs can very easily cause long-term damage under the right circumstances, even if you never exceed the daily dose limits."
"I'm a good example."
"I used Aspirin long-term near max dose on a regular basis."
"I'm now in stage 3 kidney failure."
"Don't self-medicate, seek guidance."
"At the least, talk to the pharmacist."
"They offer FREE advice and consultation about all medications, both OTC and Rx, whether your on it presently or looking to ask your Dr about it."- SpacemaniaXu
Don't let appearances deceive you, and always proceed with caution.
A wise and safe way to go through life, even if you prefer to live dangerously.
And particularly before you pet that pig...
Despite people's good intentions, there are things that are perceived as being completely innocent but are actually against the law.
An example of this is retrieving items from the garbage bin–which is primarily used for depositing trash, not meant to help one's cause.
There are other protocols in place meant to help people, and if you're not aware of them and act accordingly, you could find yourself being in violation of rules you had no previous idea about.
Curious to hear more examples of this, Redditor Dr_vinci asked:
"What is moral but illegal?"
These don't hurt people per se, but it throws a wrench in the system.
Doctor's View Of Medicare
"As an American doctor who takes Medicare, I am not allowed to waive fees for procedures or charge a patient less than what our officially set rates are, even if they don’t have insurance. I’m also not allowed to ask a doctor from a different practice what a certain insurance company pays them for a service, as this has been deemed 'anti-trust.'”
– bryantuga
This Stings
"Donating unused insulin to those in need."
– Destroyette
School Lunches
"Cafeteria workers at schools feeding children that don't have money."
– P1nk33
Wasting Is Better Than Charity
"Grabbing thrown out food from a groceries shop's dumpster."
– Clouddancerr
Recyclables In Japan
"In Japan? Recycling someone's garbage without permission. Touching their garbage at all. You could use a discarded couch and save it from the garbage dump, but be arrested for it."
– InvisibleMe21
Garbage Handling in Germany
"Strictly speaking in Germany too. The garbage is the can's owners property until it is picked up, at that point it becomes the waste management company's property. It's not a free-for-all once it's at the curb."
"If there's something you want from the garbage, just ask the owners. Usually you can have it."
– HermitAndHound
The world of retail had plenty of people scratching their heads.
Closing Out The Store
"I was store manager during the closing of a retail store. I was given permission to set my own prices (within limits) but they didn’t say I couldn’t layer employee discount on top. So my employees were getting $500 items for like $40, and all floor models and displays were 'damaged out' and just went home with people for free."
– Sh**tingmytrewes
Dumpster Diving
"Grabbing thrown out clothes from clothing stores/furniture/appliances, brand new stuff that just didn’t sell or was out of season. Truly wasteful and probably a terrible. My mom used to drive behind strip malls with me as a kid and we’d find all sorts of good stuff, Pier 1 Imports used to have some good stuff, so did Burlington Coat Factory."
– All_Usernames_Tooken
Damaging The Goods
"I worked retail and was instructed to damage the clothes before bagging and trashing. I pretended to damage, bagged them, damaged the top few and had a coworker pick them up after work to donate to a shelter."
– JustGiraffable
These rules of the road didn't make sense for Redditors.
Keeping The Roads Safe
"Sleeping in your car when your too drunk to drive."
– Yuaskin
Helping Others
"Paying for other people's parking meters."
– Tink2013
"Local ordinance all over the US forbid strangers for putting money in other people's meters. The locality would rather get parking ticket money."
– Tink2013
Here's The Key
"My friend caught a DWI charge (and somehow beat it) for sleeping one off in his car rather than driving home. Now he does it all the time in the warmer months but he locks his keys in his trunk and he's been woken up and harassed for it but where we live, they can't really give him too much grief because the keys aren't in the cabin."
– ebimbib
The next time you go dumpster diving to look for something you consider a treasure–depending on where you are–beware.
At least in the state of California, the act of scavenging is against the law because you are "stealing" items meant for a city-approved recycling company–basically an entity other than yourself–even if it's in the bin.
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There are things we accept as inherently bad – like predatory animals or unhealthy foods – because we are socialized to believe they are.
For instance, Steven Spielberg's Jaws terrified audiences when it was released in theaters in 1975 and it kept people from going to the beach.
What many people don't realize is that humans are not naturally shark-food as they typically avoid food sources that are competitive in size.
And when you think about it, aren't people are the most dangerous species of all?
Curious to hear what strangers thought, Redditor BreachyJoe asked:
"What is something that doesn't deserve its bad reputation?"
"Dangerous" Animals
Most species in the animal kingdom will leave you alone if unprovoked.
Silent Predator
"sharks."
"No kidding. The oceans would be a mess without them. They kill less people per year than mosquitoes, deer and PEOPLE. They're intelligent but so different from us that the bad rep was practically unavoidable sadly"
Nothing To Hiss At
"Black cats."
"THIS ONE. I was absolutely floored this past October when I read somewhere that some animal shelters will not allow anyone to adopt black cats for fear that people will abuse them and/or sacrifice them ritualistically because we All Know that black cats bring BAD LUCK. LOOK. We own a black cat and he's Just A Cat. About the worst thing he does is drag his ass across the carpet because he has a sticky piece of sh*t sticking to his fur!!! 🙄"
Creatures Of The Night
"Bats. Some of the best insect control/pollination help out there (depending on species). Plus they can give you good fertilizer. 'But they carry rabies.....' you know what else can carry rabies? Raccoons, rabbits, foxes, dogs, opossums....pretty much mammals. 'But they can carry cross species diseases....' So do pigs, chicken, primates, and now with [the virus] dogs & cats. I mean don't go hug them- but they are very useful & unfortunately on the way out."
They Make For Good Pets
"Snakes. Majority of them are harmless. I understand if you live in an area with deadly snakes. But snakes are always represented as pure evil and villainous when most are just typical reptiles going about their little snake lives. They don't want to bother you, they just want to survive the next day and reproduce."
At Subways Near You
"Rats."
"They make great pets. Very smart and quite easy to train, very loving and loyal, inquisitive, and always up for playing with you."
"Rats are actually very clean animals, groom themselves a lot and don't like being filthy."
Eight-Legged "Freaks"
"Spiders. They just chill in their webs and eat annoying bugs that nobody wants around. They are scary looking but mostly harmless if you leave them alone. Those giant ones need to stay out of my house though."
– Lanky240
People
People can easily be persuaded by the opinions of others, especially on the internet.
Misunderstood?
"Guy Fieri. What the heck did he ever do to anyone?"
"Dude is a bro! He's raised millions of dollars for grants to restaurant workers who have been hammered by [the virus] closures. He does tons of charity work for food security, and even performed marriage ceremonies for 101 gay couples in honor of his sister when that was still super controversial. His signature style may be Backstreet Boy-reject, but it also makes him instantly recognizable and helps in bringing attention to good causes."
Requires Discipline And Hard Work
"Fast food workers. I don't get the 'anyone can do it' argument. Through my time as a manager I've turned down applicants for not being up to our standard and watched all age groups quit because the job isn't as easy as they expected. It's a fast paced work environment with lots of memorization due to food safety standards. I've worked production, construction, warehouse, and others but working in fast food isn't easier than the others, just different."
Honest Living
"Garbage truck man, why does all people look them bad, they just want to live and take our trash away, like seriously."
"Work super early in the morning, no matter the weather, and handle the grossest sh*t in society. They deserve good money."
– 05110909
Productive At Night
"Being a night person and sleeping late"
"Believe me we work better at night and we can be twice as productive."
"As someone who likes to build a lot in minecraft and writing the night is my best hour of creativity In the end, I also do all my tasks between midnight and 2 AM, the rest is to watch Netflix, YouTube, and Reditt."
The Rocker
"Joan Jett."
"Yeah, but she don't give a damn about her bad reputation."
Health
Some of the things we put in our bodies are stigmatized for various reasons.
But these people believe the following should not be blackballed.
Let It Flow
"Tap water. People have been manipulated by bottled water companies to believe that drinking tap water is somehow bad for you. Water quality standards for tap water in most 1st world countries is extremely high."
It's In Everything
"Monosodium glutamate (MSG). It's just the sodium salt of glutamic acid, and it naturally occurs in many foods. There is literally nothing wrong with it if used in appropriate proportions, same as regular salt. But sadly it was demonized as part of the whole racist 'Chinese restaurant syndrome' that convinced people Chinese food was out to kill us all. The myth prevails to this day."
Eat Your Veggies
"i know i'm late but, fkn veggies bro. when your little its such a stereotype that toddler wont like broccoli but i love em and i have since i was a little kid."
– ajs3136
Culture Cuisine
"Taco Bell does not give everyone diarrhea."
"Honestly, my theory is that is not Taco Bell specifically, but that some people have the notion that Mexican Food gives you diarrhea. If you think about the people who say Taco Bell gives you diarrhea, it's largely the same people who think any ethnic food gives you diarrhea, black pepper is spicy, and that Taco Bell is Mexican food. They say the same thing about Indian food, for instance. South Park even had an episode where a running joke was that blood in your underwear was a natural result of eating Chipotle. So I think it's less about Taco Bell specifically than it is about people who think Taco Bell is Mexican food, and that any kind of "ethnic" food gives you the sh*ts."
– livious1
Chemical Reaction
"Chemicals. 'Chemical-free' is marketing crap. Everything is a chemical."
"Bacteria automatically gets a bad rap. But most are harmless and some are even beneficial to us. There's both good bacteria and bad bacteria."
Not The Singer
"Meatloaf is awesome."
"A friend of mine at work is Hispanic. He told me the story of growing up, they never had meatloaf. He said the only thing he knew of it was television shows where kids would say things like 'Aww, meatloaf again?' so he assumed it was terrible."
"Then one day, he had the opportunity to try it. He loved it!"
"This came up because the company we work for was giving out free lunches last year for those of use who had to work through the early part of the quarantine. One day, they had meatloaf. We both got the meatloaf and then he told me about growing up and thinking it tasted bad."
"This is one of my favorite stories."
– will477
At the end of the day, a good or bad reputation should be about a personal experience and not generalized off of someone else's opinion.
Unless of course you're a consumer reading Yelp reviews and looking for the best products and services available.
But unless you had a limb swallowed by a shark, or gotten food poisoning from eating at Taco Bell, don't go hating on them.