"What screams 'I’m insecure'?"
The Wisest People Are Those Always Willing To Learn
"When people are unable to admit that they don’t know something."- slimytoads
not listening no way GIFGiphyOther People's Success Are Not Your Failures
"Mocking someone else's achievement."- SuvenPan
Never Pick Yourself Up By Taking Others Down
"Belittling others."- Term-Haunting
"Always talking badly about others and trying to make them look weak/bad."- Pildith
The Simpsons GIF by MOODMANGiphyMaybe Honesty Isn't Always The Best Policy...
"When you're quick to be 'brutally honest' with others, but have a meltdown when someone does it back to you."-eF240uKX52hp
Not As Funny As They Think...
"People who tear other people down as a joke but then get mad when they get it handed back to them."
"Clearly they either aren’t joking or are too sensitive to be dishing out sh*t."- babythrottlepop
Being On Top Adds More Possibilities Of Falling Down...
"Trying to one-up people in every conversation."- Flanky_Bwai
"One upping people in conversation."
"If I tell you I had a great trip to X place, I don’t need to hear about your better trip to someplace else that’s ostensibly 'better'."- I_Am_The_Grapevine
kristen wiig television GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphySome Things Speak For Themselves...
"Constantly saying what kind of person you are."
"If you were, you wouldn’t have to tell us."- ubereddit
A Little Contrition Goes A Long Way...
"Never apologizing."
"Making excuses and even twisting the facts but never apologize."- SuvenPan
But Enough About Me, What Do You Think Of Me?
"Constant projection and self-serving compliments."- nhabz
Look At Me Kiki GIF by The Bachelor AustraliaGiphyWhat Are They Even Trying To Prove?
"Revving your vehicle loudly every time you pass another person."- msnmck
Superior By Association
“'You will address me by my husband’s rank!'”- Psychological-Stay16
PDA Much?
"Elaborate Instagram and Facebook posts declaring love for one’s significant other over and over and over."- jbmaun
Happy Married At First Sight GIF by LifetimeGiphyAlways Needing Validation
"People who can’t think or feel anything without being told that it’s okay to do so."- Diesel07012012
It's sad that so many people think the only way to overcome something which makes them embarrassed or afraid is by embarrassing or demeaning others.
When being open and honest about your insecurities might, instead, result in your finding common ground with others.
And making new, lifelong friends in the process.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor dontaskmeforfeetpics asked:
"What is something about yourself that sounds totally made up but is 100% real?"
Just putting these out there. It's up to you to decided whether or not to be a believer.
The Artist
"I built a 13 foot tall t rex with Christopher Walken's head, and New York magazine called it high brow and brilliant."
– RainbowHoodieGang
Gaming Reality
"My dad’s name is Luigi and my uncle’s name is Mario. They are brothers."
"ETA: I forgot to add that my dad is also a plumber."
– ecofreckle
"I am allergic to lettuce."
"Like I carry an epi pen allergic."
– PepperFinn
Creating Opportunity
"I was once sponsored by the CRUNK energy drink company for sailing. I imagine I was the only sailor on their list. I literally just emailed them saying that I sailed and asked if they wanted me to put stickers on my boat. They sent me a few cases of the drink, t shirts, hats, the works. My car was known as the crunk-mobile."
– __slamallama__
Equine Story
"A horse threw me in the air when I was a child. But I wasn’t on his back. He grabbed the skin of my back with his teeth and yeeted me."
– Kaibethha
These Redditors beat the odds in unimaginable ways.
A Second Chance
"I died first, and then was born."
"I’ve told this story a few times on reddit, but I enjoy telling it so here we go again."
"During the Caesarian to bring me into the world, there was some major complication on my mother’s end. She started bleeding internally, drowning me in the womb. When I was removed, the doctors tried to get me breathing but couldn’t. I was declared dead. My mother was still unconscious, but my dad was brought in to say goodbye to me. He held me in his arms, was saying goodbye when out of nowhere I started coughing up blood and screaming as babies do. Apparently it was the weirdest moment in his life, being abjectly terrified and overwhelmed with joy that I was alive."
"It’s my favourite story to tell, because weirdly it takes some pressures off on birthdays. I don’t do well with to much attention by family/friends, but celebrating my “death day” doesn’t bring people the same connotations."
– CountPeter
Success Story
"I grew up 'on the wrong side of the river', was considered by all to be the town loser, and went to work as a janitor while still in high school... then... in my 40s I set a goal for myself (while still working full time) to take one class at time until I either graduate or die, whichever comes first. At age 49 I finished my Bachelors of Science Degree, at age 52 my MBA, and age 61 my Ph.D. Never let the arrogant elitists define who you are or what you can be!"
– owoBP7oT6RByPN1rfl0o
Unconventional Academic
"I never graduated high school but I have a bachelor's degree. I was homeschooled and my mom never went through the legal steps to actually get me a real diploma, so she made one in photoshop that was then used to get me into this podunk community college that didn't verify it. From there I got my associate's degree, which I then used to get into a decent university where I got my bachelor's."
– testbotV1
Family histories are fascinating but can also be confounding.
A Different Time
"My great-grandma ran a brothel back at the turn of the 20th century. She was Algonquin and people were pretty racist back then so she had a hard time getting business. Since it was a coastal town (Maine) she bought up a couple leaky old rowboats and would load them up with hookers and booze and row them out to the ships at night. When ships came in to port most of the crew would get shore leave and hit the bars and brothels in town, but they always had to leave a few sailors on the ship to keep an eye on it. My Great-grandmother figured those guys had money too and probably felt left out. She basically set up waterbased lot lizards. Or UberHoes."
"My Grandpa and his sisters grew up in the brothel and no one would talk to them or socialize with them. My Grandpa met my Grandma picking green beans for a local farmer. They fell in love. When they wanted to get married they had to leave the state to get away from her family that were utterly disgusted that she would marry the son of a whore. So they ran off to Detroit because GM was hiring and that's how my family came to Michigan."
– 88GrandWagoneer
Missed Opportunities
"My great grandfather worked in the textile business and started importing rayon fabric from Japan in the late 60s and 70s. Keep in mind this was during the early days of synthetic fabrics and travelling to Japan was not all that common. On a business trip, he met some Japanese business men who were selling newly designed transistor radios. His contacts wanted to setup an exclusive import agreement for their electronics to North America, but my great grandfather declined, because how many of these radios could you possibly sell?"
"Turns out that was a short sighted business decision, because that company was called Sony Electronics. He turned down the exclusive import contract for Sony."
"On the other side of my family, my Canadian relatives walked away from 100 acres of land in Alberta during the dust bowl and great depression. They decided it was not worth paying the taxes on their land. Turns out that land was right in the heart of the Alberta oil deposits."
"Also on my mother's side of the family, they used to have a citrus orchard near Los Angeles. They sold it cheap to some land developers. That farm was right at Hollywood and Vine."
"My family on both sides is bad at seeing long term investments."
– theironmanatee
Unrelated
"I found out my 'father' wasnt my biological father in 10th grade Biology class. We were learning about blood types and traits. I raised my hand thinking I was a smart a**, 'You're chart isnt accurate, my dad has AB negative and I'm O positive.' My teacher said 'I think your mom has some explaining to do!'. And we all chuckled."
"Turned out, he was not my father."
– aoyfas
The Redditors who shared their stories above definitely sound like they can be huge hits at a cocktail party.
Especially if the two people attending said event are Mario and Luigi.
As far as I'm concerned, their parents are winning.
"What is something considered 'weird' in the USA but is normal to the rest of the world?"
Easily Accessible Records
"The way to get Birth certificates."
" Like in Chile and some Latin Countries, we just go to THE government official page, put our names and our numbers, and we have our certificates ready to be downloaded, not only the Birth one."
"I comment this in an AITA post, and I get it why the USA doesn't have it, but if we look the amount of parents that used this like another tactic of abuse by keeping it, if the USA implement this it could be better and one thing less to be worry about in that cases."- BreadWithChancho
Even If The Service Was Spectacular
"Not tipping at every restaurant."- Amazing_Trace
"Not tipping for the dumbest sh*t."
"Like i went to a zoo in the USA and apparently I had to tip the person that passed me an ice cone in a food stand."
"Like lady, i was the one that was standing up in a line to get here."
"You didn't go and deliver it to me."
"Tipping culture is cancer."- Its_Bormin_Time
Tip Tipping GIF by DeRay DavisWhich Comes First? Month Or Day?
"DD/MM/YYYY."- ricarleite2
Dundee Would Agree!
"Bidets."
"People make fun of mine."
"Jokes on them though, my a**hole is way cleaner than theirs."- sheldonowns
People Have Different Standards Of Hygiene...
"Not refrigerating eggs."- supremedalek925
Dance Food GIFGiphyNo Supersizing Here...
"Smaller portion sizes."- Sad-Aioli-7194
Measures Up...
"The metric system."- ArtichokeTurbulent70
"The metric system."- Bruhfactor21
Independent At An Early Age
"8-year old kids walking to and from school on their own."- DormeDwayne
Walking Fail GIFGiphySome Prefer It Lukewarm...
"Soda without ice."- revpar35
Ask Bill De Blasio...
"Eating pizza with a knife and fork."- Environmental-Way-29
If You Can Afford The Data Plan
"Communicating via the iMessage or Whatsapp voice memo feature in day to day life."- felastrobel
sexy chat GIF by Fragmento UniversoGiphyDon't Even Get Americans Started...
"Not paying for healthcare."- Wrong_Coffee_9457
It's Just An Expression!
"I’ve heard it’s somewhat of a taboo to eat horse meat in the USA."- IceClimbers_Main
It's Very Dangerous!
"Jaywalking."
"What the f*ck America?"- Slugs4breakfast
sacha baron cohen crossing street GIFGiphyFinger Food!
"Eating sauce with bread using hands it's common here in Tunisia and asian countries, but I never saw an American do that."- Various-Engineer2114
Some Would Just Call It Good Hygeine
"Taking off your shoes before coming inside your home."- fishywig
Is This A Thing?
"To pee on someone's tyre before they leave."- Suspicious_Fun_3641
dog peeing GIFGiphyNo two people have the same opinion on what is "weird" and what is "normal".
And the joys of traveling is to experience a culture different from our own.
But don't let that stop you from keeping your eggs in the fridge.
"What is the smallest, pettiest hill you'll still die on?"
I Will ALWAYS Dispute That Charge!
"Bank of America charged me $2 for a miscellaneous charge, in 1997. I called to ask what it was for because there was no reason."
"The lady on the phone said, well, I can't tell you because it is miscellaneous."
"I asked her to then please reverse it and she refused."
"I pulled all three of my accounts from them and moved them to a credit union and ever since, full stop refuse to have a damn thing with that company."- Handbag_Lady
Let People Off First!
"That you need to let people off the f*cking subway before you get on."
"My guy, you will get on - let me off first!"- croix_v
"It’s common courtesy to wait for someone to come off the elevator before entering."- mkittyxoxo
Commuting Hasan Minhaj GIF by Patriot ActGiphyGive People Space!
"Back the f*ck up at cash registers."
"You don't need to be spelunking in my a** before the cashier even hands me my receipt."
"Afterwards, maybe we can talk about making something happen."
"But while at the register I want my personal space."- Geistwhite
Push It Out!
"Before placing a ziploc bag in the refrigerator or freezer, squeeze the air out of the bag."
"I don't know why my wife doesn't, and one day I'll have to make a choice."- johnbacosta
Keep The Aisles Clear!
"It is possible to look at something on a grocery store shelf without blocking the whole aisle."
"Looking at you, shoppers in a certain Aldi this afternoon."- treecatks
dreams worth more than money shopping GIFGiphyBe Mindful Of Others!
"Scrolling through TikTok/Reels/whatever with your volume up in public or semi-public places.'
"Transit, waiting room, restaurant."- technocraft
Everyone Gets Their Special Day!
"I hill I will die on."
"When a kid has a birthday, only HE gets to blow out the candles!"
"It INFURIATES me to my very soul when I see other kids try to blow them out."
"The only thing worse is when adults LET THEM."- Drew__Mast
Fill It If You Kill It.
"Danny needs to replenish the fridge downstairs."
"You take a soda pop, YOU REPLENISH."- hiro111
Don't Call Me on Vacation!
"When I have time approved off from work and something goes wrong, no it is not my responsibility to log back on and take care of it."- ironwheatiez
Season 7 Ocean GIF by Curb Your EnthusiasmGiphyWe'Ve. Been Pronouncing It Wrong For Years!
"The way you pronounce SACAGAWEA."
"So many people say 'SAK-a-ja-wee-ah' but it’s 'sah-KAH-gah-wee-ah'."
"Even tribal folk are split on how to pronounce it but I’m sticking to my guns on on 'Sah Kah gah wee ah'."- IBeatUpLiamNeeson
"The pronunciation of Neckarsulm."
"It's a city in Germany, right by the river Neckar."
"There's also another city just called Ulm."
"Ergo, this city is the Ulm of the Neckar, or Neckar's Ulm."
"Neckars-Ulm."
"People pronounce it Neckar-Sulm."
"Drives me f*cking nuts every time I hear it on the radio."- MJmishmash
Careful Next Time You Gloat...
"Mercedes is the worst car manufacturer because they're the reason, the consumer has to wait 25 years to import non USDM cars into the United States."- kilertree
All They Do Is Give You Bad Breath
"I'm not sure how petty this is but onions should just stop existing."- baffled_baked_potato
Hungry Food GIF by 8itGiphyThey Aren't Randomly Placed!
"If you pick up something in a grocery store and decide you don't want it later, put it back where it fucking came from."
"Every time I see cheetos in the pillow isle I want to die a little more."- Queenofqueerquails
Best To Let Them Pass
"If you are a cyclist on the road holding up traffic, it ought to be common courtesy to stop, move over to the side and let cars pass every so often."- old-red-paint
Technically Speaking...
"Avatar the Last Airbender IS AN ANIME!! "
"There's is no way in hell you will change my mind."- JOWhite63087
No One Is In That Big A Hurry
"Do not, and I repeat , DO NOT! cut in front of me while we are BOTH waiting in the school pick up or drop off line."
"I am so petty and childish when it comes to this simple unforgettable act."
"l have and will continue to ride so close to your bumper like white on rice and a fly in sh*t."
"I have actually used my front camera to know exactly how close I am so I don't hit you."
"Do not cut me off if WE ARE BOTH IN THE FU***NG line to pick up our children...from school."
"Wait your turn....at least act like the responsible adult you are supposed to be."- thenextchapter28
Everyone Has An Opinion
"Paul pierce was extremely overrated and mediocre."- Marywonna
A Surprising Lack Of Logic
"The fact that you need to carry a pen/pencil for international flights to fill out the customs form on the plane."
"I was on a flight in May this year and upon realizing we had to fill the form out before descent, I asked the flight attendant for a pencil."
"She looked at me like I had four eyes and proceeded to inform me she doesn’t have one."
"Looking around, other people on the flight were asking her for one as well."
"For the life of me, I don’t understand why there is an expectation to pack something to write with on an international flight."
"I am not thinking of packing a pencil on my 2 week vacation to Aruba where I will proceed to not use it the entire time."
"If it’s standard to fill these forms out on flights, the flight crew should very reasonably be expected to lend passengers a pen or a pencil."- pascalgoz
We all have something which will get on our nerves till the bitter end.
All we can do is take a deep breath, and hope for change.
And maybe make sure we don't find ourselves doing that very thing to others...
