The Dumbest Things The TSA Has Given Passengers A Hard Time About
Reddit user B2utyyo asked: 'What's the stupidest reasons the TSA gave you a hard time?'
The United States Department of Homeland Security was created November 25, 2002 in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Some existing agencies were transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly created cabinet post.
Among the agencies moved to Homeland Security were Customs and Border Protection, Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Secret Service and the United States Coast Guard.
Some agencies were created to address new security measures then placed under Homeland Security. Among the new agencies created post 9/11 was the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
TSA was created on November 19, 2001, to "improve airport security procedures and consolidate air travel security under a dedicated federal administrative law enforcement agency." TSA handles security for transportation systems within and connecting to the United States.
For most people, their interaction with TSA is at the airport. Those interactions aren't always pleasant for travelers.
Reddit user B2utyyo asked:
"What's the stupidest reasons the TSA gave you a hard time?"
Medication
"My Humira."
"I have a bag with an ice pack since I'm on Humira to treat an auto immune disease."
"Taking the caps off primes the injection. Each pen costs 500$ each. They uncapped all 8 of them."
"I raised a stink. Because I couldn't travel without this and then my doctor raised a stink when I called him for an emergency script."
"They were even in a special bag made for TSA in mind with all the drug info."
"Silver lining was I was able to file a claim and they were found negligent."
"They are not supposed to mess with medication."
~ Faedan
Clothing
"They said my shirt was a jacket."
"I kept telling her it was a blouse and all I had was a bra underneath and wasnât going to take it off."
"After this exchange 4 times she finally let me through."
~ Phylace
Baby Supplies
"I brought formula through TSA for my 6 month old and they told me I had to dump it or consent to a full body pat down, which was conducted behind a sheet for privacy."
"I didn't have the money for more formula. I consented to the pat down."
~ Risky_Bizniss
"Every time we actually did fly with pumped milk or premade formula, they had to go stick each and every item in our diaper bag one at a time into their magic detector box."
~ jkster107
Wounds
"Dude they just waved a whole f*cking family through, then proceeded to aggressively fondle my balls and manhandle a bandaged injury while harassing me for not having a f*ckton of luggage."
"F*ck the TSA."
~ LurkerOrHydralisk
Wounds
"Had 14 stitches on my neck from a dog bite, 9 on one side, 5 on the other. Dog closed his jaws so both upper and lower teeth got me."
"TSA agent: 'itâs time to take off your Halloween makeup' and actually handed me an antibacterial wipe then made to pull off one of the bandaids."
"It was March? I donât even know where to start."
"I like to think Iâm fairly quick on my feet but my brain absolutely ground to a halt while she stared at me with the most misplaced smug expression Iâve ever seen."
"I slapped her hand away when she reached for my neck, honestly I think that reaction was a product of how completely offline my brain was because obviously that was not the ideal response."
"Anyway she wigged out, I got pulled out of line and dumped in a room for about an hour before the supervisor got there. I am not terribly proud of how I acted, but it was a less than an hour domestic flight and my grandmother was actively dying in the hospital."
"I let loose with applicable pent up things I never said to certain family members during COVID, which is why Iâm not proud of it because some of what I said was particularly nasty."
"But when that woman reached for my neck I just about saw redâthat was beyond comprehension."
"The supervisor let me go and had someone drive me on a cart to the gate so I made it with minutes to spare. He also apologized, which I appreciated."
~ goose_theslayer
Organic Matter
"Got flagged for organic material."
"It was a funerary urn."
"They asked me to open it."
"I refused."
"Only time I have ever made a stink in my life, supervisor finally let me go."
~ Cw2e
Sarcasm Service?
"I got like four sarcastic answers in a row trying to figure out which line to join (pre-check or regular)."
"Both lines backed up past the regular start, so there was no signs clearly visible, but there was an agent nearby."
"I asked casually which was pre-check, and he said 'if you don't know what pre-check is, then you don't belong in that line'."
"When I clarified I knew what it was and just couldn't tell which, he said 'you don't think it's the one that's probably moving faster?'."
"When I pointed out that neither was moving especially quickly, he said 'Well I guess it doesn't really matter then, does it?'."
"When I asked if there was a separate area for pre-check at a different spot, he said 'if there was, don't you think everyone would go there?'."
"Like guy I don't want VIP treatment, I just want to know what f**king line to stand in."
~ Art--Vandelay--
TSA Approved
"A small pair of scissors/hair trimmers, still in factory packaging, clearly marked TSA approved."
~ EverLastingSquint
Knife? No Problem
"I was coming back from a trade show and forgot I put one of those snap blade box cutters in by back pack."
"Went through X-ray, no problem and I only realized I had it once on the plane."
"Hair gel that came in a 120 ml tube that was well over 50% used? 'Come with me sir'."
~ ShoulderPossible9759
"The TSA fails 95% of undercover operations run against them, sneaking in knives, fake guns, fake bombs, etc..."
"But god forbid you donât take your iPad out of your book bag."
~ _TheNorseman_
Mistaken Identity
"My uncle and father have almost comically common last names."
"Last time they visited the US they were stopped and held because there was a warrant for someone with my uncleâs name."
"Only problem, my uncle was nine inches shorter and thirty years older than the suspect."
~ probablynotaskrull
"This happened to my little cousin!"
"He too has an extremely common first and last name, and was held at the airport by security for being on the no fly list and having a warrant."
"Notice how I said 'little' cousin?"
"Yeah, thatâs because he was a six year old boy; they were looking for a grown man!"
~ throwfaraway212718
Medical Equipment
"Wheelchair cushion (on which I was sitting, bc paraplegic)."
"TSA agent: 'That could be anything! We need to open it up!'.â
"Me: 'Sure. Put that in writing and also give me a letter guaranteeing that a replacement cushion (custom, costs $6k) will be waiting at the gate'.â
"TSA agent: 'oh, yeah, well, go on then'.â
"People worry about the airlines but the real obstacle if youâre disabled and use any equipment is TSA agents."
"I think they get paid to be their worst selves."
~ Pretend-Panda
"My CPAP is often chosen for extended testing."
"I think it was Chicago where two separate TSA agents were alternately yelling at me, one that I had to stay there while they tested my CPAP, and one that I couldn't stay there and had to leave the security area."
~ hymie0
"Several years back, I was flying with an orthopedic boot because I broke my foot a few weeks before. Nashville TSA was yelling at me and flipping out about it."
"I got yelled at about asking to sit down to take the boot off, yelled at for holding up the line because I needed to take it off, yelled at while it was off demanding to know why I would need it in the first place, yelled at to stop lying when I said I broke my foot, then yelled at one final time over how I was holding up the line needing to put it back on."
"Meanwhile, they were sending the boot itself through the scanner multiple times."
"Oakland TSA just glanced at the boot and waved me through. Quite a stark contrast."
~ HeyFiddleFiddle
Since the agency's creation they've come under scrutiny for inconsistencies and repeated failures during surprise testing.
What's your TSA horror story?
People Break Down The Dumbest Thing Someone's Ever Made Fun Of Them About
"Reddit user lionprincesslioness asked: 'What is the dumbest thing somebody has made fun of you for?'"
Kids can be cruel.
We tend to be taught way too late just how much gravity words carry.
And kids who taunt others turn into adults who taunt others or become vicious adult bullies.
Making fun of someone is never okay.
But some insults make little to no sense.
Some people will come up with ammunition to throw at others that is so off the wall that you have to laugh before you cry.
Redditor lionprincesslioness wanted to hear about the idiotic reasons people have been taunted by others, so they asked:
"What is the dumbest thing somebody has made fun of you for?"
I was made fun of for everything.
I lost track of it all.
I've moved on.
That's why my therapist has a beach house.
Horrible Kids
Will Smith Smh GIF by The Academy AwardsGiphy"My mom being dead... I was 13."
eminva02
"That sucks on both counts. I hope you're doing great now and they're not."
thefragileapparatus
A Real Man
"My husband got made fun of because he takes care of his kids. Bunch of older guys making fun because my husband changed diapers."
babylightgirl
"I just became a father and I can't imagine not changing my babyâs diapers, rocking her to sleep, and being around her every day. A man who makes fun of another man for taking diligent care of his kids is just insecure about his own manhood and has horribly suppressed childhood memories of not being loved and hugged enough."
ATastyPickle
"I changed diapers on my girls, I also talk to them about puberty and breasts and menstruation, I'm their f**king dad and that's what I choose to do."
omac4552
Offended
"I'm in college, I wrote a paper about how my parents met and got married. (Met in a bar, eloped 6 months later). A super religious lady in my class got offended and complained to the teacher that I was promoting non-Christian values and sinning. I defended myself by saying I was promoting love, that's all, and it comes in different shapes and sizes, time frames, etc. The teacher stood up for me and told her college might not be her thing if she gets so easily offended. My parents will celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary in less than 2 weeks."
ârealRavenbell
Give it a Comeback
"Some bald guy tried to make a joke about me having a big forehead. I told him, 'At least my forehead stops somewhere.'"
RandomUsername420
"Thatâs a great comeback. This annoying bald guy I know always makes fun of my weight (and other womenâs weight). Heâs a boomer, but itâs some ancient form of begging."
"One time I got fed up cause he said 'Hey, are you pregnant again?' when I was obviously just having a fatter moment and I said, 'No, are you still bald or did you find a cure?' He got so sulky and quiet after that. Itâs not my proudest moment cause I wouldnât normally dream of mocking someoneâs appearance but I just felt great cause he sucks and he needs to be taken down a few notches."
Latke_Kid
Toughen Up
Oh No Facepalm GIF by AminĂŠGiphy"Was once told by my drunk brother that I wasn't tough enough because I had never been to jail. I told him I was never dumb enough to go to jail. He was arrogant when he drank, RIP."
Cold-Committee-7719
Some siblings really don't know when to quit!
It's hard when you can't escape the demons.
Faded
Workout Working Out GIF by Sesame StreetGiphy"My gym clothes in middle school. We all literally had the same exact shorts and shirt, women included. It was just green basketball shorts and a gray shirt, and one of my fellow students called me out one day because the writing on the shirt was faded (the school name was plastered on there)."
jmizzle2022
But it's true...
"In high school, I did a presentation about the bubonic plague. In the end, I mentioned it has not been totally eradicated, and there are still occasional cases in the US."
"This was followed by laughter from everyone including my teacher. But like, it really still exists and has not been eradicated."
Nielas_Aran_76
"Same thing happened to me when a kid gave a presentation on different types of energy sources. I asked if they looked up anything about nuclear power plants because I was genuinely curious about those. I never really hear much about them. The kid gave me a weird look and said those donât exist anymore and the teacher and the kid both smirked like I was stupid but nuclear power plantâs definitely still exist and are in operation all over the world."
Alliserious
School Days
"I got laughed at the first day I wore glasses to school (4th grade). Being a pretty sensitive boy, after that I would take them off after I left the house for school, and never wore them at school again. I managed to convince my parents to let me get contact lenses when I was in 7th grade."
"I got braces in 6th grade, and once, when caught goofing around, my teacher threatened to paddle me 'so hard the metal would fly out of my mouth.' I told my parents about that, and I think my mom called the principal. But this was in 1971 or â72, so nothing became of it."
trobinson999
Lunch Hour
"I was just thinking about this the other day when I was making my kid lunch: back when I was little my mom would cut my sandwiches in half and some kids made fun of me for it. They said I was poor and the reason my mom cut my sandwich in half was so I could take half home for dinner. S**t doesn't even make sense but kids are effing stupid and will make fun of each other for anything."
PunchBeard
WTF?!
twinning pauly d GIFGiphy"When I was in high school, apparently being a twin was 'gay'. To the point, that a dude fought me over it."
cosmoboy
Why would a person make fun of a twin?
Some people have no life whatsoever.
Men and women and talking and flirting.
What a disaster that can be.
It's especially tricky when men flirt with women who are into women.
It sounds like a lot of gents can't take that obvious hint.
How this is STILL an issue in 2023 is beyond us all.
But here we are.
Gentlemen, please sit and read the following.
And then read it again.
Then share with your friends and male family.
A deleted Redditor wanted to hear about the ways straight men couldn't take a hint, so they asked:
"Lesbians of Reddit, whatâs the most ridiculous thing a straight guy told you to talk you into having sex with them?"
How Patriotic
"I had a guy try to entice me with his weed. He literally pulled out the American flag bong with the grinder that looked like ammunition. Honestly left me kinda speechless."
xSwishyy
A Transplant
"Didn't go as far as sex but was definitely the most ridiculous thing a straight guy has said to me so far. I was trying to check out at the store when the 60-something y/o cashier started flirting with me, asking if I had a boyfriend, etc. When he asked why I didn't I told him I'm a lesbian and he said 'I actually have a female kidney from my transplant a couple years ago so we wouldn't have a problem together.'"
BestiesWithBaphomet
Me Too!
"The opposite - a very drunk man approached me on a station platform and asked me out. I awkwardly replied, 'Sorry, Iâm gay.' He said, 'You like women??' and I nodded, bracing for homophobia⌠but instead he just excitedly exclaimed 'ME TOO!!!' and shook my hand. Then he left me alone. It was an extremely funny and non-threatening interaction and I think fondly of him from time to time."
orangepigeon
Let's Dance
"My brother was absolutely refusing to take no for an answer when asking [my friend] to prom. I think my brother asked my friend to prom like 5 times before they just started ignoring him. I also told off my brother cause my friend is open about being a lesbian and told him that they were a lesbian. Something about not having a lesbian somehow makes guys angry because they can't take no for an answer."
pumpkinthighs
Can men really be this off?
Oh the Drama
Feeling It Drama Club GIF by NickelodeonGiphy"He said that I had no idea what it's like to be the single straight guy who tries to find (sex) love. And it's cruel for me to not give him even a chance to be romantic with me. And I don't have a good reason to say no because he is good-looking and earns more money than I do lol."
Original-Pineapple18
DIBS
"This guy was one of my closer friends at the time, and SOLIDLY friend-zoned. Weâd established countless times over the last year that we werenât into each other, I was lesbian, and that even if I werenât he wouldnât go for me, yada yada. Weâd talked about things that I would NOT have discussed if I knew he would ever be into me."
"Well lo and behold, one day I realize Iâm questioning whether Iâm bisexual or not due to a mutual friend. I bring it up to him in a state of real vulnerability, cuz I thought Iâd had everything figured out before this, but wanted my friendâs input on if it was a good idea to bring it up to hot-dude directly."
"This grown-a** man told me HE HAD DIBS. D I B S."
Kazooasaurus
Preferences
"Not a lesbian, but Iâm bi with a pretty strong preference for women. Probably THE most common response from guys when I say Iâm not interested in 'Really? I dunno, you donât look like you date girls.' I never know how to respond. Do they expect me to suddenly realize Iâm NOT into women? Do they think questioning my preferences is endearing or sexy??"
âIndividual_Ad_7523
So Sexy
Ryan Reynolds GIF by CBCGiphy"Always the standard idea of they think their penis is magical and can 'turn' me. Uh, no. Also, have had more than a few guys say 'You're too attractive' to be a lesbian. They actually think it's a compliment. Oof."
Goody2Shuuz
Listen to someone's boundaries when they tell you, gentleman!
It's really that simple.
Does anyone have any similar stories? Let us know in the comments below.
One of life's greatest turn-ons is a person who knows how to flirt.
You throw in some charm. Some wit. Some sex appeal... and BAM. Instant love connection.
It's almost an art form.
Unfortunately, far too many people have missed this memo.
A good flirt should make one quiver, not shake in fear.
There is more than one way to ruin a flirty moment.
Redditor grayspot94 wanted to hear cringe stories about the ways to NOT try and seduce someone, so they asked:
"What's the worst way someone tried to flirt with you/turn you on?"
The amount of stories I could tell y'all from my NYC club days.
We don't have the time.
A What?
Best Friends GIFGiphy"One time at a house party a girl whispered in my ear 'Have you ever licked a caterpillar?' Then tried to get me to come home with her. I never figured out what that innuendo was supposed to mean đ ."
Much-Audience-5800
Oh Nuts
"Kissed me out of the blue. Not a bad thing in and of itself, I was into her, she was into me, and she knew how shy I was so she made the first move. The issue was that shortly before she kissed me, she had eaten a Snickers bar. I'm allergic to peanuts."
Local64bithero
"His lips, tongue, and whatever else she lobbered on quickly turned an ugly mottled red and swelled up until he couldn't talk, which means he couldn't even tell her what was wrong, as he desperately sought medical attention. Oh, sweet memories of young love."
StrawberryGasoline
It's YOU!
"I (M) went out to dinner with a group of friends. One girl said to the whole table "I'm waiting for the man I love to realize that the love of his life is sitting directly in front of him. She was sitting directly in front of me."
"Yes, everyone at the table realized what she meant and got very uncomfortable with her. Myself included."
"Backstory: She directly asked me out a few weeks earlier but I told her that I don't like her that way. Nevertheless, she persisted (and got rejected again)."
EponymousTitular
A Bad Setting
Taye Diggs Wow GIF by BounceGiphy"I had a woman hit on me at an STD testing clinic. I definitely respect the game, but I was there to get tested because I had just gone exclusive with someone and wanted to get checked up before we stopped using condoms."
Turdsworth
"Imagine the pick-up line for meeting someone at an STD clinic: 'Do you come here often?'"
Lvcivs2311
Read the room people.
Not just the people in it... the ACTUAL room!
Swing or Duck
Ronda Rousey Fighting GIF by WWEGiphy"Hosted a party in college with some friends, a girl that was trying to talk to me wanted to prove how strong she was and how good she was at boxing."
"Threw a mean haymaker right across my jaw. I randomly met up with her two years later at another random party. She introduced me to her friends as 'the cute guy I punched in the face.'"
"Just to clarify, it wasnât a malicious act. She asked if she could show how strong she was by punching me and I said 'yes' not paying attention to what she was asking."
EBeast99
Weeks Gone By
"Borrowed my iPod and returned it. I put it in my desk drawer and forgot about it. She got real cold and distant and I just let it go. About 6 weeks later I saw the iPod in the drawer, charged it up, turned it on, and found she had left nude photos of herself."
Appropriate-Battle32
"I feel like people aren't appreciating how labor-intensive that was. She had to take the picture with a separate device. Upload them to a computer. download iTunes, and update java. Upload those pictures to the iPod."
Mnstrzero00
Don't Knock on My Door...
"My neighbor recently knocked on my door at around 10 pm to drunkenly tell me I was the pinnacle of masculinity because I leave for work at 7 30 every morning. Said she woke up to the sounds of me leaving and she is 'kind of in love with [me].'"
"Then she asked if she could kiss me, I said no, and she went ahead and tried anyway. Then she got all upset when I pulled back from her. There were tears."
"Spent the whole conversation, trying to figure out how to remove a person from my doorway."
"Context - I only speak to this woman roughly once a year when she appears at my door drunk, though usually she just asks my name for half an hour. Or asks if I am gay."
Ahrtimmer
But Who Hates Tapas?
Sassy Finger GIF by ProfeBGiphy"As I yawned with my eyes closed, as one does, he placed his index finger inside my mouth. At a dinner party, with several other people at the table."
Even_Accident9224
Oh my word.
Who raised these people?
Even wolves have better romantic etiquette.
Insults are almost never necessary or called for, particularly directly to someone's face, in front of a whole crowd of people.
Even so, sometimes when a truly brutal insult is thrown at you, you can't help but appreciate it just a little bit.
Whether or not this was something this conversational bully came up with on the fly, or was waiting days, weeks, months or years to unleash on you, clever word choice is hard to ignore and not appreciate.
Including when the tables are turned, and you've come up with something wickedly clever, if not at all nice, to unfurl on someone you're conversing with.
"What is the most brutal insult you have ever received/given?"
Coming Through An Avatar Almost Makes It worse...
"This guy killed me on Rust and told me to put my kid to bed."
"He could hear her in the background, it was like 11 on a school night."
"He ganked me and then critiqued my parenting."- Intelligent-Bird6825
Nothing Hurts More Than The Truth...
"Mine was subtle."
"I went to the doctor because of my leg problem, he weighed me and said my BMI is too high and that I'm classed as slightly obese."
"I said [hmm isn't BMI supposed to be inaccurate because it doesn't account for muscle mass?'"
"Sorta tongue in cheek."
"Doctor looked at me and calmly said 'not in this case'."
"That hurt man, that hurt."- Flynnrah
Some Of The Greatest Music Was The Product Of Improvisation
"Musician here."
"After f*cking up a solo, the other guy said 'that was an interesting choice'."- Plus_Valuable4382
Zayn Malik GIFGiphyHe Opened That Door...
"My 15 year old niece lives with me and my wife, because her dad doesnât have a job or a house."
"She got her first job and he starts telling her sheâs too young to have a job."
"He says 'Youâre too young to have a job'.â
"And she replied with 'Youâre too old to not have one'.â
"I should probably clarify."
"Sheâs not a little smart mouthed teenager."
"Sheâs usually very respectful."
"Itâs not like he lost his job a week ago and has been looking."
"In the 6 years Iâve known him he has worked one week, and before that nothing much different."
"He deserved what he got, and she deserves much more than what he has given her, and I hoped it would make him reevaluate his choices but so far no change."- Thomas-Garret
Practically A Compliment
"I got into a road rage argument with a guy and he called me 'A Mumford and Son lookin' bastard!'
"I must point out that I was neither wearing a waistcoat or playing a banjo at the time."
"I did have a beard though."- Amity75
mumford sons GIFGiphyWonder Where He Got That Attitude...
"Co-worker's kid was hanging around the job eating cookies."
"His dad tells him to offer cookies to others, points at me and says 'he likes cookies too'."
"The kid looks at his dad, then at me, and back at his dad and says 'he looks like he likes cookies'."
"I was devastated."- aLongHofer
Ironically, The Many Will Read This And Think "Meow"...
"I was talking to my mother-in-law when my wife's sister came in and exclaimed that my wife had just barked at her."
"Without thinking I said 'maybe she was just talking to you in a language you'd understand', luckily my mother-in-law burst out laughing."- kij101
When You Bring Parents Into The Mix...
"Some kid was picking on me throughout High School and one day he talked sh*t about me being adopted."
"Idk what came over me but my response was, 'a couple of very nice people paid money to raise me and your parents are probably regretting having you for free'.â- blazedout-cubscout
"I Know You Are, But What Am I?"
"I'm ugly."
"This made going to school pretty terrible."
"My one shining moment in all of those terrible years was when one of my bullies, who happened to be overweight, was harassing me at lunch."
"'You're not even a real girl'."
"'You're just a guy with t*ts', he said."
"'So are you', I replied."
"The silence before his posse broke down in uproarious laughter was so heavy, lmao."
"He never talked to me again."
"I just wanted to eat alone in peace and was just sick of rolling over."
"Even then, I'm so socially awkward I still don't know how I came up with my reply without missing a beat, but I've been riding that high ever since, 20 years later lol."
"I'll never be as cool as I was in that moment."- SuspiciousBowlOfSoup
Hit Them Where It Really Hurts
"True story."
"Since childhood I have been a massive fan of Eddie Van Halen."
"Beyond normal Fandom."
"I had told my girlfriend at the time that I could die a happy human if I had one of his used guitar picks."
"It became a joke for us over time."
"FF a couple of years."
"Bad break up."
"At the same VH show and some how she is in the 2nd row while I was in the 300 level."
"Run into her just outside the venue with all of my friends and she with all of hers."
"She looks at me and smiles as she takes one of Eddie's picks out of her pocket to hand it to me and with a disgusted look says 'here... Now you can die', and goes to hand me the pick."
"Stops midway and says "wait... I'd rather you live knowing I have it. And I don't give a sh*t about it'."
"I stood like a moron for minutes."
"Worst burn/insult I have ever received. 30 years later, and my friends still laugh at me over it."- ThaddeusWerner
Van Halen GIFGiphyPride Is A Sin...
"My mom never treated my kids very well."
"Not *bad*, but she wasn't really very loving towards them."
"Mom and I were talking about my oldest, who was ~18 at the time, and had been dating the same guy for a few years."
"Mom says, 'So what's going on with <daughter> and <boyfriend>? Are they going to get married?'"
"I say, 'I don't know. I mean, it's possible."
"Mom says, 'I just don't know that I'm ready to be a Great Grandmother'."
"'Well, you could always try being a good one, first'."- gogozrx
As much as we'd like to commend these people for their cleverness, tearing people down still isn't a very nice thing to do, no matter the circumstance.
Leaving one to wonder if they would be equally good at creating clever and thoughtful compliments...
Or if they would linger in memory as long as the insults do...