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Tourists Break Down The Most F***ed Up Thing They've Ever Seen While Traveling

Culture shock is an understatement.

Have you ever gone abroad and seen something just... so out of whack and strange that you couldn't help but fixate on it? Like, yes, other countries are very different than the United States. But different is not the reason that we are so perplexed and somewhat horrified.


u/NomNomJohn asked:

Tourists of Reddit, what was the most f***ed up think you saw in another country?

Like It's No Big Deal

The guy that flashed my friends and me in a very nice park in central Europe.

We were having a picnic.

He was very polite about it, saying "Excuse me girls, I'm just going to do this in front of you." And then did so.

pozzledC

Saving A Stranger

In the middle of the winter, flying back to Canada, from a Caribbean Island, a middle age man was ready to board the plane with a very thin teenage girl wearing flip flops, shorts and a poncho.

The girl had a shaved head, the man wouldn't let go of her, she was staring at the floor he entire time, everything looked just odd.

The flight attendants were doing all sorts of delaying maneuvers. My family and I were late and boarded right after them. Before the flight took off, the police came into the plane and started asking questions, and took the man and girl off the plane. The girl didn't speak any English, Spanish or French.

I'm convinced that the airline personnel saved a girl being trafficked into Canada.

Mission-Cloud360

An Eye For An Eye

Cyprus in the mid nineties, I was 15 and on holiday with my parents.

I saw an old Cypriot guy getting beaten within an inch of his life by a young Russian guy, after a row over unpaid rent. As i understood it the Russian was renting an apartment of the victim.

Police promptly turned up and dragged the Russian guy into the nearest building.

The Cypriot guy was taken to hospital by ambulance and a short while later the Russian guy was brought out of the building on a stretcher and was also taken to hospital once the police had dealt with him.

irv81

These aren't just odd. These are things that completely shook the viewers.

Just A Bit Of A Disagreement

In a small town in Korea, I saw two guys run out of a restaurant. One of them was holding a 10 inch kitchen knife and shoved it into the other guy's belly. The guy's standing there holding the knife in his gut and an old lady comes out of the restaurant and starts hitting him in the head with her shoe.

Two other guys jumped on the stabber and held him on the ground. Ambulance came and loaded the stabbee and drove away, cops came and drove the stabber away, restaurant owner came out with a bucket of water and washed the blood off his steps.

Turned out it was a wedding party and there was a bit of a disagreement.

standing_lamp

Dominoes

Was in Mexico City for a work assignment. Had just gone to dinner in the Zona Rosa (pink zone). Walking back to the hotel I saw a hit and run.

A pedestrian was thrown thru the air and flung to the ground. A lot of people witnessed this and an ambulance was called.

The ambulance came screaming around the corner, going really fast, and hit another pedestrian. Who then was thrown thru the air and flung to the ground. It was awful.

Antique-Eye8029

Unhelpful Cops

I don't know if I qualify as a "tourist", because Barcelona is in my country and not far from my hometown.

Anyway, me and my sis were walking down the Ramblas in early afternoon, and the place was packed. A group of American teenagers was using an ATM.

And they were taking precautions, because the area is infamous for its pickpockets, so they were not to blame. But as soon as one girl took the banknotes from the ATM, a kid took them from her hand and raced to the adjacent streets.

We took the teens to the police precinct, but they weren't very helpful. The first thing they asked is that if we had apprehended the robber. And then we had to insist so they took a record of the incident.

Ramoncin

In Front Of A CHILD?!

Back in 1978 when i was 10, i went to Jamaica with my Mom. One morning after coming out of the British embassy, I saw four baby mongoose in a rain gully about 5 feet deep behind where we were waiting for a bus.

I thought they were adorable and started feeding them by throwing them biscuits. Some guy saw me doing that, walked over and dropped a large brick on them killing them instantly. I was pretty inconsolable for several hours.

Judge-Giant-snr

This is stuff that, if you picture it in your head, will probably haunt you as well.

The Horrors Of The Past

I was walking through a forest in central France when I came across a group of old style horse drawn Gypsy caravans in a clearing.

They were obviously very old and looked like they had just been abandoned. There was a very eerie, unsettling feel to the place so I took a few photos and moved on.

A couple of days later I was talking to an old guy in the village and he explained that the Gypsies had been dragged from their wagons and murdered by the invading Nazis during WW2. Out of respect the surviving Gypsies in the region just left the caravans where they were.

Johhnymaddog316

Crazy People In Every Country

Was in Serbia and my collegue i was there with and i had rented a car to go explore the beautiful country. We followed google maps but end up on a dirt road in some small village like area and and had to make a turn. It was heavily raining and we got the car stuck.

We couldn't get it unstuck on our own so we wanted to ask for help and as we approached the first nearby house a large dog came running out barking loudly and an elderly looking man came out with a rifle yelling at us in serbian.

We decided next house was a better bet and they were the kindest people on earth. We told them that we had tried the other house with no luck and they told us we were lucky to be alive.

Apparently the man had a reputation but they didn't wanna to further into details.

No more dirt roads for me thanks.

QuinteX1994

The Price Of A Lifetime

I was on a business trip, but had a couple days at the end of the trip for myself in New Delhi, India. Somehow, I got to talking with the bartender at my hotel about my hobby of keeping reef aquariums and that I was designing a new system.

He told me about an entire street in New Delhi where every shop sells nothing but various pumps. Pumps of all kinds and very cheap. (Pumps for reef tanks can push $1000, so I thought I would have a look. Besides, I had been wanting to try out New Delhi's metro system, and there was a metro station right near "Pump Street")

So I hop on the metro (very nice, actually. Highly recommended) and exit the station on "Pump Street". Sure enough...hundreds of pump stores line one entire side of the street.


But then I noticed the other side of the street. It was lined with hundreds....of brothels. 4-5 stories high, every window had women and/or girls hanging out of them.

As a 6'3" Caucasian, I was an instant target.

"Mister! Mister! You want girl?!" And then the kid would start yelling prices...each trying to underbid the guy next to him. Walking away didn't matter; they followed...until a cop wielding a large stick chased them off.

TinKicker

Coo Coo KACHOO

Stratford Upon Avon - some kid in a school uniform walking around with a girl he was presumably trying to impress. He strolls up to a pigeon that's sitting in his path, winds up his leg, and boots it as hard as he can, sending an explosion of feathers in all directions.

The girl he was with was horrified and took off without him - he didn't seem too bothered. Not the most horrifying story here I'm sure, but it was pretty shocking to see such needless cruelty. Poor little bird.

JovianDeuce

Ah Yes, Economic Inequality

I was on vacation in Northern Minnesota a few years ago and we took a day trip up to Thunder Bay.

While we were on our way to get some Lucys from Agostino's Deli, we passed by a soup kitchen with a line out the door, around the corner, and down four blocks.

They were all either Latino or Native American, I couldn't tell going 30 miles an hour on the other side of a 4 lane road.

MaskMan192

The Heat Is On In Saigon

Sitting at a cafe in Ho Chi Minh City when I witnessed a guy on a scooter rip off a tourists bag/purse from her shoulder causing her to fall face first and bleed quite a bit.

Scooter Mcthief guy tries to get away, road ahead gets blocked by bystanders as he's picking up speed, so he chucks a u-turn and hauls asit where he is ultimately met by a man who swings a 12 foot ladder smack across his path and into his face. Got surrounded by a bunch of angry locals and carried into a home/business? Not sure what happened to him after that. It was 1 min of absolute chaos and painful facial injuries.

TheBigLegrandski

Just Gotta Make Sure They're Dead....

It's a tie. There was a guy in Milan with open abscesses on his arms that kept spitting on the steps of the train station and the man in Sicily who was covered in blood. He was agitated and kept trying to yank open the doors of closed businesses and was spitting blood everywhere, headed right towards me. I ran across the street at that one.

And when I studied abroad in HK our school made us take a pedestrian traffic safety class where we went over the basics and then watched videos of people getting hit by cars by accident and then the same car backing over them several times on purpose. Some people prefer to kill the people they hit because if they kill someone, they pay a relatively small fee. If the person lives they have to pay for their lifetime care. The lesson was whatever you do, don't risk getting hit!

s0ftsp0ken

Not A Lance?

Not another country but I was in Detroit. Stay at a very nice hotel with my dad. We are about to go to a baseball game and waiting for a car to pick us up when we see a man sprinting down the street. Upon closer inspection there was a man chasing him with a sword.

A SWORD. Like a knight would have. Neither one says a word. Pure determination to kill and to stay alive. I turn to my dad and he says as calm as anything "that's why you don't walk in Detroit."

I will never understand where those two came from. The street was long but it was just like they appeared out of nowhere.

Pink_Sky_

Unsettling At LEAST

Venezuela in 2009, the crisis was not nearly as awful as it is today. We were driving in two cars at around 10 pm through Caracas who has a reputation for being dangerous. As we approach some traffic lights at the end of an intersección two other cars cut us off but not entirely, one of the cars stops further ahead and 4 guys come out with their guns drawn out.

We went through the small space they left us and as we take a look back, we realize they were undercover cops stopping the car just behind ours. We saw them as we drove away how they took the driver out and put it on the ground then we took a turn and lost sight of them. For a moment I thought we were being kidnapped.

virtual_bartender

It is very difficult to witness anything so strange and unnerving and come back from that trip the same person. The world is a big, interesting, complicated place.

It is very difficult to witness anything so strange and unnerving and come back from that trip the same person. The world is a big, interesting, complicated place.

The Most Unprofessional Thing A Doctor Has Ever Said To A Patient

Reddit user Monsah asked: 'What is the most unprofessional thing a doctor has said to you?'

surgeons looking down at patient

National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

"I shall do by my patients as I would be done by; shall obtain consultation whenever I or they desire; shall include them to the extent they wish in all important decisions; and shall minimize suffering whenever a cure cannot be obtained, understanding that a dignified death is an important goal in everyone's life."

~ English translation of the modern abridged Hippocratic Oath

It is the hope of those seeking medical help that the medical professionals providing it will be just that—professional.

But no profession is immune to bad days, bad attitudes or bad apples.

Keep reading...Show less
shallow focus of a woman's sad eyes
Photo by Louis Galvez on Unsplash

When it comes to making a point, the stronger language you use, the better.

Sometimes, this is true of insults too. If you use strong language, the insult may hurt more. This language may include curse words. A lot of times, cursing while insulting someone is a surefire way to make sure the insult lands the way it was intended.

However, this is not always true.

Redditors know it's completely possible to deliver savage insults without using curse words, and are eager to share their favorites.

It all started when Redditor ILikeExistingLol asked:

"What's an absolutely devastating insult without any cuss words?"

Bad Breath

""First of all, brush your teeth...""

– iSniffMyPooper

"I literally just brushed my teeth because of this comment. I was gonna put it off for a little later, but I couldn't after reading that."

– ClumsyGhostObserver

"A coworker who never showers, washes his clothes, or brushes his teeth was trying to intimidate me once and I told him the scariest thing about him was his breath. He hasn’t spoken to me since."

– Floptopus

"“Well, at least you have more teeth than IQ points.”"

– Average_Aloe

"About the same in his case, really."

– Floptopus

Yikes! That Face!

""I never forget a face. But in your case, I'll be glad to make an exception.""

"– Groucho Marx"

– chumloadio

""You have the face for a career in radio.""

– badmother

""...and a voice for print.""

– Byanl

If Only We Never Met

"I miss the feeling of not knowing you."

– Swivel_D

"I think Shakespeare once said something along the lines of "I wish we were better strangers.""

– Non_Music_Prodigy

Crime Against Humanity

"Have you ever considered that perhaps your low self-esteem is just good common sense?"

– pantsoncrooked

"I'd say shots fired but damn that's a nuclear warhead."

– RBpositive

Winston Churchill

"“He’s a humble man with much to be humble about.”"

"-Winston Churchill"

– Triton289

"Another Winston favorite: “Madam, I may be drunk, but you are ugly. Tomorrow, I will be sober.”"

– hdroadking

"Some lady: “If you were my husband, I’d poison your drink.”"

"Churchill: “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.”"

"May be slightly different wording."

– No-comment-at-all

"Lady Astor! She was an interesting person."

– Rare_Parsnip905

Wrong!

""I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.""

– shaidyn

""You're entitled to your opinion. It's wrong, but you're entitled to it.""

– a_in_hd

Tough Love

"A teacher called my son success-avoidant 3 years ago and he still thinks about that every day. But it did motivate him to get an A in that class, and all his other classes too!"

– OhSassafrass

"Damn, a harsh truth can be very motivating."

– InverstNoob

What I Like About You

"“Do you know what I like about you?”"

"When they say “what?”, you reply, “See? You can’t think of anything either.”"

– Axeman517

"These are always the most devastating ones, when you set them up to expect a compliment."

– TruCelt

"It's risky though. If they actually give an answer, like some cocky "that i'm hot?" or whatever, then you'll have to think fast."

– Ketcunt

""No, that's definitely not it. I'll keep thinking, I'm sure something will come to me.""

– OnionMiasma

Rumor Has It

""I had to see for myself, but people are absolutely right about you.""

"No cussing, no meanness, but they'll get paranoid about who's talking about them and their reputation."

– NinjatheClick

Intelligence Called Out

"Your grades say marry rich, but your face says study harder."

– rrashad21

"Please donate your brain to science, at least that way someone will actually use it."

– MembraneintheInzane

Oooh!

"You are impossible to underestimate."

"You never fail to meet my expectations."

– Zyhre

Hilarious

"You couldn't guess which way an elevator is going if you had three guesses."

– Edward_the_Dog

"I love this insult because you have a moment of silence afterward as the insultee pieces it together."

– -Envixity

I love that one; it's brilliant. I'm using this as soon as I get an opportunity!

office full of desks and workers

Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash

I once worked in a cubicle farm doing finance and accounting. A new employee disappeared just a few hours after the day started.

Eventually they were found.

On the floor.

Under their desk.

Sleeping.

They were promptly fired once they woke up. I wonder how their version of the story goes.

While that was a ridiculous way to be fired, for these folks, the employers were the ones with questionable judgment.

Keep reading...Show less

Anyone who has gone on a few dates knows a few things that they like and don't like to see in a relationship, and they definitely know what some of their dealbreakers are.

But there are some dealbreakers that, when looked at from the outside, are totally petty in nature.

Redditor bigdawgcat asked:

"What is the pettiest reason why you wouldn't date somebody?"

Food Allergies

"I have a friend who stopped dating someone because he found out they were lactose intolerant."

"His example of why was, what if I taste a really great dessert, and I want to share the experience with her, and she can’t even taste it."

- Horknut1

"I know someone who is allergic to alliums (garlic, onions, etc.). I could never date this person as there is no meal I could make which doesn't include them in some amount."

- Fixes_Computers

"Same with peanut allergies. I love peanut butter too much to start a relationship with someone who couldn't be in the same room with it, not when there are plenty of other wonderful people who can. If the allergy suddenly developed long into the relationship, that would be a different case."

- cottagecheeseobesity

The Ups and Downs of Physical Fitness

"A college friend of mine was dating a girl who was amazing, smart, and funny, and she had put on a few extra pounds recently, which bothered him (don’t shoot the messenger)."

"We were driving at night down a big hill on a hot summer night and saw a young woman running up the hill toward us, really sweating, face purple, and looking pretty haggard, huffing and puffing."

"He made a comment like, 'Holy s**t, this girl is struggling.' We got closer and realized it was her."

"Long awkward pause. 'Well, I’m going to have to break up with her,' he said."

"Fast forward six months, and we ran into her at a pub, and she was in absolutely perfect shape."

"When he tried to make a move, she told him aloud, in front of a table full of her friends, 'That she wasn’t interested in him, and that he had dumped her for getting fat.' Top five funniest takedowns I’ve ever seen."

"Fast forward 10 years, he’s been divorced twice and has had a long list of s**tty relationships. The end."

- Much_Progress_4745

Conspiracy Theory Investment

"If they’re into conspiracy theories. I dated a guy who was and it consumed his life. It’s all he talked about."

"I couldn’t even watch a movie with him because he would talk through the whole thing about how it relates to certain conspiracy theories…"

"I also could never enjoy my food. We would make a big dinner on Friday nights to start the weekend, we both had a long day at work... we’d sit down to finally eat and he’d pull out his phone and put on conspiracy videos, and he’d make me watch them sooo loudly while I ate. And he’d talk through all of them too."

"I could never tell him that I wasn’t interested or I just wanted to eat because he’d get mad. It ruined my whole meal... I think most people like to eat in peace.. also he’d spend hundreds of items he needed in case we ever got attacked by 'skin walkers'... Never again."

- Low-Sky-4812

Eating Noises

"They slurp when they drink or smack when they eat."

- just-say-it-

"Soup should be seen and not heard."

- Playful-Profession-2

Same Names, Same Problems

"I will never date or f**k another Anthony ever again. I’ve dated or had a relationship with three different Anthonys at three different ages and they all turned out badly."

- SylphofBlood

"I had a friend years back that had three bad boyfriends, one after the other, each more of a D-bag than the last. Each one was named Rob."

"When talking to her one night, having a few beers, she complained that she always attracts d**kheads and then she asked what she should do. So having had a drink or six, I just blurted out, 'Maybe don't date anymore Robs.'"

"Anyway, the next guy she dated was Steve... they got married."

- vejbok

Love for Animals

"My cat said hello to her and she didn't say hi back."

- StephenHawkings_Legs

"I had a one-night stand kick my cat off of the bed. First, never ever have I kicked a cat. But I did kick that guy out of my house and my life. Instantly. GET THE F**K OUT. NOW."

- e11spark

"Not petty. If someone ignored my dog greeting them, I would be put off, too."

- A-Yandere-Succubus

Unexpected Sleeping Arrangements

"He slept in those tiny no-show socks. Let me be clear, he didn't wear them any other time than when he went to bed."

"There were some other, more real, red flags, but when I saw him whip them out and put them on the second time we slept together, I legitimately thought to myself: 'Actually, I don't think I can fix this one.'"

- Potential-Plastic-66

Matching Clothes

"He wore the same shirt on both of our dates.

Get this, years later, I get into the elevator at work and he's there. IN THE SAME SHIRT."

"I wanted so badly to demand to know if he has multiples or just one! Or find out which department he was in and stalk him. Unfortunately, I had given in my two weeks and didn't work in that building often."

- SunflowerSeed33

Different Interests

"If a woman has a horse in her dating profile, you will never be more important than that horse."

"(It may be petty, but it's backed up by personal experience)."

- No-Hat-689

"Horse girls do really love their horses, so I believe you. And I can't blame you."

- dumpster_cherries

"Worst of all, if you break up with the girl you won't be able to see the horse again! Imagine how heartbreaking that would be."

- one-eye-fox

Social Media Schemes

If they have emojis like their signs, or money signs, or airplanes, or some s**t like that in their bio. Just seems like some scammer or Ponzi scheme s**t."

- UrinePulp

Weakness?

"Wasn't me, but a female friend broke up with a guy because 'his allergies were a sign of weakness.'"

"Yeah, I responded the same way you did."

- Street-Comb1000

"My brother believes this about my allergies. He thinks I 'shoulda grown out of it by now.' Infuriating."

- I_Stan_Kyrgyzstan

Finals Week Troubles

​"Because her eye was twitching while we were talking to each other. I was a dumb freshman in college. This girl was super attractive and smart, and we got along great."

"For some unfathomable reason, this made me want to not talk to her again."

"Later it dawned on me that it was during finals and she was heavily caffeinated and that can be a side effect. She dodged a bullet because I was a complete dingleberry, lol (laughing out loud)."

- Atlas88-

Deal-breaking Voices

"I briefly dated a young woman who was insanely out of my league. People stared when we went out."

"Anyway, her voice was like Minnie Mouse, and I just couldn't take it. I still feel bad about that one."

- Pickleliver

Dental Preferences

​"Not me, but I had a friend who wouldn’t date this guy because he had one crooked tooth. He was the nicest guy truly a wonderful person. Like if I hadn’t been in a serious relationship I would’ve dated this guy."

"Fast forward, he meets a wonderful woman, and they get married, and my friend was all weird about it."

"I asked why and she said, 'Well, I thought he liked me enough to get his twisted tooth fixed.'"

"It was the silliest thing I’ve ever heard."

- Foxy_locksy1704

Preferred Facial Features

"I knew and almost dated a girl who talked out the side of her mouth. I’m not sure if that’s the best way to describe it, but that’s all I thought about when she spoke."

"Like, the front of her lips barely moved, and it was like a weird little smirk kinda thing when she spoke. I couldn’t get past it."

- newadventures96

"Weird ick: people with big/wide mouths. Why can I see all of your teeth and the back of your throat while you’re talking? You don’t need to open it that much just because you can."

- burritoboles

When one Redditor wanted to hear others' "petty" reasons for not wanting to date someone, their fellow Redditors really delivered. While some of these could simply be a matter of taste, like finding some facial features attractive where others do not, some of these, like allergies, are pretty, pretty petty.