The thing about unspoken and unwritten rules is that sometimes people just flat out don't get the memo.
Reddit is here to change that.
Reddit user lofisky asked:
"What’s an unspoken rule that annoys you when people don’t know about it?"
I'm not here to judge why people might not know these rules or whether their reasoning makes any sense - or even if I agree with everything Reddit had to say.
My job is just to let you know that if you're out here doing these things, Reddit probably thinks you're super annoying.
Do with that information what you will. Hopefully, the thing y'all do is start letting people get OFF the elevator/bus/train/thing before you try to squeeze on.
Seriously.
Getting Off
House Rules Fart GIF by Channel 7Giphy"Let people get off the bus before you get on the bus."
- HealthyInPublic
"Same with elevators/lifts."
- pwnicholson
"It's not just being nice. It's literally physics."
"First you need to vacate the space you want to start occupying."
- peepay
"My local hospital started paying people to direct people on elevator etiquette."
"The person makes you stand behind a line until the elevator is clear. The most amazing part is people still try to go against it. The last time I was there a lady budged in front of my kid who is on crutches."
- jn29
Pool Party?
"I am currently sitting at the pool at a resort."
"There is a group who decided to bring their own, rather large, portable speaker to blast music. Don’t do this."
- lincolnfalcon
"Had this in Ibiza last year at a hotel that already played music at a reasonable volume by the pool."
"Someone turned up with a tinny little speaker playing some mix he made on his little DJ setup in his bedroom at his mum’s miserable house in a crappy town in some horrible part of England."
"Don’t know if he was trying to promote himself out there or something, but we all would’ve preferred him to have just f*cked off though."
- LuxuryMustard
"I was by a pool and this girl next to me kept playing this pop song and trying to lip sync to it for a selfie video, she would then watch it and restart it to try and get a better shot."
"It was driving me nuts so I put 'I'll Go Until My Heart Stops' by 36 Crazyfists on full blast. Naturally she stopped; and then her and her friends looked at me like I was the complete crazy one here."
- samjmpage
Sharing Fairly
"When sharing food with the table, you eat your fair share."
"If there’s 4 people and 4 pieces, you don’t eat one and a half pieces or the whole plate, you eat once piece. That's fair. It's called a 'fair share' for a reason."
- Bellabunsxo
"This goes for everything! Notice how much stuff there is to go around and don't use more than your fair share without asking!"
"If you live in a house with 2 other people, and there's 3 towel hooks in the bathroom, you get to use ONE of them."
"If you share a kitchen cabinet with one roommate, your groceries shouldn't occupy more than half the space."
"If your friend cooked you dinner last night, cook them dinner another night!"
"Notice how much you take and don't take more than you give!"
- T-Flexercise
"Add to this. If its 4 pieces of X and 4 pieces of Y. You eat 1 X and 1 Y."
- theultimateThor
Happiness Hater
Cracking Up Reaction GIFGiphy"Making fun of someone laughter or smile."
"I mean making fun of someone is already bad. But.. someone happiness expression??"
- Redfoxaa
"I remember a few years ago I was living with roommates and I unexpectedly had the day off work and was in my bedroom."
"My 2 roommates had thought I was not home and were gossiping about people and casually mentioned how annoying my laugh was to one another."
"To this day I am super self concours about my laugh and is one of the meanest things someone has ever said about me. Really hurt my feelings and was just such a random thing to gossip about."
- AffectionateDealer3
"My ex-husband used to do this. He'd say I have rabbit teeth and occasionally grab them in what he passed off as a quirky, playful act of endearment."
"I rarely bare my teeth when smiling anyhow because as a child and teenager, prior to wearing a retainer, it was truly not a pretty sight. My teeth are actually quite alright after the correction, I've even received compliments on them, rabbit-ish as my ex claimed they are."
- Even-Sympathy5728
Handicapped Enough
"If someone is using a cane/walker/crutches, please move out of their way, and move your children out of the way."
"I have MS, and have balance issues. I don't walk that slowly with a cane, but can't tell you the number of times I've nearly been knocked down by a child."
"Also, don't harass those with handicapped tags, because we 'don't appear handicapped enough' for your standards."
- NO_Cheeto_in_Chief
"My mom actually breaks down crying after almost every store trip because EVERYONE ignores her. Its like she doesn’t exist."
"No one sees her, they cut her off ALL the f*cking time, they get annoyed because she's not going fast enough, they don't move when she's coming."
"She gets so upset that she's slowly not wanting to go anywhere - she just has a leg injury and is only 53 years old. The injury was already traumatic and people are just so rude!"
- HappyHappyUnbirthday
Honesty
"Being an a-hole isn't 'just being honest' - that's an excuse to be cruel and you know it.”
- LEE-3314
" 'Brutally honest' usually just means brutal."
- nocatpicspls
"My first college roommate once told one of my friends 'You're fat and you can't be upset I said that cause it's the truth.' "
"She did awful things like that regularly to me and my friends. I made sure never to room with her again and she kept giving me apology jolly ranchers through mutual friends."
"Well, she made my very sweet bipolar friend lock himself in his room for 3 days with depression refusing to come out or eat."
"Actions have consequences. After she roomed with 4 other of my friends, they all came forward and apologized because they didn't realize just how awful she really could be at times."
- asad_potatoe
Respect The Circle
episode 8 hug GIFGiphy"If you’re out with a group of friends standing in a circle, make sure to make space for everyone."
"Feeling like you’re not included cause you have to force your way into the circle is the worst feeling ever! Just be courteous & mindful of others."
- LeonardoDeFarto
"Standing on the outskirts of the circle sucks."
- sunsetskye_
"This exact situation causes me so much social anxiety it is crippling. I DETEST approaching groups, even groups of well-known and well-loved friends."
"I was taught to watch out for others, especially to make sure shorter people were included and could get to a position where they can see and hear, and weren't left staring at backs. I wish everyone showed this courtesy."
- TiffyVella
"Feedback"
"I remember my brother was telling a story and my dad interrupted him to say, 'your voice is really nasally. You should try to speak more with your diaphragm and sound less annoying. Alright, continue.' "
"Needless to say my brother didn't finish the story."
"Don't offer 'feedback' that's really just an insult."
- Sunupu
"I've had a teacher in high school, point at me and loudly say, 'Look at how she laughs!' "
"Good thing she's just a substitute teacher as our usual, and far nicer, one is on maternity leave. She's a jerk, trying to be the cool bad b*tch that's brutally honest with 'feedback,' but ends up being plain rude and intolerable. And so much cringe."
- totallynicehedgehog
Shopping Showdowns
"Taking up the entire aisle at the grocery store. Don't take every member of the family and walk side by side."
"Some folks actually make a list, and are trying to get in and out quickly."
- NO_Cheeto_in_Chief
"When you're walking in a shopping centre or down the street and you stop to look at something, step aside. Let other people through, f*ckwits!"
- Green_Prompt_6386
"God this one is true. If you ever believe that humans don’t need more natural predators, walk through Wal-Mart and tell me you haven’t changed your mind."
- Whosagoodboyyyyyy
"To that, I might add, don’t abandon your cart to go get something."
"Now instead of occupying a singular space, a cart is in one part of the isle, and a person is in another part of the isle. 2 or 3 people do this, the isle is twice as clogged, and I have to move their cart to get something because they are not attending to it."
"Also, doing the same at the end of isles. You pull out of an isle to turn to go into another, there is someone’s abandoned cart that all other traffic has to go around."
"Keep yourself to yourself."
- Mermaid_La_Reine
Micro-Manners
Salad Dressing Cooking GIF by Rooster TeethGiphy"Never microwave seafood at work."
"It’s a very strong smell that many people find extremely unpleasant, plus it always seems to carry across the entire building/floor."
- xodanielleelise
"Or eggs."
"Both places I worked at previously, someone microwaved eggs regularly. I like eggs, but the smell they make from the microwave is dreadful."
- idontknowdudess
"I still recall the trash-like stench from a woman who microwaved a bowl of broccoli on our floor twenty years ago."
- anne_jumps
"Cauliflower especially."
"I recently bought one of those cauliflower crust hot pockets and made the mistake of microwaving it (at home, thankfully)."
"The whole house stank for DAYS. Never again- those are for the oven only."
- youstupidcorn
Vacate to occupy
"Let people get off the bus before you get on the bus."
- HealthyInPublic
"Same with elevators/lifts"
- pwnicholson
"Same for trains. It's not hard to understand that if you let people off, you'll have more room!"
"I'll add people that hang out right in front of the door and don't really get out of the way to let people in when there is plenty of room in the rest of the train or bus."
- RamenNoodles620
"This one, I hate when people try to barge their way through"
- lofisky
"It's not just being nice. It's literally physics. First you need to vacate the space you want to start occupying."
- peepay
A bit close there buddy.
Waiting In Line GIFGiphy"How to stand in lines. Riding my ass doesn't make the line move any faster."
- FrenchJabroni
"Living in various parts of the world I’ve learned that personal bubble size in lines varies a lot depending on where you are."
- SuperMadCow
"Since covid times this is now literally a written rule and people still don't get it."
- Craw__
"Hoping on the top comment to agree. Need some personal space please"
- SeaAd4548
"My mother gave me the greatest piece of advice to deal with line-neck-breathers."
"Just take a step back. They'll move."
- ThatLousyGamer
Walk with a purpose
"Not taking up the entire sidewalk when people are walking the opposite direction towards you."
- togeko_
"Or if you’re in a group move to single file when someone is approaching from the opposite direction"
- likespeopleandbooks
"I stop when they close in on me — since I'm a disabled, elderly woman — and brace myself. I've only been knocked down once, by a somewhat drunk individual, and he was shamed to a ludicrous extent by the passersby who helped me. love Granny"
- Poldark_Lite
"Also, look the direction you are intending to go. When people don't know where you are trying to walk, they instinctively briefly glance at your eyes to see what direction you are heading. Learned this in NYC. Crowd group think is a marvelous thing. Like a school of fish."
- 8Blackbart8
"Door!"
looking episode 12 GIFGiphy"Don't stand in a doorway."
- famously
"That’s actually annoying, like of all the places you can be"
- lofisky
"Don’t lay in a doorway either. Yes, I’m talking to you pupper."
- momvetty
"I cannot tell you the amount of times i’ve opened the door into someone because they have decided to stop and text(?) or generally f*ck around on the other side. Then of course look at me like i’m the monster for using a doorway properly."
- FeralXhild
"Don't obstruct any bottleneck, whether it's a door, a narrow point on a sidewalk, or wherever."
- BubbhaJebus
Bout that time... *yawn*
"When you see party hosts starting to clean up, hint at being tired etc., don’t continue the drinks/conversations. Quickly get ready to leave and offer to help clean up"
- WrongNeedleworker579
"Sometimes when I have friends over, my adhd kicks into gear and makes me want to get up and clear the table a bit. Just to move around and because the clutter is messing with my head."
"For most people this is a sign of wanting to wrap the evening up and get the company going. But that’s not my intention, I just can’t sit still anymore. So I make it a habit of mentioning 'I am not trying to kick you out, I’m just gonna get this out of the way. Want another drink? I’m going to the kitchen anyway'."
- Ietsmetdingen
"Also in general when the party is over ask the host how can you help clean up instead of just saying bye and leaving"
- TinyNuggins1
"i once had to tell a friend years ago to get out of my house because they simply wouldn't leave."
"i had two friends over for a mini game night, one was staying the night and the other wasn't. i told my friend who wasn't sleeping over, for a solid hour and half that i was tired, that it was getting late and he should get going and he just refused to listen. i even cleaned up my kitchen, put everything away, took all the empties out, the whole nine, and he was still sitting there not leaving."
"It was about 12:45am and he's still not leaving. so i say once again that i'm exhausted and it's time for him to go and he needs to leave. instead, he tells me to just go to bed and that he'll let himself out and proceeds to suggest putting a movie on and just chilling out. i snapped and said in a very sharp tone 'absolutely not! i am not putting on a movie and staying up for another two hours because you want to chill. i want to go to bed and set the house alarm. you need to leave now! and stop telling me to go to bed, i cant until you fucking leave! i need to set the alarm, what are you not getting!?'."
"After me snapping, it still took him a solid 15 minutes to finally leave. i never invited him over to my house again after that, and lucky for me we stopped being friends within the last year so i'll never have to deal with that again."
- urbanlulu
Public DJ's
Lets Be Heroes Ko GIF by Cartoon NetworkGiphy"On a train or bus and you're playing music?
Use. Your. Headphones."
- Sentinowl
"kids in my high school walk around with speakers playing loud music from inside their backpacks actin like they're in a movie or some sh*t"
- leoscoven
"This drives me nuts! At work in the break room I just want to quietly chill on my phone, not listen to the bizarre telenovela one coworker watches, listen to another coworker’s heavy metal, and another coworker’s anime. Like how can they even enjoy what they’re watching or listening to with everyone else’s noise going on?"
- Low-Stick6746
"And the gym."
- bikesandtacos
If its yellow, still flush.
"shouldn’t have to be said but flush the toilet after using it :)"
- NoDesigner44
"And wipe the seat if you piss all over it"
- jackjams18
"I've lived on a well, in placed I paid for water, and places where I didn't worry about any of it. My opinion on a single pee changes depending, but always flush the poo poo, and make sure that shit is gone. Double flush if you gotta, hell triple flush... but if that doesn't work, you're carrying it out by hand."
- ImBeingArchAgain
"and stay for a second to make sure that it fully flushes."
- youcancallmet
Clean It Like You Mean It
"cleaning tools before you give them back to who you're borrowing them from"
- stomachdropper
"At least wipe them down with a half-ass rag to at least create the illusion that you even remotely took care of the possession they let you borrow. Even worse is when somebody returns something BROKEN."
- dashberlin1991
"broken is another thing, it's understandable when it happens cause accidents happen and it's something I take into consideration when lending tools out, warranty is a thing and usually replacing a tool isn't a hassle when broken but atleast let me know don't let me find out myself"
- stomachdropper
"Yeah, the problem is when they do not return you your tools back."
- kusashinra
So yeah, the whole point of unspoken rules is that you shouldn't have to speak them... but this is a written article so it doesn't really count, right?
Yeah, that's my way of saying I hope y'all learned something today.
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The Biggest Mistakes People Make In Relationships
Reddit user Valuable-Ad440 asked: 'What do you think is the biggest mistake people make in relationships?'
Dating experiences can be incredibly fun and even formative, but it can also be full of tough and painful lessons.
With each relationship, we're bound to learn things that we don't like or aren't looking for in our next partner.
Redditor Valuable-Ad440 asked:
"What do you think the biggest mistake is that people make in relationships?"
Not Apologizing
"Not being able to apologize. If someone tells you they're upset with you, you don't need to argue back."
- TheGame1126
Being Defensive
"Not being able to hear your partner expressing their own needs or constructive critiques without getting defensive."
"You should be able to hear your partner out with concern and curiosity, and THEN address your own feelings that happened as a result of their words. If you can’t have a difficult conversation without being overwhelmed by your own insecurities, you’re not ready to be in a relationship."
- greengiant1101
Too Many Compromises
"Compromising when they started the relationship, and then regret sets in and destroys the relationship."
- Damseldoll
(Not) Winning Arguments
"Trying to 'win' arguments. The goal should be to solve disagreements as a team, not come out as the victor."
- DoublePelix
Not Dating Their Best Friend
"Your partner not being your friend, too."
- Wonderful-Note9289
"Back when we were dating, my wife once told me that I was her boyfriend, but also her friend. I found that odd. Then she pointed out that her ex never had had the potential to be her friend. They just didn't match."
"Since then, I realized how important this is."
- Lvcivs2311
Lack of Communication or Acceptance
"So many people jump straight to 'lack of communication,' but more often than not the problem is refusing to accept what your partner is communicating."
"Communication skills can always be better, but a lack of understanding or willingness to compromise around the difference in each other's needs leads to resentment really quickly. Once you resent each other, it's game over, there's no real way to come back from that."
- alk6489
Taking Others for Granted
"Taking the other person’s love, time, empathy, or patience for granted."
- thebuffyb0t
"Or holding onto a relationship that isn't making you happy out of some hope that the other person will stop taking those things for granted."
"Both are non-starters."
- sophistre
Different Values
"I would rephrase this as 'people are their values and what they value.'"
"If you want a big family and they want to be child-free, you’re not compatible."
"If you are a homebody and they have wanderlust, one of you is going to be miserable."
"If they are fixated on their career and external signs of success and you are more interested in experiences and togetherness, you’re both going to resent each other."
"If you have significantly different political outlooks, it’s going to poison how you see each other over time."
"The first person to say yes to you may not be the right person for you long term. You need to talk about your values and life goals, and if they don’t align, don’t sit there hoping the other person will compromise who they are for you, or expect yourself to compromise who you are for them."
"Respect each other enough to recognize you aren’t the right life partner and move on."
- Fraerie
Getting Married First
"Waiting until you’re too far in to discuss marriage and kids. That’s an issue that needs to be hammered in before you completely shut yourself off from anyone else."
- DefinitelyNotADave
"Tons of people have those tough discussions way too late. Kids, in-law interactions and responsibilities, finances, living situations, household chores, medical issues, and future plans ALL should be discussed before getting married."
"If you don't have an answer for that now, you're going to have to find an answer soon enough. All of these things WILL be faced throughout your lifetime together. It's better to find out if you're completely incompatible before signing that paper. Or at least you've got a plan of how to face things together."
- buyongmafanle
Helping Around At Home
"My girl has been on vacation for about two weeks and f**k, I hate cooking, man!"
"I should help her prep some of the food. It's just more time-consuming than anything else. But yeah, when she gets back, I'll start helping her more. I eat a s**t ton, so yeah."
- Deads4dayz
"Start now, impress her with your effort when she gets back, and tell her you realized how much time she was putting in. Can't go wrong."
- orionicly
"Learn some knife skills on youtube, it can cut your prep time by 50% easily. I've seen people spend ten minutes on a single onion, smh (shaking my head)."
- DaoNight23
"And clean as you cook! Something is simmering on the stove and you can step away for five minutes? Don’t kill time on the couch, clean your workstation! Then when it’s time to serve, you have only a minimal amount of cleanup left to do."
- Youareaharrywizard
"CAYG or Clean As You Go is taught in professional kitchens everywhere for a reason, it’s a proven strategy to keep things clean."
"That and 'if you have time to lean, you have time to clean,' but that one is less popular."
- its_justme
Getting Too Comfortable
"I think it's a combination of getting so comfortable with somebody that you take things for granted, stop doing the little things, and stop communicating."
- Rathemon
"Been feeling this recently. My girlfriend and I moved in together nearly two years ago, and our relationship improved so much when we did, but it has led to me taking things for granted."
"I'm traveling at the moment, and I haven't seen her in nearly a month, and I'm really missing just existing together. Even something as simple as sleeping next to each other, I miss it like crazy, but it's not something I think of as much when we're both at home."
- V0lkhari
Committing 100/100
"Thinking that it's one person's work. A successful relationship needs commitment and work from both parties."
- Mapache_villa
"I find that as the woman, I’m usually carrying the emotional load and it’s f**king exhausting. Talking about feelings, initiating tough conversations, etc. I won’t do it anymore."
- pattimay_ho_nnaise
Having Children to Love
"Believing that having a child will fix their problems."
"Great job, now the THREE of you are in a sucky situation and now are forever tied through a choice you both made instead of just working it out OR separating, both options that would've been a lot less messy and complicated, not to mention that the kid is now stuck between something that's not their responsibility to fix and now they're suffering through it."
"'Compromising' on big life decisions, it never ends well."
- ThanosWifeAkima-4848
Knowing When to Say Goodbye
"Not leaving or ending a relationship when it needs to be ended. Sometimes the best thing to do is to walk away."
- toosickto
That About Sums It Up
"Not 'dating' their partner after getting married and having kids."
"Not communicating."
"Not being on the same page when it comes to finances, household responsibilities, and boundaries with external family."
"Simply not prioritizing their partner."
- vtfb79
These responses came from people who clearly regretted decisions they'd made in relationships or been on the receiving end, neither of which likely felt very pleasant.
Countless emotions arise when going on a first date.
Making this all the more difficult is that a first date is one of the few things that absolutely must be done solo, so bringing friends as backup simply isn't an option.
Leaving one to wish there was a handbook for navigating a first date successfully.
Of course, while there is no official guide, everyone has rules and beliefs about what to do and what to avoid on a first date.
From how to effortlessly bring out your best qualities, to a foolproof escape plan if your date is anything but the one you've dreamed your whole life of meeting.
"What's an unspoken rule on a first date?"
EyeContact, And Not With Your Screen...
"Your phone is not part of the date."- Wonderful-Note9289
"Don't be on your phone the whole time."
"And don't talk about your ex."- HoW-LoNg-DoCtOR-YES
Think Very Carefully Before That Second Round
"Don’t drink too much."- drivethruhell
"Had a date like this."
"Within the first 90 minutes they had taken like three shots, and were on their third drink."
"I understand wanting to calm your nerves, but damn."
"The whole 'you need to play catch up LOL' isn't as cute as you think it is."
"We did not go on any other dates."- mothershipq
Drink GIFGiphyThere Is no Scent More Intoxicating Than Your Own...
"Have a shower beforehand."- Porriz
"And take it easy with the perfume/cologne."
Your date shouldn't smell you before they see you."- imnotlouise
No One Likes A Moocher...
"Don't order any extras plates to eat at home with your mom when the other is paying."- lil_wavey999
Always Be On The Same Page...
"Both should know it is a date."- mosquitohater2023
"I met a woman at an out of town festival through a friend of mine that she was hooking up with."
"She ended up taking too many shrooms and I spent an hour with her helping her to feel calmer."
"She is a traveling nurse and was going to be in my city in a few weeks so we exchange numbers and when she gets in town she asked if I want to get some sushi."
"Happy to make a new friend, we meet up, talk a lot about my friend that she’s hooking up with telling funny stories about him."
"Eventually it comes up that I’m leaving the next day for a 3 week trip to Europe with my girlfriend and she screams, 'I thought this was a f*cking date!'"
"Reeeeaaallly awkward."- redmoskeeto
Dating Wtf GIF by MaxGiphyBe Open And Transparent...
"Not a rule but never make the other person carry the conversation."
"You're both here to make an effort and give each other the respect."
"If you both want different things then let it be said after."
"No need to hurt someone's self-respect for your ego."- Arkjump
"Be there with honest intentions and nothing else."- S-Vagus
Or At Least Be Willing To Share
"Don’t order 3 full meals."- WinkMartindale
"AND expecting him to pay for all of it."
"I mean sure if you want to take some home for your mom, you pay for that yourself."- Widowhawk·
GiphyBe Prepared For A Lack Of Shared Interests...
"Leave the coin collection at home, wow her with that on the second date."- IronLion11·
Choose Your Activities Carefully
"Don't go to the movies or a fancy dinner on your first date if you don't already know this person."
"The movies is a place where you sit in silence for 2 hours staring straight ahead."
"That does not give you any opportunity to get to know the other person."
"A sit down dinner can be perfectly fine, but if you know within the first 10 minutes that you have no desire to spend any more time in this person's presence, you're stuck through the rest of the meal."
"First dates should always be intentionally short with an option to extend."
"Coffee, froyo, drinks, things that can turn into an hour of talking or 'would you like to grab a bite to eat?'"- baltinerdist
Get Your Emotions Under Control
"Don't excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and then accidentally think about your ex while in there, have to fight back tears, and then come back to the table after way too long, with puffy red eyes."
"Whoops." - Reddit
Sad That 70S Show GIF by LaffGiphyJust Be Open And Honest... To an Extent...
"Don't: Unload on your date about your trauma."
"Gotta keep that sh*t under wraps until at least date 5."
"Do: Be yourself, unless your whole personality teeters on your traumatic history--in that case, self-deprecating humor will suffice until you can successfully abandon all hope and sit in your car for an hour to cry afterward."-Deep-Essay-4829
A Conversation Is A Two-Way Street
"Usually when asked a question I’d answer it and then hit her with a 'what about you?'"
"To ensure that I wasn’t dominating the convo."
"Let the other person speak."- bumboclawt
... NOPE...
"Bring an egg, uncooked, in your pocket."
"Casually let it fall out at the end of the date."
"This establishes you as a breadwinner, who else has the money to just carry eggs around in their pockets?"
"When your date, inevitably, wants to know more about the egg just shrug it off."
"You're not here to brag, your egg does that for you."- wearywarrior
Broken Heart Love GIF by Share It AgainGiphyIf there is one rule absolutely everyone should follow when going on a first date, it's not being beholden to rules, spoken or unspoken.
After all, the best romances are often the ones which happen organically.
Love cannot be forced.
People Divulge Things Their Coworkers Have Done That Should've Gotten Them Fired But Didn't
My second college internship led me to a small content creation company. It was so small that the two editors were the only paid employees. Everyone else was an intern.
I was excited to start so I could add more to my portfolio only to realize that one of the editors replaced my name with hers every time she edited one of my articles. Not much of the content was changed, but I was too shy to question it.
I eventually found out that she did this to all the interns, and most of the interns had learned to private message their draft articles to the other editor, who did not take the bylines.
I asked one of my fellow interns if the founder of the company knew the editor took bylines. Turns out, the founder knew, but for some reason no one else could figure out, the editor never got fired.
It turns out this story isn't unique. There are lots of instances when someone does something at work that should get them fired, but they manage to hold on to their job. Redditors have plenty of stories like that and are eager to share.
It all started when Redditor Shelendrea asked:
"Have you ever witnessed something that should've gotten someone fired at work? If so, what happened?"
Needs More Than A Demotion
"Coworker jokingly threw a box at my chest and knocked the wind out of me and I collapsed. He begged me not to tell anyone and I didn't. The guy was a weirdo. He'd talk about how he'd burn insects and starts fires. Weird sh*t. He ended up getting in more trouble later on for some reason or another...crass jokes, sexual comments....either way, he eventually transferred stores and I never saw him again. This all happened back in 2013-14."
"Fast forward to earlier this year 2023, my store was getting a major remodel, and he was one of the managers that came from afar with a team of workers to do the remodel. I was surprised he was still with the company, let alone in a leadership position. I said hi to him a time or two, but he was busy with the remodel project on the other side of the store so I eventually stopped seeing him."
"This whole time things were tense between the remodel crew and our store crew. Pallet Jack's getting stolen, supplies going missing, etc. Both sides hated each other."
"I hadn't seen (we'll call him John) in a few weeks and noticed there was a new manager on the remodel crew. Either way, things were finally cooling down between us."
"Out of curiosity I asked one of the remodel crew what had happened to John, and they told me, "Oh you didn't hear? He got demoted for trying to start problems between our teams. He'd tell us to steal your pallet Jack's and tried getting a few people to fight.""
"Unreal."
– AdamR91
Got Milk?
"I worked in a milk factory. I was working with a man that was a bit off. We had to take the milk cartons on a conveyor belt and place them on a pallet. While we were working he said "time for a break" and slammed a blade used to open boxes into the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt got absolutely destroyed and the machine was in maintenance of two days after that."
– LyricalJerrycal
"Hey, when it's time for a break, it's time for a break."
– MyOpinyunIsRight
"How dairy?!"
– StrongestAvenger2211
Money, Money, Money
"The supervisor left the safe open."
"At this job, he should have absolutely gotten fired but his blunder got overshadowed because one of the douchier employees stole 50k and went on the run for over half a day."
– BW_Bird
"...doesn't that just highlight why the supervisor should keep the safe shut?"
– akaioi
"You'd think."
"Honestly, I wasn't too upset. Sups was a nice guy."
– BW_Bird
A DQ Thing
"When I was in high school, I worked at Dairy Queen. I was on the opening crew one Saturday and the assistant manager unlocks the doors, lets us in, and tells us "Guys, I'm really hungover right now so I'm gonna sleep in the back. Wake me up if you need me." She goes back and curls up on top of the laundry machines (we washed all the uniforms on site because they get covered in ice cream). It was a slow day so and she was the cool manager, so we all let her sleep and never told the owner."
"Another night, one of our cook's buddies parked their car in our lot and he just hung out there with them smoking weed for a couple hours. If someone ordered food, we'd go out and get him. He'd come back inside, cook it, and go right back out. The rest of us had the decency to smoke after work, but nobody ratted him out either."
– SeveralAngryBears
"Must be a Dairy Queen thing. When I was seventeen I was the grill cook at Dairy Queen and the employees had a pact with each other that if one of us came in after 4 pm when we weren’t working and made food and walked out with it, nobody would see the person doing it. We only had a shift leader, no managers after 4pm. So, my friends and I would smoke weed, drive to Dairy Queen, and I would walk back to the kitchen and cook a bunch of fried food and burgers, then take it out to my stoner friends waiting in the car. As you can imagine, I was pretty popular with my weed smoking friends."
– Horror-School-6713
Going, Going, Gone
"At my last job we had this guy who seemed normal, I knew he did some club drugs outside of work but I don’t have a problem with that. Anyways, he shows up to work one day COMPLETELY f*cking blasted. Like couldn’t walk right, couldn’t talk. This motherf*cker gets mad at me when I send him home, the next day I get to work and our boss is like "hey man what did you say to Tyler last night? He said you’re a huge a**hole and he’s never working with you again”. I told him and my boss goes “oh. Okay. Well I think he quit, he said if I don’t fire you he’s done here""
"Bold f*cking move to make after showing up in a k hole during your third week of work at our company lmfao"
– _clydebruckman
A New Kind Of Sneeze Burgers
"Was working at McDonald’s. Watched a female crew member sneeze into her hands, and proceed to make a wrap and sent it out. I threw it in the bin before front staff got it."
"Edit* I should mention - I was genuinely shocked to see it happen. McDonald’s are extremely strict on hygiene. I reported her to a manager, but she denied it and said she sneezed into her arm. We were too busy for anyone to check cameras."
– RewardNew5810
Nepotism At Its Finest
"Work in a residential setting for teens with behavioral issues. There’s 1 staff in particular who should not be working with kids and it was clear on my 2nd day. He’s almost 50 and behaves like a 15-year-old. He’s always going back and forth and gets mad about everything with them."
"One day, things got heated between him and a kid for the 100th time and he ends up choking the kid. The kid was actually being more mature about it and he wanted to continue to fight the kid. We separated them and I was holding the staff back when he started to get mad at me for not letting him beat up a 14 year old."
"I’ve only been at this job for 3 months and was told by other staff that this has happened multiple times now with different kids."
"He still has a job because he’s best friends with the 2 bosses."
– i-piss-excellence32
Wrong Accountability
"I worked at a special needs day program many years ago. Wednesdays were classic film day at the local theater and we’d take the clients. I was a 1:1 meaning I had only one client. My direct superior had 3, and a substitute had 4. The substitute lost one of her guys and didn’t realize it until after the film when we were counting clients."
"Long story short, I got fired & the superior got fired. But the one whose responsibility it was to watch him kept her job. The client was fine, though, he was found a mile down the road asking for a police officer to help him find his way home."
– iateacakeonce
It Is The Night Shift
"I work overnights at a hotel. They hired a guy to be the security/valet and in the first two weeks he was found sleeping on the job. The first time he was found by a third coworker. We told the manager and nothing happened. The second time the manager found him sleeping in the bell closet in a wheelchair. He got sent home but didn’t get fired."
– aolewahine808
"I'm overnight too, sometimes it feels like they just want a living body and don't care about much else."
"One of the guys I've had over the years would fall asleep constantly and sounded like he was drowning he snored so horribly, no consequence."
– wickedblight
Santa is Real!
"I worked at a small map company. Our first task when we started was to add rivers and lakes over satellite imagery/topographic maps. It was a summer job when I was in college. Both me and the guy who worked next to me were 19-20ish. It was very dry, repetitive, tedious work. We weren’t really allowed to talk while working so for the most part just plugged away at our own computer stations. Occasionally we would write notes to each other. Towards the end of the summer when he was about to go back to school my coworker went off the deep end. He just started drawing line art with the GIS software and naming them things. He drew Santa and his reindeer. Made up like half a dozen lakes with a bunch of whacky names like “Lake Milk Was a Poor Choice.” I didn’t tell anyone what he did and I wonder what the quality control people thought of it. He definitely would have been fired had they known."
– JMaple
Just One More Zero
"Yep."
"Few weeks ago one of my sales rep comes in to drop off paperwork for a sale he had just completed."
"The whole time he's bragging about how the customer couldn't believe his great deal even though he was paying MSRP."
"I take the paperwork, and start looking through it to verify the same amount to put the commission in for payroll."
"I come up on the price, and in the box it says: $2,100. I look at him in complete disbelief. I show him where he put the price, and his face went white as a ghost."
"$2,100 when it should've been $21,000. By misplacing the comma, and not adding an extra 0, the dumb S.O.B let a BRAND NEW UTV GO FOR $18.9K BELOW MSRP!!!!!!!"
"I had to tell the owner who told sales rep that 1% of the price would come out of all future paychecks until the price was paid back."
– amethyst_haired_emo
Yikes!
"I worked in a pizza restaurant from age 15 to 23. My answer is almost everything. Just a tip, when people say be kind to your servers, this is for your own benefit, not theirs."
– Silver-B-NotGold
I used to be a server. This is very true!
Not to startle any of you, but death stalks us.
We all have nightmares about diseases and murderers.
But what if, in the end, we just choke on a pickle we inhaled too fast?
Maybe instead of a pickle, a little coleslaw would have been the wiser choice.
We'll never know.
The most minute things can send us packing.
Redditor SuffocatedByThighs wanted to discuss the things that can extinguish our lives in the most basic ways, so they asked:
"What simple mistake has ended lives?"
Tripping over untied shoelaces.
It can break your neck.
TIE YOUR SHOES!!!
Off the Rocks
On No Falling GIF by Outside TVGiphy"There have been too many instances of rock climbers rappelling off of the ends of their ropes, which could have been easily avoided by tying stopper knots at the ends of their ropes."
LZRDLZRD
Seconds
"I worked at a tire place for a summer and the first thing they told me was 'See that torque wrench? One mistake with this and you can kill a whole family in a matter of seconds.' I thought well, better take this thing seriously."
FrenchMicrowave
"Man for a second I was thinking 'F**k you'd have to swing that thing around fast to take out an entire family' and just bluescreened on the idea of changing a tire."
lurking_my_a**_off
How Vexing...
"THERAC-25. The world’s deadliest software error. Cost several radiation patients their lives by administering lethal amounts of radiation, and for a while, the doctors didn’t even know."
Longjumping_Event_59
"THERAC-25 suffered a particularly vexing sort of error known as a race condition. Essentially, the circuit required multiple inputs in a particular sequence, but sometimes the timing of that sequence could get thrown out of whack and it would lead to all sorts of nonsensical output."
"This is less than ideal when all you're doing is manipulating pixels, but when your software is handling radiation beams you really don't want this to happen."
"Even more vexing is that race conditions are frequently heisenbugs, which can vanish altogether when one attempts to study them. If you don't have a good idea of what's causing the error, you may never cotton on to what sort of bad input is required to test it. Under those circumstances, it's easy to write them off as imaginary, only to then find."
dancingmadkoschei
Heavy Drifting
"Leaving the stranded vehicle on the road in winter and trying to walk to get help. It happens in rural parts of our province once or twice a year and they find the body a few days later. They get disoriented and freeze."
Regina_Runner
"I got blown off a road in high winds. Heavy drifting. Less than a mile from a friend's house after I had turned around. Drifts made it impossible to complete the trip. Trying to run a mile in full blizzard conditions was a fight for my life as an in-shape 24-year-old male athlete.
"rotyag
Simple Slips
Uh Oh Omg GIF by BounceGiphy"Almost any simple mistake can end a life if you're an anesthesiologist, that's how my grandpa died in his early 60s."
dwserps
Any second. Any moment.
Stay vigilant people.
Celibacy could be better...
Oh My Wow GIFGiphy"Not being honest with doctors about Viagra. It has many dangerous drug interactions and can cause a lot of problems from what I’ve heard. Trust me the doctor ain’t gonna judge you guys, they have seen many more embarrassing things. And it would suck to die because you wanted to hide something just for it to be later stated in your death certificate."
The_upsetti_spagetti
Check the Numbers
"As a healthcare worker, giving the wrong amount of insulin."
UzumakiHorror
"During the first shift of my first clinical rotation in nursing school, I watched a nurse draw up insulin out of an auto-injector pen that was CLEARLY marked to specifically not do that AND she was drastically wrong about the dosage and almost killed a guy by giving him essentially like a hundred times the intended dose."
someguynamedg
Stay In
"Pulling the knife out of someone."
rcadephantom
"Yeah, I did that but it was a broken tree branch that had impaled my leg. Without even thinking I pulled it out. Blood started gushing so I pulled off my shirt and tied it into a pressure bandage. I was lucky I didn’t bleed to death."
Olddog_Newtricks2001
"Shock is an IQ reducer. I once sliced a bit off the side of my hand with a broken glass, and sort of dazedly picked off the piece of me and tried to stick it back on. It did not work."
UncannyTarotSpread
Stay Dirty
"Mixing cleaning ingredients."
Jonnysource
"My dad was trying to unclog his kitchen drain and mixed drain cleaners by adding one then adding another a few minutes later. It started bubbling and he began coughing intensely. I heard him coughing from the other room, saw what happened, and opened the nearby window to get rid of the chlorine gas he just produced."
"I forgot there was a large hive of wasps that had moved into that window and they did not appreciate this unexpected interruption. I took him to the emergency room for the gas exposure and it was tough explaining that the wasp stings were not why we were there."
CharmingTuber
Dear God
Jeff Goldblum What GIF by The Late Late Show with James CordenGiphy"A friend’s husband locked himself out of their home. He tried to get in through a window that had security bars. While squeezing through his foot slipped and he essentially hung himself on the window sill."
Cokej01
Life is fleeting. Here is proof.
LIVE!! But live smart.