Month: July 2021

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What Glamorized Career Path Actually Really Sucks? People Responded.

I worked in the film industry in Chicago and New Orleans from 2002 to 2011 and I gotta say, it’s definitely not for everyone.

And by everyone, I mean ME.

I enjoyed my time and I made a lot of good friends during those years, but I don’t see how people can work those crazy hours (a lot of times in bad weather conditions) when they start to get a little bit older.

When I was 25-years-old? Hey, no problem!

But now…I don’t know if I’d be able to handle it…I’m not saying it’s a nightmare but I don’t think outsiders realize what it’s really like to work on movies and TV shows.

What glamorized career path is actually a total nightmare?

AskReddit users opened up about this.

1.  I saw Black Swan.

“Ballet dancer

Parents spend tens of thousands (or more) on training. They give up their entire teen years and schooling (most elite ballet dancers are homeschooled and a large percentage move away from home for training in high school).

Most dancers you see on stage in a ballet are paying to be there. The bottom rungs of ballet companies are pay to play. Then when you have paid to dance a few years you might be able to get a position that pays you with a dozen pairs of pointe shoes and a stipend for performances.

Then maybe you’ll be promoted to the bottom level where you get paid 20K a year and have no health insurance. All while putting your body through major t**ture.”

2. Not loving life.

“My SO is an attorney and isn’t loving life right now.

She says “You know how you did term papers in college? Well I do term papers every day, all day, endlessly.””

3. On the airwaves.

“Radio announcer.

Like a lot of other jobs in the entertainment industry, it’s full time work for part time pay. Second jobs are common. Your pizza delivery guy just may be your favourite morning show host! At least, that’s how the morning guy at my station made ends meet, until he was laid off in the last round of cutbacks.

Now we’re a “hybrid station,” which is the preferred business model these days. That’s a fancy way of saying one person does everything while you run a ton of syndicated programs. 12 hour days of minimum wage.”

4. Never knew this.

“Veterinarian.

Insanely competitive schooling that crippled you with debt, with a depressing debt:income ratio after graduation.

Most of your patients don’t like you, and most of the owners think you’re getting rich upselling them unnecessary services when their dogs’s exploding eyeball cancer can be cured with raw organic exotic meats/cbd/coconut oil, but you’re withholding that information because you’re in bed with Big Kibble.

High stress, stagnant wages, long hours, s**t holiday leave. Rampant depression. Lost count of how many colleagues have committed s**cide. Sometimes tempted to join them.”

5. Jeez…

“I don’t know if nightmare is the word, but my wife has finally reached her lifelong goal of becoming a zookeeper at one of the top zoos in the US.

She is very happy to have the opportunity to hand food to otters, have reindeer eat out of her hand, and brush okapi. However, she took on tens of thousands of dollars in student loans and did months of unpaid work at the zoo to get the job, which is seasonal, requiring she be off 2 months a year.

She gets up at 4 AM and does farmhand style physical labor for 8 hours a day for about $9 an hour with no benefits. I am thrilled that she reached her goal, and I am happy that she is happy, but I am pretty disenfranchised with the whole thing.”

6. A tough job.

“Being a chef. Long hours, bad environment, nothing is ever good enough.

I have a friend who’s a very successful chef. He told me, “If you love cooking, just cook for friends.””

7. No way.

“Political staffer.

Most jobs in politics pay very little money and require you to work 80+ hours a week for a boss who is guaranteed to have a gigantic ego.

You also have to look for a new job after every election day.”

8. Let’s face it.

“Flight attendant.

The travel is amazing, but let’s face it.

You’re a glorified waitress working in a cramped, aluminium tube.”

9. The farm life.

“Farming on a large scale.

I was living in debt up to my a** ($500k-$1 mil depending on the time of year), haggling for every input (land, fertilizer, seed, equipment), at the mercy of the weather, and got to watch the commodity markets kick me in the nuts every business day.

The real cherry on top was everyone thinking you are trying to k**l them with GMOs and copious amounts of chemicals that we dont use. Not to mention farms are passed down through generations so you’ve got a bunch of d**d and living ancestors watching your every move.

Oh and a lot of farmers work a second full time job for the health insurance. There’s a reason farm s**cides are high and farm “accidents” are higher.

There’s a million young rural FFA kids that would give their left leg for a chance to farm.”

10. Down and out.

“I’m a professional, full-time voice actor.

I’m blessed to be successful and happy, but about 99% of the voice actors I know are depressed most of the time, struggling hard to find work, wrestling with impostor syndrome, questioning if they should give up, and barely able to make rent.

Particularly videogame/anime/animation actors.”

11. Not easy.

“This is kind of niche but, scuba dive instructor. I did it for 3ish years, I can’t begin to tell you how many times people wished they had my job.

A decent portion of the job was selling. I h**e forcing people to buy things, but I had to have a certain percentage of people buy a mask, at least. The mask was about 25% of the cost of an open water course. Chances are they’d never use it again.

Dive shop politics are insane. I worked 6.5 days a week for 90% of the year. If I turned down a course, I wouldn’t be given another until there were no other instructors available. If there were no courses going on, I still had to be in the shop incase someone came in.

During slow times there would be 7 or 8 instructors hanging around doing nothing. We all lived less than 5 minutes away. My dive shop would only hire people who were attractive enough. They’d also refuse to hire people who had trained at certain other dive schools in the area. The owners would go out of their way to be charming to the customers and then take the p**s out of them as soon as the were out the door.

The amount of responsibility is huge, and nobody even thinks about it until you point it out. You’re taking 4 people into a d**dly environment and have to bring them back in the same state they went into it in. If something goes wrong you can lose your license or go to jail.

Where I was working, these were pretty exclusively early to mid 20 year olds. Not only that, but if someone you trained has an incident at a later date, you can also be investigated and possibly prosecuted.

I was diving in 30C (86f) water. I constantly had an infection. Could be from a small cut, or my ears or my throat. It was constant.

Long, very hard work days. 12 hour days were about the norm. I’d teach, be dragging around the tanks I was responsible for weighing 20kg each as well as tonnes of other gear, and putting on my ‘be happy around the customer face’ whilst keeping them from d**ng. It’s like a combo of retail and warehouse work.

It also diluted my love of diving. Even when diving with professionals now I have a hard time not constantly being on alert, waiting for someone to do something stupid, rather than enjoying the dive.

Pay is dog s**t.

It’s an amazing job, but it turned my hair grey by 25.”

12. Yup.

“Film crew.

Yes, you sometimes meet famous people. Sometimes they’re cool, often they’re really not. The days are 14+ hours of work with a commute of who knows how long on either end, depending where you’re shooting. You have half an hour for lunch.

Coffee breaks are whenever you’re not needed on set, so depending on your job (I was in camera, and we rarely had a down moment), it could be almost never. More often than not, someone on set is yelling. People lose their minds over making really sh**ty entertainment. You start work by 7am on Monday, and by Friday you’re coming in at 4pm and leaving when the sun comes up on Saturday.

There are no paid holidays, no paid sick days, no paid vacation. If you don’t work enough qualifying hours, the union kicks your healthcare.

And this is if you’re IN a union. Non-union, much worse. S**ual harassment is through the roof, but the kids who get it the worst are afraid to say anything or they’ll lose their jobs. I have been told some real horror stories about famous actors, some of whom I still haven’t seen get outed by the Me Too movement.

And I’m not talking word-of-mouth, second-hand stories. I’m talking about young women who whisper to each other what shows to avoid and make them swear to never use their name because if they want to work in this industry, they can’t be known as a troublemaker.

I watched so many co-workers fall into addictions, lose family, miss their children’s lives, over the dumbest TV shows in the world. If you go union, the money can be good, but it’s not worth it. It’s just not worth it.”

Now you’re up!

In the comments, tell us which career paths you think are glamorized but are actually a nightmare.

Please and thank you!

The post What Glamorized Career Path Actually Really Sucks? People Responded. appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Who Definitely Didn’t Put Safety First

When I was in high school, we used to all do this neat trick where we’d push down on the button of a lighter (without sparking it), and let the flow of butane gas fill up our mouths for a while before then sparking the lighter outside our mouths and blowing a big fire ball.

Now. I want to be as clear as I’ve ever been about anything: do not do this. It barely works, for one thing, and you’ve got a disgusting butane taste in your mouth for the rest of the day, which is probably all kinds of harmful, and not to mention, oh yeah, it’s *STUPID DANGEROUS AND YOU COULD BURN YOUR FACE OFF.*

When I look back at that sort of thing, and there are many other examples of it, I kind of wonder how I’m still alive. Which is probably what the people in these photos from Reddit wonder as well.

12. Very clear signs

How many screw ups had to occur before the second one went up just the emphasize the point.

11. Safety walk

Can’t tell if horrible safety precaution or he’s trying to escape.

10. No butts about it

Never a dull moment at the old explosion factory.

9. Puddle line

I may not be an electrician, but I’m pretty sure this is bad.

8. Well-read

Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask.

7. Warning

Just, be warned. In general. Because what if this happened?

6. Fire door

The carts had had enough of being pushed around by the humans. They got into formation and prepared their revenge.

5. A truck truck truck truck

I think maybe we’ve got too many vehicles at this point.

4. The photoshoot

Safety harnesses sold separately.

3. Important attachments

Look I’m not here to kinkshame but…

2. Ladder day saints

Bruh how are you even doing that?

1. Water you doing?

Well, I guess technically that’s one way to ground.

I feel like I might be dead from just looking at those pictures?

What’s a dangerous stupid thing you’ve done that nobody ever should?

Tell us in the comments.

The post People Who Definitely Didn’t Put Safety First appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Talk About Subtle Things People Say That Are Red Flags

You have to pay attention or you might miss something…

I’m talking about when you have conversations with people and they drop little hints that should make you say, “uh oh…I’m not sure if I want to have anything to do with this person.”

People on AskReddit shared subtle things people say that they think are red flags.

Here’s what they had to say.

1. A terrible thing to say.

““Yeah, but YOU don’t act black.”

Literally heard this s**t my entire childhood. I got told I act “too white” because I enjoyed reading books.

WTF?”

2. Totally lame.

“When people say things like “I can say and do whatever I want” “it’s a free country. Ever hear of freedom of speech?” in order to justify s**tty things they say or do.

Like sure, you have the right to speak your mind, but people also have the right to judge you for what you say.”

3. Shows a lot.

“S**t talking other people (who aren’t there). Sometimes it’s fair.

But it does tell me there’s a lack of respect, and if they’re s**t talking a lot of people, I’m pretty sure I’ll be next on the list.”

4. Get ready for a lecture.

“”I’m always open to debate.”

I find most people that say that are open to lecture you, and closed to debate.”

5. An ugly way to look at things.

“When they disagree with someone, they default to attacking the person’s character instead of their actions. We all do this from time to time, but with some people it’s every time.

The guy who messed up their order is “an idiot”. Their boss is “an evil sociopath”. The person on Facebook who expressed a political view that opposes theirs is “a degenerate”. That new intern at work is “hopeless”.

In the end, the final result is that anyone they disagree with for any reason is either an inherently bad person who doesn’t really merit listening to.”

6. Yikes.

“When I started my new job the bubbliest girl who was loved by most of the staff and was also a HR manager would act like this when me and her were totally alone.

She would whisper ever so softly (to herself but to me) “you get no thanks around here, no one cares. You just wait and watch the knives stabbing when you least expect it”.

This is something she did on my first DAY!! I said to her everyone seems lovely and accepting and she said “well wait until you get to know them”.

This was the HR MANAGER!!”

7. Really weird.

“When someone says “they’re my karma child” and implies their child makes their life so hard it must be payback for a mistake they made in the past.

I usually discover this person has intense mental health or substance use history. It’s a s**tty way of mentioning their disdain for their kid.”

8. It’s who I am.

““I’m an empath” makes me want to get in my car and drive ten hours in the opposite direction while shoving wool in my ears.”

9. Here we go again.

“”With all due respect.”

I know a guy who says this so frequently that when he says it, I brace myself for the s**t to follow.”

10. Classy!

“When you (female) find a Tinder notification on your partner’s (male) phone while they’re in a near 6 year relationship with you and you ask them why they’re on tinder

“Doesn’t hurt to see what’s out there”.”

11. Messed up.

“I live in Canada.

My husband is a white immigrant with a charming accent.

I instantly h**e anyone who makes a comment about how they don’t mean “immigrants like him” when complaining about immigrants.”

12. That ain’t right.

““I know what I’m worth.”

Especially in a romantic setting, OLD or first date type stuff.

It’s good to have a strong sense of self but I’ve found when this exact phrase is stated/listed something ain’t right.”

13. Get out while you can.

“When you’re on a date/dating someone, and they incessantly bring up their ex.

This means two things: they’re still stuck on their ex, and they will always compare you to their ex.”

14. The worst.

“Not having basic manners as in please and thank you to service persons.

“That’s their job, I don’t have to be polite.”

Nope.”

Are there certain things that people say that you think are red flags?

Tell us what you think in the comments.

We look forward to it!

The post People Talk About Subtle Things People Say That Are Red Flags appeared first on UberFacts.

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What Women’s Issues Tend To Be Overlooked? Here’s What People Said.

There’s been a lot of progress in regard to women’s rights and highlighting women’s issues, but I think we can all agree that we still have a long way to go.

And the responses you’re going to read today might cause you to look into some different subjects and have them on your radar, which is a great thing.

What women’s issues are often overlooked?

Folks on AskReddit shared their thoughts.

1. Yikes.

“Hysterectomies. I am 24 and have reoccurring fibroid tumors and have since I was a teenager.

It’s not typical for someone my age to have multiple and large fibroids. My largest one was 11cm. They are painful and I’m about to have my second surgery to remove them. I don’t want to keep doing this over and over and would like to have a hysterectomy, yet my surgeon refuses because I’m young and “might want children.”

If I get pregnant, I have a high risk of miscarriage. It will eat me alive if that happens to me.”

2. A big one.

“Oral contraceptive birth control pills can cause depression and very often do.

PMS and PMDD aren’t taken seriously enough.

The depression and anxiety of PMDD are debilitating.”

3. After birth care.

“In my country it’s after birth care for mothers. Mental health system is f**ked. Woman are told the pain they are feeling is “normal” only to find out they need a stoma bag a month down the track.

Some women have d**d after not being checked over properly before leaving the hospital. I don’t even live in a 3rd world country either. People are wanting to move here because of how we’ve handled COVID.”

4. A lot of pain.

“Women suffering is generally considered normal.

Painful period ? Normal.

Incessant vomiting during pregnancy ? Normal.

Postnatal pain ? Normal, what did you expect?

Hey, guess what, you can have painless periods and symptoms-free pregnancy, they just can’t be bothered to help you.”

5. Need more education.

“The lack of actual education about your own body.

Like I didn’t even know I had 3 holes until I was 16 and I learned it from an episode of Big Mouth.”

6. Annoying.

“Having a decent career, education, friendships, hobbies and being financially independent only to be asked if you’re married and “aren’t you worried about time running out.”

Saying ‘no I’m not interested in marriage or kids’ is met with a shocked reaction. Thought this attitude d**d out years ago but it has not.

Getting told to ‘smile sweetheart.’”

7. Never got an explanation.

Cervical cancer caused by HPV.

I don’t know about other women on here, but I never received an explanation of what a Pap Smear does/tests for or why it’s so important to get done at the proper intervals. I had three abnormal paps in a row and my old GYN didn’t bat an eye.

I just got a new doctor and she insisted on doing a punch biopsy/colposcopy and it turns out I have HSIL, which has a pretty high likelihood of further mutating into full blown cervical cancer.

I’m now facing a cold knife conization or LEEP procedure because my old GYN didn’t care enough to look into why my pap smears were abnormal.”

8. Learn about it.

“Pelvic floor physical therapy!

It’s life changing, and many women don’t know their physical issues can be easily addressed.”

9. Totally backward.

“The fact that in many Middle Eastern countries, women are still second class citizens.

My friend is Iranian and if she’s r**ed she’ll need 5 male eyewitnesses, but if she k**ls her attacker she’ll be e**cuted…”

10. Overall medical problems.

“Medical issues.

It took me 3 ER visits and a walk-in doctor to diagnose a raging infection in my abdomen. I was told it’s all in my head???

By the time it got diagnosed my bowel had almost perforated. I could have d**d if I was less tenacious.”

11. A guy’s POV.

“I’m a dude and I H**E the fact that when I’m doing something with my long-time gf like buying a new car, renting a new apt., taking a loan etc. that people ignore my gf and assume she is just not important.

They just look at me and talk only to me. I have to make an effort to include her in something she should be in from the start. I feel so bad for her and try to amend it as much as I can, but there is not much you can do.

We were at the car dealers the other day looking at the car and the dealer kept ignoring her and her wishes. He was only looking at me and assumed she doesn’t know what she is talking about. We just left.”

12. Bad news.

“How bad some of the negative effects hormonal birth control can be.

I was losing my mind, but my doctor brushed it off saying I was just stressed.

Got off it, and instantly felt so much better.”

What women’s issues do YOU think are overlooked?

Speak up in the comments!

We’d love to hear from you!

The post What Women’s Issues Tend To Be Overlooked? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.

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Tweets That Will Make Sense to People Who Are Perpetually Anxious

I don’t want to say that I “have anxiety,” because I don’t really know what that means.

What I WILL say is that I’m constantly worried about absolutely everything and that worry is always turning to anger and that anger back to worry and I self-medicate in order to escape that cycle enough to rest and carry on with life.

Or wait. Is that just having anxiety?

If you clicked this link, you can probably relate. And so can all the people who wrote these tweets.

11. Just panicking

I promise you my brain works, just not particularly well.

10. Practice makes perfect

I never heard or registered any other part of the book or the knowledge it contained but it was well worth it.

9. You’re right

We need to take this to the next level, you and me.

8. Something’s off

It’s like having an alarm for just nothing in particular.

7. Isolation

It’s not you, it is most definitely me.

6. Join the black parade

He said son when
You grow up
Could you be…

5. Social battery drain

And then you just can’t possibly get out of there fast enough.

4. Tap the mic

Somehow I’ll just never trust that little icon.

3. Follow the light

Do you actually know or are you trying to get me to tell you?

2. The montage

Cue the music and grab the dial tone.

1. 50 years

I’m gonna be on my deathbed thinking about some petty crap I pulled when I was like 25, I promise you that.

I don’t know how to end this. I’m too nervous now. I love you? Goodbye? (Stupid…)

One a scale from 1-10, how anxious are you in general?

Give us your ranking in the comments.

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What Subtle Things Person Says Are Red Flags to You? Here’s How Folks Responded.

I know my answer!

If someone gives me WAY too much information about themselves or their problems the first time I ever meet them, I know that they are most likely a bit of a train wreck and they’re not exactly someone I’d love to be friends with.

But that’s just my take on it…

What subtle things people say are red flags?

AskReddit users shared their thoughts.

1. Take no for an answer.

“I used to go to the bar after work with coworkers. One of the managers didn’t go, but a coworker kept encouraging him to come out and party. He relented and said he’d come out for one drink.

At the bar, he took a sip and said “ah, I haven’t had a beer in 5 months”. No one else took notice of that, but it struck me. He was gone a week later after coming into work drunk and doing something inappropriate.

To anyone reading this: If someone doesn’t want to drink, accept no for an answer. They might have a very good reason to say no, and pressing them on it, especially when well intentioned, might make it much harder for them to say no.”

2. So rude.

“Never asking a question.

My husband realized his father never does this and now I can’t stop listening for this.”

3. No thanks!

“But you’re so good at it!

Aka, I’ll compliment you in the hope that you’ll take this task off my hands.”

4. Trashy.

“When people talk s**t on their spouses. Like even in the most subtle way it’s still not appropriate small talk.

If it’s my best friend and she’s telling me about a hardship or a fight, different.

But when I’m meeting you for the first time I shouldn’t be able to pick up that you dislike your spouse/SO.”

5. They won’t change.

“If they wronged you and say something like, “I’m such a terrible person, you should leave me.”

It’s them trying to force sympathy on them instead of genuinely apologizing to you. They’re not going to change if you stay.”

6. Hipster logic.

“Asking what music you listen to, then immediately critiquing it, especially when you like mainstream stuff.

I guess this applies to stuff other than music but that’s what annoys me the most.”

7. Uhhh, okay.

“Pretty much anytime somebody says something about themself when it’s not prompted or necessary.

Like “I’m an honest person”, “I’m a hard worker”, or “I’d never hit a woman”.”

8. Not cool.

““That’s just the way God made me,” as an excuse for being a jerk.

Like it’s just their personality and they can’t help it so we should all just accept it.”

9. Sketchy.

“Anything that exposes poor morals.

For example, “I’ll just say I never got it so they send me another one.”

When people show you who they really are, believe them.”

10. Lame.

“”Sorry I did this and that, It’s just my inner zodiac sign.”

Like, your zodiac sign doesn’t define you, you’re just being a sh**ty person and using that phrase as a cover up.”

11. Sketchy.

“Anyone who tries to convince you that you can trust them.

“Come on man, you can trust me. I’d never do that to you!”

People who are actually trustworthy don’t need to convince anyone of anything and they also know that real trust isn’t freely given to people you barely know and are not offended when they are not given it.”

12. Always the victim.

“When they are the victim in all of their stories.

I had a colleague who didn’t really have any friends outside of work. All of her stories were about how each of her friends had sta**ed her in the back at one time or another. She went travelling to Australia with 6 girls and left early because they didn’t want to do the things she wanted. It was glaringly obvious that she was the issue but still tried to play the sweet victim.

There is another girl from my high school who has gained quite a few followers on social media through sharing her stories of being bullied in school for being bald. No one can remember that ever happening, she was quite popular but had lost touch with her group as you do when you move away for college. Also, she was never bald.

Red flags when people enjoy pity.”

What red flags do you notice when people talk to you?

Fill us in in the comments!

We’d love to hear from you!

The post What Subtle Things Person Says Are Red Flags to You? Here’s How Folks Responded. appeared first on UberFacts.

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Memes That Anxious People Can Go Ahead and Worry About

It’s not easy being an introverted, anxious type of person. Most of us find our ways and our outlets where we feel comfortable breaking out of that, but we’re still probably going to wear our giant headphones as we walk around town with nothing playing in them, just to dissuade anyone from thinking we might want to interact.

Luckily, there are lots of ways to cope, and as with most things, the number one coping mechanism available to us is memes.

So let’s look at some memes courtesy of Reddit which will help us process our anxiety, anxiously.

10. Form your words

But when it DOES happen to hit right, you feel like a superhero.

Always embarrassing myself from socialanxiety

9. It’s a sign

I dunno man, pretty sure I’m imagining this right now. Aren’t you a No U-Turn sign?

Whoever made this get out of my head. from socialanxiety

8. Give me compliments

But also please don’t because I have no idea how to process them.

Uh.. from socialanxiety

 

7. Which is which

“You’ll worry less what people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.”

This is too real from socialanxiety

6. Here and now

It’s gonna take quite a while to prep for this.

Plus thinking about how you sounded afterwards from socialanxiety

5. The best laid plans

Why do I do this to myself? How have I not learned?

*checks excuse book* from socialanxiety

4. The cycle

You think the makers of Spongebob ever thought he’d end up getting used like this?

It’s a vicious cycle from socialanxiety

3. Sending signals

Also I don’t wanna use any apps, so just figure it out everybody.

Hope it works… from socialanxiety

2. The golden ratio

I can’t look this in the eye.

Aye, contact sucks from socialanxiety

1. Game over

Some things are just the last straw.

Thanks brain, very cool from socialanxiety

Hang in there, fellow awkward people. We’ll make our way through.

What’s your most awkward moment lately?

Tell us in the comments.

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People Who Grew up Poor Discuss the Unwritten Social Expectations of Their Worlds

I grew up in a middle-class household, so I have absolutely no idea what it’s like to go hungry or go without the basic necessities in life.

But, sadly, there are far too many people out there who grew up in poverty and still continue to do so.

Folks took to AskReddit to talk about the unwritten social expectations they had to deal with while growing up poor.

Take a look.

1. Don’t talk to anyone.

“My parents worked and were usually home about an hour or so after my elementary school got out.

We lived around the corner and down the way, like… less than one km, probably half a mile or so… anyway, I had a cell phone to call when I got home.

I was prepped with “do NOT answer the door for ANYONE. Not your grandpa, not your uncle, not our friends, your friends, mailman, NO ONE. not the police or fire department UNLESS the house is already on FIRE.”

I never opened the door for anyone. If I knew who they were, I would shout through the paned window overlooking the porch. But even then, that was rare, I usually just stayed out of sight.

I also ALWAYS keep my front door locked now too. And if I’m not expecting someone, I don’t answer the door if I’m home alone. I also have a big dog with a big bark.”

2. Freezing cold.

“I lived in a place with bitter winters. while the thermostat at school and other public spaces was turned up past 70 degrees F, my home was always around 60 degrees, sometimes dropping to the 50s.

We’d offset the low temperature by sleeping with multiple blankets and wearing layers upon layers, sometimes even wearing snow pants around the house and to bed.”

3. Take care of those teeth.

“My dad made us brush our teeth for 5-10 minutes every night. And we never got sweets. Because we couldn’t afford to go to the dentist.

I think I went two, maybe three times until I got a job with benefits in my early 20s. My teeth are crooked AF but surprisingly escaped with very few cavities.”

4. Go the cheap route.

“You are perpetually young. Going to a movie? Only during matinee showings AND you are 12 years old until you’re 16. At a restaurant, you’re also 9 forever.

Going to fast food (with any adult), you only order off of the dollar menu.”

5. Don’t say a word.

“I was talking to a friend and she stopped me and said, “you don’t tell people what goes on inside of this house, do you?”

No of course not, I lied, because if I’d said yes, she’d manipulate my father into beating my a** within an inch of my life.

She pretty much got my father to beat me whenever she wanted it.”

6. Borrowing and burning.

“Generous borrowing and “burning” culture.

Everything you own is available to be borrowed by other poor people. My family had an extensive movie collection (especially when we could record movies from cable to VHS tapes), and our neighborhood friends were welcome to borrow what they needed.

Games, movies, CDs. We swapped and borrowed a lot. Often times, it was only long enough to burn a copy to have for oneself.”

7. Life lessons.

“My father was constantly driving these two things into my head since I was old enough to remember: 1). Hard Work will set you free 2). You WILL NOT get anyone pregnant.

He never meant that hard work would make you rich. He meant that if you’re willing to work hard, you can always work some s**t job that puts food on the table, and you’ll be so exhausted by days end, you can rest.

In my father’s eyes food on the table and a good night’s rest was all a person really needed. The pregnancy thing was totally about shame. He grew up in the deep South with a Baptist preacher father. My father was around 6-7 in the early 1950’s when his oldest brother (15) got a girl (18) in the church preggo.

The resulting shame and shunning from the community that ensued drove my father’s mother to suicide. I’m sure to some degree, he blames his current life on the pregnancy that he had nothing to do with.”

8. Hide it.

“Hide money or it will be “borrowed.” Also, don’t get attached to anything because if it’s any good it’ll be sold in a yard sale, and if it has any value it will be pawned.

I got the same CD player for three Christmases and birthdays in a row…out of pawn for birthday, pawned again a month later, out of pawn for Christmas, pawned again by March, etc.”

9. Wouldn’t trade it.

“Independence at a young age. But also responsibility.

You cook, clean, and pitch in before you are asked. If you’re waiting for an adult to make dinner, you’re going hungry. Also, poor doesn’t mean dirty. You keep what you have nice, clean, and well cared for.

Seriously, I wouldn’t trade my upbringing for anything in the world.”

10. Not all the way.

“Never fill up the gas tank.

You don’t want to be in a situation where you have gas in your car but no groceries.”

11. Hmmmm…

“”The second you become working age, 10+. You will help with bills. You have no choice. Your money is everyone’s money.”

Which is fine, until you realize the new tattoo mom has and dads new TV.”

12. Keep it to yourself.

“Keep your aspirations to yourself.

Telling anyone in your household/social strata about your plans to get out and do better may be met with bitterness and downright ridicule. People will call you uppity for wanting to go to school or stupid for having a career goal that isn’t modest and local and vaguely dead-end.

People will tell you that you have no common sense simply because you refuse to see the world in terms of pure survival.”

13. Just can’t afford it.

“Going to the doctor isn’t an option until your fever is sustained at 104, a bone is broken, or the tooth rotted and won’t fall out on it’s own.

I am in my late 30s with full insurance and still have a hangup about going for medical care.”

What do you think about this?

Speak out in the comments and let us know.

Thanks a lot!

The post People Who Grew up Poor Discuss the Unwritten Social Expectations of Their Worlds appeared first on UberFacts.

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Memes for Everybody Who Knows All About That Sibling Life

When you look at the stats, you can see that at any given time, the most common number of children for a family to have is actually only one, followed by two, and trailing a bit distantly is three or more.

Which means that if you, like me, grew up with two or more siblings, your experience is actually in the minority, even though the things we’ve seen feel so very universal, and are so aptly expressed in these memes.

15. The attack

Oh now you’ve done it, you’ve unleashed the beast.

Via: The Chive

14. The difference

Gotta smile for the camera.

Via: The Chive

13. Oops

He was like this when I found him, I swear.

Via: The Chive

12. The oldest trick in the book

In the era of all-wireless controllers it’s even harder for them to tell.

Via: The Chive

11. Ending the cycle

I am with you in this cause.

Via: The Chive

10. The smug look

I have everything and you have nothing!

Via: The Chive

9. What a twist

Then you learn the trick and perpetuate it on others, that’s how this goes.

Via: The Chive

8. Take a seat

It’s not about comfort, it’s about the principal of the thing.

Via: The Chive

7. The ruse

TV day, here I come.

Via: The Chive

6. What’s mine is mine

We’re not super great at leaning toward equity naturally.

Via: The Chive

5. The switcheroo

You shouldn’t have. No really, you shouldn’t have.

Via: The Chive

4. Mean machine

I ain’t your dad.

3. Brutal

If you let me keep a 60/40 share of the money you can beat the crap out of me, homes.

2. Don’t tell mom

It goes on and on.

1. The look

This too shall pass.

Ah, siblings. Gotta love ’em. GOTTA.

What are your siblings like?

Tell us about them in the comments.

The post Memes for Everybody Who Knows All About That Sibling Life appeared first on UberFacts.

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If You Grew up Poor, What Were the Unwritten Social Expectations? Here’s What People Said.

Growing up in poverty has to be very tough on children.

In addition to going without material things, there are also certain expectations that they had to deal with because of their lack of money.

If you grew up poor, what unwritten social expectations did you have to deal with?

People shared their thoughts on AskReddit.

1. Ugh.

“I once told some friends we had mushrooms growing in our house. I thought it was cool. My mom was angry and told me to never tell anyone again. I realized as I got older why she was angry.

The floor of our house was rotting…thus the mushrooms. But she couldn’t afford to get it fixed. She was worried CPS would take me away for unsafe living conditions.”

2. Private.

“Do not answer the door. Do not answer the phone.

When the man is looking through the window, make sure you can’t be seen.

Do not tell anyone who knocks on the door where the parents work.”

3. Not enough to eat.

“Not eating lunch because it you either “just ate breakfast” or “dinner’s only a few hours away you’ll be fine”.”

4. No extra money.

“We weren’t allowed to do any kind of extra curricular activities.

So, no instruments, no joining any kind of sports or girl scouts or anything that required an upfront investment for uniforms or the season. Walmart shoes.

My dad once said I wasn’t really in need of glasses, that I just wanted to look like all my four eyed friends? lol (spoiler alert, totally needed them)

Off brand everything.”

5. We’re not trash.

“Keep your hair brushed, your clothes clean, and be articulate and polite in all circumstances. We were not going to be “trash” just because we were poor.

Also, no wearing ripped jeans, even if it’s the style. We’re not spending money on new pants that look like old worn out pants.”

6. Hot and sticky.

“A/C was only for company.

I lived in South Florida and didn’t know I could use the air conditioner without having someone over until I moved out of my parents’ home.”

7. Go cheap.

“If someone buys you food at a restaurant order as cheaply as possible even if they tell you order whatever you want.

Used to get glares from my parents if I ordered something 10 bucks or over at a place where average prices was 10 bucks.

If you can get a burger and fries for 8 you better be eating a burger.”

8. Better not get caught.

“Don’t do anything bad or illegal.

But if you do, don’t get caught.

Bail is expensive. Lawyers and court fees are expensive.”

9. Say nothing.

“Never tell your friends that you couldn’t afford food or give them any clue about what it’s like at home.

My mother used to ask me if I told anyone how we live and that’s when I questioned our situation.”

10. The rules.

“Never see a doctor or go to the emergency room unless you are actually d**ng.

And, if you touch the thermostat you will be d**ng.”

11. Don’t waste anything.

“Nothing wasted!

Mom had a dish called mixed-up stew which was basically a little mince beef, mashed potatoes and any leftovers from the fridge.

Good menu planning – she never called it that but one meal led to the next with last’s night leftovers included. Failing that, she always had a soup on the go using bones from chicken, dried barley and, yet again, leftovers.

Thing is they were all delicious, but that could be me just remembering her fondly.”

12. Not worth the bother.

“You never brought the field trip permission slips home because you knew better than to make your mom feel guilty she couldn’t pay the $5-20 fee to let you go.”

What are some more unwritten expectations of growing up poor?

Talk to us in the comments and let us know what you think.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The post If You Grew up Poor, What Were the Unwritten Social Expectations? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.