Author: Trisha Leigh

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People Talk About Their Favorite Tips About Being Street Smart

No matter how confident you are about keeping yourself and others safe, the truth is that we can always learn more – and you know, refreshers are never a bad thing, either.

So whether you’re about to step out for the first time on your own or are just trying to remember what your parents taught you all those years ago when you were traveling alone for the first time, you’re going to love this list of 15 solid tips.

15. “How’s the motorcycle club?”

I “answer” my phone with “hey dad I’m almost home.” If there’s a creepy guy too close.

I also have a specific friend who I know is an insomniac, and if some one is being sketchy on the train I am on late at night, I will ring him and be all “Hey hun, almost home now, want me to pick up food?” “Aww you didn’t have to come meet me at the station”

He rolls with it every time, he is a great fake husband.

14. So many reasons why.

Don’t walk around staring at your phone after dark. It’s immensely stupid.

1: It lights up your face from a mile away like a dumb, distracted easy mark.

2: You aren’t at all aware of your surroundings, even if you believe you are. We’re nowhere near as good at multitasking as we assume.

3: If you suddenly DO need to look up at impending danger, your eyes are adjusted for bright light rather than darkness and you won’t be able to clearly see who’s around you.

13. Confidence is key.

Act like you live wherever you are — like you know the place. Like you know exactly where you are going. I use a wheelchair and do this whenever I travel. I figure out where I am going before I venture out.

If I am lost, I duck into a store or restaurant in order to look at my phone or ask directions. Be focused on the direction you are going and don’t act like a fucking tourist. Ironically I feel much safer by myself when I can act like this instead of when I’m traveling with some clueless friend or relative who has to stop for pictures every 20 feet.

I rarely, if ever, get approached for money or anything when I am by myself. But throw in my dumb aunt Susan and we’re brushing off weirdos all day long.

12. Don’t be an easy mark.

Theres this reflex people have when bumped up against. They will immediately go and check where ever they keep their wallet/money.

So sometimes pickpockets will send in recon people who will just kinda get a little too close and bump into people. Then the actual pickpockets can see where you check and go for that pocket.

11. People don’t change.

If anyone ever makes the conscious decision to steal anything from you, never trust them. Ever. If they will steal a lighter from you, they will steal your weed, your money, your jewelry, your car, you name it.

Stay away from stupid motherf*ckers. They’ll get you in legal trouble, hurt, or killed despite their best intentions or how friendly they are.

IF you sell drugs, dont get sloppy. Sloppy = weakness and somebody WILL set that ass up.

1 dollar bills stack up over time.

If u broke, a bag of potatoes is like $2.50

Backing down from a fight may hurt your ego but will keep you alive longer.

That being said, sometimes u gotta fight… Pick your battles wisely.

Not every one who calls themselves your friend is your friend. Not everyone you call a friend, is a friend.

If you even think for one second u should bail… Get the f*ck up outta whatever situation u are in immediately.

If you accidentally disrespect someone, apologize immediately. Buy them a beer/offer a cigarette. Ive seen this save lives.

More often than not, loud people bring the noise, quiet people bring the guns.

That being said, never underestimate how bad somebody wants to “prove” themselves.

AND watch out for “livewires”. A livewire is somebody who gets hyped up and excited eazy. Will shoot first, never ask questions.

If you aint from the streets/hood/ghetto, dont act like you are.

If an older, street knowledgeable person tells you “dont do/ dont go (fill in the blank)” dont f*cking do it.

Smoke weed. Dont fuck with any type of powder.

If the blunt is already rolled, dont smoke it.

NEVER EVER EVER FIND OUT WHAT SOMEBODY HAS IN THE TRUNK

Finally

Look, Listen, and Learn.

10. So interesting – and helpful!

Saw a TV show where ex- street con artists told of the tricks people use, so that viewers could guard against them.

In some train stations, bus stations etc there are advertising posters (put by the police or local authorities) warning people against pickpockets. “Do you know where your wallet is?”

People see the poster and immediately move their hand to the pocket where their wallet is, to check it was there. And by doing so they give the location away to the pickpockets, who are watching.

The people on the show said that posters like this helped the pickpockets more than it reduced crime.

9. Just in case.

Count every possible exit in any room you enter. I sometimes also scan for anything I could use to defend myself if need be.

8. You don’t know them.

Don’t worry about hurting someone’s feelings over your own safety. If it feels wrong, it is wrong.

7. Crazy people are too much trouble.

Talk to yourself, you’ll make even the craziest f*cker nervous.

Pacing around and angrily muttering to your phone will keep even the dodgiest of crackheads at bay.

6. It’s a small thing.

Walk confidently and with your head up. If you walk around like a victim you will eventually become a victim.

Don’t let anyone think they can mug you or tease you and get away with it. Because then they will, and they will get away with it.

5. Follow the leader.

Watch how locals walk at night alone in a big city: head down, wearing mostly black, quiet, hands in pockets and not making a scene. While still being aware and knowing exactly where they are going. Being loud or weird in any way only draws weirdos and drug addicts to you. Usually people will only try to rob you or fuck with you if they see an opening. Don’t show them that you have one.

The second I see someone wearing bright colors, looking around for where to go or being noticeable in any way I can instantly tell they aren’t from around here. So can the thieves and criminals.

4. Is this a real thing?

Golden Rule of the Street:

Respect the Street, and allow the Street to respect you.

Walking with purpose is a major factor for the latter.

3. Or you know. One.

Never break two laws at once. Got something in your car that’s illegal? Better not be speeding, stop completely at red lights…ext.

2. Because they respect an imaginary dude more than you.

For girls, make up a fake boyfriend to get creeps away. If you’re being followed, don’t freeze up and just keep walking. Go into the nearest fast food place or store.

Keep your eyes forward and don’t look at people. And please, for the love of god, don’t stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

You need to be standing still to be mugged, and its easier to be grabbed if your not moving. If someone tries to stop you, keep walking. They ask the time, check your watch, tell them but do not stop walking.

1. Ah, yes, the city face.

Count the room. Count the exits.

City Face: Don’t look happy in a dense area on the street. Look slightly pissed. If you have something to be happy about, that’s something someone wants.

 

I had definitely forgotten some of these.

What else are we forgetting? Tell us in the comments!

The post People Talk About Their Favorite Tips About Being Street Smart appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share Their Best Tips for Being Street Smart

I grew up watching Tommy Boy a lot, so of course, I know the difference between book smarts and street smarts – and recently, John Mulaney has been refreshing us on those, too.

Street smarts are what you need to survive in the wild, as an adult (whatever that means) without getting hoodwinked (or worse) while going about your daily life.

If you think you could use a few more of those, here are 18 tips from people who (claim to) know.

18. Get that hard expression down.

Look like you’ll fight back.

Not so much that it looks like you’re issuing a challenge, but just so that anyone looking to get the twenty bucks in your wallet will wonder whether it’s worth the effort.

The not issuing a challenge thing is important. Because people looking for a fight will go for you, and you end up looking like your in fight or flight mode in a fish out of water way.

You don’t want to look naive, but you don’t want to look concerned either. Just another day for you

17. Don’t ignore your instincts.

Situational awareness. Look up the OODA loop and learn it.

Notice who stands out, who looks out of place. If you get a bad feeling about a situation or person DO NOT ignore it.

Know your exits. Even if you have a weapon yourself, getting out without having to fight is best.

16. Protect your skin!

Buy a daily moisturizer with sunscreen in it.

15. Know your exits.

Especially the exits and gut feeling thing. Our brains subconsciously pick up on things that we don’t really acknowledge or know in the moment, so that gut feeling that you should leave is most likely correct because of the little details that are causing you to feel that way.

Also, know not just the main exit, but other exits that are less obvious. You won’t have to fight through a crowd and will get out faster and easier.

14. That’s knowledge everyone needs.

Security guards, doormen, food cart owners, and blue collars in general, know where the closest bathrooms are.

13. Keep a cool head.

Here’s some more details I’ve learned from my tactical self defense program. OODA loop: observe, orient, decide act. Notice something?

Look at it, decide if you should get involved, then act on that decision. Cooper color code: white is not paying any attention, yellow, aware but relaxed, the ideal situation. Orange is the beginning of the ooda loop. You noticed something and it has your attention. Red you have decided to get involved, black and you’re too in shock to react to anything.

Then the reflex four: visual pat down checks if someone looks anxious or threatening, is wearing the wrong clothes like a long coat in July, weird bulges in clothing, actually showing a weapon on them, etc. exits means knowing where you can get out, whether is be a main exit, emergency or window. Also scanning your area for force multipliers, which are any item you can pick up and throw or hit with, or can shove an aggressor into.

At a restaurant these might be plates, glasses, utensils, a menu, the leg of a chair, a corner or table. Finally, if you see something concerning, look for accomplices/sympathizers. These would be people who came in together or make frequent eye contact, are dressed similarly, or standing together.

It seems like a lot but basically it’s making an effort to be like Shawn Spencer from Psych, and pay attention to the details around you.

12. It’s a little thing.

If you are a woman and have a handbag with a zipper, make sure the opening end is towards the front (where you can keep an eye on it).

This prevents someone walking behind you from opening your handbag and taking your wallet/anything valuable.

11. Not down at your phone.

When walking always look up.

They never do this in the movies, and that’s where the zombie spider which from Mukilteo is hiding, right above you.

10. They’re your things, after all.

Other bag/pickpocket related tips:

If you’re waiting for a train or bus, try to stand with your back against a wall so no one can sneak up behind you. Especially a good idea if you’re wearing a backpack.

If you have a cross-body or shoulder bag, keep it in front of you. I know it’s more comfortable to push it behind your arm or let it rest on the back of your hip, but it’s super easy for someone to take something from it without you noticing if it’s not in your field of vision.

9. Not good for my audiobook habit.

DO NOT WEAR HEADPHONES!!!

You make yourself an easy target by making it so even the most clod footed mugger can sneak up on you.

8. Don’t just hand over your phone.

If you are a tourist and want a local to take a pic of you with your phone either have it be an employee or someone you can outrun.

Wear one headphone so you can still hear whats around you

7. Protect your valuables.

People make pickpockets’ livelihood so easy. Just check out how many phones are in people’s back pockets, how many handbags dangle by the side, easily accessible.

Always put valuables in an inside, preferably zipped pocket. If you in a notorious pickpocket area like Paris or Naples, you can even carry a fake wallet with monopoly money in an outside pocket.

6. Many things can double as mirrors.

I use windows/reflections to check who is behind me.

Looking at a shop window while I walk is innocuous enough, but it allows me to check if someone is still behind me without me turning around.

5. Public toilets can be hard to find.

Hotel lobbies are great places to use the restroom. They are usually clean, safe, and hardly ever occupied as most guests will go up to their own room instead of using the public location.

On a side note, I’ve found it’s best not to go to reception and ask if you can use the toilet because they sometimes say no. Just walk in like you’re staying there and know where you’re going and follow the signs for the toilet

4. Follow the mothers.

If I’m in an unfamiliar city, I’ll explore freely every neighborhood as long as there are women and kids around. Most mums don’t hang outside with their kids if the street/area is unsafe.

This worked very well for most throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia.

3. Always pay attention.

Basically, just be aware of your surroundings. A lack of situational awareness can lead to some bad things.

Use windows as mirrors to see your blind spots or check behind you. Know where the public places you pass by are, like grocery stores or convenience stores.

Listen close to your own footsteps, and know that sound. This way, you’ll be able to hear other footsteps behind or around you and pick up sounds easier.

Never wear headphones or earbuds and never look distracted by your phone or something else. This is all to help you with situational awareness.

2. Keep your friends close…

If you want to know if you can trust somebody you let in your home, leave a $5 bill in a place that looks like it was forgotten about and that they would see it.

If they’ll take you for $5 now, they’ll take you for more later.

1. Don’t worry about people’s feelings.

I am a 60 something female who travels extensively alone for work. I have had a few close calls but my rule is I don’t worry about offending someone that approaches me if there aren’t others around.

I will cross the street, head for an open establishment, get away. Panhandlers, do you have a cigarette guys, don’t let them get close to you if there’s no one around. I keep my keys in my hand and say if you come any closer I’m going to push this alarm.

I was heading for the airport early in the morning with luggage and a creepy guy drives by asks if I need a ride, I say no, he goes down to turn around and is coming back. I saw a restaurant worker down the next block having a smoke so I yelled to him. Hey I might need some help here and he ran down to stare the guy down.

I don’t hesitate to ask a security guard to walk me to my car. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be aware of your surroundings!

Definitely going to keep these in mind the next time I’m wandering about alone.

What’s your favorite “street smarts” tip? Drop it in the comments!

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Ex-Convicts Discuss the Hardest Habits to Break Once They’re Back on the Outside

Surviving life in prison requires a person to adapt – at least, you have to somewhat if you’re going to survive and emerge as some semblance of the person you were when you went in.

On the flip side, when you’re set to get out of prison, I imagine it could be tough to readjust, and to drop the habits that got you through behind bars.

If you’re curious what the hardest habits were to drop once released from prison, these 14 ex-convicts are here to share.

14. This sounds awful.

Hoard feminine hygiene products. We were super limited on the number of pads or tampons they gave us. They didn’t give any to the women in holding cells.

There was dried and fresh menstrual blood on the floor and concrete benches, and a drain in the middle of the rooms like they intended to hose down the room, but if they did it was not often enough.

13. All of the choices.

Not me personally but I know a guy that said after he got out he just wanted McDonald’s.

When he got there he spent 20 minutes staring at the menu trying to decide what to order because he wasn’t used to having choices.

12. I never would have thought.

I didn’t use a fork for a few weeks. Ate everything with a spoon without thinking. It’s not the most interesting thing but I hadn’t noticed it posted here.

11. No need to defend yourself.

Staring at sharp things. Like there’s no desire to use them inappropriately but you are just kinda shocked they’re there and available for use.

You might be surprised what qualifies as a sharp object. I remember whenever someone tried to hand me a knife or something to cut veggies Id be afraid to touch it.

Glass was the biggest thing though, just mirrors in all the bathrooms. real ones. I could smash that shit and have a big jagged weapon, i cant believe this italian restaurant has such a dangerous thing in their bathroom. stopping thinking of objects as weapons is hard

10. Find your optimism.

Constantly looking over my shoulder. By far the hardest conditioning to break, which I haven’t and doubt I ever will, is the constant pessimism and cautious optimism. You see, when you’re waiting to work your way through court, get a deal, and get sentenced, you will have your dates changed 50 times, hope for certain things only to be disappointed, and any time you are told something hopeful it doesn’t work out.

As a result, I never get excited for something until it actually happens. When my wife told me we were pregnant (I already knew from her symptoms that she was but still, you never know for sure till you take the test), I was obviously happy, but because I’m always cautiously optimistic and rarely show emotion, I couldn’t feel comfortable or excited until I knew that my developing daughter was healthy. Even then, it didn’t really hit me till she was born.

You can apply this to anything especially big events. Getting engaged, planning the wedding, buying a house, ANYTHING. I still hear from my wife how i wasn’t crazy surprised or excited to be having a kid. I was, I actually was the half of the relationship who was dead set on a kid when my wife supposedly could’ve gone either way.

You just can’t get your hopes up or look forward to anything until it is here or has happened. I’ve been home over 7 years now and with my wife for 6.5. She’s truly the catalyst that motivated me to truly change my life and to not give any more of my life to the system, but she’ll never know how happy she makes me because she misinterprets my cautious optimism/realism for pessimism or indifference.

9. Not eating like an animal.

One of my foster sons came to us from juvie. Every meal his arm was around his plate and he woofed down his food. My mastiff couldn’t keep up. He always ate back to the wall hunched. Took my wife and I a month to show him no one would take his food and we had plenty more.

Funny part is he went in the Marines and did 8 years got out honorable and is now working in corrections.

8. Don’t save it for later.

I had to completely change my sense of time. I agree with all the people who said they ate super fast, but then we would slow walk back from the chow hall- any excuse for a few minutes more outside.

I made sure I never consolidated enjoyable things. If I had a snack- I ate it and concentrated on it. If there was something good on TV, I watched it. Now, I’ll snack while I watch a movie because there aren’t enough hours in the day- but on the inside I was trying to make hours and days go away.

I’ve got a good job now, and nice respectable friends, but I still react to confrontational situations more quickly, decisively and… efficiently than they do. I’m able to pull back at the last minute, but it’s pretty clear that violence is not a tool in their arsenal.

7. Hard to imagine.

Taking a sh%t with my underwear up to my thighs to hide my junk.

It took a long time to go back to pants around the ankles.

I forgot it wasn’t normal until my girlfriend pointed it out.

6. A luxury, for sure.

Taking as long as you want in the shower.

For the longest time after I got out, I took less than 5 minute showers.

My friend did two and a half in Florida State Prison.

Said the first thing he did when he got home was shower until all the hot water ran out.

5. A short list.

Not wearing shoes in the shower.

Eating with forks and knives.

Having salt and pepper for food.

Not always having to watch your back.

Being able to get food when you want it, and just get up and leave to go for a drive or something.

4. You can just do it.

I spent 72 months in prison for a tragic car accident that I had caused.

After I was released I kept telling my wife exactly what I was doing without her asking.

She thought it was funny at first but after a few weeks of it she was starting to get bothered.

3. As good as cash.

I don’t smoke, but every time someone offered me a cig I would pocket it.

On the inside thats a bartering chip, took me about a month or two to break

2. It was too quiet.

Not an ex con but my step dad has been in and out of prison for the majority of his life, he always said that whenever he gets out of prison you’re so use to to it being loud all the time that when he got home he couldn’t sleep because it was so quiet.

1. A laundry list.

I eat fast.

I don’t sit with my back to the door in public.

I always scan crowds constantly.

I question WHY people are nice to me.

I carry extra clothes, water, and various other things in my car in case I need it. (Not a hoarder but harder to get rid of stuff)

I don’t like being away from home overnight.

I also quit eating boiled eggs, I over season my food, and I refuse to drink Kool-Aid anymore.

I don’t know why life in prison is so fascinating to outsiders, but it definitely is.

If you’ve got firsthand knowledge, tell us in the comments what you would add to this list!

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Servers Share Stories of Their Worst Customers Ever

Waiting tables was one of my favorite jobs – you worked with fun people, the job was fast-paced so it was hard to get bored, the hours were nice (if you’re a certain age) and the money wasn’t bad either.

It wasn’t all good, though, and aside from cleaning stinky stuff in the kitchen, dealing with customers could definitely be the low point of any day – a fact these 11 servers are going to prove with tales about the worst people they’ve served.

11. When they actually write in ZERO.

Major dislike.

Image Credit: Ruin My Week

10. I have actually done this.

I’m not sure I know a server who hasn’t.

Image Credit: Ruin My Week

9. Don’t be like these people.

We don’t like them at all.

8. You can’t do this, though.

Not unless you want to lose your job.

Image Credit: Ruin My Week

7. All you can do is your best.

But sometimes that doesn’t pay your rent.

Image Credit: Ruin My Week

6. We call those verbal tippers.

They’re not the best.

Image Credit: Ruin My Week

5. Definitely not the way to get a date.

Or make friends or be a decent human being.

Image Credit: Ruin My Week

4. I definitely agree with this sentiment.

Solidarity. Order takeout.

3. I bet they thought that was adorable, too.

Spoiler alert: that’s not cute.

2. The rage when this happens.

It’s like you’ve wasted your entire shift.

Image Credit: Ruin My Week

1. I mean…you’re trusting a whole kitchen staff an awful lot.

I bet he doesn’t tip much, either.

I’ve gotta say, I don’t miss tables like these!

If you’ve ever been a server, add your horror story to the pile in the comments.

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Completely Petty Reasons People Refused a Second Date

Dating is hard.

What’s more, relationships are even harder, so if there’s something that really bothers you on a first or second date, it’s probably going to be a dealbreaker eventually, anyway.

Might as well call it off without wasting anyone’s time then – or at least, that’s probably what these 10 people figured when they gave totally petty reasons for refusing a second date.

10. And fast.

All The Words In Every Text He Sent Were Capitalized.

Trust Me, It Got ANNOYING.

9. Five. Months.

He would call me his “beautiful angle”.

He really didn’t know how to spell angel so for 5 months I put up with being an angle.

Also dated a guy who wanted to put a singlewide trailer on his parent’s front lawn and thought I was unreasonable for not wanting to move in with him once he did so.

8. Did they light up, though?

My mom stopped dating a guy because he unfastened and refastened the velcro on his shoes throughout an entire movie.

7. Was she Amy Farrah Fowler?

She would insist on a job interview level of formality whenever we talked.

For those asking for examples, the first time I asked her to my place went like this:

Me: So do you want to take this back to my place?

Her: Is this an invitation for intercourse?

Me: … yes… it is…

Her: Please ask again properly please.

6. Distracting is a nice word for it.

On the first and only date – she chewed her food with her mouth open – it was so distracting I couldn’t bear it.

5. That would be annoying.

He wore a Bluetooth piece in his ear. The constant blue light blinking from the side of his head was too much for me.

Another guy would text “dame” instead of “damn”. It wasn’t a typo either, it was every time.

4. This made me giggle.

She called someone “a pompous”. Nope, she didn’t say he was acting pompous or that he was a pompous ass. He was a pompous.

3. A tragedy for our time.

Not me, but someone refusing to date me because, “it’s weird you don’t have Instagram.”

2. Excuse me, are you Jerry Seinfeld?

Everything was going great, thought she was an amazing girl and we’d been seeing each other for two months. Go to her house for the first time and it was a little messy, but nothing to write home about. Then I go to the bathroom and put up the toilet seat…

I don’t think she’d ever cleaned the bottom of the toilet seat given how disgusting it was. From then on, the only thing I could think about when talking or being with her was that disgusting toilet seat.

1. This cannot be real.

He was wearing a hideous brown fake leather jacket, it was so old that the ‘leather’ had started to flake off and parts were just now canvas.

He kept stopping to look at himself in windows and saying ‘oh god I look so hot today’ ‘I just can’t believe how hot I look’ smoothing down his manky jacket, side eyeing me, expecting me to agree with him.

I left so he could be alone with his jacket.

I’ve gotta say, I don’t hate most of these reasons.

What would you put on this list? Share with us in the comments!

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People Admit the Pettiest Reasons They’ve Refused a Second Date

Dating can be a minefield that requires a bunch of snap decisions to navigate with any satisfaction. We have to say yes or no to people and dates without having a ton of information, many times just based on a gut feeling.

Maybe some of the reasons we use to blow people off seem surface level, but I used to automatically decline anyone who didn’t list a last book they read – who has the time.

These 12 people also had petty reasons for not going on date #2, and they’re going to make me laugh.

12. It worked out, anyway.

She was super hot, but she smelled. I dunno if she didn’t shower or use deodorant, but she just smelled funky. I couldn’t do it. My best girl friend at the time was like, “just tell her”.

How do you tell a girl you’ve known for a few weeks that she smells bad?!?! So I just stopped talking to her. Brilliant.

11. As one should.

She was a volunteer at the Zoo and when kids asked her questions she didn’t know the answer to, she would make something up and lie.

Growing up on zoobooks and Steve Irwin, I take animal facts very seriously.

10. Definitely a red flag.

I went out on a few dates with a guy that I had been really into for months.

I was starting to realize he wasn’t the brightest bulb in the room.

Then one day he said he liked watching commercials on TV and that was that.

9. It seems like a small thing but it’s really not.

He didn’t re-rack his weights. I will never, for the life of me, understand why people don’t return/re-rack their weights.

8. Did he show her one I wonder?

She didn’t know that foxes were real animals.

She thought they were mythical and just in movies.

7. OK this is petty af though.

My new car kept scraping on the bottom while pulling out of their steep driveway to the main road.

After the fourth time of trying to be careful and it still scraped……..

6. It’s just too much.

I went out with someone who has the same name as my cat.

I brought him back to my house and the second I got home I greeted my cat and the guy looked at me and I knew right then and there that I couldn’t do this.

5. I pictured this in my mind and laughed out loud.

Went on a first date to the movies.

This f**king guy…instead of picking up his drink and lifting the straw to his mouth, he would put his hands on his knees, keeping his eyes on the screen, and lean over to the drink and ‘hunt’ for the straw with his face and his mouth contorted sideways trying to land on the straw.

4. This happened on Seinfeld.

Her complete inability to follow the plot of a movie.

“Who’s that?”

“Where’d he come from?”

“Why’d she do that?”

“Who is he again?”

I just couldn’t.

3. I don’t understand.

He stared at me blankly when I said the word “republican” when describing one of my family members.

I followed up and sure enough, he literally had no idea what the word republican meant and didn’t know about our largely two-party system. He was in his late 20’s.

If you’re not into politics, that’s one thing, but he had managed to live nearly three decades in our country without knowing basic information about our political system. My brain could not comprehend and I worried about what other basic information he had managed to avoid was.

‘Twas a hard no on my end.

2. That’s definitely odd.

A guy on a dating app said he wouldn’t date me because I didn’t like oysters.

1. That’s why you pick a fun name for your kid.

A very attractive, fun, smart woman asked me if I wanted to go get ice cream with her.

I turned her down but I guess in a way that she felt was flirty, so she kept asking.

And finally I had to tell her I was turning her down because she had both my mother’s first and last name.

She laughed a lot and agreed we couldn’t date.

I mean, I feel like some of these are fair.

What’s the pettiest reason you’ve ever broken something off? Confessions in the comments!

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This is Why One Person Thinks High School Shouldn’t Start Earlier Than 10 A.M.

Reddit’s Unpopular Opinion thread is the place to go for people who think they know a better way to do things, or a way things should be done – that said, oftentimes it ends up being more of a popular opinion than people thought.

Validation!

This guy basically wrote a dissertation about why teenagers shouldn’t be required to get up so early.

We know TWO things about teenagers: (1) they need between 8-10 hours of sleep per night and (2) that their circadian rhythms, or the biological mechanism that regulates human sleep and wakeness patterns, operate in a way that, on average, they don’t start producing melatonin until after 11 PM.

Taking those two facts into consideration, the typical high class has class at around 7 am and most students have to wake up between an hour or two hours before their first class if they don’t want to be late. So like at 5 or 6 am. Let’s assume that teens fall asleep right on the dot at 11 pm (even though in reality they actually fall asleep much later since melatonin takes time to induce sleep), and have to wake up at 6 am. That’s only 7 hours of sleep, which is already under the 8-10 hour requirement.

And in reality since most teens fall asleep at least 15 or so minutes after 11 PM, as well as how some students wake up for school even earlier than 6, you have students getting between 4 and 6 hours of sleep, and this situation gets worse for students with jobs, lots of family obligations, extracurriculars, or lots of homework.

And listen, he’s got solutions, too!

These earlier start times just DON’T work. We already have the data for why they’re a terrible idea and even the CDC recommends that all high schools start no earlier than 8:30 am.

The reason I say 10 instead of 8:30 is because those same students who fall asleep at midnight and have to wake up two or so hours before school starts to make it on time would get 8 or 9 hours of sleep. You would have to fall asleep at 1 or 2 am to fall below the 8-10 number. That’s way better than if you had school at 8:30 or even nine.

And I know what people are gonna say. But what about students with jobs? What about athletics or clubs? What if the school day is longer?

Well, for athletics or clubs you can either have them at 9 am or have them as part of the regular school day if we reduce instruction time (which we should do anyway), so that way people don’t have to stay after school. You can also have tutorials and additional help during these times.

And about students with jobs, well I’m sorry but the rest of the school body shouldn’t have to suffer because a minority of students have jobs. What’s more, with a later start time, people have more time to spend doing things in the evening so maybe try to adjust your hours with your boss?

What does Reddit think about all of this? 10 people are weighing in!

10. We know it’s better, but…

I did my masters thesis on how to help students perform better in school. In short, studies support this. I dont know about 10, but 9 seemed reasonable for most.

Sh%t, I think I started school at like, 7:15. My gf was in honors choir, so she actually started at 6. Marching band was first hour and it was in the dark.

9. So many kids do this.

That’s why me and my homies used to sleep in school.

I slept more in school than at home some weeks, still managed decent average, schools make learning boring.

8. Thank goodness for college.

Yep… School started at 8am for me, from kindergarten till the end of high school, so I got up at 7 every school day for 14 years straight.

Then in college, the earliest any class you could enroll in started at 8:30. I’ve purposely avoided those at all costs. I’ve had a couple courses that started at 9:30, and even those were really hard to get to on time, or even at all.

I think I’d flunk out of college if I ever had to wake up for a class at 7am again.

7. This is ideal.

I teach middle school and we start at 8:20, which I like but feel is still a bit early.

8:45 would be perfect.

6. Because of society.

The general gist of it is teenagers are benefited by starting school later.

Youngsters are benefited by starting school EARLIER.

We do it the exact f**king opposite.

5.  Most of them are silent until lunch.

Maybe 8 or 9ish?

10 seems late to me.

It was amazing how some kids had enough energy to fight at 7am, I’d just be there half dead.

4. To put it bluntly.

Yes, we’ve chosen to value productivity over the developmental needs of our children.

This is very bad because kids who aren’t given the chance to grow as they should are obviously going to carry that forward into adulthood.

3. A minor quibble.

Got some of your data wrong.

Melatonin is produced at 1045, so the average international time to fall asleep is indeed at 11:00 pm sharp.

If you then want an average of 9 hours of sleep, you wake up at 8.

Delaying it until 10 has no basis in science (I lived far away from school and still didn’t need to wake up 2 damn hours beforehand), but there is a reason why most psychologists are calling for a start time no earlier than 830.

2. That’s so tough.

I don’t wake up til like noon.

High school was basically impossible because I’d just sleep all day.

That was until I flipped my schedule so that I would sleep when getting home and wake up at night.

Do my homework when I wake up and then end the day by going to school.

1. We have to grow up sometime.

People are angry in these comments.

I didn’t read the body bc its far too long but I remember in high school I was confused why the high school started the earliest out of all three types of school and I still am.

However ten is too late too. I’d say 8 or 9 though. I mean most adults work 9-5.

It makes sense, but what a big job it would be to switch things around.

Do you think we should try to make it happen? Tell us why or why not in the comments!

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Ways You Can Tell if a Guy Is Insecure in His Masculinity

The way that we form relationships these days is much different from how we’ve historically formed bonds – we’re forced to make more snap judgements than ever because our encounters are fleeting and not usually in person.

If you’re wondering if there are some telltale signs that the man you’re interested in isn’t as secure as he could be, well, here are 15 people’s opinions on that.

15. Sports are not life.

Has to make any situation about them, has the be the “alpha”, compensates not just with a truck but constant overt “look at me” actions, disregards your opinion immediately if they disagree, dismissive towards anyone who doesn’t act like them.

Loud on purpose because they think everyone like the sound of their voice as much as they do, “act like a man bro”, constant put downs, refuses to drink any non “manly” drink, mentions how big their d%ck is (it isn’t), thinks sport knowledge is a personality trait

14. Ugh, the gym.

I go to the gym a lot, I’ve seen guys ripped af yet don’t show it off. Then I see the guys who think they need to show off every muscle in their body and have close to no actual muscle.

Or simply people on any online game with the name “alpha”

If you are alpha you don’t need to show it off like its a big deal.

13. It can be hard to tell the difference.

I went on a few dates with a guy like this. Constantly puts me down if I have different opinions and expect people to pick the path he believes is the best and agree with his choice even if it’s their lives.

Sometimes low self esteem can be really similar to arrogance.

12. The proof is in the pudding.

I remember reading a book called HOW TO BE AN ALPHA MALE unironically…

Some good advice here and there but I pretty much remember why I bought it, I was insecure as f*ck.

11. Not just probably.

Putting nuts on their trucks probably.

I want to hear the mental discussion they have with themselves before they make that purchase.

10. I mean truly.

The overzealous gym bro. The absolute worst.

It’s the guy at the gym busting his ass like a machine with his head down that’s really impressive. He means business.

9. Calling yourself out.

Whenever he insults himself a lot, doesn’t like to be complimented, when he acts very negative,

These are some of the things that I do when I’m insecure.

8. A narrow mind.

His view on what makes a man a man is narrow.

In his mind, there are only 2-3 types of men and other types are wrong.

7. You gotta love yourself.

Whenever the dude constantly asks for validation from other people.

Honestly, if someone wants validation, that’s okay, everybody needs it. I think it’s healthy to be upfront about wanting it and asking for it from people you trust.

Needing it constantly and / or trying to goad it out of people with weird games is not.

6. Bullies beget bullies.

When i was in the army we would definitely see people who were bullied in high school and decided to be “billy badass” and join the military then they would be teased and hazed a little as privates.

But as soon as they got their own little team and a taste of power they would be the ones that made everyone’s lives much more miserable than they needed to be reveling in being the tormenter.

5. Those hashtags are a dead giveaway.

The worst are guys who use hashtags on instagram like #realman, #realmen, #realmenhavebeards, #manly, #man, #men, #alphamale, #intelligent, #smart, etc.

I’m like dude, I’ve never seen a confident masculine man ever once use sh%t like that. If you have to tell the world you’re a “real man”, or how “intelligent” or “alpha”, you are… you aren’t. hahaha

4. A short list.

1. Constant need to be in a relationship or have a “girlfriend” no matter how he feels about her.

2. Guys who talk crap about women who speak up or needlessly call them names

3. Guys who are uncomfortable being CLOSE emotionally or physically around other men in fear of being gay or emasculated.

Also just trust your gut around people. Everyone has insecurities but there’s a fine line as to when it’s a part of people verses when people are a part of them.

3. Nothing girly, please.

Definitely show offs. If you are easily insulted by things tied to lack of masculinity(secretly liking pink for example) then you have fragile masculinity.

Normally the truly masculine people are those that a true people. They don’t need reassurance, they show emotion and the idea of girly colours, smells etc do not exist.

2. I think we’re done here.

I disagreed with a guy on a political issue, and he immediately called me a beta. So…yeah pretty clear cut there.

1. Fighting, period.

Worrying about face and honour and fighting over it.

I’ve never been in s fight. 99% of my friends have never been in a fight. None of my colleagues have ever been in a fight.

Yet… you come across these f**kwits who seem to think that it’s normal. Quite often they complain about it. “Aw I can barely leave my house without someone starting shit”.

In every single scenario, it is them who is the problem.

I agree with these assessments. Co-sign.

Drop your own tips for weeding out the insecure in the comments!

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Why Do Certain Smells Like Onion and Garlic Stay on Your Hands After You Wash Them?

If you’ve done any cooking in your life, then you’ve probably noticed that certain foods you prep…linger. The smell of onion and garlic, for example, can be scented days after you’ve made the meal, after you’ve washed your hands multiple times and even showered – but why?

This is the perfect query for Reddit’s No Stupid Question forum, and I don’t know about you, but I’m super pumped that someone actually asked it.

How do certain smells like onions stay on your fingers for so long, even after you wash your hands repeatedly? from NoStupidQuestions

Let’s hear what these 11 Redditors said in response then, hmm?

11. The technical answer.

When cut open, onion cells release enzymes which convert its amino acid sulfoxides into sulfenic acid, the effects of which can be felt immediately.

That same chemical adheres to skin and stays there, sometimes for days, until something neutralizes the acid. Soap typically won’t do the trick.

10. Using stainless steel can help take it away.

The sulfur from the onion, garlic or fish is attracted to—and binds with—one or more of the metals in stainless steel. Formation of such compounds is what makes stainless steel stainless. Onions and garlic contain amino acid sulfoxides, which form sulfenic acids, which then form a volatile gas—propanethial S-oxide—that forms sulfuric acid upon exposure to water. These compounds are responsible for burning your eyes while cutting onions, and also for their characteristic scent. The sulfur compounds bind to the steel—efficiently removing the odor from your fingers.

So, next time you find your fingers and hands smelling from fish, onions or garlic, don’t reach for the scented spray; grab a stainless steel knife. Take care, though, to wipe your hands on the flat side, and your limbs will be scentless in no time.

9.  This smell isn’t so bad, though.

Oranges too; gets in the creases of your hands.

8. Get yourself some stainless steel.

So because the smells are caused by sulfur, it turns into sulfuric acid when you wash your hands with water. So the stainless steel basically binds to the sulfur molecules and thus, “washes” away the smell on your hands.

I got a stainless steel soap from the dollar store and they had this explanation on the back of the packaging in terms of the smells being negatively charged ions and the stainless steel being positively charged, so basically positive attracts negative and zoop, your smell goes away.

But I was terrible at Chemistry and last I studied that shit was in 2014, so I don’t know if this ion business is legit. The first paragraph is the actual explanation for sure, though.

7. Because sticky molecules.

Same reasons why some stains are difficult to remove while others aren’t.

The adhesive force between your hand and the particles are strong and possibly stronger than the cohesive force between the particles.

Basically some molecules are sticky.

6. It can happen to your kitchen, too.

If your kitchen smells funky and it’s not the trash or the fridge, give every stainless steel appliance a rub down with salt mixed with baking soda (as long as it’s not a pan), then rinse with warm water. The smells should go away.

Typically kitchens retain scents for reasons I don’t know but this pretty much always works and in the worst case scenario you’ve cleaned the kitchen a little more than you needed to.

5. Moisten. Ugh.

They don’t if you keep some baking soda next to the sink.

Moisten your fingers and rub them with the baking soda after working with onions or garlic and poof, smell gone.

4. The tricks might not work, though.

Most likely not. Sulfenic acids bond covalently to the proteins in your skin, causing them to be released slowly. There isn’t much you can do about that except wait. The chemicals you’d need to reverse that aren’t generally available to consumers/are too harsh to put on your skin.

Interestingly, a lot of lachrymators (compounds that make you tear up) work this way, including some types of tear gas. Generally, highly reactive compounds are dangerous, so your body reacts strongly and tries to get them out of your eyes as soon as possible. Onions exploit this reaction to try (unsuccessfully) to get you to not eat them.

3. Soap doesn’t solve everything.

I see a lot of responses on how to get rid of the smell but not so much on why it lingers.

The reason it lingers is because soap is a surfactant that can remove some things, but it doesn’t work as a solvent for everything.

It’s why lemon juice or baking soda work for cleaning: acids and bases will dissolve some things.

Various foods will and will not dissolve in various solvents.

2. Props, indeed.

Jesus !! I never thought there was an actual answer to that question, I’ve always thought that’s just how things work, and have accepted it cause that’s how the things work

Props to the guy who asked the question, and the person who understands the answer to that should give it a shot and try to apply to SpaceX.

1. I need the answer to this one next.

Diesel is the one that gets me.

What’s the neutralizing yin to that yang on my hands?

If you didn’t know, now you know. Pumped!

Are these answers correct? If you need to fix some details, our comments are open!

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Was This Woman Wrong to Tell Sibling Her Body Hair Was Standing in the Way of Love?

When it comes to people’s physical appearances, keeping mum is often the best and really only course of action. When someone you love comes to you asking for advice or opinions – or is lamenting a problem when you think their appearance might solve the issue – the advice to keep silent isn’t always the best course of action.

This woman and her sister have a condition called PCOS that affects their body hair, leading to a thick, dark covering that society often doesn’t expect to see on women. Both girls used to shave/remove it but recently her sister has decided she wants to live more naturally – which is fine.

My sister (22F) and I (26F) both have PCOS. As a result we have very thick, dark body hair and facial hair that can honestly rival some men’s. I personally choose to shave regularly because I can’t stand how it looks and feels. My sister used to shave but about a year ago decided she wanted to stop. Of course I support her 100% and think she’s beautiful! What she does with her body is her business.

When the sister posts pictures of herself on dating sites, however, she uses old photos from when she was clean-shaven. Her dates often leave in the middle or refuse a second meeting, leaving the sister wondering exactly what she is doing wrong.

OP thinks she knows why, but stopped short of saying it for some time.

However, there is an issue. My sister uses old pictures of herself back when she was shaving on dating apps. This has led to a lot of problems in her romantic life. She often complains she never gets a second date and sometimes people even leave mid-date.

I think this is kind of her fault because she’s being disingenuous about her appearance which is a sh%tty thing to do. I have always bit my tongue and just supported her about this topic until recently.

When OP finally broke down and suggested she update her profile pictures, because leaving them gives her dates expectations that are not being met, her sister flew into a hurt rage, arguing that the right person won’t care.

OP agrees, but doesn’t think that’s really the point.

The other day she was venting again about another failed date. She asked me why this keeps happening to her. I told her she should consider updating her profile pictures. She got defensive and asked why she would need to do that. I told her that it would probably help so people know what she looks like since she looks a lot different than when they were taken.

She started getting extremely angry and said that “a little body hair doesn’t make that much of a difference” and “the right person won’t mind a little hair.”

Again, our body and facial hair is very thick and dark, and (imo) definitely makes a difference. When I don’t shave, I get a full mustache and beard, and my sister is the same. The people she’s going on dates with aren’t expecting her to show up with a full mustache and beard because her pictures show her clean-shaven.

The sister and even their family think OP was shaming her, which she maintains she was not. She was only encouraging her sister to be herself from the start if she truly wants to find the right guy.

I told her that she’s beautiful but she’s giving people false expectations which is why she’s having bad luck dating. She should just be honest from the start and the right one will come along! But she was infuriated and said I was being unsupportive and misogynistic. She has refused to talk to me since and my family is now calling me an asshole too because they think I was shaming her.

My sister even posted on social media that “body hair is beautiful, the stigma attached to it is misogynistic, it sucks when your own family won’t support you.”

Now she’s wondering whether or not she was wrong to say anything at all, but she still feels like her sister is in the wrong – not because she’s being herself, but because she’s misleading people and then blaming them for her mistake.

Did I go wrong somewhere here? I love my sister and don’t think body and facial hair is a bad thing at all! But I don’t think it’s right to basically catfish people and then blame them for not being interested, and treating them like they’re horrible people when you misled them…

AITA?

The internet, of course, has some thoughts, so let’s hear them out!

The top comment pointed out that her sister is obviously not as ok with how she looks now as she thought, so there are probably some deeper-seated issues at play.

Image Credit: Reddit

She’s attracting the wrong people, not the right ones, and the sooner she realizes that she’s the one at fault there, the better.

Image Credit: Reddit

And I mean, no one really likes a liar.

Image Credit: Reddit

Deceiving people isn’t the way to start any sort of experience.

Image Credit: Reddit

No one likes having their time wasted, you know?

Image Credit: Reddit

There you have it! I have to say that I agree with OP on this one.

What about you? Drop your opinions in the comments!

 

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