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Floridians Discuss How They Feel About the “Florida Man” Stereotype

Let me get this out of the way right off the top: I really love Florida a lot.

I’ve spent a lot of time there, my parents lived there for a long time, and I really do enjoy the weather, the beaches, the wildlife, the food, etc.

BUT, I’ll also be the first one to admit that Florida is…well, weird. Really weird, in fact.

And if you’ve been on social media over the past few years, you’ve definitely seen the various strange things that people in Florida do that end up in the news.

So, what’s the deal?

Floridians opened up on AskReddit about how they really feel about the “Florida Man” stereotype. Let’s take a look.

1. It’s accurate.

“I encounter them fairly often and I find it pretty accurate.

It doesn’t describe all of us, but there are a non-zero number of them in any public space, so it make sense that it has caught on.”

2. Entertaining.

“I find it entertaining.

Weird sh*t definitely does happen here. I once went to a party and ended up in the start of a zombie apocalypse because a crazy girl bit me on my arm and wouldn’t get off me till her roommate came across the room and kicked her in the face.

I only offered my hand to help her off the ground and she bit me, totally unprovoked. I’m sad I don’t remember her name or I’d fb message her on our bite-iversary.”

3. Here’s a good story.

“My lady and I filmed a crackhead that walked around singing for a while, then laid face down in the street (still singing) until someone stopped to make sure he was ok.

When the lady got out of her car, the guy got up and walked quickly towards the drivers side of the car like he was going to steal it, but the lady was able to hop back in first. Then, I sh*t you not, this guy went down on one knee and tried to propose to her in the middle of the road. She ended up driving away and the crackhead ran off into the bushes by the train tracks just before emergency services arrived.

This happened right in front of my door. My lady was recording and I was watching by the door in case she needed help.”

4. Proud native.

“I wear the Florida Woman title as a badge of honor.

Iwrestled a gator in a Christmas hat! (My Uncle is an alligator trapper for the state, FWC, who needed help removing a large nuisance alligator when I was home from the navy. It was a perfect Christmas card opportunity)

This was in Sarasota FL. The gator was reported to the state after it attacked a lawnmower, ate a calf, and tried to eat the farmers daughter. Yeehaw

I had to sit in a bush by the waters edge making a baby alligator call to attract the gator when the speaker died…. Nearly had a heart attack when the gator beelined towards me to investigate!

Baby alligator calls sound like you are saying “oww oww” in a constipated voice.”

5. It’s a big place.

“If only people knew how different northern and southern Florida are.

We should honestly be different states at this point.”

6. Don’t live there anymore…

“So I no longer live there but grew up in Northern Florida on the Panhandle (left when I was 19).

Looking back it’s funny but good, living there could be exhausting at times (especially as a gay teenager). So my 2 stories I like to tell that always get a laugh.

My hometown got a Walmart. On its opening day, my high school took a field trip to it. Always joked that the school was saying “Come look where you’ll spend the rest of your life kids!”

The only boyfriend I had back then left me for his 42 year old second cousin. Keep in mind I was 17 and my boyfriend was 18. But oh, it gets better. The 42 year old had a 20 year old son. They later on got engaged (and the ex told the son to call him dad now <_&lt$$).

Then tried to talk me into a threesome, fun times. If you didn’t guess it, the relationship didn’t last. Don’t know what happened but eventually they got into a fight and broke it off.

So yeah, I very rarely visit home…”

7. Maybe that’s true?

“I think it’s funny that living in Florida, most of the genuinely INSANE people I have met aren’t even from here.

They’re all people who moved south from NYC.”

8. It’s all over the place.

“It’s accurate, but the only reason you see it is because arrests are published immediately.

Other states have weirdos too.

Those governments just don’t go out of their way to publish the arrests.”

9. A lot of outsiders.

“Born and raised Floridian. I feel like it’s appropriate and wrong at the same time.

The biggest problem with it is most of the “Florida men and women” you hear about are originally from somewhere else. Same reason we’re seen as being bad drivers.

No one is actually from here. You throw a million different driving styles into one place, you’re bound to have a bad time.”

10. For your information…

“True Florida Man here, the rare Florida native variety, born and raised in the state. I will tell you a couple of truths about Florida.

“North Florida” is really South Georgia.

The further away from the beach you get, the more “southern” Florida gets (with Orlando being the exception).

As with the distance from the beach rule, so goes the same with the distance from I4.

Central FL, basically along the I4 corridor, is about as normal as Florida gets. That spans from Daytona Beach on the east coast, through Orlando and down to Tampa on the west coast.

As for the stereo type, most people will also tell you that the “Florida Man” stories are readily available because of our sunshine laws. It’s not that Florida Man is any crazier than Texas Man, or Michigan Man (not sure those are great comparisons by the way), it’s just that the access to the police reports is readily available and easily reportable.

We air our dirty laundry, we don’t hide it!”

11. Oh, my…

“I claim it with pride: “Did I ever tell you about the time I fought off a 450 pound bear that wanted my BBQ by stabbing it in the FACE with a 50 cent steak knife, on my front porch?”

The details:

I’m cooking out on the porch. I hear a noise, and look around. A BIG black bear has been following his nose, sees me between him and his BBQ, made a sort of “humph!” and froze, staring at me. He’s about 15 feet away, on the three steps up to the porch.

I raise my arms to look bigger and yell “Go Away, bear!” … but he doesn’t twitch. I can see the wheels turning in his head through his beady little eyes… he didn’t expect me, but is now considering whether to eat me or just teach me a lesson about getting between him and his food.

The door is about ten feet away, but that’s directly towards the bear – Not a good direction. No other retreat is open to me, being on the porch with the grill. Maybe if I throw something at him he will get momentarily distracted or intimidated enough for me to make it to the door.

My options are a 99-cent Dollar General spatula, which does not recommend itself as a weapon, or a flimsy plastic-handled 4 for $2 steak knife… which at least has a sharp(ish) point.

I take the steak knife by the tip and threw it just like I would expect someone to throw it if they knew how to throw a knife and the knife was a “throwable” knife – neither of which are true.

Miraculously enough, it hit the bear in the face almost directly on his nose, point first, and stuck him quite deeply on the muzzle. I mean “POING!!!” deep.

This is doubly miraculous since I was aiming rather vaguely at the other end of the bear. Throwing really hard is evidently terrible for one’s aim.

He blatted exactly like I imagine a sheep would sound, jumped in the air, swatted the knife out, and fled at top speed. He cleared a four-foot chain link fence without slowing down and without touching it at all.

Oh, and they caught the bear a couple of weeks later about 1/4 mile down the road when it clawed up some guy at a trash can. Identified by the wound on the nose, almost healed.”

12. Here’s the deal.

“I’m from Florida. It definitely holds up, depending on what part you’re from.

At one point I was living in a trailer in the swamp. During the rainy season the water would come up all the way to the back porch. One summer there was a big gator that had been terrorizing folks on the street.

Lunging at people on their porches and hissing and just being a jerk. Eventually it went after the neighbors dog, so they shot it and had a BBQ. Everyone got together and had bbq gator tail, got super drunk, and went swimming in the swamp. Was awesome, would do again.

Also one time I saw a very obese lady take a dump on the floor of a Walmart in the middle of the night.

Yes it’s safe to swim in the water, most kids and many adults did when I was growing up and nobody thought it was weird. Swampy water looks gross, but the brown color is actually due to tannins, the same chemicals that make tea brown!

Alligators are usually big, lazy, scaly blobs. They’re shy and they avoid people. Somebody was probably feeding this one. When they lose their fear of people, they become *ssholes. Don’t feed the alligators!! But don’t be terrified of them either unless they’re not acting afraid of you.

I’m a lady, and the neighbor who shot the gator was also a lady. So I guess this is really a Florida woman story.

I didn’t see what happened to Walmart lady. I’m sure that some employees saw it since it was right by the entrance, but nobody said anything and she just continued shopping. Later I saw someone cleaning up.

I don’t think the employees get paid enough to confront her. I can’t blame them. I hope she’s okay though…”

13. Grandpa!

“It is 100% accurate, and it perfectly describes my Step-Grandad. He’s your typical white trash, God fearing, washing machine hoarding, no-teeth-having back woods crazy person.

When I was 12 I went hunting with him. He fired a 12 gauge about 6 inches from my unprotected left ear, causing permanent hearing damage, because he happened to spot a buck through the bushes next to us and felt he had no time to warn me. On another hunting trip, he gutted the freshly killed deer and ate its heart raw. I threw up.

When I was 14 or 15 I worked for him for a few months diving for golf balls in the retention ponds at golf courses, which is prime territory for gators, snakes, and many flesh-eating diseases. He could PERFECTLY imitate the mating call of a gator, which would usually result in one or two alligators coming out of the pond to try and get some.

He would calmly walk up to them, sit on their necks, tape their mouths shut and left them to sit there while he went under water. Sometimes they hissed at him and opened their jaws or made a move on his ankle, but none of them ever actually bit him or resisted once he was on top of them. Alligators are surprisingly docile unless you threaten them or their young. Anyways, just in case one did try something, he carried around a ziplock bag with a few .44 magnum rounds and a hunting knife.

No gun, just ammo. According to him, if he was in trouble, he would just “Put the bullet against its neck and hit the primer with my knife.” Unfortunately I never got to see this happen, I would have loved to see how that would have worked out for him.

As a kid, my Grandparents lived in a small travel trailer and I would usually stay with them since my parents usually just didn’t want to deal with me and would just drink instead. This trailer was from the 70’s, meaning it was old, smelly and covered wall to wall with brown. Brown cabinets, brown beds, brown seats, and particularly brown shag carpet.

Well, one day a mouse managed to sneak its way into the trailer and scurried around the carpet looking for crumbs amidst the miller lite cans and cigarette butts. Now, any reasonable person would either set a trap or just shoo the mouse outside. Not my Grandad. He went to the closet, grabbed a S&W .357 Magnum revolver, and fired 6 shots at the mouse. He missed all of them, leaving 6 holes in the floor. The mouse got away.

It was our 4th of July tradition to attend my Grandparents’ house for food, fireworks, shooting contests, beer and a bonfire. My Grandad somehow managed to obtain 6 50 gallon drums of gasoline, and thought it would be a good idea to put a barrel in the middle of the bonfire as fuel.

He doused the pile of branches in gasoline, placed the barrel and lit a match. The fire started burning, and he starting dancing around it like some Native American ritual if Native Americans were overweight rednecks with no teeth. About 30 seconds later, the bonfire, predictably, exploded.

He sustained 2nd degree burns on the entire left side of his body, singed off ALL of his hair, including eyebrows, facial hair and arm hair, and melted the power lines that ran directly over the fire, cutting power to most of the county. The Fire Department was called and he was forced to pay restitution to the power company to repair the downed lines.

My favorite story, however, is a story of a vacation I took with him and my aunts (who are only a year older than me) to the beach when I was around 10 years old. He drove a 1985 brown on brown Chevrolet Astro with pinstripes down the side and no back seats. We sat on buckets in the back of the van for the duration of the 2 hour drive.

When we got pulled over since he drives like a maniac, we hid under a tarp from the cop and had to stay completely still and silent for 25 minutes. While we were exiting the Interstate, my Grandad noticed a mound of dirt in the construction area taking place on the off ramp, and I can only imagine he thought this would be an awesome Dukes of Hazzard moment. He suddenly veered off the road, put the gas pedal to the floor and went for it.

This Chevy Astro went up, flew about 15 feet and landed directly into a giant hole where the mound of dirt had originated on the other side. Since we were not sitting in actual seats with seatbelts, we first flew into the roof, then flew into the windshield when we hit the bottom of the hole.

By some miracle, the only serious injury sustained in the crash was my Grandad who broke his arm. Without skipping a beat, he started maniacally laughing and shouting “WOO HOO! THAT WAS ONE HELL OF A RIDE!” The van was totaled. He managed to avoid being arrested for reckless driving, and since this took place in a time where seatbelts were more of a suggestion than a rule, he wasn’t arrested for child endangerment either.

He did have to pay a massive fine and lost his license for a few years though. He wasn’t allowed to drive us anywhere after that.

I love him, but he is a f*cking maniac who quite frankly probably shouldn’t have access to anything more dangerous than safety scissors. He’s somehow managed to live into his 80’s so far, and is still as trashy and insane as ever. He just has even less teeth now.”

Alright, Floridians, we want to get your opinions.

In the comments, tell us how you feel about the “Florida Man” stereotype.

We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

The post Floridians Discuss How They Feel About the “Florida Man” Stereotype appeared first on UberFacts.

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Hawaiians Discuss What People Don’t Realize About Life There

While Hawaii might look like paradise with no problems to us outsiders and mainlanders, I’m sure that, just like any other place in the world, there is a lot more than meets the eye.

All places have their problems and serious issues that folks from the outside just don’t understand. And that goes double for tourist destinations.

Let’s get a reality check from Hawaiians who took to AskReddit to talk about various misconceptions about living the island life.

1. Very routine.

“Life can often be very routine.

There’s less space to build new stuff so new developments are generally a much longer timeframe.

If you’re not comfortable going to the same two beaches, the same three restaurants and the same coffee shop on a regular basis, life can be very difficult here.”

2. Interesting.

“A major employer and source of residency is the US military.

Those of Japanese ancestry make up the second largest ethnicity.

Staples like groceries and gasoline cost a fortune to account for shipping costs.”

3. Hard to date.

“Dating is hard in Hawaii.

The population is small, and there is a joke that “people are waiting for someone to break up”.

I could see it being lonely there long term if you didn’t find someone quickly or move there with someone.”

4. From a native.

“I was born and grew up on the mainland. My wife and I have lived in Hawaii (Maui) for almost a decade now.

It is definitely a lot more expensive to live here. 2 bags of groceries is generally in the $100 range. Rent is crazy. Gas is stupid expensive. The other end of that is that pay can be higher too, depending on the job.

If you get a good job serving somewhere fancy, it’s not uncommon to leave with $300-$500 for a shift. We depend completely on tourism here to survive. So as much as tourists can be annoying, intrusive, rude, and entitled, we need them. Distance is weird.

If I’m gonna drive 30 minutes somewhere, we better be having a whole day planned. Eating out somewhere casual is at least $30 for two people.”

5. Good information.

“Hawaii State Senator here.

About half of all households are unable to afford basic food, shelter, and healthcare. This is often masked by many families living together in multi-generational households. Importing food, energy, and goods through the 20th century has created an unsustainable dependency that has driven up the cost of living for Hawaii’s 1.4m residents.

Outside pressure from speculators drives up the cost of land and housing. Military and federal personnel make up a notable portion of the population, but often overlooked are their cola and housing allowances that massively distort the rental market. Tens of thousands of airbnb and vacation rentals take additional units out of long term housing exacerbating the housing shortage and increasing costs.

Add to that many who buy up second and third vacation homes, and many foreigners parking money in condos and real estate that all sit empty most of the time.

Because of our somewhat isolated job market, competition is limited and wages tend to be lower for many professions compared to their mainland counterparts. For example, I just passed a law a few years ago that prohibited tech companies from requiring employees to sign non-compete agreements that essentially barred them from working for other competitors. An independent study afterward found without those draconian controls tech sector wages increased by 4% as a result.

But despite these challenges we are making progress. We have among the best access to healthcare, life expectancy, and quality of life. The digital and film industry is taking off, and remote work is opening up massive new economic opportunity.

We’ve tripled our renewable energy in the last decade and are on our way to 100% clean energy and a carbon-neutral economy by 2045. We’re growing brand new niche industries like farm to bar chocolate production which no other state has yet done. We’re expanding local agriculture and tackling food sustainability.

At its peak Hawai’i supported a thriving population before western contact, 100% sustainably. We host more unique and endangered species and ecosystems than any other state, and in some cases than the rest of the country combined.

At 1.4 million people living with limited space and resources, Hawai’i is the perfect model to prove to the rest of the world that we can all live together sustainably with a longer and better quality of life than anyone thought possible. And for our kids’ sake we hope to prove it.”

6. Paradise?

“After living on the Big Island for 12 years now, I can say it is not always the vision of “living in paradise” that my friends and family keep presuming it is.

My family discredits any struggle I have because I am “in paradise”. Many of us are still struggling despite the “beautiful beaches”…even more so with Covid and the lack of jobs. So many of my friends, and extended family, cannot even afford food, let alone their rent/house payment since this pandemic.

And let us not even discuss how expense it is to BUY a house here! The cost of living here is astronomical, and if you live on a neighboring island to Oahu, you most likely lack proper medical facilities as well…

Many live multiple-families/generations in one home just to be able to survive. Many more work several jobs, just to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.

Yes, it is beautiful. Yes, we are graced with incredible views (when we drive to see them), and yes, we are thankful for what we have…but please do not ever think that it is just a fantasy island we live on. As we all have our burdens to carry.

If you are one of the fortunate who move here when you retire, and already have incredible assets…than this really is paradise!!

If you are from here, or relocated at a young age, have families to support, or otherwise…well, it is a high price to pay, and much sacrifice for so many, for those beaches and views…”

7. Hard to make friends.

“Lived on Oahu for about 4 years from 2012-2016.

How expensive everything is is definitely at the top of the list. The one that most people don’t expect is that I had a hard time making friends. I’m guessing this could be hard in any tourism based place but I’d go to the restaurant or bar and meet tons of people. They were all there for the week.

It seems that even residents my age were all only there for a short timeframe as well. I just had a constantly rotating group of friends and it got old. That’s part of the reason I moved back to the mainland. Also everyone was always stealing stuff. Mopeds and other goods get stolen all day every day if it’s not locked, it’s gone.

It was frustrating the amount of stuff that would just go missing or get broken into.”

8. Haole.

“Being called a haole can be derogatory or neutral depending on how it’s used. I’m a white woman married to a brown man.

Once, we were having dinner out while I was pregnant and our server told us we were going to have the cutest hapa-haole baby. She was pretty nice and I’m pretty sure she said it completely innocuously. Another time I was visiting the Big Island (I lived on Oahu) and was checking out an off-the-beaten-road beach that belonged exclusively to the locals.

It was crystal clear that I wasn’t welcome, and though they never called me it to my face, I heard them call me a haole amongst themselves and it definitely wasn’t neutral.

When I first moved to Oahu, my husband’s employer hosted us for a dinner party with some of his new co-workers. Another white dude who had lived there for about 20 years pulled me aside and told me point-blank that I should expect to be called a haole and not to let it bother me.

That I was a white person from the mainland in their space – it was my trade off. Broadly speaking, it wasn’t really an issue while I lived there. Most people were really nice as long as you weren’t acting like a self-entitled d*ck.”

9. Homeless problem.

“There are a LOT of homeless people.

One reason why? The job market relies a lot off of tourism and military. And it’s very expensive to live there – it’s also very expensive to leave. If you move to Moloka’i, and lose your job, where’re you going to go but under a bridge somewhere?

It costs way too much to leave since the only way to leave is by plane or boat and people can’t exactly stowaway on them easily.”

10. Second-class citizens.

“Many people who live here are treated as second class citizens by the tourism industry.

Sure, it provides jobs, it’s a very important part. But how would YOU feel if you had people wanting to build a play park on a cemetery where your ancestors were buried? If you say “Build it somewhere else”, they will always ask you the same question: “Where?”. And what’s the answer? Well, there probably isn’t.

It’s a real Zero Sum game, because if you want to build something, you’ll probably end up evicting someone else.”

11. Craziness.

“Lived in Honolulu for four years. People tend to think of Hawaii as a peaceful, laid back place but really it’s a f*cking madhouse.

I also lived in Florida for five years and I always tell people that Hawaii really is what people only think Florida is. I’ve shared many stories on Reddit over the years of the endless string of lunatics and crazies I dealt with on nearly a daily basis out there.

There’s something about being on a remote island in the middle of nowhere that really brings out the loony in people.”

12. Normal life.

“Born and raised on the Big Island, live in California now.

I can only speak to my own experience in the town I grew up in, on the island I grew up on, but it’s a pretty d*mned normal life, just happens to be in a very beautiful and unique place.

Like any other tourist destination, the vast majority of visitors only see what’s on the path of the “guided tour” so to speak. When you peel back that curtain, you just see people living their lives like anywhere else.”

Are there any more Hawaiians out there who can tell us what island life is like?

And what some other misconceptions are about living there?

If you fit the bill, please share your thoughts with us in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you!

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People Discuss What They Didn’t Understand Until They Got Older

I don’t think I was THAT bad in this regard, but there were definitely many things I THOUGHT I knew when I was younger that I now realize I was totally clueless about.

Hey, you live and you learn, right?

And with life experience comes a helluva lot more knowledge.

AskReddit users opened up about what they really didn’t understand until they got older.

1. Totally true.

“The public really doesn’t cares what you do.

The faster people, particularly teenagers who think everyone is looking at them all the time, learn that nobody cares as much as you ever will, the happier you will be.

I spent years not going to the gym and participating in gym class and not going to school dances and my own prom because I was so self-conscience of how I looked (I was a bigger kid) that I missed out on a lot because I SWORE men at the gym would laugh at me. or kids would laugh at me

Everyone is just looking at themselves.”

2. I love this one.

“The smartest person you know isn’t the one who makes everyone else feel stupid.

They’re the one who makes everyone else feel smart.”

3. We all learn this one.

“Many of the rules you had to follow as children really were for your benefit.

The “cool” kids at school were just self-centered idiots.”

4. Lots of hard work.

“I always knew my parents loved me, but didn’t understand how much sacrifice they made and love they gave to me until I became a father.”

5. Moving fast.

“How fast time goes by!

I’m in my forties and the 90s seem like ten years ago!”

6. On the fly.

“As a kid, it seems like adults have figured everything out.

Once you’re getting older, you realize that very few people actually know what they’re doing.

The rest of us just kinda make sh*t up as we go.”

7. They’re right about that.

“Why adults say certain things are dangerous or not worth the risk.

Our brains don’t fully develop until around 25, and one of the key things affected is risk assessment.”

8. Start today.

“Retirement. Start investing in your retirement now.

I don’t care how old you are. Start immediately. A 401k and an IRA are great to get started early.

Keep contributing and don’t cash them out.”

9. Life lesson.

“Most things really don’t matter.

You can’t change THE world, just concentrate on YOUR world.

Everyone is doing their best. Their best is not the same as your best.”

10. You know it!

“Some things we label as “Kids’ Shows” actually have a really meaningful message behind them that we don’t always fully see or understand until once we get older.”

11. You’ll thank yourself.

“You really need to take care of your back, your teeth and your hearing.

There’s a lot of good life to be lived on the other side of 50 as long as you can move, eat and hear.”

12. Total creeps.

“That if an older guy/girl wants to date you, they don’t see you as a “mature for your age”.

They are grooming you, or trying to take advantage for your inexperience in life. Teens will think that hanging out with older people must mean that they are cool and special, but no.

The older guys are just being creeps.”

13. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

“What your parents actually went through to support themselves and raise you.

It makes you cringe a little when you remember saying dumb teenager stuff like “you don’t know how hard my life is!”.

How my parents didn’t punch me in the face after working a gazillion hours and coming home to my pouty bullsh*t is beyond me.”

14. A part of life.

“How heartbreaking being a parent is.

Taking my daughter to kindergarten, watching her let go on my hand to run off with friends. They are all moments of great pride in watching who she is becoming. But it hurts so bad. I want to scream “wait, come back!”.

Im the only one who remembers holding her every night til she falls asleep because it was the only way she could. Now she just wants a hug.

Every day she takes steps towards more independence and goes farther and farther away. I encourage and am so proud of her. But she is my world, and there was a time when I was her whole world.

Now its my duty to fade into the background as she spreads her wings and it is a joyous heartbreak.”

Now we want to hear from you.

In the comments, tell us about the things that you didn’t really “get” until you got older.

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

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People Shard How Their High School Crushes Turned Out as Adults

I remember my high school crush…

She was hot, funny, cool…and way out of my league.

And I never found out what became of her, because she doesn’t have any social media accounts. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross one day…

But these folks do know what happened to the people they loved back in the day!

AskReddit users talked about what became of their school crushes…let’s take a look.

1. Hard pass!

“Back when I was younger and crushing hard I got on AOL instant messenger and had gotten my crush’s screen name from a friend.

I worked up the nerve to start a conversation with him and soon after some awkward small talk he sent me a message in Comic Sans, black background, red lettering, and in French. I then went to google for translation and found out he had just called me a pig, in French. Being a seemingly awkward and chubby teenager, I was literally crushed.

The heartbreak was only made worse by remembering that a few weeks prior I had selected to take French class the next year and couldn’t change it.

Years later now that I’ve blossomed he follows me on every social media platform, has reached out a couple of times to try and flirt/hang out.

Hard pass.

I believe he’s moved away and is a teacher now.”

2. That’s sad.

“Became a professional cheerleader.

Died of breast cancer at 34.

Googling names from high school is crazy!”

3. Tragic.

“Ended up committing suic*de a few years after high school.

She was a teacher and got caught having an affair with a female student.”

4. Nice work!

“I never made a move in high school.

About 7 years after graduating, I saw her on social media and said what the hell and asked her out.

We’ve been dating for about 2 years and I’m about to pop the big question!”

5. Still the same.

“Hot douche who doesn’t really do much except go to the gym.

To be fair, that’s how he was in high school, I just liked it back then.”

6. Crushing all over.

“I had several!

One of them is still a close friend, and he became a primary care doctor. He also officiated my wedding.

I have no idea what happened to another one. We didn’t really have overlapping friend groups and she doesn’t do social media.

One of them is a math professor now, so that’s pretty cool.

My BIGGEST crush in high school was my longtime neighbor, but it also fizzled out pretty quickly after we went to homecoming together. We’re still good friends, and our families still keep in touch.

He’s also the guy who introduced me to my husband.”

7. Happy for her.

“There was a girl I really admired for a while, she didn’t really give me the time of day after freshman year though.

She was co-valedictorian and hugged me as I crossed the stage at graduation, and no one else got one. I’m still really confused about that 6 years later.

She went on to med school and is either married or at least engaged to a guy she met there. Overall she’s doing really well, and I’m happy for her.”

8. Boom!

“We reconnected through Facebook when we were in our late 40s and now she is my wife.

She’s still beautiful.”

9. A perfect 10.

“Still a 10 for looks.

I’m sure she kept on as the amazing, kind person she is. She moved to another country, speaks multiple languages and is more successful than I imagined.

She seems happy but we haven’t talked since the time I told her how I felt about her about 20 years ago.”

10. Success story.

“Went on to be a teenage model for hair products, graduated from Yale, toured Europe, opened her own successful ceramics company that is sold worldwide and is often written up in magazines.

Makes me feel like sh*t every time I think of her.”

11. Wow!

“You made me check and she is actually a very successful artist and an art teacher at a renowned university in France.

She even got decorated for her work (Chevalier des arts et des lettres).”

12. Bummer.

“She ended up dating and marrying the guy who bullied me all through middle school and high school.

They seem like a functional family from what I see on social media.”

13. Life is strange…

“One of them is homeless and a druggie. It’s very sad.

The other one is famous in his home country, is a best selling author, and is regularly on tv.

Don’t have a crush on him anymore, but I’m glad we are still friends, and I’m happy for how well he’s done.

I guess they balance one another out…”

14. It all worked out.

“She was aware then, over 30 years ago, but it was unrequited.

We’ve been in casual contact through Facebook for the past several years, and once before that my wife (at the time) and I had her and her husband over for dinner.

From what I can tell, she’s grown into a person I probably would have been happy with. It’s nice to see my high school perspective got a few things right. I think we’d be good friends if we lived closer.

She appears to be living a good life with her husband and family. With my second wife, I’m happier than I could have ever imagined.

Life worked out well.”

How about you?

What ever happened to your high school crush?

Talk to us in the comments!

The post People Shard How Their High School Crushes Turned Out as Adults appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share the Common Things That They Just Can’t Relate To

Kardashian worship. Kombucha. Pearl Jam.

What do these things have in common? They’re all really popular things that I just can’t relate to…

Call me crazy, but it is what is…and I’m sure you have a lot of things like this in your life, too.

AskReddit users opened up about the common things that they just can’t relate to.

1. I feel this one.

“Hanging out in loud crowded places.

Give me a place where you can actually have a conversation and elbow room.”

2. Not good.

“Fighting/yelling/hostility in relationships with my significant other.

It could very well stem from my childhood, I guess.

It’s not to say we don’t have disagreements or the relationship is flawless but obstacles always have been resolved without much issue. Fortunately this held true with all of my romantic relationships.

I’ve always lived by the saying “conflict is inevitable, fighting is optional.””

3. Really weird.

“Internet couples that play AWFUL pranks on each other.

Like, yuppp, how nice it is to be cruel to one another.”

4. That’s sad.

“Loving and wanting to spend time with your family.

Had a terrible awful childhood, as an adult just lots of toxic interactions whenever anyone from my family got involved in my life so all cut off.

When I see people posting about their family and how much they love them, I just dont understand it. I dont understand my fiance missing his mom etc. I know I’m the anomaly, but I just cant relate in anyway.”

5. Not ready yet.

“Wanting to settle down by your 30s.

In Asian families, not being married and having kids by 30 is like blasphemy. If old Asian grandmas were in charge of the law they would make it a punishable offense.

Fortunately the traditional views of ‘family’ is dying out with the newer generations. Now people are encouraged to set themselves in life before diving head first into starting a family.”

6. It’s all a mystery…

“Preoccupation with the lives of celebrities.

Why?

Why do people read about it or want to know what someone did today?”

7. Sounds miserable.

“All of my friends love to get dressed up, buy overpriced drinks, and take pictures.

That’s their idea of fun.

I just don’t get it.”

8. Cult-like.

“People’s love of Disneyland and Disney paraphernalia.

I don’t like roller coasters, and I’m not that into Disney. I do like a lot of the newer films very much, but Disney as an identity is bizarre to me.

This is especially tough as an elementary school teacher, because most of my coworkers are obsessed.”

9. No, thank you.

“The desire to have children.

When my wife and I met in ’78, one of the first discussions we had was a casual one about children. She didn’t want any; neither did I.

And that’s how we find ourselves 42 years later without a child in sight.”

10. Not feeling it.

“Football. I don’t get it.

It’s so slow and I can’t relate to it at all. College football is even weirder to me. 45 year olds cheering on a sophomore in college?

It’s just weird, I feel like I’m missing something.”

11. All or nothing.

“Shallow dating. Such as dates only to f*ck or apps for it (Tinder and such).

I just can’t handle it that well.

For me, there needs to be emotional connection or nothing at all.”

12. Working to live.

“Living to work.

I’ve never understood the obsession with working all the time. I just want a simple job, collect my pay and go home.

I live to enjoy what life has to offer outside of working.”

13. Interesting.

“Patriotism.

You didn’t choose where you were born. You likely didn’t have an impact in any of the things that make your country great. Some of you haven’t even been to another country.

It’s just tribalism to me and I just don’t get it.”

14. Bad news.

“Dabbling in really addictive drugs.

I always see people casually getting more and more into cocaine. Always starts with a line or two at the weekend and then within a year or two most of those people are mad into it.

Seen it happen loads now I’m into my 30s. Just seems such a risky thing to get into.”

What are some common and popular things that you can’t relate to?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post People Share the Common Things That They Just Can’t Relate To appeared first on UberFacts.

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Chefs Offer Cooking Tips They Think All of us Should Know

Have you been spending a ton of time cooking (or learning how to cook) during the pandemic and the quarantine?

You’re definitely not alone on that one!

And we have a treat for you today!

Chefs on AskReddit offered up cooking tips that will help all of us out. Let’s take a look.

1. Watch the temp.

“Watch your cooking temperature! You don’t need everything blazing hot. In fact, with high heat you’ll usually end up burning/drying out your meal. Medium heat is your friend. It gives you more time to get it right.

A simple example is a good grilled cheese sandwich. If you make it in a skillet on medium heat, it might take a while. BUT you’ll have enough time to make sure the toast is perfectly crispy without getting burned.”

2. Take it all in…

“Learn how to hold a knife and cut correctly.

Use acid – it’s your friend! Lemon juice, vinegar, microplaned zest, whatever. It brightens up everything.

Season every step of the way and taste as you go. Don’t overdue it, obviously, but you want to season every layer and taste.

Keep in mind that acid will then also amplify things like salt – keep everything in balance.

Someone else said it, but it’s true – it’s easier to add than to take away.

And if you’re making something like soup or stock or sauce – if it’s something that will reduce down season lightly as you make it, and then when it’s finished season at the end to get it where you want it.

If you haven’t noticed, a lot of mine are about seasoning. The vast majority of home cooks (and even some restaurant dishes) are under seasoned. Sometimes all you need are salt and pepper, but most people don’t use enough – salt especially. It shouldn’t taste SALTY, but just shy of it.”

3. I love risotto.

“When you make risotto, add the rice to the pan and cook it on very low heat until the edges turn slightly translucent before adding any liquid.

Your risotto will be much more tender and evenly cooked”

4. Roast ’em up.

“You can roast almost all veggies and they turn out delicious. It’s also really easy.

Take the veggie, cut it into bite sized pieces give or take (can be larger if you want, just adjust cooking time and test for tenderness). Place in a bowl and toss with olive oil until everything is lightly coated. Spread out on a baking sheet (can put a layer of parchment paper on it to make clean up easier) and season with a thin layer of kosher salt and pepper on all pieces.

Place in an oven at 350F or above and once well browned, remove and eat. You can roast at 450F if you want but just know that it will take less time at this temp and more time at lower temps. Do it a lot and you’ll gain experience and figure out what temps you like. For me, it often depends on what else is in the oven and I just go with it and check it periodically.

If you want to kick it up a little, sprinkle some diced garlic and some red pepper flakes (go light if you’re sensitive to spice) over the veggies as well. Cook the same. They are delicious.

Works with almost everything – broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, all squashes, etc.”

5. Listen up!

“Too much salt in a soup? Add potatoes. Potatoes soak up salt like mad, I swear.

Whole roasted chicken will make two meals, plus create stock. First will be roasted chicken. Second will be chicken soup. Finally, boil bones to make stock.

Don’t be afraid of acid, like vinegars, citrus, pickled items. Fermented things as well. Add more jarred olives to your recipes, they will expand flavors.

Red wine is required for the best beef dishes.”

6. That’s all you need.

“Kosher salt, cracked black pepper, olive oil, garlic, lemon, butter.

That’s all you need to season anything. Any protein, any roasted veggie, any salad- keep it simple.

Also, a working meat thermometer will never let you down. Take the guesswork out.”

7. Now I’m hungry.

“Flour and fat makes a roux. Roux makes sauces thick.

You want a white country gravy? Put equal amounts oil and flour in a pan. Cook over medium heat while stirring until flour turns a little brown. Pour milk and whisk together. Crack black pepper. Reduce. Done.

You want thick sauce with some chicken or meat? Sear the meat and set aside. Sauté your vegetables in oil or butter. Sprinkle flour on it until it soaks up the oil. Stir it until it browns the flour a little. Pour in broth or milk for a sauce. Put meat back in to finish in the sauce.

Creamed spinach? Add oil to pan. Sprinkle with a little flour and a dash of nutmeg and pepper. Cook couple minutes just to get rawness of flour gone. Add milk and reduce to desired consistency. In separate pan sauté finely minced onion in butter and EVOO. Add garlic until fragrant. Wilt spinach. Mix together when they are both to your liking.

You want gumbo? Add flour and oil to big pot. Stir constantly until it gets dark (about milk chocolate color). Collect the roux. Sauté vegetables. Add roux and broth. Add chicken and sausage.

Seafood gumbo? You cook the roux until peanut butter color instead of super dark. Sauté veg. Add roux and broth. Add crawfish, shrimp, and blue crab.”

8. Good info for you.

“- Prepare ingredients before cooking them. This means get spices, seasonings and condiments ready to hand before you cook anything, and chop up everything you need.

Some recipes can be more forgiving and you can chop stuff while something’s cooking, but other dishes have a quick cooking time, and it can get chaotic if you’re trying to find a certain spice while your food is getting burnt.

– Clean as you go. One thing I hate about cooking is cleaning up after, but I try to clean every item that I use as soon as I’m done with it, so that there isn’t a mountain of cleaning up afterwards. I’ve lived with people who do not do this, and they put off the washing up because there is so much to do.

– Learn from mistakes. I have a few staple recipes that I can do pretty well, but I have f*cked up cooking on many occasions (even the stuff I usually get right), and have made stuff that I would throw away if I didn’t care about food waste and wasn’t hungry.

That being said, I try to figure out where I went wrong while I’m eating, and either look for a different recipe, or retrace my steps on the method to see what I could do better.”

9. Makes sense.

“If it grows together it goes together.

Want a tropical-tasting dish? Find a fish that lives in tropical climates and add tropical fruits. Want something Italian? Roma tomatoes, oregano, Italian parsley, they all come from the same region.

Of course, you can add things from other climates, but it’s a simple rule to follow.”

10. From a veteran.

“Things I would add to the list of tips given my time running restaurants:

Build a pantry of ingredients you can use…this includes dried spices/herbs, different vinegars, maybe a fancy(finishing) salt and regular salt. You won’t use them all every meal, but it’s good to have a bunch of stuff to work with. Think of a good mechanic. They have toolboxes full of various tools for any problem they may come across. This is the same for cooking.

Grab some small bowls…these will be your mise en place bowls. Prep your stuff out, place them in bowls and then use them as you need. There’s a reason you see cooking shows have all of their ingredients in bowls. It’s easier to NOT scramble around trying to chop up some veggies while trying to not burn the onions you put in the pan. Make sense?

Taste. Taste. Taste. Taste. Always taste the food. Somebody mentioned how different garlic tastes depends on when you add it to the process. That is absolutely true about EVERYTHING. Always taste as you add stuff and cook longer.

Don’t buy substitutes. They’re generally all trash. Get the regular butter. Get the regular mayo. Avoid “olive oil added!” For “health reasons”. They’re generally full of more crap and additives than the regular version. “Low fat” or “reduced calories” are the in the same boat. This is a broad stroke comment – for those with medical issues this may not apply. Everybody is different.

Keep trying stuff out. Try the same dish multiple times. Don’t get too hard on yourself. I’ve been doing this for 12 years and STILL cook some crappy meals or come up with dish ideas that just kind of suck. It’s going to happen. It’s not a 100% success rate with good food. You’re going to f*ck up dinner a few times. We’ve all done it. We’re going to do it again. It’s a craft. It takes time.

Hope these tips help! Keep cooking. Don’t stop. Make some funky meals. -From a chef de cuisine from Chicago.”

11. Practical advice.

“Keep a waste container.

As you chop stuff, put waste in the container. When you’re done, toss the waste in the garbage (or save vegetable scraps for stock).

No running to the garbage every second and no mixing of waste and your food.”

Do you have any great cooking advice you’d like to share with us?

If so, please talk to us in the comments.

Thanks in advance!

The post Chefs Offer Cooking Tips They Think All of us Should Know appeared first on UberFacts.

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Questions That Women Were Too Afraid to Ask Men

As an unexceptional white dude, there’s not a lot of times I feel like my answers or input is truly needed lately.

But then I came across this prompt on Ask Reddit:

“Girls, what inappropriate questions about guys have you always wanted answered?”

My time has come. I will try to answer these apparently burning questions, most of which are about genitals.

1. Float unless it’s cold and compact.

Does your dong float or sink in water?

– asawee

2. Yes, it can cause trouble.

Do you feel weird when someone sits on your lap because of uh…you know :0

– Kitty-Bloom

3. Everybody loves a pretty face!

How much does having a nice face matter?

Especially in a long-term partner?

– xatetas277

4. Orgasmic.

how the f*ck does it feel to c*m out semen

– xXChocoboXx

5. Before? No. After? Yes.

When you go to the bathroom, do you wash your hands before taking your d*ck out to pee?

– Hissingbunny

6. Nah, go for it.

Is it weird to grab your *ss during sex? I just want to help… guide it?? Lol

– wowgamesarefun

7. There’s really no need.

Why don’t you have to wipe when you pee??

There’s absolutely NO need at all??

Not even a little dab??

– Pleasant-Flamingo344

8. I think if it were that cold you’d be dead from exposure.

If you nut in the freezing cold, does your c*m freeze mid-shot?

– Veravu

9. I have mixed feelings about it.

For the guys who didn’t get to choose to have a circumcision, are you mad at the people who chose for you when you were a baby?

– MissCheyenne14

10. It’s a bit like stopping a sneeze, but far more within one’s control.

When we ask you to stop, for whatever reason, how much effort does it take?

– takecourage18

11. About the sex that I’m having.

what do you actually think during sex?

– Vegetable_Amount4812

12. Random thoughts come and go, they don’t mean anything.

Do you fantasize about other women when in a relationship?

– Trowaway_29

13. On rare occasion a little something might spark.

Being totally straight, do you ever feel slightest attraction towards other guys sometimes?

– Rooodra9

14. The look is an impulse, the stare is just being rude.

Why do you stare at boobs? Like I get looking at something you think is attractive, but why STARE, it makes women uncomfortable.

– HavePlushieWillTalk

15. …yes.

Has every guy at some point in time tried to suck their own dong or is this just fiction.

– IronDominion

Well, I hope that cleared up a few things.

What questions do you have for people?

Tell us in the comments.

The post Questions That Women Were Too Afraid to Ask Men appeared first on UberFacts.

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Questions That Women Were Too Afraid to Ask Men

As an unexceptional white dude, there’s not a lot of times I feel like my answers or input is truly needed lately.

But then I came across this prompt on Ask Reddit:

“Girls, what inappropriate questions about guys have you always wanted answered?”

My time has come. I will try to answer these apparently burning questions, most of which are about genitals.

1. Float unless it’s cold and compact.

Does your dong float or sink in water?

– asawee

2. Yes, it can cause trouble.

Do you feel weird when someone sits on your lap because of uh…you know :0

– Kitty-Bloom

3. Everybody loves a pretty face!

How much does having a nice face matter?

Especially in a long-term partner?

– xatetas277

4. Orgasmic.

how the f*ck does it feel to c*m out semen

– xXChocoboXx

5. Before? No. After? Yes.

When you go to the bathroom, do you wash your hands before taking your d*ck out to pee?

– Hissingbunny

6. Nah, go for it.

Is it weird to grab your *ss during sex? I just want to help… guide it?? Lol

– wowgamesarefun

7. There’s really no need.

Why don’t you have to wipe when you pee??

There’s absolutely NO need at all??

Not even a little dab??

– Pleasant-Flamingo344

8. I think if it were that cold you’d be dead from exposure.

If you nut in the freezing cold, does your c*m freeze mid-shot?

– Veravu

9. I have mixed feelings about it.

For the guys who didn’t get to choose to have a circumcision, are you mad at the people who chose for you when you were a baby?

– MissCheyenne14

10. It’s a bit like stopping a sneeze, but far more within one’s control.

When we ask you to stop, for whatever reason, how much effort does it take?

– takecourage18

11. About the sex that I’m having.

what do you actually think during sex?

– Vegetable_Amount4812

12. Random thoughts come and go, they don’t mean anything.

Do you fantasize about other women when in a relationship?

– Trowaway_29

13. On rare occasion a little something might spark.

Being totally straight, do you ever feel slightest attraction towards other guys sometimes?

– Rooodra9

14. The look is an impulse, the stare is just being rude.

Why do you stare at boobs? Like I get looking at something you think is attractive, but why STARE, it makes women uncomfortable.

– HavePlushieWillTalk

15. …yes.

Has every guy at some point in time tried to suck their own dong or is this just fiction.

– IronDominion

Well, I hope that cleared up a few things.

What questions do you have for people?

Tell us in the comments.

The post Questions That Women Were Too Afraid to Ask Men appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Talk About Things They Hate That Other People Love

Are you ready to talk about how much we all hate popular things?

Here’s your chance thanks to Ask Reddit:

What are things that everyone loves but you hate? from AskReddit

So, which thing bad, and not actually good? Let’s find out.

1. Celebrating failure.

Shows like American Idol.

I have secondary embarrassment on behalf of the people who think they’re incredible but are awful.

I squirm in my seat and just flat can’t watch them.

– swirlysleepydog

2. Way to rain on it.

I hate Parades.

– Naz_tsc

3. The things you like aren’t ASMR, they’re white noise.

I hate most ASMR. The only ASMR that is actually soothing is pouring rain or a fireplace.

Other forms of ASMR are just people crunching or whispering which is creepy and not at all smooth like the consistency of pouring rain or a fireplace.

– DrTechno6

4. A bunch of characters.

Twitter

Twitter is like a real life badly written cartoon villain who’s only evil just for the sake of being evil.

– NotDaWaed

5. Not so driven.

Driving a car. Not sitting in a car when someone else drives, but actually being behind the wheel.

I mean, I’m sure not everyone loves it but when we all started driving lessons when we were teens, I was the only one who couldn’t bring myself to actually finish those lessons to get my driver’s license.

– foxsalmon

6. Just dance.

Famous TikTok stars that got famous for dancing.

I don’t see anything wrong with it but what doesn’t sit right with me is that most popular creators are famous because of their appearance.

They see a pretty face and they’re just simpin like nothing. Where’s the same energy for people on the app that do so many unique and cool things?

– Chamcham2u

7. They are extremely fake.

I don’t know if a lot of people love these, but those “real/live” ghost hunting shows.

They seem so fake to me.

– ChaoticDoopster

8. Crowds do suck.

I hate live music.

I’ve been to several concerts, from my favorite bands, but don’t really like the sound of the live music, versus the studio version.

Couldn’t really get into it, and just stood or sat there waiting to leave, every time.

Plus, I hate crowds, so there’s that.

– Throwaway7219017

9. See the world.

I don’t hate it, but traveling is just okay.

Fun and interesting, but also expensive and potentially stressful or a letdown.

I don’t think it’s a transcendental experience that changes you as a person.

Everyone should be exploring new cultures and ideas all the time, not just on vacation.

– jittery_raccoon

10. Whoa.

Keanu Reeves

I don’t hate him, I hate the worship. Like yeah he is a cool guy but, I don’t understand the obsession for a celebrity that is humble.

The obsession for him reminds me of “professional mothers” spamming kid pics every hour on the hour.

– The_ranting_spider

11. They’re just making excuses.

When people say “this is the way I am”.

Why the f*** won’t you even try to be flexible with the situation?

– adams_glitch

12. You’re toast.

Avocado.

It literally tastes like nothing and I can’t understand why is it so popular

– paulpaul25

13. In a rush.

Shortening words like “guacamole” to “guac,” and “cucumber” to “cuke.”

Are we that short on time? It’s petty and ridiculous, I know, but that’s the thing I hate that others find odd.

– Nobody275

14. Happiness?

Balloons. What the f*ck is the point?

– psychosocialstudies

15. Ever the contrarian.

Telling me what to do.

– djb2589

I’d say the answer for me is brunch. You’ve got a free morning with no responsibilities and you want to get out of bed and drive somewhere to spend $50 on some eggs? No thanks.

What would your answer be?

Tell us in the comments.

The post People Talk About Things They Hate That Other People Love appeared first on UberFacts.

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This is What Influencers Are Like in Real Life

It totally blows my mind that “influencer” is…

  • a) a recognized profession now
  • b) something people are actually proud to claim

“What do you do for money?”
“I try to be popular on the internet so people will buy the stuff I tell them to.”

It’s hard to imagine. So here’s a peek behind the curtain via Ask Reddit:

IRL friends of social media “influencers”: what is it like? from AskReddit

Let’s see what Redditors with the inside scoop had to say.

1. “A lot of getting ignored.”

I dated one. Not super popular but followers in the 100k range last time we spoke.

I remember a lot of getting ignored and only receiving nice gifts/acts of kindness when they could post about it.

Asking me to go to nice places (they didn’t drive) only to leave me on a bench somewhere while they took pictures.

Huge strain on the relationship, especially when they started to get bigger and there was more demand for content.

– 42charlemagne

2. “We’re all using each other.”

She hasn’t come to anything I’ve invited her to in 5 years because she only goes to events that “further her business.” Regularly says things like, “we’re all using each other for something.” Sometimes she texts me the same exact thing word for word over a couple of days, and it’s obvious she just copy/pastes the same thing and sends it to all of us and then forgets who she has sent it to.

She still reaches out to me multiple times a year and claims I’m one of her best friends, but it sure doesn’t feel like it.

I’ve told her as much, but she just says “this is my life now, my business comes first and if you can’t accept that, then I guess you’re not a real friend.”

– Cirrus-Ramparts

3. “Always on the phone.”

Friends with a high profile athlete who is pretty popular on insta…. he is always on the phone… never lives in the moment.

If we are doing anything fun? well, it basically didn’t happen unless the world knows about it.

Its just annoying …I cant imagine living for the approval or satisfaction of others.

– Neither-Act1355

4. “A wannabe.”

I know a wannabe influencer.

She will reply to her own posts from her husband’s account praising herself.

Then she will reply to those posts as herself thanking him, it’s hilarious, like inception for Facebook.

– Sydneyfigtree

5. “She quit her job.”

I post travel photos and have about two hundred followers. 200, not 2000 or higher.

My friend somehow thought that was influencer status and decided to copy me – except she quit her job so she could travel more and “grow her own brand”.

In 2020. She lost her apartment, her car, and still hasn’t found a job, but calls herself a professional influencer all the same.

– oikorapunk

6. “Awful.”

Awful. One of my best friends fell real hard into Instagram, and for a few years it was tolerable and understandable, albeit annoying and strange. Everything needed to be documented in specific ways, so lots & lots of photos, even if it took away from the moment. But the strange part was how, when she’d share things, the captions always told a slightly different story than what actually happened. Like just off enough for me and my other friends to say, huh, that has a weird quality to it.

Fast forward a couple years, and she gets engaged. Boom. This was the catalyst for the worst of the influencer mentality to come out. I was in the bridal party, and it was a nightmare. No gratitude, just demands. Demands for expensive trips and expensive parties and all kinds of things that were above and beyond the means of her closest friends. And all the demands were because she had a “following” and had certain expectations to meet.

It was really heart wrenching to witness someone belittle their best friend and maid of honor for trying to plan a sweet bridal shower because it wasn’t going to be at an expensive restaurant or art gallery.

It reached its peak for me when, after the in-state wedding became an expensive destination wedding, there was the demand for an out-of-town bachelorette party a few weeks before. I was honest and said I couldn’t afford the bachelorette (mind you, I made about a thousand sacrifices over those months to afford what I could), and was promptly bridezilla’d and told I ruined the whole experience and that I was an awful, fake, inauthentic person.

It got so bad that the bridal party fractured and disintegrated, she lost two of her best friends (myself and the MOH didn’t even attend the wedding after all her behavior and blow-ups), and we’ve barely spoken since. All so she could have an instagrammable wedding that would look good for the few photos she ended up sharing of it. And, true to the weird strange re-written reality ways she had, she published a public “apology” on her blog for her followers and family that completely distorted and rewrote what happened, painted herself as the victim, and got her the sympathy points she was looking for.

Ppl really lose themselves when they create an artifice for social media. I learned a lot from her.

– whenthesunrise

7. “Hasn’t changed her at all.”

I’m not sure if this counts as an “influencer” but one of my close friends is a small-ish music streamer on Twitch.

If I said her username you probably wouldn’t know her, but she’s successful/popular enough to where she makes a comfortable living from streaming.

She’s been doing it for several years now and it hasn’t changed her at all.

If anything she’s now just more willing to pay for stuff when we all hang out because of her newfound disposable income.

– DM_AOC_FEET_PICS

8. “To be honest…”

To be honest it’s really sh*t. I feel like I’ve been completely forgotten about and like I don’t matter anymore.

I think that’s just some weird misguided jealousy but it still hurts because I miss talking to my friend

– EmeraldSunrise4000

9. “Not worth it.”

Sad. In the beginning they started because they got offers from brands because they were so popular on Instagram and it was a lot of fun for them.

Now they don’t ever post pictures or videos without a filter. Rarely ever like a picture on the first try and don’t you dare post any pictures of them without getting their approval for it.

Imagine trying to get a group picture with all of your friends for your birthday but having you take almost one hundred shots to get one that your influencer friend is happy with.

Also in the beginning I would like and comment on all of their posts but now that’s not enough. They expect me message it others, share it on my stories and my page (something about new rhythms and likes not being important anymore). I hate posting stuff to my page but I do it any way to be supportive.

It is so tiring. They do get free things sometimes though that they sometimes share with me. Not worth it imo.

– yonewredditwhodis

10. “Pretty mundane.”

Pretty mundane, honestly. My friend is conventionally attractive, and if you look at her social media, you’d think she were a supermodel millionaire who goes on tons of trips.

She’s actually chronically unemployed, and has an income of less than 10k/yr. Her boyfriend makes about $60k/yr which is enough to afford them a very nice 3 1/2 bedroom apartment, and she has tons of props she uses to make each room look different from day to day so it seems like she’s always in a new, exotic place.

They take two trips a year to fun, tropical places, in which she takes many photos, and posts them as different places throughout the year.

She’s a very kind, considerate, sparkling personality, but whenever we hang out, I tend to be a shoulder to cry on as she laments about her lack of success in life. It’s quite sad, honestly.

But with her creativity and personality, I think she’ll achieve her dreams eventually.

– LemonFly4012

11. “Lost touch with reality.”

Two of my distant cousins, they’re sisters, and are relatively well known YouTubers. I remember the first time I met them, I was 9 years old and saw that one of them was fiddling with a program on her laptop. I asked her what it was, and she showed me her editing software (thinking back, it was probably iMovie) and basically told me about how she records videos and posts them to YouTube, and that she had about 5,000 subscribers. She was really passionate and excited about it, and it seemed like she could go on and on for hours. I don’t think she got paid a penny. I thought it was cool at the time but didn’t think much of it. Just a hobby, I figured.

Fast forward almost 10 years and she has nearly 9 million subscribers, lives in a beautiful house in LA, and makes more money than anyone else her age could dream of. Her sister graduated college, but she saw her success and fell into the same “influencer” trap as well, because that’s where the money was/is. So they both “influence” full-time and have a whole team of people to do editing, assistant work, PR, managing, etc.

I would say the most obvious thing is that the first sister I talked about seems to have lost touch with reality, simply because she’s been doing this for SO LONG. She acts much younger than her age to get views and maintain relevancy, and she’s gotten very used to living a privileged life, so much so that she frequently complains about “how difficult her job is” when there is no doubt in my mind that, if it were to all disappear tomorrow, she’d be like a deer in headlights working something like a 9-5. Considering she doesn’t even edit her own videos or set up her own camera, she has hardly a thing to complain about, especially sitting in front of your vlog camera and crying to the people who are watching your videos and essentially paying your bills about how stressful your job is. I mean this girl literally has an assistant to fetch her coffee and salads (as if she has no time to do it herself, maybe having an assistant is just an “influencer” or “status” thing to do??). She lives a very spoon-fed life, and seems to frequently forget it.

Fortunately the college-graduate sister is very down to earth, and even she seems to acknowledge the ridiculousness of the whole thing. But at the end of the day, they’re doing very well and I will always wish them the best. I just find myself wondering how much longer it will last for them.

– julesjules76

12. “Fake and staged.”

Exactly as fake and staged as you imagine it to be, the on-camera moments are completely non genuine.

It is in the end just an acting/modeling job and not their real personality.

– SagittariusA_Star

13. “Incredibly annoying.”

So incredibly annoying. I actually ended up cutting her off because everything had to be a photo opportunity. We could never just go out to lunch, or see a movie without it turning into a photoshoot. She never did anything with our friend group unless it was ‘aesthetic’, and even then, she was so focussed on getting us to take photos that a. she didn’t get to enjoy the activity, and b. it started bringing everyone else down because they couldn’t participate either.

And this sounds so petty, but she could never just show up in a t-shirt and leggings (because photos, obviously). Like even sleepovers and movie nights had to be a big production and sometimes you just need to stuff your face with popcorn and look like a slob! It’s good for the soul!!

She’d also complain a lot about how hard her job was… Our friendship group at the time consisted of an EMT, two nurses, a teacher, and me who was juggling university, tutoring, and working retail. Like, I’m sure she had challenges and all jobs are hard sometimes, but… girl…. you get paid to take selfies with free stuff, and show up at events looking pretty…

– MutedApricot

14. “Always bragging.”

a girl in my homeschool group in middle school was always bragging about how her parents had a youtube channel with thousands of subscribers.

she was really arrogant about it and i didn’t enjoy spending time with her because she was a brat.

the funny thing is nobody ever believed her (including myself) until one day i stumbled across a video of theirs while scrolling through youtube.

sure enough, they had thousands of subscribers. she hadn’t been lying and i was shocked. now they have well over a million. they dont upload very often anymore though

– Escapist7427

15. “Bully.”

She became a horrible self-centered bully.

– Gremlinnut

Sounds like it might not be totally worth it living life under the influence.

Do you know any “influencer” types?

Tell us your tales in the comments.

The post This is What Influencers Are Like in Real Life appeared first on UberFacts.