There are certain implied rules of engagement when it comes to celebrations, and it's generally expected that you'll let the person being celebrated have their moment and not do anything to steal their thunder by making major announcements of your own that are bound to generate buzz and get people talking about you. Of course, this is notoriously hard for some people who can't bear to not be the center of attention, which is why we end up with so many of these stories of entitled friends and fa…

People tend to get a little bit nutty over their dietary preferences. Still, there's a difference between a preference and a requirement… “I don't eat legumes because they make me a little gassy” is an entirely different ballpark than “Even a speck of gluten will cause my immune system to attack my organs or ”All the liquid in my blood will leave my blood vessels if this prawn touches me." Still some dietary preferences are deeply rooted in staunch and steadfast ethical quandry, so there's argu…

Any time responsibility and accountability is spread to thinly without the individuals themselves having the possibility of facing consequence for their actions people stop feeling the need to or trying to do the right thing as they normally would. See bystander effect and ** insert metaphor for society here**. You see this play out in group projects and the same is true for trying to get to big of a group together to do something. Trying to organize a trip for 12 “friends” to all stay in a vac…

It's not always fair to blame parents for the actions of their children, people are psychologically complex and each child is different and wildly unpredictable in their own way. Even the best of intentions and good parenting doesn't always yield the best results, plus—well, mistakes are just part of growing up and even adults are all still just learning as we go. Still, if you work with kids and meet the parents of a problem child, it becomes immediately clear when the problem is the parents.…

If you break something, you're responsible for its repair or replacement; that's really just common sense. Hopefully, you have insurance for such things that would cover you if someone needed you to repair or replace it. This responsibility understandably extends to your dependents, pets, and anything else you should have a responsibility and control over—whether or not you take that responsibility seriously. Still, there are situations where the claimant might end up dealing with a claimant wh…

Something is really bugging this couple, and it's the name of their daughter. Specifically, the fact that she was named after a genus of cicada without the wife's knowledge. See, the husband is an entomologist (insect scientist) and made a suggestion for their daughter's name when the pair had run into complications with the previous name they were interested in. The problem is that when the husband made the name suggestion, he did so while withholding the fact that the name was actually a genu…

Names are a personal thing… A personal thing that you traditionally have no control over—yet that defines your life before it even begins… and forms the basis of how others shape their understanding of you. It's understandable why we need them. The whole thing just makes sense and would be a little confusing if we didn't have ways of categorizing and referring to one another—even in the simplest means of communication… Imagine a world without names where you had no way of identifying who a mess…

Have you ever worked for a company that allowed you to donate your PTO to other coworkers? This new hire received an email from HR on his very first day asking him to donate PTO to two employees he didn't even know. The worst part is that he already doesn't like his new job and is taking a major pay cut after being laid off from his old job. It's understandable to donate hours to a coworker with whom you've developed a relationship, who may be in desperate need of PTO time due to family issue...

When you're a kid, there's plenty of stuff that you don't want to eat, the sheer existence of it being abhorrent and causing your stomach to turn. Your parent's attempts to trick and force you to eat it are unsuccessful. Try as they might to present it to you in new or disguised ways; your disgust remains. I remember loving my mom's mac and cheese as a kid until I one day saw her making it and witnessed her pouring some sludge labeled “cream of mushroom” into the mix. Cream of mushroom? I had u…

Our parents are never going to totally agree with the way we choose to live our lives, there's just too much of a difference between the times we were raised in comparison to their own life experiences. Things change, as un undeniable nad undisputable fact, time marches on, and even of the most open minded of us can find ourselves behind the “now” of the world. Of course, for those without an open mind, this is harder still. They're not particularly fond of any change to begin with, so change t…

It's often said that you should never ask questions that you don't know the answer to. It should also probably be said that you should never insist on an answer to that question once the chance to give one has been politely declined. Doing so is just setting yourself up for a bad time when the person you're demanding an answer from gives you one that you really don't want to hear… and when things get sensitive, a confrontation is sure to follow. This step-mom insisted on placing herself on the…

If you're an upcycler, a trinket-lover, or an antique aficionado, you've probably perused a garage sale or two. The thrill of a real-life treasure hunt is a visceral experience and the satisfaction you feel when you find just the perfect item is priceless. However, there are rules in the scavenging business–and when garage sale etiquette is breached, there could be some expensive consequences.

Have you ever, in your whole life, had a friend charge you money to eat at their house ? I really haven't, with the exception being takeout food. If you order takeout with your friend group, someone's going to have to send out those Venmo requests for that pad thai. But that's different than inviting your friends over for an off-the-cuff dinner, and then insisting they need to pay for it the next day . It's not always cheap to host a party: all those ingredients, beverages, and decorations can…

It's crucial to learn flight etiquette before boarding an airplane. Proper flight etiquette comprises three distinct components, namely aisle and window manners, light on/off timing, and toilet passage. The story that follows is an account of a frustrated passenger. In order to enjoy the short cross-country flight, the Original Poster (OP) specifically reserved a window seat. But the aisle passenger continued to close the window shades, going against the wishes of OP and, in a way, depriving hi…

Gym etiquette. Ever heard of it? This woman clearly hasn't. One person shared a 'Gym Karen' story to Reddit after it unfolded positively, in his favor. He explained how he was down to his last exercise, and was waiting patiently next to a machine that was occupied by a woman who was notorious for being entitled. He had his earphones in, and wasn't directly facing her. She still got annoyed, and confronted him, asking him what he was doing. He replied that he was waiting for the machine, to whic…

Some people enjoy rules, while others like to break them. This post is specifically about the latter who took to Reddit to share which rules they break, and why. If I had to place myself in one of the two categories, I'd probably say I'm somewhere in the middle. Back when I was in high school, I was a rebel, but as time went on and I (cough) matured, I became a little less hot-headed and conformed more to societal rules. Sometimes this would work out in my favor, while other times, I wish I rea…