Common sense is—unfortunately for all of humankind—not that common! Look, nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. We all have knowledge blind spots that we should work on. And yet, some people are so delulu and uneducated that you have to wonder how they manage to function.
It is mind-boggling. Not convinced that people like that exist? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’re featuring stories from a brutally honest AskReddit thread where people spilled the tea about the very worst cases they’ve witnessed of adults having no basic knowledge of how life works. Ready to cringe? Let’s get into it.
#41
I had a real nasty dude in my unit in the army who barely showered or changed his uniform, even after working with fuel systems all day. He got sent out on a field mission one day and a group of us cleaned his bunk space because we couldn't stand the smell. We found containers of half-eaten food, bottles full of dip spit, even bottles of what looked like urine crammed under his bunk against the wall. We were in barracks with a bathroom and garbage chute not 50 feet away. Some people are just lazy and make it everyone else's problem.
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14points
#42
My "forever alone" adult male friend walks around with food stuck in his untrimmed facial hair and does not take advice well at all.
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12points
#43
In some random Marine Corps barracks at Lejuene. My roommate actually.
Homie slept on bare mattress, no sheets. No pillow case. Used the issued blanket, doubt it was ever washed.
Dude didn’t own any hygiene products, would “shower” a few times a day but would proceed to put the same clothes back on.
The PT mornings were the worst, since he’d change straight into his uniform right after, leaving his sweaty smelly PT uniform on his bed, just for him to change back into it after work to be ready for the next day.
Pretty sure he’s in prison now too.. iirc he became a state trooper but ended up convicted of numerous charges against minors.
Homie slept on bare mattress, no sheets. No pillow case. Used the issued blanket, doubt it was ever washed.
Dude didn’t own any hygiene products, would “shower” a few times a day but would proceed to put the same clothes back on.
The PT mornings were the worst, since he’d change straight into his uniform right after, leaving his sweaty smelly PT uniform on his bed, just for him to change back into it after work to be ready for the next day.
Pretty sure he’s in prison now too.. iirc he became a state trooper but ended up convicted of numerous charges against minors.
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12points
#44
One old friend of mine. She was the kind to never shave, rarely wash hair etc.
We went out to London one day, she wore heels but they started hurting so she took them off. She just walked around the dirty city of London barefoot all day. (Very lucky not to injure her feet)
End of the day I stayed at hers overnight. She just crawled into bed???
Bottoms of her feet were black all over. She saw no issues with this at all.
It was then I realised her dark grey sheets were supposed to be light cream if the sides were anything to go by.
We went out to London one day, she wore heels but they started hurting so she took them off. She just walked around the dirty city of London barefoot all day. (Very lucky not to injure her feet)
End of the day I stayed at hers overnight. She just crawled into bed???
Bottoms of her feet were black all over. She saw no issues with this at all.
It was then I realised her dark grey sheets were supposed to be light cream if the sides were anything to go by.
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12points
#45
20 year veteran of academia here. I have just landed a new job at a university, and am working on training and getting back into academic life after 3 months of job hunting. I started at my new place roughly 2 weeks ago with a new colleague (who we will call Sam).
Sam lives with his girlfriend, and has a miserable commute, so I put some of his random "what!" moments to just being generally wiped out, but he now has me questioning his knowledge and general experience.
Sam is a gym bro, a nice guy, and a very talented artist, however he seems to lack skills regarding just being a consistent member of society.
On his first day, just minutes after we were issued our ID access cards, Sam was trying to get through the access gates to get back into our part of the building. There is a "scan here" image on the gate pad. He missed it and asked me how to get back in after watching me scan in and enter. It was baffling. I chalked it up to tiredness.
Sam has managed to get lost on a T-shaped corridor, and missed the 4 colourful maps that are on our facilities walls with a 'you are here' tag on them. It took him 20 minutes to find our room. The toilets (where he went to wash his hands post lunch) are on the end on the right arm of the 'T', our room is almost at the intersection of the 'T', he somehow ended up in another part of the building. He reappeared 20 minutes later confirming he had somehow got lost. I chalked that up to being still on our first week and new, but he seems to have no sense of direction.
The next week, we were hanging some string lights in one of our facilities rooms with our section boss, and were using sticky-back velcro strips. Our lad Sam didn't understand how velcro worked. He was trying to stick the glue side of the hooks to the fuzzy side of the velcro and was wondering why it wasn't working. I pointed it out and he said he didn't know why it didn't work. Like, seemingly never used velcro ever before.
He regularly repeats questions that he has asked and received answers to from both myself, our line management, and the other staff in our facility. I appreciate that everyone retains information differently, but when we answer or explain, he just doesn't seem to register the first, or sometimes the second or third response, and often doubles down when he asks again. Just comes across as very vacant and weirdly preoccupied.
It's like he just switches off and goes full autopilot. It's impressive. I wish I could do something similar on occasion, but it is getting increasingly concerning.
Will see what the next few days working with the lad is like.
Sam lives with his girlfriend, and has a miserable commute, so I put some of his random "what!" moments to just being generally wiped out, but he now has me questioning his knowledge and general experience.
Sam is a gym bro, a nice guy, and a very talented artist, however he seems to lack skills regarding just being a consistent member of society.
On his first day, just minutes after we were issued our ID access cards, Sam was trying to get through the access gates to get back into our part of the building. There is a "scan here" image on the gate pad. He missed it and asked me how to get back in after watching me scan in and enter. It was baffling. I chalked it up to tiredness.
Sam has managed to get lost on a T-shaped corridor, and missed the 4 colourful maps that are on our facilities walls with a 'you are here' tag on them. It took him 20 minutes to find our room. The toilets (where he went to wash his hands post lunch) are on the end on the right arm of the 'T', our room is almost at the intersection of the 'T', he somehow ended up in another part of the building. He reappeared 20 minutes later confirming he had somehow got lost. I chalked that up to being still on our first week and new, but he seems to have no sense of direction.
The next week, we were hanging some string lights in one of our facilities rooms with our section boss, and were using sticky-back velcro strips. Our lad Sam didn't understand how velcro worked. He was trying to stick the glue side of the hooks to the fuzzy side of the velcro and was wondering why it wasn't working. I pointed it out and he said he didn't know why it didn't work. Like, seemingly never used velcro ever before.
He regularly repeats questions that he has asked and received answers to from both myself, our line management, and the other staff in our facility. I appreciate that everyone retains information differently, but when we answer or explain, he just doesn't seem to register the first, or sometimes the second or third response, and often doubles down when he asks again. Just comes across as very vacant and weirdly preoccupied.
It's like he just switches off and goes full autopilot. It's impressive. I wish I could do something similar on occasion, but it is getting increasingly concerning.
Will see what the next few days working with the lad is like.
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11points
#46
I know a guy who:
-Never cleaned the first floor of his house and when it got unlivable (fridge filled with rotting food, stuff all over floor) he just moved into the upstairs and never went downstairs.
-would feel 'too lazy' to get movies/shows be owned on DVD off the shelf, so would just rent them on Amazon prime video.
- essentially always ate out or got take out or ordered in.
-was in massive credit card debt
-didnt cut his nails because he felt 'too lazy'. Instead his solution was to take really long baths and soak them til they got soft enough to rip/bite off.
-broke his own toe while having a tantrum because he wouldn't figure out how to open a door
-washed out of college because he never did homework. He 'didn't like doing it.' His parents were laying his tuition and rent.
-when he realized he had a drinking problem , instead of trying to quit by himself or joining AA, his first move was to tell his bosses at work. This caused him to lose his job.
-Lost at least one pet by traveling and not getting a pet sitter
-once compared being anti military to being anti black people
-watches YouTube with a device on the dash while driving
-chats with chat gpt
-once got mad at me because he got in hot water with the boss because he left work early to 'come help me' because he thought I was in trouble. I was not in trouble. I didn't say I was in trouble. He had assumed I was in trouble because I'd asked what time he would finish work that day. And apparently the only possible reason for that question was that I needed help.
-would forget to pay power bill
-once observed to knock on the door to ask the person in the bathroom how much longer they would be, even though another bathroom was available.
-Never cleaned the first floor of his house and when it got unlivable (fridge filled with rotting food, stuff all over floor) he just moved into the upstairs and never went downstairs.
-would feel 'too lazy' to get movies/shows be owned on DVD off the shelf, so would just rent them on Amazon prime video.
- essentially always ate out or got take out or ordered in.
-was in massive credit card debt
-didnt cut his nails because he felt 'too lazy'. Instead his solution was to take really long baths and soak them til they got soft enough to rip/bite off.
-broke his own toe while having a tantrum because he wouldn't figure out how to open a door
-washed out of college because he never did homework. He 'didn't like doing it.' His parents were laying his tuition and rent.
-when he realized he had a drinking problem , instead of trying to quit by himself or joining AA, his first move was to tell his bosses at work. This caused him to lose his job.
-Lost at least one pet by traveling and not getting a pet sitter
-once compared being anti military to being anti black people
-watches YouTube with a device on the dash while driving
-chats with chat gpt
-once got mad at me because he got in hot water with the boss because he left work early to 'come help me' because he thought I was in trouble. I was not in trouble. I didn't say I was in trouble. He had assumed I was in trouble because I'd asked what time he would finish work that day. And apparently the only possible reason for that question was that I needed help.
-would forget to pay power bill
-once observed to knock on the door to ask the person in the bathroom how much longer they would be, even though another bathroom was available.
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10points
#47
When I was in Basic Training, we had a guy that was clearly mentally unfit for service and I cannot understand how he slipped through. Maybe he was trolling but he could barely speak coherently, required someone to shave him daily and to make his bed. The wildest part? He had a pilot license.
Honestly, I wonder if he was even a real person and not just a collective imaginary character everyone in the platoon had, because again how does someone who doesnt even seem capable of taking care of themselves desire and manage to make it to Basic without someone stopping them?
His name was Jedi, or rather that was his nickname. I pray someone else know who I'm talking about.
Edit:
Forgot to mention he does eventually get kicked out, though I'm not sure why beyond just not being remotely able to pass any of the requirements.
Honestly, I wonder if he was even a real person and not just a collective imaginary character everyone in the platoon had, because again how does someone who doesnt even seem capable of taking care of themselves desire and manage to make it to Basic without someone stopping them?
His name was Jedi, or rather that was his nickname. I pray someone else know who I'm talking about.
Edit:
Forgot to mention he does eventually get kicked out, though I'm not sure why beyond just not being remotely able to pass any of the requirements.
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9points
#48
I once went in a grown man's house with a friend, sat on his couch, thought something felt off. Lifted the cushion and found a pizza box. Opened the pizza box and found an entire meat lover's pie minus one slice. I dragged my friend out of there while he was in the bathroom.
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9points
#49
I have a coworker who takes her shoes off in her office and doesn't ever think to put them back on. She goes to the bathrooms, cafeterias, her meetings, etc. in socks. Yesterday we walked to a completely different building a quarter mile away and she did it in socks.
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9points
#50
I know a man who washes his hair with shampoo, but only cleaned the remainder of his body with water from the shower. He was 38 before he began using soap on his body. Funny thing is that he actually never smelled bad.
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8points
#51
In the time I've lived here, my roommate has told me:
-mosquitos can't get to us because we live on the second floor (next to a body of pretty stagnant water)
-the pest control guys should only spray the stairs to keep our yearly ants out
-we need to keep the windows and doors closed to keep the yearly ants (that are clearly coming up through the floor) out
-"it looks like earthquake weather"
-throws out functioning ceramic bowls she doesn't want to clean
-throws out brand new food gadgets because "it didn't come with instructions" (it did) (and also is literally one step)
-does not know a vacuum needs to be cleaned sometimes, throws them out as soon as the suction gets low
She's 40 years old and has been living independently for at least 10 years off of mostly packaged dinners and chicken nuggets. I tell my family she's the perfect demonstration of evolution: she's not actually good she's just not bad enough to pass away young
Thought of a couple more for yall:
-bought a trash can with some extra parts for holding the trash bag down. Learned and forgot how to use them multiple times over the course of 6 months. Threw the trash can out without a replacement, started piling her trash on the counter instead
-throws stuff out as soon as she doesn't want it any more but does not know what does and doesn't belong to her so has thrown my stuff out on more than one occasion
-insists her cat gets cranky if she doesn't get to listen to her lofi at least a couple hours a day. Cat spends most of the day sleeping in a room other than the one playing the lofi
-breaks a garbage disposal at least once a year by throwing her coffee grounds in the sink every day. Has repeatedly been told that's what causes it. Continues to do it
-claims that organizing is "triggering" to the point that even if i organize something, she personally becomes entropy and cannot maintain it
-cannot tell you where she put something she took out of the dishwasher less than 5 minutes ago. Does not put anything back in the same place twice in a row
-puts away visibly dirty dishes. Claims to have previously been Navy dishwasher.
-mosquitos can't get to us because we live on the second floor (next to a body of pretty stagnant water)
-the pest control guys should only spray the stairs to keep our yearly ants out
-we need to keep the windows and doors closed to keep the yearly ants (that are clearly coming up through the floor) out
-"it looks like earthquake weather"
-throws out functioning ceramic bowls she doesn't want to clean
-throws out brand new food gadgets because "it didn't come with instructions" (it did) (and also is literally one step)
-does not know a vacuum needs to be cleaned sometimes, throws them out as soon as the suction gets low
She's 40 years old and has been living independently for at least 10 years off of mostly packaged dinners and chicken nuggets. I tell my family she's the perfect demonstration of evolution: she's not actually good she's just not bad enough to pass away young
Thought of a couple more for yall:
-bought a trash can with some extra parts for holding the trash bag down. Learned and forgot how to use them multiple times over the course of 6 months. Threw the trash can out without a replacement, started piling her trash on the counter instead
-throws stuff out as soon as she doesn't want it any more but does not know what does and doesn't belong to her so has thrown my stuff out on more than one occasion
-insists her cat gets cranky if she doesn't get to listen to her lofi at least a couple hours a day. Cat spends most of the day sleeping in a room other than the one playing the lofi
-breaks a garbage disposal at least once a year by throwing her coffee grounds in the sink every day. Has repeatedly been told that's what causes it. Continues to do it
-claims that organizing is "triggering" to the point that even if i organize something, she personally becomes entropy and cannot maintain it
-cannot tell you where she put something she took out of the dishwasher less than 5 minutes ago. Does not put anything back in the same place twice in a row
-puts away visibly dirty dishes. Claims to have previously been Navy dishwasher.
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8points
#52
I work in a super hot and dusty environment. like you start sweating just standing at times. we get paid time to shower at the end of the day. there are several people that refuse to shower after work . sometimes the smell coming off of these people is unbearable.
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7points
#53
I once had an acquaintance I'd invited to regular, once a month core group hang out. Southern California, food on the grill, sides in the house, BYOB, etc. Run of the mill situation.
We were all conscious of sun and sunscreen, so when girlie arrived we gave her sunscreen to smear on to protect.
Apparently she had never applied sunscreen in her 25+ white girl life. She slathered that sunscreen on til it looked like she had squirted mayo all over herself.
We were all conscious of sun and sunscreen, so when girlie arrived we gave her sunscreen to smear on to protect.
Apparently she had never applied sunscreen in her 25+ white girl life. She slathered that sunscreen on til it looked like she had squirted mayo all over herself.
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7points
#54
Someone asking if almond milk came from brown cows. Yes, I'm serious.
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7points
#55
A coworker genuinely thought the microwave beeping meant the food was done, not that it had *stopped*. He'd reheat things for 15 minutes because 'it kept beeping so it was still working.
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6points
#56
I did just have to explain to my good friend why you don't put meat in the top of the fridge or the freezer. He didn't get that it was a basic food hygine concept and he is 35.
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5points
#57
I worked in a convenience store.
A customer wants to buy lots of stuff for babies and a small bottle of perfumed oil for an oil lamp. I tell her that this is not massage oil and she says he doesn't want it then.
Another mother wants to buy baby formula with number 2. Because her baby is two months old. You take pre or number 1 to the age of six months and only then switch to 2. It is written on the box.
A customer wants to buy lots of stuff for babies and a small bottle of perfumed oil for an oil lamp. I tell her that this is not massage oil and she says he doesn't want it then.
Another mother wants to buy baby formula with number 2. Because her baby is two months old. You take pre or number 1 to the age of six months and only then switch to 2. It is written on the box.
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4points
