Sometimes even the slightest change to your mindset or schedule can completely improve your life.
While there are always the standard life-changing recommendations such as eating healthy, exercising, and not spending your whole life staring at a screen, there's always more to learn. When scrolling through motivational quotes on Instagram from influencers whose main message is "be positive," sometimes it's difficult to decide what advice is worth your commitment. Call me cynical, but I'm not sure a swimsuit model from a wealthy family should be the authority on mental health simply because she's sponsored by a juicer.
That's why, when a recent Reddit asked, "what's a simple thing someone can do to better their life?" the internet was ready to share their life hacks, tips and tricks. Prepare to spring clean your brain, it's time to get motivated.
1. Sage advice, "HankSinatra."
Create a budget. There are so many free tools available online that it really is simple. Take a few minutes each day to monitor your spending/saving and you'll thank yourself later.
2. Definitely, "PMmeYOURtitsFORmemes."
Be more honest, but don't be a douchebag about it.
3. Key to success, "Easypeaseee."
Have achievable short term goals, and reward yourself appropriately when you achieve them.
4. Hell yeah, "Avbitten."
Compliment people behind their backs. It seriously reduces the drama you have to deal with in your day to day life. Especially do it to co-workers.
5. Real food is a necessity, "pygmyshrew."
The habits that have made life less stressful for me sound boring and lame:
Eat real food.
Get sleep.
Be on time.
Look decent.
Be polite.
Do what you say you're going to do.
But boy do they make a difference. I spent my twenties and thirties fighting against these things, believing they'd make me boring. Well, they have, but I'm happier.
6. Late people are the worst, "BIgTrey3."
“To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is to be forgotten”
-My college football head coach.
7. This is inspiring, "TheTigerStripedCat."
Delve into your fantasies every once in a while.
As people get older, they tend to lose a lot of that spirit which allows them to sit around thinking of amazing things.
Picture some fun stuff! Picture some impossible things which, although they don't exist in the real world, do exist in your mind.
Although it's important to keep a firm perspective on the real world, let yourself daydream a little.
Better yet, put it down on paper. Write a little story, draw a picture.
One of the best things about humans is their ability to be creative. I think it's important to never lose that creativity.
You never know - you could be sitting on an imagination which is capable of creating best-selling novels or world class paintings.
8. For sure, "The_Lady_Aurora."
Be willing to give genuine apologies when you are wrong. No excuses, no justifications, just, "I screwed up by doing X, I see now that it (affected you this way). I should have done Y. I'm sorry."
This shows that you have thought about it from their perspective, care how they feel, and want to do better by them. Apologies that start with justifications or excuses often feel hollow to the recipient
9. Vitamin D saves lives, "KennyPowers55420."
Open some blinds my dude and let some sun shine in your house in the mornings. It always made happy.
10. Definitely, "jellybelly62."
Don't hold on to anger.
11. Water is life, "BlacKloudDhali."
Drink more water.
12. Good deeds are awesome, "flashketchup22."
Consciously try to make someone else's day better. It will almost always make you feel better too.
13. Classic advice, but worth noting, "sploogester."
Exercise. It really helps if you're dedicated and consistent with it
14. 100%, "halfpint513."
Don't ignore their mental health. It is everything.
15. Throw out all the garbage, "RadonLab."
You need to throw out all the garbage from your head, understand what makes you unhappy and try to change it.
There are so many handsome men named Chris dominating Hollywood right now you'd need an actual graph to keep them all in order. To make matters even more difficult, there is a trinity of actors named Chris in the Marvel cinematic universe alone: Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, and Chris Evans.
Luckily, for your brain, this article is only about one of the handsome men named Chris, the one and only Thor aka Chris Hemsworth.
For those unaware, Hemsworth has three children with his wife, the Spanish film producer Elsa Pataky. Their eldest, India, is 6-years-old, and Sasha and Tristan are both 5-years-old.
During a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel, Hemsworth shared a terrifying story about a recent trip to Disneyland with his family.
Basically, when Hemsworth realized India wasn't tall enough to go on the ride with him, he took matters into his own hands. But there are reasons for height restrictions, so it quickly went south.
"She was really upset and I was like, 'Nah, forget this, come here.' So, I grabbed a couple of Snickers bars and things and slammed them in the back of her shoe under her heel. So, we're sitting in the chair and this thing is, I dunno, hundreds of feet high and whatever. We're at the top and I'm looking at her and she's strapped in and the seat is massive on her. It gets worse."
He then detailed how he witnessed India almost slip out of her massive seat when the rollercoaster started rapidly moving downwards, and he kept her in place with his hand. He laughed about how, in retrospect, he realized why the height restrictions were in place, but assured Kimmel she is okay.
"So, don't do that. She's fine, she's well. I'm her hero."
Fans of Hemsworth have been shaking their heads at the position he put his daughter in, while simultaneously feeling impressed about his quick action on the ride.
Chris Hemsworth shoved candy bars into his daughter's shoes so she'd appear tall enough to get on a ride at Disneyland.
CHRIS HEMSWORTH JUST SAID THEY TOLD HIS DAUGHTER SHE WAS TOO SHORT TO RIDE TOWER OF TERROR & SHE WAS SO SAD THAT HE SHOVED SNICKERS BARS IN HER SHOES TO MAKE HER TALLER. THEY WERE HAPPY THEY BEAT THE SYSTEM & FISTBUMPED AND RDJ IS SO MAD AT HIM FOR NOT BEING SAFE HAHA pic.twitter.com/nNF6pWaNLq
— delaney - parks & rec reunion AMY TOOK MY PEN✏️ (@bwaygirl24601) April 9, 2019
You can’t tell me that Chris Hemsworth sticking snickers into his daughters shoes so she would be tall enough for a rollercoaster ride isn’t EXACTLY what Thor would do for his kid.
Chris Hemsworth putting chocolate bars into his daughters shoes so she was tall enough to get on a ride she wanted to go on is so irresponsible BUT SO FUCKING CUTE PLS
Have you ever realized halfway through a wedding that you wasted your money on the fancy outfit you're wearing because this couple clearly isn't going to make it? If so, same, and I hope there was at least an open bar for you to enjoy.
Most of us have witnessed a special day that wasn't so special, but the people who get to see this all of the time are those who work at weddings. Wedding photographers, videographers, and planners all get an inside looking at what goes down on the big day. Because of this, they are experts at identifying a couple in trouble. They're like detectives of divorce.
So, what are the sure signs of a marriage that will and won't last? Someone (HHS2019) posted this question in an "Ask Reddit" thread to find out:
Marriage/engagement photographers/videographers of Reddit, have you developed a sixth sense for which marriages will flourish and which will not? What are the green and red flags?
People had a lot to say about this, and some super juicy stories were shared. Here are twelve of our favorites!
Wedding videographer here: I try to get to know both people beforehand, so I can work in their hobbies/unique traits into my product. A big red flag is when one person is clearly trying to change the other. I had one dude who loved poker, craft beer, cigars, hanging with his rowdy friends, video games, etc. I planned a cool shoot where I had all his friends in an old west saloon, and he sees his bride to be, etc... but she steps in and declares "oh, he won't be doing any of those things any more." Poor bastard just sat there in silence as I awkwardly had to plan them shopping for a Yorkie puppy instead. Half way through post production after the wedding, he called and said he was getting an annulment. I wanted to say "could have told ya so!" But I try to stay neutral.
Green flags are just the opposite. Embracing the other person's habbits/hobbies/interests, basically not being a controlling freakshow.
Photographer here: to me the biggest sign is the cake cutting. Some people like to smear the cake everywhere as a joke, some people don't. Usually the couple is in sync about this. They know what the other would like and they don't smush cake on the others face if they wouldn't want that.
Sometimes one of them (usually the groom) will force cake all over the others face and embarrass and upset them. I've seen this happen a handful of times and all of those relationships that I have kept up with have ended in a divorce.
Photographer here. You can tell somewhat based on how the couple treats each other on the wedding day. If they are respectful toward one another (and toward me) during a day full of stress then I think that’s a good indicator of being able to deal with other problems that may arise during a marriage
Typically I saw red flags when the bride or groom is super quiet. I mean silent and just watching.
One instance was a groom who barely said ten words to anyone during the ceremony or reception afterwards. The bride and her mother were extremely loud and excited the entire time. The bride needed everything to be “perfect”. I dropped off the photo bundle with them two weeks later and he was still quiet. She however complained about all of the pictures because the groom wasn’t “smiling enough”. She wanted a discount because I couldn’t make him look happy enough.
They got divorced about a year later. I know because I did his engagement photos with his new fiancée about four years after his first wedding. His engagement photos showed him much happier.
5. The Case of the Sterling Silver Spurs (czndra60)
Cake artist here. I had a couple come in for a tasting. Appointment was for 7 PM, but he was late. First half hour was just her. She told me they met at a stable where they both kept their horses. Those horses were going to be featured at the wedding as the bride and groom would ride them to the site (a beautiful farm venue.) She described in detail her self designed medieval gown, flower wreath in her hair, embroidered shoes like some from a museum: sounded lovely. She wanted a cake like a castle, which was a specialty of mine. The whole wedding would be over the top, but not in a cringy way.
Then he arrives. Barely says Hi to her, sits down and starts telling me about his wedding. He'll ride in dressed as a riverboat gambler with a frock coat, brocade vest, string tie, big hat, gold pocket watch, and STERLING SILVER SPURS! He's fine with the castle cake, but wants to incorporate the watch and a pair of mother of pearl handled pistols (picture given).
I had already decided that I was not going to work with them. NO way could I come up with a cake that would work for them. But they were there so I brought out the samples. For the next hour they carried on two entirely separate monologues. They didn't address each other (or me) and they didn't listen to each other (or me).
I made no attempt to book them that night, and when they called later in the week I told them their date had been taken. They were living in 2 incompatible and entirely self contained fantasies. I doubt they even made it to the wedding day.
Photographer here, I've done a few engagement photos and weddings.
Red flags: when one person is critical of the other during the shoot but then posts the photos with the caption: "about to marry my best friend and my soul mate". Also, when they badly Photoshop themselves and their partners to appear 'better looking' than they actually are.
Wedding videographer: Probably when the bride got absolutely blackout drunk and started telling everyone at the party (in that drunk loud whisper) that she was fucking the groom's brother.
Flags: Constant apologizing for their other halves behavior/ attitude. Lack of input from one of them. Too much input from a family member(s). Anger, Inability to make a decision and stick with it. Over riding a once joint agreement of something. At one wedding I didn't actually meet the Groom till the day of. I just new his name 'Joseph'
Edit: also when they are very young/ have a small child and/or haven't been together long.
Green Flags: When a couple mutually respect the others wishes and compromise. Both present at every meeting. Supportive and patient. Friendly and respectful of staff. When you can tell they are both relieved to see one another again and its like no-one else is there...its like an unspoken conversation with each other and makes me smile.
Former wedding videographer. When doing the letter read the bride at the end said which I quote "well that was fucking stupid". I cut that part out in the final video.
Edit. Let me clarify what im referring to. The couple reads their letter from their partner prior to the wedding. She just got done reading the grooms letter and was talking about what he wrote. To be fair, what he wrote was not exactly Shakespeare but still a harsh response.
Wedding band guitar player here. Drunken gorilla-sized groom physically attacked us when we cut off the music after already going over our contracted time an hour. Mother of the groom got into the mix and pulled him back. Bride was in tears. Best man pulled out a Bluetooth speaker and kept the party going. We did not get a 5 star review.
I was a wedding photographer for many years in the 00's.
It was pretty easy to tell which couples were going to last and which ones would soon be divorced.
The main behavior differentiating the two was whether they were on the same team, helping each other and lifting each other up in the face of the inevitable problems and stress that come with weddings. Good couples tackle problems together. Bad couples take sides and fight/blame each other when something goes wrong.
The biggest red flag I ever saw: I was the assistant photographer at a wedding that took place in a 20ish story hotel. I took the groom downstairs to meet his groomsmen for photos on the street, riding alone with him on the elevator. He’d had a couple of beers with his groomsmen but was far from drunk. On the elevator ride, he looked at himself in the reflective metal doors of the elevator and said, loud enough for me to hear, “What the fuck are you doing?” I stayed completely and didn’t say a word. We got off the elevator and neither of us mentioned it. I have no idea if they’re still married. The wedding happened at least eight years ago and I don’t remember their names. I was an assistant, after all, so I wasn’t responsible for client intake or anything like that.
In case you haven't experienced it firsthand, being a woman is pretty weird. You never know when a totally normal day can suddenly turn into a horror film. This is what happened recently to a woman named Anna Gillcrist, who was just trying to get home safely from her friend's bachelorette party. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the terrifying when her Lyft driver decided to make advances at her.
Last night I took a @lyft home from my friends bachelorette. It was a line, so there were two people in the back seat when I got in. Once they were dropped off, the driver immediately leaned over to me and asks “do you have a boyfriend?”. I paused, and didn’t respond.
"Last night I took a @lyft home from my friends bachelorette," she writes. "It was a line, so there were two people in the back seat when I got in. Once they were dropped off, the driver immediately leaned over to me and asks 'do you have a boyfriend?'. I paused, and didn’t respond."
Then things got even worse as he continued to aggressively question her.
He asks again, “come on do you have a boyfriend?” I said yes. He continued to ask me questions about what he did, and what I did. Then he asks, “is your boyfriend in town?” I didn’t respond. He asks again. I don’t respond. He pulls up on my street and starts to drive very slowly
He looks at me and asks “is your boyfriend home?” I immediately realized the doors were locked and I said “please unlock the doors.” He didn’t. So I pried the lock up, jumped out of the car, and ran to my apartment.
Fortunately, Gillcrist was able to get home safe. But when she took her complaint to Lyft the next day, they were horrendously unhelpful.
This morning, I spoke with @lyft on the phone and told them exactly what happened. The man said “Well ma’am we will make sure that that driver is not able to pick you up again.” I explained that that wasn’t good enough, that this man needed to not pick up ANY woman ever again.
and he just said “don’t worry he will be reprimanded.” Then he gave me a $5 credit, and told me he would be emailing me the official report. I have received no email. I’ve been sitting on my bed thinking about this for hours and I am fucking angry.
A 5$ CREDIT LYFT ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?!? (They were.) But Gillcrist is serious, too.
I want more than a stupid $5 credit. Your driver put me in a scenario in which I thought I might be kidnapped, raped, or even killed. That pathetic attempt to mask a serious issue is insulting to me and women everywhere who have to deal with this shit on a regular basis.
"So please let me know when you decide to do the right thing," she writes. "I'm not going to drop this."
Her story, which scarily is not uncommon for women who take ride-share apps, has gone viral. And Twitter users are jumping in to offer support and encourage Lyft to take action.
So sorry you were in that scary position, I am outraged for you. Disappointing and frankly irresponsible response from @lyft. Just after the company made a whole hubbub about women’s history month with that nationwide campaign, too. Do the real work ffs.
And other women are sharing their own harrowing experiences with rideshare apps.
i had a lyft driver do something similar. tried to touch me, asked if he could wait while i showered? told lyft & i got an email a few days later offering me credit for the drive (that would expire in 30 days) & the same promise that he wouldn’t pick me up again. I’ve been scared
I just read your story I had a situation with Uber as I’m a female driver and was threatened with a gun from a sexually aggressive male passenger and was never helped. These companies need to put actions towards incidents like these and not turn a blind eye, who knows what could
happen in a blink of an eye and these companies who literally have your safety and even lives in their hands are just brushing it off like no harm no foul. No, you fight till you get what’s owed. I’m so sorry that happened, I have my story as my pinned tweet. Fight for all the
Let's hope Lyft and Uber get these messages and take some serious initiative to step up their safety policies and do more to keep sexual predators out of their drivers seats, thankyouverymuch.
Honestly, as hypocritical as it may be, sometimes it's really refreshing to see men objectified in the same gratuitous ways as women. Images of women busting out of skin-tight clothing, or naked draped on furniture next to fully dressed men are so common in advertising you have to consciously try to notice them.
But salaciously posed men showing off their body in advertising (wearing a full suit does NOT count, we're talking skin or tight clothing here) is still relatively uncommon.
Noting the obvious promotion opportunity, the men's clothing company Father & Son has tapped into the market of men wearing extremely form hugging outfits in their ads, and it was inspired countless threads full of hilarious roasting online.
If you spend any time on their page you'll quickly notice that all the clothing is tight, and all the men are jacked. This is not a mistake, one of their regular models, Shaun Rez is a body builder who boasts less than 5% body fat (that is literally on his Instagram bio).
Needless to say, Rez and his fellow models have been the targets for endless roast jokes on the Father & Sons Facebook page, and a recent thread really takes it to the next level.
A recent bust by the FBI revealed that the college admissions process might not be the beacon of integrity used in selecting the world's best and brightest teenagers for coveted spots in school might not be as fair as previously thought.
Nothing ruins the perception that college students are smart like hearing what college students say, and Overheard University has that covered.
Pretty much any time someone voices their opinion about tipping unless it's: "tip everyone 20% always, more if you can," there's going to be a war on the internet.
The main reason so many people are passionate about this subject is because nearly everyone has at some point or another worked in a service job. There's a universal sympathy to the feeling of getting screamed at for forgetting a diet coke, smelling like a fryer all the time, and getting touched inappropriately when you're just trying to pay rent. Unless you were born wealthy and flew directly into your dream career, you probably had to live on tips at some point.
Tipping is important in the United States because tipped employees make less than minimum wage per hour to compensate for the amount they're paid in tips. That being said, if servers did earn minimum wage or over, the cost of your dinner at every restaurant would go up, putting many restaurants out of business. Plus, I can't think of a single bartender or server who would be chill with babysitting drunk people and working twelve hour shifts on their feet without a break for minimum wage. So, when CNBC ran this video of a "tipping trick" that is essentially just a new way to stiff waiters, people were not pleased.
While there are plenty of people who don't even bother to tip 18%, the problem with the video is that it encourages good tippers (anyone who regularly tips 20% on the post-tax total) to tip less. There are so many other ways to cut corners in your budget, why would giving the people who had to watch your awkward Tinder date be the solution?
1.
This simple tipping trick could mean you're a sack of shit
If you need to save $400 a year so badly that you have to fuck over your server I have a real hot tip for you!
Don't go out to eat.
— QZARtv (Kyoo-Zarr Tee-Vee) (@QZARChannel13) April 9, 2019
9.
Nice! Also pushing down old ladies and stealing the change in their wallets could earn you up to $385/year! Gotta be on the lookout for these important tips on how to be the fucking worst.
Except when a gratuity has already been added, I just multiply the final, post-tax total by 1.2 and round up to the nearest whole dollar. Because I’m not trying to squeeze four hundred bucks out of the hands of servers a dollar at a time.
— 𝔾𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦🧚🏼♂️ (@Gayer_Than_Thou) April 8, 2019
11.
If you want to save fucking money then skip a dessert or two but fucking over servers that make 2-4 dollars an hour on pre tax is total bullshit.
servers make between $2 & $4 an hour, sometimes less. tips make up the difference, ensuring servers make at least minimum wage. when they don’t, the company pays (tip credit). when the company pays, they cut back on servers/hours, which in turn makes your experience worse.
when you step into a restaurant, the financial choices you make aren’t just yours anymore. you’re responsible for giving a shit about your fellow worker, the people who make your food, and the person who seated you. if you’re not up for that responsibility, stay home & fuck off.
I’m sorry, in this situation you’re spending nearly $250 a week at restaurants and your “trick” is to be a cheap-ass to your waitstaff? Here’s a better idea: skip dessert. Better yet: skip the whole restaurant and go to a food truck or get takeout instead.
For the folks who have means, remember that your 20% tip can end up being 12% for the waiter after they tip out other staff. That's why, if you can afford it, tip 25-30%
The “how to tip less” guy reminds me of so many awful stand up bits I’ve seen where the premise is “Here’s how you can STICK IT to service industry people, the REAL enemy!” One is the worst comics I’ve ever seen had one of these bits. It was his big closer.
This glib fuck advertising being cheap without “looking cheap” plus Lizzie Post with her pre tax tipping should have their photos posted in the kitchens of every restaurant on earth. https://t.co/z9A1CJgUPF
The United States Congress is having a normal one.
The House Judiciary Committee is hosting a hearing on Hate Crimes and the Rise of White Nationalism. How big an issue is extremism on the internet? It's such a big issue that the hearing about hate speech was immediately inundated with hate speech.
House Judiciary Cmte. hearing Tuesday about the rise of white nationalism unleashed a wave of online hate speech, prompting YouTube to turn off chats on livestreams of the hearing. https://t.co/aWdtI8Zwzy
The Democrats in the majority invited witnesses including Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha, whose two daughters and son-in-law were murdered in an anti-Muslim hate crime. Republicans, on their end, brought in InfoWars alumna and fan of Hitler's early work, Candace Owens.
For those lucky enough to be unfamiliar with who this "Candace Owens" person is, she is like the Tomi Lahren of Omarosas. She a conservative political commentator the New Zealand terrorist called his biggest influence and BFFs with Don Jr., which does, in fact, make her an expert on hate crimes.
Congressman Ted Lieu, an extremely online representative from California, was openly upset about his Republican colleagues making a mockery of what should be an important hearing by inviting a professional Twitter troll.
Lieu tweeted out a link to the time when Owens defended Hitler's domestic policies of Making Germany Great Again, even though those policies involved exterminating Jews.
In Congressional hearings, the minority party gets to select its own witnesses. The @GOP picked Candace Owens to testify in @HouseJudiciary hearing later this morning. This is what she has said:
"If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, okay fine." https://t.co/CwtLW1NDWg
"If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, okay fine. The problem is ... he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalize. He wanted everybody to be German," she told an audience in London in February.
Call me old fashioned, but I think that "the problem" with Hitler wasn't that he had international ambitions—it's that he was committing genocide.
Lieu played the clip at the hearing and Owens was not happy.
.@RepTedLieu plays recording of Candace Owens: "I don't know Ms. Owens. I'm not going to characterize her. I'm going to let her own words do the talking. So, I'm going to play for you the first 30 seconds of a statement she made about Adolf Hitler." pic.twitter.com/xiilLBUIwF
Owens attempted to defend herself by accusing Rep. Lieu of anti-black bias, which is precisely the kind of thing that she would have slammed a leftist for doing.
Candace Owens: "I think it's pretty apparent that Mr. Lieu believes that black people are stupid and will not pursue the full clip…That was unbelievably dishonest…I'm deeply offended by the insinuation of revealing that clip without the question that was asked of me." pic.twitter.com/UioMSZK93d
Either highlights of Owens appearance with the world's finest legislative body include lying about Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy and making the GOP happy with her commitment to "triggering the libs."
Candace Owens calls the GOP’s Southern Strategy “a myth.” It’s not a myth. In 2005, RNC chairman Ken Mehlman even apologized for it to the NAACP national convention and said it was “wrong.” pic.twitter.com/gLVr68ySjK
"Do any other american high schoolers have intense survivor’s guilt and trauma with school shootings even though they weren’t at your school?" wrote Butchtj.
The full post lays out in detail how the looming threat of gun violence affects student life from all sides, the physical to the psychic to the emotional.
"Like. A laser tag place opened geared towards teenagers and it got no business, we tried to enjoy it but when someone pointed a laser machine gun at me and I instinctively dropped behind the nearest wall and reached to turn off my phone I cried, I wasn’t the only one. The announcements system turns on at an unexpected time and everyone holds their breath until they say something besides “locks, lights, out of sight,” nobody even jokingly pops chip bags anymore, a door slammed really loud during a class change and everyone dropped and ran. Everyone cries during drills, even the toughest ranch kids."
"Every drill comes with a full day of teachers crying and telling us that they love us all so much and will die for us, and every kid in every class looking around wondering who would I die for? Who would die for me? You walk to the bathroom and wonder every second if it happens right now, where will I go? You test supply closet doors to see which ones are unlocked, you memorize which furniture in the teachers’ lounge your English teacher says is light enough to barricade a door with. The fire alarm goes off and nobody moves, instead you wait for gunshots—it a trap? You stand with a group of freshmen and realize that you’re the oldest, you know you’ll have to die for them."
"You forget your ID tag and worry that now the police won’t be able to tell your parents if you’re safe, or not safe. Your stats teacher has a baseball bat by the door, your math teacher keeps a stapler under each desk to throw, your drama teacher asks who will be willing to stand by the non-locking door with the Shakespearean swords. Your yearbook teacher tells you don’t worry about breaking a camera because you heard about the kids who died holding them. You don’t use the bathroom during classes because you don’t want to be the only target to shoot at."
"You keep your phone on silent 24/7 because you worry the one time you forget will be when you get your whole US History class killed. You have a snap saved with your class schedule and school and full name to send in an instant to your internet friends so they know if you were on that wing, you have a note saved with the things you want your mom to know and the things you’re sorry for. At the age of 12 I was told I needed to know who I would die for and that it was okay if it was nobody, that was my decision to make. School shootings control us more than adults and non-Americans could possibly imagine and nobody moves to change anything unless we’re actively screaming for it. Have you considered we’re too scared?"
The post made its way to Twitter, when the journalist Sophie Warnes posted it on her timeline.
People detailed the PTSD suffered by survivors, and how many can't function in school anymore.
I will always rememer my 10th grade english prof telling us how he would lead us out, with him going first, so he would take the first bullet and we could have an extra second to run.
I feel nervous whenever i walk to my uni classes now, 4 years later, bc of how exposed we are
I know a survivor of MSD and she had to move to homeschool. She could not make it through a single drill after they re-opened campus. She'll never have a prom or homecoming, it's been taken from her forever and we still do nothing.
Teachers wrote about how they approach their job with a constant fear and vigilance for the existential safety of their students.
As a teacher, much of this runs through my mind. My classroom is close to the front doors; it would most likely be the second classroom targeted. Would I have time to close the door and hide with my kids? No, probably not.
I’m a middle school librarian and they are remodeling our school. The architect asked us all for ideas in the design and my first thought was how do I pull thirty blinds for all the windows WHEN there is a shooter. Not if.
People from other countries chimed in with their horror at witnessing how American legislators prize NRA money over human life.
That was probably one of the most shocking things I've read. I feel so sorry for anyone who has to go through that. I will repeat in part something from an earlier comment in my timeline. America is the only country that needs guns to protect itself from itself.
Watching all of this madness happen to kids over so many instances that have driven people over the edge. Then in stark juxtaposition to how New Zealand responded to their recent tragedy, breaks my heart for America.
It's insane. When I was 14, I got caught up in one of the few mass shootings (not in a school) in the UK. We had a few. Gun controls were tightened. Then tightened again. And again. Offhand we've had 5 in total I think. Living like this is just unimaginable. And unnecessary.
I remember Dunblaine. Horrific. Everyone in UK supported the handgun ban after that.The NRA is the reason this hasn't happened in the states. Too much money and power. I feel very sorry that American kids have to live this way.
The obvious solution to this ongoing mass violence would be implementing stricter gun laws. But sadly, at this point, it feels like nothing will wake up the money grubbing representatives taking blood money from the NRA.
Burger King has pulled a recent ad after it came under fire for being racially insensitive towards Asian customers. Naturally, as with any backlash towards a brand, the statement they issued in response sparked an online dialogue between people with dramatically different interpretations of the ad.
The ad itself shows customers eating a new "Vietnamese Sweet Chili Tender Crisp Burger" with gigantic oversized chopsticks. The Instagram caption for the ad read: Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City.
Many of the detractors of the ad felt the use of the large chopsticks was meant as a visual punchline mocking Asian food customs.
So this is the new Burger King ad for a “Vietnamese” burger ok coolcoolcoolcoolcool CHOPSTICKS R HILARIOUS right omg etc 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃pic.twitter.com/zVD8CN04Wc
Who the hell came up with this? There are a lot of Asian people in NZ, though they probably aren’t getting their Vietnamese food from Burger King 🤢https://t.co/XSGYX7IVBR
Not long after, Burger King opted to remove the ad and issued an official apology statement.
.@BurgerKing has apologized for its @instagram video about people eating a burger with chopsticks, saying the ad was "insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion." pic.twitter.com/pUEFJivlZc
It's worth noticing though, that the people most confused by how it could be construed as hacky racism are white people, and the ad was lazy marketing regardless. Either way, it's off the internet now and they're on to the next concept.
Learning how to deal with and talk about mental health has been a rather taboo topic up until very recently. Finally, we are opening a dialogue about mental illness, and allowing people to feel less alone. However, there's still a lot of work to be done.
A Special Ed teacher had the amazing idea of introducing mental health check-ins with her students via a chart. This way, kids are taught how to address and express their feelings regarding mental health from a young age. Genius!
Here's how the chart works: every week students take a sticky note and write their names on the back of it. Then, they place it on the chart, either under "I'm great," "I'm okay," I'm meh," "I'm struggling,"I'm having a tough time and wouldn't mind a check-in," and, "I'm not doing great." Then, the teacher meets with her students individually, based on where they placed their sticky note. This way, they don't have to show their classmates their responses, but they do learn to share and feel safe with someone.
Naturally, this idea went viral. The Suicide Awareness/Prevention Facebook page even posted about it.
The post got 15k likes and 175k shares. Plus, people chimed in with their praise, as well as with additional ideas.
Maybe this could be used on a staff room notice board for teachers to have a check in !!!!!!!
I started this in my classroom this week! Super powerful to be able to touch base with kids.. we check in morning, noon, and before they leave. I can track if their day gets better or worse and have conversations
I wish managers and employers did this. Sometimes we are not okay... which means maybe my head space isn’t focused on work. It’s not an excuse it’s a real and we need more employers help remove the stigma.
I do mental health check-ins with students on tests & quizzes. It's a simple question or two....something like..."What's been the best & worst part of your week? Explain why..." I make it worth their time to answer so most provide ample info. Even when a student doesn't give much info...well, that also speaks volumes!
As these comments show, exercises like this are great for students, but could and should be implemented in places outside of the classroom as well. Let's all make a point to check in with everyone about their mental health!
You know that things are well and good when the Republicans' expert witness in a hearing about the rise of white nationalism and hate crimes is Candace Owens, a glorified YouTuber cited in a recent mass murderer's manifesto.
Congressman Ted Lieu, Democrat from California, took the opportunity to introduce some of Owens' greatest hits into the Congressional record, which include a hot take about Hitler.
.@RepTedLieu plays recording of Candace Owens: "I don't know Ms. Owens. I'm not going to characterize her. I'm going to let her own words do the talking. So, I'm going to play for you the first 30 seconds of a statement she made about Adolf Hitler." pic.twitter.com/xiilLBUIwF
"If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, okay fine. The problem is ... he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalize. He wanted everybody to be German," she said all the way back in February.
Owens was not happy to hear her own words, as said by her, insisting that the exact recording has been taken out of context, and that she's not a Nazi, she's just an idiot.
Lieu's move of pulling out his phone and rolling the clip instantly inspired a meme.
“I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake.”
– Lewis Black
Grab the biggest cup of coffee you can get your hands on and get ready to laugh at these hilariously random memes. These bad boys are like caffeine for your sense of humor. If you don't laugh at this list, you need to get your funny bone checked out by a doctor. Just saying.
Some men just want to watch the world burn...and people would rather that those men NOT use their intellectual property for their propaganda videos.
President Donald Trump, the very stable genius behind "space force" and Game of Thrones memes of himself introduced another juvenile fantasy to is repertoire: a movie trailer starring him as Batman, featuring the score from The Dark Knight Rises and the very same font.
The president's tweet, indistinguishable from a Reddit bro's, said "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" followed by the sizzle reel. According to BuzzFeed, the video itself was, of course, lifted from Reddit.
The now-unavailable video said, "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they call you a racist. Donald J. Trump. Your vote. Proved them all wrong. Trump: The Great Victory. 2020."
It also featured images of the president's enemies: President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Amy Schumer (?) and Rosie O'Donnell (???), a truly inspiring campaign video for our tumultuous times. If you're aching for Trump-Dark Knight Rises content, the bane of our existence lives on in this mashup of his inaugural address.
The Dark Knight rises is the hero we deserve, and the one we need right now.
Back in early December the Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland was bullied off Twitter after she posted a GoFundMe link for the funeral costs of her 14-year-old cousin, who was killed by a drunk driver. Many of her fans (and critics) claimed it was tacky for her to post a GoFundMe when she has a net worth of $14 million. After receiving such callous backlash in the face of her cousin's death, Hyland decided to take a social media break.
You guys finally did it. Your horrible negative ignorant words have broken me. Happy? Staying offline for a while. I have a special announcement and video releasing on Wednesday I believe. So. There’s that. ✌🏼
Well now, her costar Ariel Winter is experiencing similar treatment on Twitter after posting a GoFundMe for her cousin Tino who has been hospitalized with Haemophilus Influenzae, and needs money for medical and living expenses.
💔 this is my cousin Tino. If you can, please consider donating to his recovery fund. Anything helps. I love him so much 💔https://t.co/8Sx6R08RAr
As with Hyland, a lot of people on Twitter have asked why Winter can't foot most of the bill herself, particularly when most of her fans make less money.
No offense but like you obviously have the money if not all of it some of it to help your cousin so why are you asking your fans for the money
Winter has been responding to a lot of the criticism, pointing out how rude it is to make assumptions about money and how she is and isn't helping at a time like this.
Thanks for your shitty response to my sick cousin. What makes you think I’m not? Love assumptions! BTW— if someone isn’t able to donate, then I absolutely wouldn’t want them to. His friend created the gofundme so I will of course share for my cousin like anyone else would. ✌🏼
And I hope all the sheep see this and throw all the hate they can because I guarantee they are complete idiots and can't fathom to win against me in an argument. Your current net worth is $12 million and by statistics each episode of modern family you were taking in 250k-500k
Where did you get that info? A reputable source? Must not have been because neither of those things are true facts. I responded the way I did because this is a difficult time for my cousin and our whole family and it just adds more pain when someone is incredibly insensitive.
Winter shared that she was both shocked and hurt to receive so many critical messages after posting about her sick cousin. She also noted that the GoFundMe was not the only way she, and the rest of the family, was helping, but just one of the tools.
My family will continue doing everything we can for him (which shouldn’t even be a question) outside of gofundme as well. Criticizing someone when a family member is ill or has suffered a tragedy is horrible. Especially when someone has no idea what’s happening in our real lives.
It does appear that the pressure from fans got to her on some level, beyond emotionally, because soon after the comments started rolling in she donated $5,000. However, that still wasn't enough to a lot of people.
she did $5,000
— timmy misses sabrina (@angeleyessab) April 9, 2019
Half hour after being called out. Well done. It’s still 5% of her salary per episode she makes. But still good on her for that much 👍🏻
After receiving a large amount of backlash in a short amount of time, Winter posted another tweet expressing discouragement at the callous way she was treated.
I’m shocked at how many people have sent me hate tweets about my cousin instead of a simple, kind message showing him some love and support. Nothing else needed to be done aside from that. I re-posted a gofundme that my cousin’s friend made just as anyone else would. Hurtful.
You ever see a clapback so good you can feel the pain of the person on the receiving end? If not, don't fret, because we hav a perfect example for you. On the Reddit page "Murdered by Words," people post examples of people getting -- you guessed it -- murdered by words. In a recent post, Reddit user guimarba posted a thread in which an anti-vaxxer got absolutely annihilated by someone who knew facts. Like, to the point where I'm wondering if there's a vaccine that this anti-vaxxer can take so they don't experience this level of dragging again.
Here is the thread:
As you can imagine, the people in the comments section were poppin' off for this one.
WW_Returns pointed out this person's impeccable typing abilities:
Now that is some passion for science, I wouldn't be able to type anywhere near as much as that fellow in response to such ignorance. Well done!
On Tuesday night Chrissy Teigen and John Legend snagged themselves floor seats at a Miami Heat game. While they likely expected to chill out and watch athletes show off their hard-earned skills, their attendance quickly turned into a meme after player Dwayne Wade crashed into them during the game.
Please, take a moment of your day to appreciate this pure artistry, the likes of which Teigen naturally retweeted for her followers to appreciate.
Since the picture is truly a piece of art, and seamlessly bridges the gap between iconic Renaissance painting and endless meme potential, it wasn't long before it blew up on Twitter and showed its limitless potential.
Since there are so many people in the photo, all with priceless facial expressions, some of the best meme iterations involve deep zooms into the personal chaos of each player in this picture.
This is essentially the hydra of memes, a photo that can be cut up and multiply into even more specific and brilliant jokes. Truly, a mythological gift to the internet, when it comes to candids that express the absurdity of being a person.