We all know you clicked this story looking for Karens karening the Karen. Let it never be said that I don't give the people what they want.
One Reddit user asked:
What is the most inoffensive thing you've seen someone get offended by?
Yup. It was a Karenfest in the comments. We picked out some of our "favorite" moments to share with you and ... fam ... things got rough. We're going to start with a driver who got offended that her passengers wore seatbelts. Starting. We're starting there. Imagine where it goes if that's where we're starting.
Imagine where it goes if that's where it starts!
Seatbelts Save Lives
One time someone got offended when I put on my seatbelt, thought I was commenting on her ability to drive.
Same thing happened to me! The Uber driver said "Do you wear your seatbelt when you're with your dad?"
I said "Yes"
- EMPIRES
Same thing happened to me. My uncle was driving and giving me grief over wearing my seat belt. He hit a patch of ice and fishtailed a bit right afterward. I still haven't let him live that down.
Formal Cell Phone Calls
shocked big sean GIFGiphyMaybe 22 years ago, I had a phone interview with a baking company. I didn't care to have my peers know what I was up to so I took the call on my cell phone in my car. The call was crystal clear and no technical issues.
At one point, they had mentioned the weather and asked how it was where I was. I told him that I was sitting in my car and I could see that it was actively snowing and what not. The interviewer asked me, "are you taking this call on a cell phone?" I told him I was. Then he asked me if I thought that was appropriate.
I asked him what he meant by that. He said he thought it was kind of rude to take a formal call on a cell phone. I told him I would be more than happy to conclude the interview if talking on a cell phone was an issue. If he was interested, I'd be happy to continue it the next day when I'd be at a desk.
He again repeated how rude he thought it was that I had called from a cell phone and that there was no need to continue the interview process. I disagreed with the first point but did agree with the second.
To this day, I wonder what the hell he was talking about and where he was coming from.
Religious Implications
While working tech support back during the dot com boom I had a customer get upset with me over the use of the word "icon". He said it had religious implications and he insisted I call Windows icons "little picture things"
Man this reminded me of the time my dad stopped my sister and I from using the word "awesome" to describe anything except for religious things. Because only god can do truly awesome things.
This reminds me of when I worked insurance and was telling our customer why I believed we were a great value. "Stop saying 'I believe'! That's for talking about God and Jesus Christ!"
Pretty Penmanship
When I was a child, my mum paid for something with a cheque. The cashier remarked that my mum had nice hand writing My mum flew off the handle, and we had to storm out of the shop in outrage.
To this day, I have no idea what happened.
- mozgw4
That's Not How Genetics Work
Had someone get offended by me calling my brother "bro". They insisted that I was racist and that white people can't be related to Mexicans.
Like seriously lady. That's not how genetics work. We are 100% related and are a mix of white and Native American. Its not that unheard of for one biological sibling to come out lighter or darker than the other.
And even if we weren't related... Seriously? I'm racist for calling someone close to me my bro despite being different skin tones? Seriously?
Thank you for coming to my rant session. Have a good day.
Vegetarian Options
At my wedding we marked the vegetarian items as vegetarian. This made the one vegetarian at my wedding (sister in law who hates me) fly into a catatonic rage because we are singling out the vegetarian food as vegetarian and not treating it as normal food.
Then how the fck are people supposed to know its vegetarian?
Your sister in law sucks! As a vegetarian who knows many other vegetarians (and some people who are not vegetarian but have allergies to seafood and certain meats) everyone I know would be very happy with veggie foods being labeled as such.
Most of us don't want to have to ask and make a big deal of it. Your sister in law just chose something to rage about because she's a POS.
The correct response is (as a vegan myself): "Wow, thank you for considering me on your special day! Hope you have a wonderful marriage!"
I've gone to so many parties and weddings that didn't have a single veggie/vegan option and you know what, I just ate something before and after. It's not about you and it's totally awesome of the planners to think of alternative diets.
- TheWildTofuHunter
Sandwich Etiquette
A sandwich. I kid you not. My Ex husband was given a sandwich by our then 13 yr old daughter. Because she cut the sandwich, he went off on a massive strop about how his sandwiches should never be cut etc. The poor kids face, she was crushed. It still winds me up to no end every time I think about it.
WOW! I thought my... soon to be ex husband, was the only a-hole who did this. When we first moved in together, it was my "job" to make his lunches. I made him a sandwich and cut it in half and he flipped on me, that he wasn't a "child" and his coworkers would "make fun of" him. Like seriously? It's a SANDWICH.
My dad was like that, and got upset that I put mac and cheese in the left tray part of his favorite plate thing instead of the right— please get her into therapy if you haven't yet, lord knows I needed it.
Retardant
I once listened to my boss try to lecture the Fire Marshall because he was talking about something being flame retardant (her reasoning was you should just call it fireproof because retardant was an awful word.). It was one of those times where I really should have tried to stop her but instead I just stood off to the side probably making a surprised Pikachu face.
I got an angry call from a client at the vet hospital I used to work at. She was angry that the doctor had written in her dog's chart something along the lines of "chemotherapy has retarded the growth of the tumor". She was deeply offended that the vet called her dog retarded.
The funny thing, is fireproof and fire retardant have two different meanings also. If he said fire proof that may not even be accurate.
- Schtormo
Bacon
bacon GIFGiphyThis guy at a Halloween party I was at was dressed in a giant bacon costume.
Some girl was yelling at him for being so offensive toward Jews and Muslims (she was neither Jewish nor Muslim). One of the Muslim guys at the party asked her what the f*ck she was talking about but she didn't back down lol
I have no idea why people feel they need to go out of their way to be (inaccurately) offended on behalf of other cultures/religions
This is basically 80% of online/social media social justice discourse. It's usually a load of white people getting offended on behalf of whatever group they perceive is being slighted, regardless of whether said group gives a shit.
Unique Spelling
I told my my sister in a PM that it's "1st" not "1rst" after she posted something on Facebook with the spelling error. She flipped out saying how I'm a "bully" and I need to "appreciate that her spelling is more unique".
She's 27
From now on, send her daily lists in the form of;
Onest, Twost, Threed, Fourer, Fiver, Sex, Several, Ayt, Nein, Ten.
Don't even worry about the content. To-do lists, fun facts, your favourite foods by category. Go wild. Let her know you're turning Twaty-Nein soon and did she get you a cake? Absolutely go nuts with this, even if this story is a year old. You gotta.
- Raiquo
Tickle Time
I had a coworker who got mad at me because I asked her not to tickle me.
(a) That's inappropriate at work; (b) we're not children, we're not in a relationship, we're not family; (c) I DON'T LIKE BEING TICKLED.
She flipped out and said everyone likes being tickled and I was being mean to her. Happily my boss had my back.
This happened over a decade ago, I don't work with that woman or for that company. In fact, even the company doesn't exist anymore.
I am also a woman.
The coworker was very young and immature. This was her first job, her first time in a professional environment, and she really had no clue about professional workplace behavior. I wasn't upset because she truly thought she was being friendly.
But I still don't like being tickled.
- xelle24
Violent Imagery
I managed a small, new team that had no procedures or policies, so I set about instituting some. I told the team: "I mean, you never know, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and then no one would know how to process these requests."
Then I asked for their feedback and for them to write up how they did their tasks. We would then come back together and decide best practices in a meeting.
Little man filed a complaint to the manager for my use of "violent imagery" and said that he felt threatened. It was a whole thing. Ultimately, he got fired. Not just over this, but he was a legitimately terrible employee with real issues having a woman in charge. Fck him, byeeeeeeeee.
