Rules are in place for reason, obviously.
But did you ever think about how they originated?
When Redditor Ryyi23 asked, "What oddly specific rules have you seen that are probably only there because someone actually did it in the past?" Redditors responded with their various anecdotes.
Examples included a new rule for a company Christmas party where an extra pair of pants were required; and another that forbade roller skates...inside a lab.
So the next time you're disciplined for breaking the rules, remember there was someone who came before you who may have suffered worse consequences.
Swabs
"In rehab our cottons swabs were taken away because a guy decided to jam one into his eardrum to get sent to the hospital and get painkillers. Every seemingly dumb rule we had in there had a backstory to it."
– itsvic27
When On Zoom
"Since Covid and things going digital, we now have a 'You must wear clothes' rule...and we already had a pretty casual dress code."
Just In Case
"Last year's company Christmas party email specifically stated to bring an extra pair of pants if you will be urinating in the first pair."
Because Of Drunk Roommates
"I had the same Biology professor for Bio I and II."
"Because of me, the Bio II power point included a new excuse that wouldn't be accepted for missing/late work: 'My drunk room mates threw it out while cleaning!'"
No More Makeshift Roller Derby
"Absolutely no roller skates in the lab"
"My husband worked for a private lab startup and half the women there did roller derby. The lab was (as many are) a repurposed warehouse with nice smooth concrete floors. One of the women thought it would be fun to skate between machines. She got a lot done but the boss figured osha wouldn't be too thrilled so the sign went up a few days later."
"You could still wear your skates in the break room."
No More Kitchens In The Sky
"On an AirFrance flight from Morocco to Mauritania, the flight attendant gave the safety brief in French at first. My french is not good but my ears pricked up when I heard the words 'feu de camp.' I obviously discounted my translation as misunderstanding the brief until she went into the brief in English."
"We were given the standard safety brief on all aircraft, but at the end we were specifically reminded that there are to be no cooking or camp fires lit on the plane at any time."
"Can you imagine your seat mate getting hungry and deciding to start a fire on an airplane to cook up some snacks?!?!?"
No Butts About It
"Pharmacy worker here. We have to specify to unwrap suppositories BEFORE insertion. Apparently someone thought the foil was part of it."
Dough-Not Think About It
"My father's hometown, Marion, Ohio, had a rule that you couldn't eat a donut while walking backwards. If I remember correctly, it had something to do with attracting police horses to lure them away from the police."
Used Tampon Warning
"In my lease, I had a clause to properly dispose of my used tampons."
"I asked why and apparently my landlord had a tenant that caused $50,000 of damage because she threw her used tampons into the cabinet under the sink. She rented the apartment for years and there were 3+ years worth of used, bloody tampons in there."
"The, uh, blood caused a bunch of damage akin to water damage to the bathoom. The floor under the cabinet was rotted through. From bloody tampon storage."
@islamoradalover/Bluesky
@hillbillybluedog/Bluesky
