Yes, You Are The Asshole

[GeauxHomeLittleD]

Like many people I have become addicted to Reddit's "Am I the Asshole?". If you are unfamiliar it is a place where people tell their stories and ask that eternal question. Some are genuine in the questioning of their situation while others sugar coat their stories to sway opinion in their favor. Personally I just like the drama, especially since I am safely uninvolved as an anonymous reader.

Why do so many seek the judgement of internet strangers? The answers can be varied but my opinion is only this: Yes, you are the asshole!

We are all the asshole in someone's story. We are all the villain in someone's mind. None of us are perfect- not a single one. No matter how we frame our story in the other guy's story we are evil. I have learned to accept this. No matter how good of a person I think I am from someone else's perspective I am the bad guy. This is true of ALL of us.

The next time you feel all self-righteous and indignant please remember that you too are the asshole in somebody's story, maybe just as much as they are the asshole in yours.

Enjoy your Mother's Day weekend, Rogues! I'll be over here just being an asshole!

[OmegaLogos]

Explanation: Yes, I agree with that! 

Personal Disclosure: Here is one of my favorite songs of all time ...



Cheers

[Ninurta]

My personal opinion is that if one has to wonder on an internet forum whether or not he or she is the asshole, then they are doing assholeship all wrong! If there is a doubt in anyone's mind, including their own, then they just need to go back to Asshole School for a refresher course!

.

[GeauxHomeLittleD]

My personal opinion is that if one has to wonder on an internet forum whether or not he or she is the asshole, then they are doing assholeship all wrong! If there is a doubt in anyone's mind, including their own, then they just need to go back to Asshole School for a refresher course!

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I was raised to embrace my inner asshole, seems like most people are in a state of denial. 

As much as my father and I had a love/hate relationship one of the things I always respected about him was that any time my sister or I called him an asshole he would always respond with "HEY! Show some respect for your elders! That Is MISTER ASSHOLE to you!" He owned that shit!

[Ninurta]

I tried to embrace my Inner Asshole, but that Inner Asshole bitch-slapped me and told me to back the hell off.

My Dear Old Dad was Sir Asshole, Black Knight of the Hillbilly Realm, a title which I inherited upon his demise.

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[Michigan Swamp Buck]

My inner asshole must have hemorrhoids because it's getting very irritated lately. Is there any Preparation H or doughnut seat for my inner asshole?

[727Sky]

Supposedly the two people who were not assholes; one was crucified and the other was poisoned.. So like all things dealing with people, it is a matter of perspective on what makes one an asshole as one country's terrorist is another country's freedom fighter...

[xuenchen]

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Why do so many seek the judgement of internet strangers? The answers can be varied but my opinion is only this: Yes, you are the asshole!

I never understood that rationale either. Even worse, today people are now asking AI the same question.
Today is World Donkey Day so good timing on the post.

[EndtheMadnessNow]

ETA:

[FCD]

I've stumbled into the AITA sub on Reddit before.  A little too much fake / self-induced drama for me, but I did have one observation while reading some of the posts there.  

It seemed to me that it would be interesting to get a psychiatrist's take on the mentality of some on that sub.  From what I could see, it seemed like there were two types of people who post there.  One of them is obvious enough in society today, and this is the narcissist.  The person who thinks the whole world revolves around them, but when they discover it may not, then they have to do a reality check on someplace like AITA to feel good about themselves (again).  No real need for a psychiatrist there; we see these types of people every day and they are what they are (i.e. the asshole).  It was the second general type of person, the person who actively wants to be viewed as the asshole, whom I found interesting.  These persons will go to great lengths to paint themselves as the asshole, including constructing obviously fake tales about scenarios which never happened (except maybe in their mind's).  It's like they look forward to a bunch of complete strangers on the Interwebz calling them the "asshole"; it makes them feel good in some twisted way.

I suppose there is probably a 3rd type of person there also, and this is the person who is in some situation where they genuinely don't know if they are the one being the asshole or not, but not much to see there unless you like the run of the mill Ann Landers style drama (which millions do).  In any case, it's that 2nd kind of person which I think would be interesting to understand better.  On the one hand, you could view it in a similar fashion to people who want to be the submissive, or "bottom", in a sexual relationship.  But, on the other hand, there must be some who get off on being a dick all the time, or whom see some sort of positive achievement in behaving in that manner. They go on AITA to see if they need to adjust the 'throttle' on their asshole-ishness.  Maybe to impress their friends / colleagues, or maybe it gives them some kind of ego boost somehow, I don't know, but it seems very 'broken' to me.  It would be interesting to know if this is a permanent character flaw, or if this desire is just circumstantial.

Anyway, I just thought I'd point this out.  I don't have any answers other than this is something I observed after I had accidentally stumbled into that sub while cruising the toxic reddit (something I try to avoid).

Cheers!