# I quit my job and I end up in the cuckoo's nest! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 6, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069 "2009-07-06T13:29:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/201 "2009-07-13T16:05:35Z")
We have a few women in my office that have broke down, freaked out or been in tears. We have had many men end up in loud inappropriate screaming matches with others in the office. We had a least one woman also get into a screaming match with her boss and actually storm out. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/202 "2009-07-13T16:15:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I have never worked with a woman who didn’t **do something I’d describe as “freaking out”** at work once or twice a year. > > It’s **more difficult to define a male freakout**. Slamming your fist into a desk? Yelling at a subordinate? Maybe you’re freaking out, maybe you’re just frustrated. (Bolding mine.) This may be a semantic and, yeah, probably sexist problem. ‘Freaking out’ suggests, to me, doing something highly disruptive and out of the norm in a somewhat relaxed setting. But if certain kinds of behavior are the norm in a workplace, however disruptive and aggressive (e.g. fist pounding, yelling 'til red in the face), they probably won’t be seen as ‘freaking out’… even if they should be. ETA All this to say we don’t have much to work with if no one knows how **Annie** defines a freak out. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/203 "2009-07-13T18:34:24Z")
Note that the OP’s standards for classifying something as a “workplace freakout” may differ sustantially from the standards used by other posters here. Until she can clarify this a bit more we can’t know just how bad her freakouts were on an objective basis. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/204 "2009-07-13T21:21:33Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Look, all I’m saying is that every female I’ve worked with has burst into tears at some point. If women always seem to end up crying in your presence you might want to spend some time on self-reflection. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/205 "2009-07-13T21:30:46Z")
I think we can all agree that [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyz9pZN-DDA&feature=email) constitutes a workplace freak-out. I’m betting that **Annie** ’s incident was nothing on this scale. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/206 "2009-07-13T22:25:55Z")
I’d agree with that, but at the same time, it was enough for the police to take her in, and I’m going to assume that the freak-out that earned her the cuffs was on par with the hundreds of others at the office. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/207 "2009-07-14T13:30:34Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > We have a few women in my office that have broke down, freaked out or been in tears. We have had many men end up in loud inappropriate screaming matches with others in the office. We had a least one woman also get into a screaming match with her boss and actually storm out. Worst I’ve ever seen at my workplace was two female secretaries who got into an actual fist-fight. Ended with both fired and police investigating (no charges were laid). Can’t say as there is a higher incidence of “freak-out” among women than men in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/208 "2009-07-14T14:14:02Z")
Where the fuck do you people work? I had one mentally unstable boss years ago who used to berate staff, but she was dealt with by the Board of Directors as soon as they got wind of it. I can’t imagine working in a place where this is just par for the course. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/209 "2009-07-14T14:16:49Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Where the fuck do you people work? I had one mentally unstable boss years ago who used to berate staff, but she was dealt with by the Board of Directors as soon as they got wind of it. I can’t imagine working in a place where this is just par for the course. Heh. I should mention that in all the freakouts I described, the freakeroutter lost the job with the month. In some cases it was within the hour. I certainly agree: if the freakout is disrupting the work of the organization, the employee doesn’t really need a second chance, let alone a two hundredth chance. I’d likely leave a job in which a coworker was freaking out on a monthly basis. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/210 "2009-07-14T14:53:17Z")
I am female and an emotional, sensitive female to boot, and I have _never_ freaked out in the office and I resent the idea that it’s a female thing, somehow. No one has ever seen me cry at work, and hopefully no one ever will! ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/211 "2009-07-14T15:09:10Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Where the fuck do you people work? I had one mentally unstable boss years ago who used to berate staff, but she was dealt with by the Board of Directors as soon as they got wind of it. I can’t imagine working in a place where this is just par for the course. As I said, those secretaries _were_ dealt with - they were fired. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/212 "2009-07-15T00:24:48Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > As I said, those secretaries _were_ dealt with - they were fired. Well, yes, I probably should have excluded you from my question. I just find it odd that there are so many workplaces where people are freaking out to this degree. I kind of would have liked to have been a fly on the wall at your place, though. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/213 "2009-07-16T00:07:41Z")
[workplace freak-out](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tJjNVVwRCY) ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/214 "2009-07-16T01:56:38Z")
Thanks for reminding me of [this one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyHiqJ-n61Q) ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/215 "2009-07-16T13:05:26Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I saw a program yesterday on a new and exciting problem for employees. Companies are accusing their employees of going crazy and attempting to commit them. That puts them in the position of proving they are not . How big a problem is that? It was big enough for a cable station to report on it. Is that what happened in this case? I do not know, but I would not be so dismissive of her explanation. I had a company try to pull something similar on me once. I returned the favor by turning around and shutting down the company. Dozens of people lost their jobs, several people lost their houses, and the owner’s life was ruined beyond repair. One of my fondest memories of the incident was one of my former coworkers calling me one evening and telling me that “Steve (the owner) broke down and started crying at my deposition today.” Moral of the story: if you’re going to have disgruntled employees, fer God’s sake \*don’t \*be involved in any criminal activity. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/216 "2009-07-16T13:15:20Z")
Oh, do share the story with the rest of the class, Washoe. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/217 "2009-07-16T13:32:57Z")
[Conicidentally relevant thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=524622). ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/218 "2009-07-16T14:23:22Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Oh, do share the story with the rest of the class, Washoe. It would take too long to explain, so here’s the 2-minute disco version: the company was at death’s door. They were $29 million in debt and only had about $8 million in real assets, including all accounts receivable. So in a last-ditch effort to save the company, they tried to defraud an asset based lender into extending them a $35 million revolver using fake collateral. One night they got into my face about something stupid, so I told them to go fuck themselves and walked out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t resist the urge to shoot my mouth off, so as a parting salvo I gave them the 411 on how I felt about bank fraud and what its possible attendant penalties were. They called the cops and told them that I was going to come back and shoot them. The cops showed up at my door _two weeks later_ and asked me if I were planning to shoot them. I told them that that would only occur if they shot at me first. Despite the fact that the cops couldn’t help but notice an AR-15 with a 30-round clip sitting on my coffee table in case just such an event occurred, they accepted my assurances that I would only return fire, not initiate it. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/219 "2009-07-17T01:32:15Z")
Oh, lovely. Worst I could have ever done is turn someone in to the BSA for massive pirated software, but I never did. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069/220 "2009-07-22T00:01:08Z")
[sigh] I keep checking in to see if there’s news… But I’d settle for more details of Washoe’s Workplace Without Shame. Did you indeed blow a whistle on them? To the lender? And I’d love to hear what they got in your face about-- hoping it’s something petty, so they could reflect later and think “If only we hadn’t gotten pissy about Washoe’s Dogs Playing Poker tie, we might still have careers”. Good for you! Revenge is sweet, but Justice is even better. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-quit-my-job-and-i-end-up-in-the-cuckoos-nest/502069.md?page=12)