# Worst thing you've done? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575 "2014-11-04T03:41:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Phu\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Phu\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phu_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/61 "2014-11-08T22:18:42Z")
Mr Jp, Taking $60 from that lady wasn’t “that bad”? You are kidding, right? What if that money was all she had left to feed her infant child with? Sure, she was careless, but if Grude has been a decent person after going thru her personal stuff, he’d have taken her wallet to her house. Taking something that isn’t yours I think is called stealing and possibly illegal. What’s the difference between taking the money out of a wallet and taking it out of her pocket? The effect is the same. Either way, these things have a way of catching up with you. Phu Cat ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/62 "2014-12-06T07:27:43Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I killed a man. > [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Just for snoring?..nope, wait, that was another guy. Just to watch him die. Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/63 "2014-12-06T23:47:35Z")
Strange, I can’t remember anything really bad I’ve ever done. And that inability to remember is the worst thing I’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/64 "2014-12-07T04:13:32Z")
This one still makes me feel so bad and makes me cringe. Picture it, I’m a freshman in high school but I am in sophomore geometry because I am a nerd and our father taught us algebra at home so I could. The geometry teacher was in his first year teaching at our small Catholic high school which had more than its share of cliques and snooty rich kids. My brother and I and a small motley band of nerds made up Math Club and he was the teacher in charge. Anyway, we were about his only fans all year as all the other kids turned on him and treated him really badly. He was really nice to us and a solid guy. Anyway, by the end of the year I too had turned my back on him. It was clear he wouldn’t be back for another year and when I turned my final in he said “Have a good summer” and I just ignored him and kept walking. I was one of the few people who was nice to him and who he should have been able to count on and I let myself betray him, and not even because anyone explicitly challenged me to. It makes me choke up to think about it now. ---
**Author:** ![sara20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@sara20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sara20)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/65 "2014-12-07T09:33:30Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > This one still makes me feel so bad and makes me cringe. Picture it, I’m a freshman in high school but I am in sophomore geometry because I am a nerd and our father taught us algebra at home so I could. The geometry teacher was in his first year teaching at our small Catholic high school which had more than its share of cliques and snooty rich kids. My brother and I and a small motley band of nerds made up Math Club and he was the teacher in charge. > > Anyway, we were about his only fans all year as all the other kids turned on him and treated him really badly. He was really nice to us and a solid guy. Anyway, by the end of the year I too had turned my back on him. It was clear he wouldn’t be back for another year and when I turned my final in he said “Have a good summer” and I just ignored him and kept walking. I was one of the few people who was nice to him and who he should have been able to count on and I let myself betray him, and not even because anyone explicitly challenged me to. It makes me choke up to think about it now. What made you turn against him? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/66 "2014-12-07T12:33:36Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > As I read your post, I could feel a whole lot of pain just lift off the page. It was as if recounting this experience released a whole bunch of pain and had some healing power. > > I’m just curious whether you felt anything similar to that when you wrote it? Well, I have always felt guilty about blaming the dog. I probably didn’t need to spread dog food smell on her stuff. I’m pretty sure that destructive dog would have destroyed her stuff on its own. And I was jealous of her- she was very cute and people ‘helped’ her out a whole lot, two things I didn’t have- which I didn’t like feeling. But I can’t say telling the story made me feel any better about it. The things I did to her were shitty and I don’t like that I acted that way. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/67 "2014-12-07T12:55:25Z")
Lots of things I dont care to mention. But one was a few years ago when we were driving to Florida and going thru the mountains in I think Kentucky. I was driving along and, not wanting to slow down, I passed a semi which clearly was having braking problems because his brakes were smoking and he was trying to vere off to the breakdown and “runaway truck” lane. But being an ass I zipped by him cutting him off from the lane. Man I felt like hell later and I dont know why I even did it. Normally I always give trucks a wide berth since I have relatives who are truck drivers but this one time I cut this poor guy off. I’m sure he made it safely to the breakdown lane but I still feel bad. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/68 "2014-12-07T18:07:39Z")
Mine is a crime of inaction. Twice this year I spotted pregnant women (one of whom I knew personally) smoking, and I didn’t say anything. I don’t know why; I was just frozen. The worst part is I grew up with a guy (a friend of my younger brother’s, whose parents got on well with mine) who has lived a difficult life of disability and related medical problems, almost surely because his parents smoke like chimneys. I hope the babies have turned out OK. ---
**Author:** ![Idilia\_Dubb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/69 "2014-12-07T22:12:00Z")
I was dating a guy. When I got the vibe he was about to dump me, I “confided” to the biggest blabbermouth in our social circle that he had a teeny-weenie little peenie. He did indeed break up with me, but word got around and he was humiliated. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/70 "2014-12-07T22:21:59Z")
> [@Lemmytheseal2](#): > > Mine is a crime of inaction. Twice this year I spotted pregnant women (one of whom I knew personally) smoking, and I didn’t say anything. I don’t know why; I was just frozen. The worst part is I grew up with a guy (a friend of my younger brother’s, whose parents got on well with mine) who has lived a difficult life of disability and related medical problems, almost surely because his parents smoke like chimneys. > > I hope the babies have turned out OK. You must be very passionate about the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/71 "2014-12-07T22:24:51Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > You must be very passionate about the subject. Why? Because I’m bothered by my inaction? I’m not sure if it’s the worst thing, but it’s the worst that I can think of right now. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/72 "2014-12-07T22:30:17Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > You must be very passionate about the subject. To be fair, there’s evidence that [smoking cigarettes is worse](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9618392) for fetal development than smoking crack. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/73 "2014-12-07T23:13:58Z")
Many years ago we sold our first house. Our buyer turned out to be an incredible pain in the ass, seemed to enjoy making the escrow period into a mini-nightmare for us and our realtor. (It’s a long, uninteresting story.) The evening before escrow finally closed, I was at the house for a final look around. Just before I walked out and locked the door forever, I carefully deposited about 15 metric drops of human urine on the hidden side of the gas fireplace logs. I’m sure that only a dog would have ever noticed anything, but for the principle of the thing I’m still glad I did it. ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/74 "2014-12-07T23:16:39Z")
> [@Lemmytheseal2](#): > > Why? Because I’m bothered by my inaction? I’m not sure if it’s the worst thing, but it’s the worst that I can think of right now. I wouldn’t worry about it, I’m sure those women, like everyone else, has heard you shouldn’t smoke while pregnant. If they’re still doing it, I don’t think one more person telling them will make any difference. Most of these confession aren’t that bad. Either most of you are holding back or I’m a terrible person. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/75 "2014-12-08T03:19:33Z")
> [@sara20](#): > > What made you turn against him? Nothing in particular. I just somehow ended up going along with the popular sentiment about him. That’s what’s so bad about it all. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/76 "2014-12-08T03:38:20Z")
There was this girl in high school that was picked on to no end. She was very unattractive and I can’t recall her ever having a single friend. I never teased her, but I failed to step up and protect her from the assholes, nor did I ever extend my hand in friendship. Granted I want a very big boy then and most likely I would have been beaten up if I had tried to stop the bullying. But, for some reason over the years I have thought about this girl and how miserable she was during what could have been a great time in her life. For some strange reason I have guilt over not doing anything to help her. So, I guess I really didn’t do anything, but I failed to act with compassion. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/77 "2014-12-08T03:39:42Z")
I drove drunk practically every single weekend from 17 to around 24 or so, in a sportscar. Thankfully i never caused an accident nor got in trouble with the cops. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/78 "2014-12-08T03:46:20Z")
I can’t even think of anything. The worst I have done is avoid responsibilities and hoped others would pick up my slack, which they did. It’s been many years since I behaved that way, I was in my 20s, and now I feel very guilty about it. Well, I have done a couple of other things that were technically illegal, but those were uncovered and addressed by said authorities. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/79 "2014-12-08T05:04:02Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > Most of these confession aren’t that bad. Either most of you are holding back or I’m a terrible person. That’s where I’m at with this topic, also. I’ve done things that are at least as bad as some of what I’ve read here. I guess it’s all subjective, though. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575/80 "2014-12-08T05:22:07Z")
[GUILT AND SHAME](http://tapu-tapu-tapu.blogspot.com/2011/06/guilt-and-shame.html) Anyone guess that I’d have a blog entry to post? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-youve-done/703575.md?page=5)