We recently shared a post featuring some of the unwritten and unspoken rules of life that everyone needs to be following. The original post was inspired by u/SpareArm, who started the Reddit thread asking for these rules.
The comments quickly filled with more important unwritten rules that you need to know. Here are some of the best:
1. "Don’t question or criticize someone’s tattoos. It may not mean anything to you that I have a pineapple tattooed on my arm, but it has meaning to me and it’s not something I have to tell you about."
2. "Don’t hug or touch people you don’t know well just because you’re a 'hugger.' Not everyone is."
3. "If someone has legally changed their name, don't ask what their 'real' or original name was."
4. "Stop telling people to smile if they look sad or aren’t smiling. You have no idea what they might be going through, and you may just be making things worse."
5. "It’s not a joke if the person you’re telling it to isn’t laughing. And it’s bullying to joke about someone’s flaws or mistakes."
6. "Don't be one of those people who embarrass their friend in front of other people for laughs."
7. "Don’t use your job to get info on customers. It’s not sweet that you think I’m cute and you got my number and address when I ordered food. It’s really creepy."
8. "Don’t ask if someone’s hair, breasts, butt, or other body part is real, and definitely don’t ask if you can touch them or check. It’s none of your business, and quite frankly, they’d tell you if they wanted you to know. You never know when people have gone through trauma or are survivors of something like cancer. Even if not, some people like to keep those things private. It’s also creepy when strangers (or even friends) feel the need to invade your personal space."
9. "Other people’s finances are none of your goddamn business."
—Kp
10. "Don’t correct people’s grammar while they’re talking, or make fun of them for saying something grammatically incorrect. It’s elitist, rude, and just mean!"
11. "If you see a dog on a lead, please also put your dog on a lead — no matter how friendly yours is."
12. "People know when they have acne on their face. Do not ask about it or comment on it."
13. "Don't make fun of people for how they pronounce things. It's humiliating and rude to make fun of them on the spot."
14. "Don't criticize someone who is still learning."
15. "Don't ask about people's love lives. It's none of your business."
16. "Don’t ask parents questions about their children’s appearance or ethnicity."
17. Finally: "Always share in someone else’s excitement. It means the world to me when other people are excited about something for me, so I always try to do the same for others."
Are there some unwritten rules we missed? Drop them in the comments below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.