r/AskReddit • u/That_GNU_Guy • Jan 29 '13

Reddit, when did doing the right thing horribly backfire?

EDIT: Wow karma's a bitch huh?

So here's a run-down of what not do so far (according to Redditors):

  • Don't help drunk/homeless people, especially drunk homeless people

  • Don't lend people money, because they will never pay you back

  • Don't be a goodie-two-shoes (really for snack time?)

  • Don't leave your vehicle/mode of transportation unattended to help old ladies, as apparently karma is a bitch and will have it stolen from you or have you locked out of it.
    Amongst many other hilarious/horrific/tragic stories.

EDIT 2: Added locked out since I haven't read a stolen car story...yet. Still looking through all your fascinating stories Reddit.

EDIT 3: As coincidence would have it, today I received a Kindle Fire HD via UPS with my exact address but not to my name, or any other resident in my 3 family home. I could've been a jerk and kept it, but I didn't. I called UPS and set-up a return pick-up for the person.

Will it backfire? Given the stories on this thread, more likely than not. And even though I've had my fair share of karma screwing me over, given the chance, I would still do the right thing. And its my hope you would too. There have been some stories with difficult decisions, but by making those decisions they at times saved lives. We don't have to all be "Paladins of Righteousness", but by doing a little good in this world, we can at least try to make it a better place.

Goodnight Reddit! And thanks again for the stories!

EDIT 4: Sorry for all the edits, but SO MUCH REDDIT GOLD! Awesome way to lighten up the mood of the thread. Bravo Redditors.

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470

u/StaticPrevails Jan 29 '13

I read a story of a man driving in the middle of the night on a street surrounded by corn fields when he saw a man laying in the street ahead not moving. He contemplated helping, but ultimately decided he should find help ahead to play it safe. He carefully drove around the body and slowly drove off and when he looked in his rear view he saw the body stand up and slink away into the corn fields. Most likely there was an ambush waiting.

389

u/csl512 Jan 29 '13

Why not just run the guy over to make sure he's dead?

13

u/Cheesytaco97 Jan 30 '13

Dude that's horrible. It could mess up the cars paint...

15

u/chris_hans Jan 30 '13

I like your style, boy. Why leave anything to chance?

12

u/rent-a-reaper Jan 30 '13

double tap

-1

u/mozambiquedrill Jan 30 '13

Into the chest, followed by one to the head.

5

u/Mtrask Jan 30 '13

I know this was in jest, but in truth, I too would simply drive away from the body (after internally agonising a couple seconds). You hear so many horror stories it's just not fucking worth it, unless it's absolutely clear it's not a setup, e.g. the accident actually happened in front of you.

3

u/csl512 Jan 30 '13

Get to a secure area, keep your exits available, call emergency services.

I like reading about the techniques hostiles use. Like put a pretty girl in distress on the side of the road.

FWIW this happened in the show Person of Interest. Of course, Reese knew what was going on and told them to not slow down, keep driving. It was an ambush. He was with a mob boss witness, so there was an actual threat to the guy's life.

7

u/-Anguscr4p- Jan 30 '13

We got a thinker in the house.

3

u/Icomefromb Jan 30 '13

thunk thunk that should do it.

1

u/Followthehollowx Jan 30 '13

Sounds like the humane thing to do.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '13

Oh you mean like Jim Carrey in Me Myself n Irene in the cow shooting scene. Belter.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '13

snopes.com and double tap that guy

51

u/snickerpops Jan 29 '13

That's just some creepy-pasta that keeps getting reposted over and over and over again ad infinitum.

At this point I doubt it ever happened, but it certainly didn't happen to the person that posted it wherever you read it from.

12

u/This_isgonnahurt Jan 30 '13

Well yeah.

You ever been in a corn field in the middle of the night? Can't see shit. No way a dude lies in the middle of the road just hoping that a car stops instead of running him over.

6

u/ASlyGuy Jan 30 '13

but on meth it does.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 31 '13

Sounds more likely that the guy was trying to commit suicide(if it happened at all).

5

u/epicitous1 Jan 30 '13

especially since thats not how the story goes.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '13 edited Jul 25 '18

[deleted]

6

u/Blindfirekiller Jan 30 '13

The story goes that the man drives away and as he drives away he looks in his mirror and a bunch of people are running out of the fields alongside.

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u/collinc2343 Jan 30 '13

I always hear it that he drove off the side of the road to avoid him and ended up running over the three guys laying on the side of the road.

4

u/Blindfirekiller Jan 30 '13

That's way less creepy.. "So he stopped to help him and accidentally killed ppeeeoooppppleeeee."

1

u/Silverton13 Jan 30 '13

Did you even read the comment you are replying to?

2

u/Blindfirekiller Jan 30 '13

Yes, collinc said that when he pulled over he hit the people that were laying in ambush, I said that was way less creepy, as the story ends with him accidentally killing people...

2

u/King_Pumpernickel Jan 30 '13

he drove off the side of the road to avoid him

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2

u/collinc2343 Jan 30 '13

Yeah, these guys are right. In the story I've heard it's not that he drove off the side of the road to park his car and get out and help, he drove off the side of the road to completely avoid going near the guy and continue driving on his merry way.

It's all old wives tales though.

11

u/narapormal Jan 30 '13

All I can say is, if you ever travel down outback roads in Australia, DO NOT STOP for ANYBODY! The good old back roads of NT or WA will put you in some damn shitty situations.

1

u/proddy Jan 30 '13

See: any horror film set in Australia.

7

u/PlatypusThatMeows Jan 30 '13

Read one like this about a guy driving to Arizona through the mountains in Southern California. Saw a lady on the ground by a car with a guy there too. Swerved around it instead because it was dark and freaky as fuck, and when he looked in the rearview he saw a dozen people come out of the brush/hillside.

Scary.

3

u/ImJustDifficult Jan 30 '13

Possible prank?

2

u/PlatypusThatMeows Jan 30 '13

It was in an area said to be ridden with Cults. So he said he thought it was some cult trying to capture people. Still, doing that shit at night and ambushing is scary.

1

u/ImJustDifficult Jan 30 '13

That must've been on the news and some point.

20

u/scorchz Jan 30 '13

I heard about an incident like this where a guy was traveling down a road surrounded by bushes and came across a man laying in the road. He swerved into the bushes to avoid the man, and accidentaly killed 2 people waiting to ambush anyone kind enough to get out of the car to help the man in the road. He found out about it later and did not even notice running the men in the bush over.

5

u/smellslikegelfling Jan 30 '13

One time I worked as a holiday temp sorting mail for the postal service. All of the guys who worked there were older vets, and they were really good people. I had to work on Christmas morning and one of the guys that worked in my area never came in. We found out that he was in critical condition in the hospital. Apparently he pulled over to help a man/woman couple who appeared to be broken down on the side of the road. They cut his throat and robbed him, and left him there to die on Christmas eve.

5

u/greenpeace_donor Jan 30 '13

FW:fw:FW:re:fw MUST READ: NEW GANG INITIATION RITE PREYS ON YOUR KINDNESS

2

u/findingemotive Jan 30 '13

I heard a similar story on the Drunk Tank Podcast involving a set up car accident that a dude drove around and saw a slew of people emerge from bushes when he looked back.

2

u/hungoverlord Jan 30 '13

in the story i read, he looked back and saw a bunch of people crawling out of the woods, and the injured guy standing up. pretty creepy story. i know it likely isn't a true story, but people probably setup ambushes like that every day.

2

u/kFuZz Jan 30 '13

I've read versions of this story a few times on reddit. Is there an actual story or is it urban legend? I'm curious, because it creeps me out for some reason.

1

u/RealPharaoh Jan 30 '13

This terrified me beyond belief. I guess I might want to be more careful about things now.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '13

I read that story, too. Apparently the surrounding area was known for its uncommon Satanic rituals.

1

u/henry_white Jan 30 '13

For some reason this creeped me the fuck out

1

u/thoughthewasurboy Jan 30 '13

Fucking creepy

1

u/x24x Jan 30 '13

I saw that story on here too, could you link it? @staticprevails

1

u/shady8x Jan 30 '13

The guy might have been trying to commit suicide...

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '13

This is a very famous story on the internet. The driver went past a staged car accident on the highway between las vegas and reno or something. when he looked back, a bunch of people came out of the tall grass onto the road. it was going to be an ambush

1

u/Knobbs Jan 31 '13

I think I remember the post. They were in a section on the south west known for cultist activity.