They say there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’. But some people are selfish, shortsighted, and seem keen to ruin everyone’s day for their own pleasure or gain. Naturally, we call these people jerks. While unpleasant to deal with, your average, run-of-the-mill jerk isn’t usually someone to fear. Not so if they’re your boss.
Good bosses are a godsend, but bad bosses make you pray for divine intervention. Even worse than merely incompetent managers are bosses who love being jerks. Jerk bosses are by far the crème de la crème of all possible types of the species known as jerks.
Bored Panda made this list of the greatest examples of bosses acting like jerks, so you can feel a bit happier about working at your current job, in comparison. So go make yourself some popcorn, grab yourself a drink, and scroll down. Upvote your fave jerk boss stories and let us know if something similar has ever happened to you! Be sure to take a look at Bored Panda’s other stories about jerk bosses, regular everyday jerks, and the vast differences between leaders and bosses.
This post may include affiliate links.
So My Boss Calls Me To A Meeting On My Day Off, Then Asks Me To Arrange The Meeting Room
After Receiving A $50 Gift Card For Walmart As A Christmas Gift From My Boss, I Was Happy Until I Saw That It Had Been Deducted From My Paycheck
Your mom probably told you to stay away from jerks when you were a kid. However, when we’re all grown up, we can’t always choose our colleagues (and especially not our bosses), as we choose our friends. I’m sure that at one point or another we’ve all met jerks that made us grit our teeth, put on a fake smile and pretend like everything’s just peachy. When all we really wanted to do was Sparta Kick them into a volcano as a sacrifice to the venerable Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Artists At My Local Tattoo Shop Left This For Their Boss After Finding A Motion Detector That Records Video In The Unisex BR
My Boss Said "No" Too Many Times. He Forced My Hand. I Quit! Now While He's Miserable. My Feet Are In The Sand. F Him
Ohio State University researcher Bennett Tepper explained to the Harvard Business Review that “if your boss is hostile toward you, you are going to be less satisfied with your job, less committed to the work. You are more likely to experience psychological distress. We know that performance suffers; we know that people are less helpful when their boss is hostile toward them.” So far, so good.
My Coworker Went All Wet Seal On Our Boss Today
So I Bring A Pecan Pie To Work. By Noon It Was Missing. Found It A Few Hours Later In My Boss's Office
“I have found no upside whatsoever to a boss being hostile, even though there is a lay belief out there that if you kind of kick people a little bit, maybe you can get them motivated. We never seem to find evidence of that,” Tepper revealed how aggressive behavior isn’t too great for inspiring folks to work harder.
Secret Recording Device Under Break Room Table At Work
One Of A Seemingly Endless Series Of Unreasonable Notes Left By My Boss. It’s Great Here
Tepper and his colleagues checked whether acting aggressively right back at a hostile boss would yield any positive results. Are you ready for the shocking news? No, acting like a jerk to your jerk boss doesn’t create anything of value for you, nor for anyone else. The old adage that two wrongs don’t make a right is absolutely correct. Only, in this case, two jerks don’t make a warm and supportive work environment.
Our Boss Doesn't Let Us Take Any Home!
This Structural Pole My Boss Refuses To Fix
There are laws regarding the structural safety of buildings. Notify the proper authorities.
Far from everyone has the luxury of quitting their jobs at the drop of a hat. That means that for quite a number of different possible reasons, some people are stuck working for bosses they otherwise wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. What can you do to survive if you’re in such a situation? Sometimes, a change in perspective can help. Thrive Global proposes learning all you can from your boss, doing the best work you can, and taking responsibility for your own happiness.
When Your Good Service Rewards Only Your Boss
Shift Manager At My Work Was Just Diagnosed With Colon Cancer, Our Store Manager Put This Sign Out A Week Later
Meanwhile, the BBC suggests you meditate at the office every day and watch the stress go away. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed with life, take a few deep breaths, go for a walk, cuddle a doggo, and remember all the wonderful things in life you’re grateful for. Keep calm and carry on, my friends!
Boss Didn't Like The Color Of The Chairs In The Break Room. So Now We Just Don't Have Chairs
My Boss Installed An IP Camera At The Store To Spy On Us When He's Away. I Retaliated With This Rig
I don't think Spy is the right way if that camera is facing what looks like a shop. I think he is justified here
My Boss Was Deathly Serious When He Posted This. Looks Like I'm Spending Some Quality Time At Work This Year
Just because you have no life doesn't mean your employees don't!! I hate bosses like that
The issue is that SOMEONE must work the Thanksgiving shift. He is not ordering anyone in particular to work that day. I assume employees work out their own schedules. He is telling them that somebody needs to step up and take an undesirable shift, if nobody does then he'll find a new batch.
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The crazy manager we had at Express pulled this c**p all the time. I was eventually fired for being sick on a Saturday and having to call out, because naturally it would be great marketing to have the person selling you clothes to be carrying around a bucket to throw up in.
Some firms use holidays when the shop is closed to do an inventry or other jobs you can't do when you have customers like deep clean or something.
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That's not a smart move. Instead of "I'll punish you if you don't do as I say", promise them, and KEEP THE WORD BY ACTIONS, some kind of an additional bonus if they DO come working for you on those days. Something like either an additon to the employee's salary for that particular month, or an earned day off to use on a regular day, or something like that.
Likely to do a deep clean. My first boss would do this, Thanksgiving and Easter. Always gave a party the day of for anyone showing up, and a small bonus. He was also there for the whole 8 hrs, working right along with us
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Everyone shouldn't go and then he has no employees, and will need to explain himself/herself
Workers should make a stand on this. The boss would not fire everyone and would not pull this c**p anymore.
A former employer of mine gave us all off for Christmas and New Years. Weeks later, THE AFTERNOON BEFORE- after everyone had made their holiday plans- they decided no. Since New year's day falls on a Monday, y'all should be at work. They actually took our vacation day away!!!! It upset us so much that only 1/2 the employees showed up for work....the other half called in "sick"....guess who was one of those "sick"? LOL
My company works 24 / 7 delivering fuel to your gas stations. Christmas and Thanksgiving we're working. If it's your regular shift you WILL work it. Don't like it? Go to a business that shuts down on holidays.
Do you get time-and-a-half or double-time pay on those days?
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Where I work, we do inventory at year-end, between Christmas and New Years. It kinda sucks, but it ensures the books are closed out for the year with no discrepancies.
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I had people at work pressure me to come in on my days off. Like I don't need any rest or free time.
I worked retail, I can not think of a Thanksgiving where I did not have to work at some point that day. One year I closed that Wednesday then set the store for the sale, went home for about 12 hours, came back that afternoon/evening. Then proceeded to get a max of 8 to 10 hours off the rest of the weekend. They hired people strictly for the holiday weekend that didn't show, so I was the one who got called because they knew I'd come in and cover to help my coworkers.
Yes, go right ahead and fire all of your employees. You will most definitely do better, 100%, because that’s how businesses work, totally, undoubtedly.
let him fire you and then collect unemployment... dont quit.
I’d start looking for a new job but not tell anyone. Then on Thanksgiving if come in and very politely say KISS MY A*S! Then turn and leave but stop at the door and very nicely say Happy Thanksgiving A*s Hole!♥️
In the health care field there are no Holidays, patients need care. What if you were in need of assistance would you be satisfied if no one showed for work?
wow, the store is closed & employees are still expected to work...? i think i'd check into fighting that! depends on whether it's a family business or corporation, i suppose, but damn...be a good boss & enjoy the day off!!!
Lol empty threat since if he fires everyone, no one will work thanksgiving. Besides, volunteer means willingly not coerced.
I hope no one turned up. Its going to be a bastard to replace a whole work force in one day
I actually had the flu 2 days before,during and a day after Easter and when I went back to work, my boss had me listed as terminated on the schedule the following Friday because he wanted me to "train "the New employee before I was gone! I left immediately instead!
I'm so happy I live in Sweden... That kind of boss would be fired before they were hired...😂 Fire me for not showing up for work because of holidays and the store is closed? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Try it, I dare you.
This seems way more fair to me than just assigning random people to work and hoping they show up. This lets people who want to work decide for themselves. I guarantee more than a couple people don’t celebrate Thanksgiving and don’t mind coming in on a quiet day.
I'm not American... so is it illegal to work over thanksgiving? Over here, if you are in a job that means you serve/take care of people over this time then it's in your contract that you have to work over the holiday period.
Not illegal. Just very undesirable because most people want to be with their families.
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I'm confused, he said "just because the store's closed doesn't mean you don't have to come to work". WTF is that about?!
Figure out whose families get together during the day, and those who get together at night?
I'd call his bluff. If he fires everyone he will have to cover every shift. Double dog dare him.
Aren't there laws for such things? or is it just the country I'm in
Why do people think they are entitled to have off just because there is a made up holiday? Why do you think you are entitled to be off from your job but you expect Police, Fire, Doctors etc to work on those days?
God forbid your employees have a life outside of work. You’d expect this s**t to be prevented by unions....
What business do they run that’s so important this b******t needs to be implemented?
Some jobs you have to show up on days others have off. Deal with it and don't let your co-workers down.
Yikes; This situation is best handled by giving the employee's a positive reason to want to work the holiday. Make it fun or give them an incentive or... GIVE THE THE F#*@ DAY OFF!
There is no fun incentive. “Fun incentives” are always belittling and childish insults like a pizza party or gift card. I’m a grown up, I want money. The incentive to work holidays should be getting paid. Or keeping your job.
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Because the Pilgrim Fathers were thankful of their shipping company or whoever?
Quit My Job Yesterday Because I Was Tired Of The Unprofessional Environment - Got This Text From My Supervisor Today
This Is The Drinking Water Filter At My Work. It's Been Getting Darker By The Day But My Boss Insists It's Doing Its Job Still
Leave Work For One Day And My Boss Replaced My Large Monitor That I Use To Make Prototype Models And Engravings On Products With This Tiny One
My Brothers GF Sent Him This From Her Workplace, This Is What Her Boss Posted
You can only notice this if you’ve been staring at employees asses. And is so creepy to ask someone to change their underwear so their butt looks better.
Came To Work To Find That My Boss Threw Away Everyone’s Desks And Replaced Them With Dressers, A Sheet Of Glass, And Saddle Chairs
My Boss Thought It Would Be A Good Idea To Play Drag Racing. On His iPad. While Driving A Truck. On The Highway
The Way My Boss Asked Me To Order Her More Pens Like This One. I'm Sure She's Just Bluffing.......
My Christmas Gift From My Boss. Fortune 500 Company. No Christmas Bonus, Post It Notes, 2 Pieces Of Chocolate, Pen, Jeans One Day
Work For Multimillion Dollar Company. Employer Refuses To Pay For Drinking Water. Group Of Employees Decides To Pitch-In And Pay
The Temperature My Boss Keeps The Office At
If You Park Like This... You Are My Boss, So I Can't Say Anything
Complained To My Boss And Received This Minutes Later
I think this is funny if you have a good realationship to your boss. But it also can be a dickmove if he is a d**k.
My Boss Ordered A Box Of 6000 Pepper Packets Instead Of A Shaker, So Now I Get To Spend My Saturday Cutting Open Packets For Our Burger Seasoning
The Six Pack Of Macarons Cost More Than Six Individual Ones. "You Weren't Supposed To Notice" Is What The Manager Working Told Me
My Boss Wears His $50,000 Green Diamond Ring To Work, Laying Asphalt
Note: this post originally had 61 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
There seems to be a healthy mix of a*****e bosses and a*****e employees here...
I'd say we lack proper context for many of these, in that we only see the "end" result and not what led up to it.
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Some of these are ridiculous, but certainly not all of them. Some are examples of a terrible boss and some are examples of whiny employees.
Which ones were whiny employees? Honestly, to me, almost all seemed anywhere from ridiculous to outrageous to terrified-for-the-future-of-the-next-generation level. I've never worked at a place where I'd have to put up with anything like any of this.
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A lot of these seem to be Occupational Health and Safety ( OH&S ) issues. Your union should be able to do something about them.
There is a Greek saying that goes "A fish smells rotten starting at the head". Sometimes when I get wonderful service from employees, I ask them if they have a very nice boss and the answer is always positive. A great atmosphere at work turns into great employee output.
This is so true. I saw this presentation some time back about how great customer service started with a good boss and happy employees.
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I once had to take two weeks off on a leave of absence because of a crippling clinical depression. My (former) boss yelled at me, in front of everyone in an open floor office: "Pfff! Depression isn't even a disease, this is an excuse to cover the fact that you're just plain lazy!"
Even if you were lazy, you still have the right to take time off and your boss doesn't have the right to yell at you. Don't let him get away with it
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Spoke with my seemingly nice boss about my raise, he said he does everything, but the company doesn't want to give raise for anyone. A friend of mine from HR told me that my boss was the one who said NO when my raise has been mentioned on a meeting...
As a lawyer, I've never been more proud of my country's work related laws. Everyone of these bosses would be in big trouble for this kind of behavior here. (I live in Brasil, btw)
Boss told me at my last job he could only afford to give me a $1 an hour raise after working there for 2 years with excellent reviews. 24 hours later he's asking my opinion on which yacht he should rent for his 2 week trip to the islands.
"I wouldn't know. I could NEVER afford something like that on my salary."
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I worked at the same place for 10 years (got the job while I was still in college and went full-time when I finished studying). I had to work late every day except for the month of July, when my schedule finished a couple of hours earlier. Well, last year my boss came up to me and said "forget about leaving early next July. I'm going to need you here until 8.30 minimum." When I complained and said I had had that schedule for 10 YEARS, he responded with "previous years don't count." After enduring endless illegalities and lies, this was the last straw. I promptly quit and now I have a new job where I'm home from work at 4 every day. Best decision ever.
I've worked for so many worthless bosses! When I finally became a Boss I worked hard to insure that our job got done and that the employees were happy. If I couldn't get stuff they wanted I'd find an employee with a connection and then we brought it in, my expense!! When things are crazy during a Security crisis, you grind it out and fix the situation!! My team drank and ate free when we were done!!! You gotta take care of your employees, it can be a 30 minute call home or just donuts on Friday, it really sets the tone!!!
Back in the 80's I was called into work on my day off.... it was a ruse to get me in so my boss could FIRE ME...This article has opened an old wound.
Reading this, I realised that I'll have to pick my first job carefully
You could get several offers on your first job if you're extremely talented or if there is a large demand for employees in your field. Otherwise, you night opt to take what you can in order to pay the bills and pad your resume. Telling an interviewer "I took the job to gain experience in XYZ" sounds much better than saying, "I didn't find anything I liked."
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I can't imagine any of these being in the UK? We have a litany of workers rights and health and safety compliances. Well.. Maybe the rubbish Xmas bonus, but that's about it. All the others could be easily and rightly sued over.
Our small company moved into an office building shared by other small companies. The bathrooms are in common areas accessible to everyone, and one set of bathrooms is right outside our door. Lady boss went into the ladies' room and threw away the lovely basket of personal products left there by another company. Because she didn't like them (thought it was gross having them OUT THERE like that).
Glad here in Canada my boss gives me 2 dollar raises a year. I worked at a grocery store that gave me X-mas bonuses for $500 to almost a grand.
I was part of a team of 10 graphic designers at a 16-person ad agency. The owner paid for a subscription to Maxim (a lad rag). If the graphic designers wanted a subscription to a graphic design magazine, they had to pay out of their own pocket. Not criminal on the part of the boss, but certainly illogical. The lads indulged freely in porn, no idea how they got the idea that it was okay. Said lads also wondered how I managed to notice their porn habit in an open-concept office.
Thank God, in my 39 years of employment I never had any bosses like these.... cheapo a******s... would have been out of there in a heartbeat. Never had a boss who wasn't courteous, generous, and kind. Thanks all you former bosses!
I have to add to this. There was a woman in AZ who owned Green Table Gifts. She's the epitome of an a*****e boss. She effectively divided the staff against each other and would use one of them as her little spy to report anything the employees said about her. She was a hoarder and used the store as her own personal storage. She had give-aways and never actually gave anything away. The worst of it was that she would make life hell until they quit so she wouldn't have to pay for firing them. One employee had known her for years. She fired the lady, then called her to mock her about it!!! She stopped paying rent and at some point tried to change the name of the company. Long story short, she was evicted. They were seizing her assets and she tried to sneak back in to get stuff. Now she's in a new town, trying to start over because everyone here knows what a b***h she is. God help any future employee she finds.
I know this person (ill call him johnny) who his boss was constantly yelling at everyone, even though johnny was doing a good job. Eventually he got laid off, and most everyone started leaving the business, making it go down, so then the boss calls johnny back, but with less pay. His boss continues to yell at him. Eventually johnny left and got a well paying job, where his boss is really nice and doesnt yell at him.
These terrible examples sound like slavery, I'm so glad that regulations in Europe and esp Austria prevent even a spark of things like these. Oh and we have drinking water quality tap water here... Really hope things improve for you all and alternatives surface soon.
So, so happy that I am a freelancer. Yes, a lot of pressure, but no boss, no colleagues. THANK YOU, UNIVERSE!
My boss hates when I use the nickname D**k. Especially since his name is Stephen.
Help needed fellow Pandas; how do we rate these posts? Negative for the awful message, or positive for bringing light and awareness about these hateful practices? Honest question, thanks!
Based on if you enjoyed/were entertained/appreciated the post.
Load More Replies...
There is a link at the end that takes you to the lower rated posts.
Load More Replies... 5/10 on the trolling. Meh. On the other hand, I do like your handle. It's a nice twist on farm boy jokes. :)
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There seems to be a healthy mix of a*****e bosses and a*****e employees here...
I'd say we lack proper context for many of these, in that we only see the "end" result and not what led up to it.
Load More Replies... Some of these are ridiculous, but certainly not all of them. Some are examples of a terrible boss and some are examples of whiny employees.
Which ones were whiny employees? Honestly, to me, almost all seemed anywhere from ridiculous to outrageous to terrified-for-the-future-of-the-next-generation level. I've never worked at a place where I'd have to put up with anything like any of this.
Load More Replies... A lot of these seem to be Occupational Health and Safety ( OH&S ) issues. Your union should be able to do something about them.
There is a Greek saying that goes "A fish smells rotten starting at the head". Sometimes when I get wonderful service from employees, I ask them if they have a very nice boss and the answer is always positive. A great atmosphere at work turns into great employee output.
This is so true. I saw this presentation some time back about how great customer service started with a good boss and happy employees.
Load More Replies... I once had to take two weeks off on a leave of absence because of a crippling clinical depression. My (former) boss yelled at me, in front of everyone in an open floor office: "Pfff! Depression isn't even a disease, this is an excuse to cover the fact that you're just plain lazy!"
Even if you were lazy, you still have the right to take time off and your boss doesn't have the right to yell at you. Don't let him get away with it
Load More Replies... Spoke with my seemingly nice boss about my raise, he said he does everything, but the company doesn't want to give raise for anyone. A friend of mine from HR told me that my boss was the one who said NO when my raise has been mentioned on a meeting...
As a lawyer, I've never been more proud of my country's work related laws. Everyone of these bosses would be in big trouble for this kind of behavior here. (I live in Brasil, btw)
Boss told me at my last job he could only afford to give me a $1 an hour raise after working there for 2 years with excellent reviews. 24 hours later he's asking my opinion on which yacht he should rent for his 2 week trip to the islands.
"I wouldn't know. I could NEVER afford something like that on my salary."
Load More Replies... I worked at the same place for 10 years (got the job while I was still in college and went full-time when I finished studying). I had to work late every day except for the month of July, when my schedule finished a couple of hours earlier. Well, last year my boss came up to me and said "forget about leaving early next July. I'm going to need you here until 8.30 minimum." When I complained and said I had had that schedule for 10 YEARS, he responded with "previous years don't count." After enduring endless illegalities and lies, this was the last straw. I promptly quit and now I have a new job where I'm home from work at 4 every day. Best decision ever.
I've worked for so many worthless bosses! When I finally became a Boss I worked hard to insure that our job got done and that the employees were happy. If I couldn't get stuff they wanted I'd find an employee with a connection and then we brought it in, my expense!! When things are crazy during a Security crisis, you grind it out and fix the situation!! My team drank and ate free when we were done!!! You gotta take care of your employees, it can be a 30 minute call home or just donuts on Friday, it really sets the tone!!!
Back in the 80's I was called into work on my day off.... it was a ruse to get me in so my boss could FIRE ME...This article has opened an old wound.
Reading this, I realised that I'll have to pick my first job carefully
You could get several offers on your first job if you're extremely talented or if there is a large demand for employees in your field. Otherwise, you night opt to take what you can in order to pay the bills and pad your resume. Telling an interviewer "I took the job to gain experience in XYZ" sounds much better than saying, "I didn't find anything I liked."
Load More Replies... I can't imagine any of these being in the UK? We have a litany of workers rights and health and safety compliances. Well.. Maybe the rubbish Xmas bonus, but that's about it. All the others could be easily and rightly sued over.
Our small company moved into an office building shared by other small companies. The bathrooms are in common areas accessible to everyone, and one set of bathrooms is right outside our door. Lady boss went into the ladies' room and threw away the lovely basket of personal products left there by another company. Because she didn't like them (thought it was gross having them OUT THERE like that).
Glad here in Canada my boss gives me 2 dollar raises a year. I worked at a grocery store that gave me X-mas bonuses for $500 to almost a grand.
I was part of a team of 10 graphic designers at a 16-person ad agency. The owner paid for a subscription to Maxim (a lad rag). If the graphic designers wanted a subscription to a graphic design magazine, they had to pay out of their own pocket. Not criminal on the part of the boss, but certainly illogical. The lads indulged freely in porn, no idea how they got the idea that it was okay. Said lads also wondered how I managed to notice their porn habit in an open-concept office.
Thank God, in my 39 years of employment I never had any bosses like these.... cheapo a******s... would have been out of there in a heartbeat. Never had a boss who wasn't courteous, generous, and kind. Thanks all you former bosses!
I have to add to this. There was a woman in AZ who owned Green Table Gifts. She's the epitome of an a*****e boss. She effectively divided the staff against each other and would use one of them as her little spy to report anything the employees said about her. She was a hoarder and used the store as her own personal storage. She had give-aways and never actually gave anything away. The worst of it was that she would make life hell until they quit so she wouldn't have to pay for firing them. One employee had known her for years. She fired the lady, then called her to mock her about it!!! She stopped paying rent and at some point tried to change the name of the company. Long story short, she was evicted. They were seizing her assets and she tried to sneak back in to get stuff. Now she's in a new town, trying to start over because everyone here knows what a b***h she is. God help any future employee she finds.
I know this person (ill call him johnny) who his boss was constantly yelling at everyone, even though johnny was doing a good job. Eventually he got laid off, and most everyone started leaving the business, making it go down, so then the boss calls johnny back, but with less pay. His boss continues to yell at him. Eventually johnny left and got a well paying job, where his boss is really nice and doesnt yell at him.
These terrible examples sound like slavery, I'm so glad that regulations in Europe and esp Austria prevent even a spark of things like these. Oh and we have drinking water quality tap water here... Really hope things improve for you all and alternatives surface soon.
So, so happy that I am a freelancer. Yes, a lot of pressure, but no boss, no colleagues. THANK YOU, UNIVERSE!
My boss hates when I use the nickname D**k. Especially since his name is Stephen.
Help needed fellow Pandas; how do we rate these posts? Negative for the awful message, or positive for bringing light and awareness about these hateful practices? Honest question, thanks!
Based on if you enjoyed/were entertained/appreciated the post.
Load More Replies... There is a link at the end that takes you to the lower rated posts.
Load More Replies... 5/10 on the trolling. Meh. On the other hand, I do like your handle. It's a nice twist on farm boy jokes. :)
Load More Replies... 