Karen Steals Family’s Seats At A Football Game And Tells Them To Squeeze In Behind Her, Instantly Realizes Her Mistake After They Maliciously Comply
Be careful what you bargain for. This story posted on the Malicious Compliance subreddit reminds us all of that. The incident happened at “our local high school’s football game,” wrote the author and mom of 4 kids. During halftime, the family left to grab some food but as soon as they got back, they saw “an elderly lady sitting in our spot and my stuff tossed to the side.”
But when the author tried to talk to Karen, she clapped back saying, “No one was sitting here. So sorry!” This is where a malicious compliance move was made as the mom came up with a plan to give Karen exactly what she asked for. Even if that meant squeezing in her four kids who were super excited, high on sugar and adrenaline.
Let’s read on to see how this whole story ended, and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!
This story comes from a mom who had her family’s seats stolen as they were buying food during halftime
Image credits: jpbcpa (not the actual photo)
Bored Panda reached out to the author of this post and mother of four to find out more about the incident. “I had never seen this “Karen” before, and I usually avoid conflict by any means necessary,” she said. Moreover, the author assured people that her initial reaction was pure annoyance. “Not only about our seats being taken, but that those we were with allowed it to happen.”
However, the author said she didn’t let it ruin their night and she “allowed my kids to behave exactly as I intended them to when I had chosen a front-row seat away from other people, and the kids had an absolute blast!”
“And since we were still so close that I could let them go down to the fence, they each got to catch the toy footballs the cheerleaders throw into the crowd and they even got to high-five the mascot!”
Having said that, the author revealed she felt bad at first. “I figured there weren’t many places the elderly lady could have accessed. But who brings an elderly lady to an outside rowdy event at 9 PM in a pandemic and not expect things to be a bit crazy?”
The author added that “it’s not like we were rude to her, just had the same amount of fun as we would have had if she hadn’t crashed in on our fun.”
And this is what people commented in response to the incident
Probably a culture difference, but as long as your ticket does not have a seat assigned to it "your seat" does not exist in Belgium. If you leave your spot, it is open for grabs. Leaving a piece of clothing behind is considered selfish. If you want to save your seats, you either tell the person next to you you'll be back in 5 minutes, or you split the group in 2 so the other half can save the seats.
As I was reading this I was thinking the same thing. It's super rude to throw a bunch of your stuff on a seat and assume no one will take it. I had this issue a lot when I used to take my son to swim. I would take him alone and then we would have to wait for a change room while partnered parents would either put their stuff in a room to reserve it or have the dad wait in there with the door closed while the mom went and got the kid. It was brutal. So the point the swim-center put up signs trying to stop people from doing this. That being said I wouldn't throw someones stuff outside of the change room and just go in, I am not that confrontational. :D
Load More Replies...They both sound like Karens. Imagine doing all that over some shîtty kids ball game.
I dunno, I got vibes of a decent person pushed to their limits, and even then all she did was disable her give-a-f**k mechanism. It's not like she went out of her way, she just sit back and let her kids do all the work.
Load More Replies...So these were unticketed, free-for-all seats at a school sporting event. Seat that were unoccupied? That was worth teaching your kids to be vengeful jerks?
But she threw all her stuff on ground, all her stuff that was obvious saving her seat, and Karen should have know that those belongings where saving the seats because it was halftime
Load More Replies...Was once waiting for my car to be repaired with four kids, all toddlers and preschoolers. I had them seated all in the corner while I read to them to keep them entertained. An older woman got angry at me, yelling that her children all read quietly to themselves and that I needed to shut up. Malicious compliance, I shut up and, for the only time ever in my life, I let my children loose. They began climbing all over her. Eventually, another woman came in, clearly friends with the first, and when my children began also climbing on her, I apologized and moved to stop them, but she waved me away and told me to let them. She was obviously thrilled to have little ones clamoring about while her friend fumed, pretending to be fine with it only when her friend was looking. The series of looks on the first woman's face from initial displeasure, to relief when I said I would corral the kids, to dismay when her friend said not to, was priceless.
"Please don't do that honey." Works like a charm. My boys knew that phrase was permission to be brats.
it was not a got story. It was a boring Karen problem
Load More Replies...I don't approve of what Karen did, but I also don't think it is wise to weaponize your children in those situations.
You think someone is gonna go get snacks for you? What about using the bathroom?
Load More Replies...If you read the story she said she is typically a pushover. What she did was not a direct retaliation against the "Karen". She was allowing her kids to be kids. And no, how the kids treat the parents has absolutely no relation to how the kids will behave in the 20's and 30's. My mother was a hot head and did not take crap from anyone. She could retaliate with no issues against anyone. Didn't change the fact that I loved her until the very end. This mother did nothing unusual, nothing changed from before the half time. She simply took the other ladies advice and squeezed in and let her kids continue what they were doing before.
Load More Replies...Probably a culture difference, but as long as your ticket does not have a seat assigned to it "your seat" does not exist in Belgium. If you leave your spot, it is open for grabs. Leaving a piece of clothing behind is considered selfish. If you want to save your seats, you either tell the person next to you you'll be back in 5 minutes, or you split the group in 2 so the other half can save the seats.
As I was reading this I was thinking the same thing. It's super rude to throw a bunch of your stuff on a seat and assume no one will take it. I had this issue a lot when I used to take my son to swim. I would take him alone and then we would have to wait for a change room while partnered parents would either put their stuff in a room to reserve it or have the dad wait in there with the door closed while the mom went and got the kid. It was brutal. So the point the swim-center put up signs trying to stop people from doing this. That being said I wouldn't throw someones stuff outside of the change room and just go in, I am not that confrontational. :D
Load More Replies...They both sound like Karens. Imagine doing all that over some shîtty kids ball game.
I dunno, I got vibes of a decent person pushed to their limits, and even then all she did was disable her give-a-f**k mechanism. It's not like she went out of her way, she just sit back and let her kids do all the work.
Load More Replies...So these were unticketed, free-for-all seats at a school sporting event. Seat that were unoccupied? That was worth teaching your kids to be vengeful jerks?
But she threw all her stuff on ground, all her stuff that was obvious saving her seat, and Karen should have know that those belongings where saving the seats because it was halftime
Load More Replies...Was once waiting for my car to be repaired with four kids, all toddlers and preschoolers. I had them seated all in the corner while I read to them to keep them entertained. An older woman got angry at me, yelling that her children all read quietly to themselves and that I needed to shut up. Malicious compliance, I shut up and, for the only time ever in my life, I let my children loose. They began climbing all over her. Eventually, another woman came in, clearly friends with the first, and when my children began also climbing on her, I apologized and moved to stop them, but she waved me away and told me to let them. She was obviously thrilled to have little ones clamoring about while her friend fumed, pretending to be fine with it only when her friend was looking. The series of looks on the first woman's face from initial displeasure, to relief when I said I would corral the kids, to dismay when her friend said not to, was priceless.
"Please don't do that honey." Works like a charm. My boys knew that phrase was permission to be brats.
it was not a got story. It was a boring Karen problem
Load More Replies...I don't approve of what Karen did, but I also don't think it is wise to weaponize your children in those situations.
You think someone is gonna go get snacks for you? What about using the bathroom?
Load More Replies...If you read the story she said she is typically a pushover. What she did was not a direct retaliation against the "Karen". She was allowing her kids to be kids. And no, how the kids treat the parents has absolutely no relation to how the kids will behave in the 20's and 30's. My mother was a hot head and did not take crap from anyone. She could retaliate with no issues against anyone. Didn't change the fact that I loved her until the very end. This mother did nothing unusual, nothing changed from before the half time. She simply took the other ladies advice and squeezed in and let her kids continue what they were doing before.
Load More Replies...
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