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30 Cringeworthy Signs That Scream ‘This Person Peaked In High School,’ As Shared By This Online Community
One of the most insidious fears that some people can have is believing that their best days are behind them. If you zoom out and look at things mathematically, it’s inevitable that some chapters of your life are going to be better than others. Whether in terms of your quality of life or achievements. But that doesn’t mean that it’s all ‘downhill from there.’ Life is still very much worth living, and it’s worth putting in the effort to aim for new goals. Some people, however, cling to past victories, completely ignoring opportunities in the present.
Redditor u/realHDNA sparked an interesting discussion on the r/AskReddit subreddit, about all the things that ‘scream’ that someone peaked all the way back in high school. From bragging about their long-forgotten glory days and making their entire personalities a continuation of who they were as teenagers to bullying others as grownups, these internet users shared some of the saddest things that adults can end up doing. Scroll down for their stories and opinions.
Bored Panda got in touch with Andrea Bonior, Ph.D., with a couple of questions about why some adults miss their school days so much, as well as what can help them realize that their lives can be just as good as (if not better than!) when they were young. Dr. Bonior is the host of the mental health advice podcast ‘Baggage Check’ and the bestselling author of ‘Detox Your Thoughts.’ Read on for her insights!
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#1
I had a teacher who said "these are the best years of your lives".
Since I graduated in 2003, every single year has been better than every year of school since I can really remember.
High school was f*****g awful and seriously depressing.
I had to work as a janitor through grades 11 and 12 to pay rent. I dropped out with 1 class left to get a union construction job.
I'm back in university now doing an engineering degree because I have worked to get my life in a position where this is possible.
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#2
I used to work with a guy, we used to call him roid rage. He was very muscular, very masculine, and let everybody know both those things about him constantly.
One day I'm sitting next to him in the break room and he's talking to me, unprompted as always, about how he went to attend an award ceremony for his son who won something regarding his football performance. I said "Well that was nice of you to go and support him"
"Nice?" He said. "It was f*****g sad man. That used to be me. Now I'm the old guy in the room who has to watch someone else win something I should have had" and all I could think was what a loser, you can't just be happy your son won this award and be proud of him. You have to make it about you.
Ricardo Ferreira 3 years ago
I'm just glad he told YOU about it, and not his son... or I just hope he didn't tell it to his son.
#3
"It doesn't get better once you grow up" I told a sub teacher at my school that people told me this all the time and she told me the only people that say that are the ones that peaked in highschool. I miss her every day.
Dr. Bonior, the host of the 'Baggage Check' podcast, was kind enough to answer our questions about grownups who might have peaked in high school or constantly miss what their lives were like back then so much. Many of us have at least some regrets from our past, including about opportunities not taken.
"I think as the saying goes, 'youth is wasted on the young.' As we get older we look back at those golden times and perhaps feel like we didn't appreciate them. That we missed an opportunity to make the most of those times, that we didn't realize how easy we had it, that we were free from adult responsibilities, that we had young bodies without aches and pains... it makes us want to go back and revisit those times, because our perspective now is so different," she explained to Bored Panda.
"Some people also might really be struggling with the fact that they DO feel like they 'peaked' in high school, and they feel like they are not measuring up anymore. And so their self-esteem is struggling because they had an identity as a 'star athlete' or a 'popular kid' or a class president and they haven't ever been able to replace it with anything else that is as potent for their self-image. So they want to go back in time," Bonior noted that, for some individuals, their high school days actually were the best times of their lives, and they yearn for the success they had back then.
#4
"Hey Girl! Long time no talk! Hope you and your GORGEOUS family are doing well! You crossed my mind the other day and I realized you would be SO PERFECT to join me in the amazing business opportunity I just started!" emoji emoji emoji emoji emoji emoji!!
#5
You continue to brag how you scored four touchdowns in a single game while playing for your high school team over 20 years later. And now you sell shoes.
#6
Anyone who bullies other adults as if they were still in High School
We were interested in what can help these people realize that they can still have a great life, even outside the schoolyard gates. Dr. Bonior said that what's really important is a reality check.
"Maybe we felt stressed or lonely or that things were tough in high school, even if in retrospect our lives seemed simpler then. So it comes down to being able to make the most of what you have in the moment," she said that we need to take a realistic look at what our lives are like now and what they were back then.
"If you don't think you appreciated your high school life as much as you should have, might you be doing the same thing with your mid-20s life or mid-50s life, all by comparing it to something else? It's you who chooses the path that you will or will not regret in another five or ten years," she gave some excellent advice.
"By thinking about your values and what is most meaningful to you, you can build a life that is more authentic right now because you have learned many things that you didn't yet know in high school. And thank goodness for that!" If you found what Dr. Bonior shared interesting and useful, consider checking out her mental health advice podcast 'Baggage Check' and taking a look at her book, 'Detox Your Thoughts.'
#7
They want to organize high school reunions every 5 years.
Jodie daubenmire 3 years ago
I went to my 30th.. it was like a bad study hall.. everyone just got fat, and bald.. no one's personality changed. Clicks never change.
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Detective Miller's Hat 3 years ago
Life achievement: my 20 year reunion was last year and the people organizing it were going OUT OF THEIR MINDS because I have finally succeeded in being unfindable. The high school friend I still talk to told me they reached out to her to try and find me, but she told them she has no idea where I am. :)
Ricardo Ferreira 3 years ago
I went to one of these once. When I noticed everybody were on Mandela Effect mode about the past, I never more went to them.
Pamela Blue 3 years ago
I'm 72 and I've NEVER been to a reunion of any kind. I think my high school had a reunion once but I wasn't in the country, so I missed it. I don't think Canadians are as much into school reunions as Americans are.
Christy Long 3 years ago
😬 I graduated in 1985, and have NO interest in seeing any of those people. My real friends from h.s. are STILL my friends
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 3 years ago (edited)
Sometimes I wonder who would show up to my highschool reunion. I went to a rural HS in a small farming town. Anyone who still lives there two decades later is not living their best life. This was no pastoral setting. This was a factory farm town a few miles from an Army nerve gas depot. Any joy there died decades ago.
Wysteria_Rose 3 years ago
It has been 13 years since high school graduation for me and I'm so relieved no one wants to throw a reunion.
Michael P. 3 years ago
I've lost touch with my high school friends, so I don't really see the point of going to a reunion. Plus, they even said that they don't want to attend the reunion as well. High school reunions would just bring back unpleasant memories of high school.
thegolfball 3 years ago (edited)
So, perhaps a different perspective. A rural U.S. high school from the south. Have ours every 5 years. Last year was our 50th. Have skipped a couple over the years. There's about 25-30 from a class size of 95 that show up. Add spouses/significant others, it's around 50. No one has their head up their a*s, just catch-up conversation. Lasts 2-3 hours and we go home. Those that don't want any part of it stay home, but they're invited. No big deal.
JE Cummings 3 years ago
It's been over 50 years since I left HS, and I've never gone to a reunion. The biggest reason is that the idiot who always arranges things insists on the venue being in a city halfway across the state from the school. The next-up reason is that I despise the people who show up every year (of course they post in local papers).
Reinaldo Fuentes 3 years ago
If you feel that's a hole that needs filling, understand that the hole has no bottom.
Robert Miller 3 years ago
I've gone to one I think it was the 30th (I'm past the 40th now ) It was just like I thought 1 pr 2 people it was fun to see and a bunch of spoiled a$$hats that have only inherited their parents businesses and think they're go getters ! So don't care about my high school days and I was student body president .
Rodney McKay 3 years ago
Seriously losers. We do OUR reunions every year or two, like proper folk.
David 3 years ago
Honestly I disagree with this one. Though I will say we only did 5 years for the first two or three I think. It's been 10 years since. But a few years ago was our 40th. 50th will be in several years. (I know, dang right?). So, not 5 years forever but we did do 5's at first when there were more of us and we had more energy. And we did fun stuff like river camping and riding the river. Honestly it's not cringe. The ones that still show tend to be the better quality people. Even a couple I thought were kind of donkeys back in HS but who grew up and seem decent.
Missy Winters 3 years ago
Who needs reunions when there’s social media? We already know what everyone’s up to.
rodger coghlan 3 years ago
I graduated from a high school that was nowhere - about 20 miles from NoDakota and 8 from Canada. There was no reason to go there as it is not on the way anywhere (except maybe, places even more remote) - I never wanted to go back, definitely not for a reunion
Pauly Donahue 3 years ago
I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Some people are leaders, detail orientated, and miss the people they grew up with. I graduated in '97 and our reunions have been lead by 2 perfectly nice people whom I was not close with. I went to 1, because I prefer to be home with Sara the Pitbull. She's a snuggler.
ThatOneWriter 3 years ago
I've never been to a single high school reunion and I am completely okay with that
Alexandra Nara 3 years ago
Please move on..with life and over the need to riseup your selfesteem by bragging about the things you own by now. Although I would visit my kindergarten again for the swing s and the lego corner
NJJenn1673 3 years ago
I graduated over 30 years ago. Haven't gone to one reunion. At least now I can use the excuse that I live on the other side of the country.
Cuppa tea? 3 years ago
In my country it's fairly common to have reunion every 5-10 years. Our class never had a single one, and I'm not with touch with anyone. First maybe 5 years after graduation I had connection with 2-3 guys, but that's gone. Don't miss it at all.
Bradford B 3 years ago
I went to my 10th since it was a block from where I worked in an IT mgmt position in a major city. Just trying to get registered and pay was such a hassle because I wasn't part of the clique running it that I haven't bothered to attend one since. The 50th reunion is coming up in a coupla yrs. I won't be attending it. Buh-bye!
#8
I’ll probably get hate for this, but as someone who was big in HS and now opposite, seeing all the people that used to be so unkind to me get fat made me realize a lot of people peak in HS and then have babies with all the same people from the same class, and remain in the same dusty old town we grew up in, peaking by having children and sending them to the same schools we went to, and the cycle continues. Move out of your hometown so you don’t peak in HS from karma for picking on the fat person just to get fat yourself 😂
#9
My ex stepmother constantly bragged about being a cheerleader in high school and winning a beauty walk (in a town of like 500 people). She was still bragging about these the last time I saw her. She was in her mid 40s.
What makes people constantly brag about their success from when they were still in school is the realization that the life they have as grownups falls short, quality-wise. Maybe they’re no longer as physically fit as they used to be when they were the star quarterback or the striker for the soccer team. Perhaps they had high hopes of becoming famous, only to end up working a dead-end office job. Or they used to be social butterflies and the most popular kids in their home towns, only to end up as completely average individuals now that they’ve moved out.
Hopes get dashed. Ambitions crumble. Dreams change. Life forces you to adapt to various circumstances after you leave school. You grow to realize that you’re no longer the person you used to be in the 12th grade; nor are you exactly the person you imagined you’d grow up to be. And that’s all right! Living a good life doesn’t mean that things have to be exactly the way they were or what you wanted them to be like when you were a teenager. It all starts with getting the basics right.
#10
I grew up in a super small town, so this might not apply to others. But if I had a venn diagram of "peaked in high school" and "never left the hometown" ... it could almost be one circle.
#11
Still acting like a typical "Mean Girl" when they're damn near (or past) 30
#12
Bragging about high-school hookups in their thirties
Human beings are social animals—we need others to thrive and survive. So at the core of all the things that make life worth living are the connections we have with others. Having an active social life keeps us active and happy. According to research, they also make us healthier and live longer. Meanwhile, social isolation endangers our health and is around as bad for us as smoking.
It’s easier to form social connections at school because we’re constantly surrounded by people our age, with more or less shared interests. We spend a huge part of our day with them, going to class, eating lunch together, and attending extracurricular activities. There are plenty of opportunities to spend time with others. Going to college or university is similar.
But when we enter the workforce, we suddenly find ourselves pressed for free time, burdened with responsibilities, and dealing with people who might have completely different values, likes, and hobbies. Sure, they might be perfectly nice people, but it’s harder to forge a genuine connection from scratch. As a result, we might yearn for the days when all of our closest friends literally lived next door or a short bike ride away.
#13
"I could have joined the military and run the place but I don't do well with authority so I would have kicked a drill sergeant's a*s on day one and been terminated. Also I have a bad knee." Uh huh, uh huh, sure.
Telepathetic 3 years ago
Drill Sergeants been there done that----he wouldn't have had a Snowballs Chance
#14
Having a "my son can beat up your honor student" bumper sticker.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 3 years ago
Sure, sweetie, sure. *cough projecting cough cough* sorry ’bout that I got some b******t stuck in my throat.
#15
a girl my siblings and i went to hs with has put on her cheerleading uniform too many times and posted on fb to show that it still fits. it’s pretty pathetic. we’re in our late 30s/early 40s
Some other things that help you live your life to the fullest include taking good care of your health. If you get the basics right, you’re much more likely to enjoy the present, and will be much more capable of taking opportunities that come your way. And, let’s face it, it’s a lot more fun to feel energetic than it is to be constantly exhausted, always wishing for Friday (or to time travel to back when you were still in school, so you could do things ‘better this time around’).
Eat nutritious food, make sure that you move your body, spend time out in nature, have a healthy work/life balance, take breaks from overusing tech. Avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, and eating sugary snacks and fast food for every meal. It’s very simple on paper, but far harder to get right in real life when you’re bombarded with work deadlines, stress at home, and are grasping for motivation. Quality living is a habit that you have to nurture. And it’s never too late to start. Your true glory days might be right in front of you.
#16
Still acting as if the “popular” people from high school are still popular in real life.
#17
Cheer moms. I find cheer for young girls incredibly creepy because I don’t want to see your 8 year old in a tiny skirt, a face full of makeup and big hair. I think being on the squad in high school is fine because it’s an extra-curricular. The whole cheer mom cliques screams high school to me and I’m glad my daughter isn’t interested.
#18
Talking about your IQ and advanced placement classes when you umm did nothing afterwards. Like being 48 and talking about honors English. That was a minute ago, friend.
Lola Rogers 3 years ago (edited)
I confess that a lot of these posts, including this one, seem like they deserve understanding rather than scorn. Sometimes 'peaking in high school' is another way of saying that somebody's life has been harder than they expected or were prepared for.
Many of us feel nostalgic for the good old days, when we were young, full of energy, and had way fewer responsibilities than we do now. Remembering these times can give us the boost that we need to feel more optimistic about the future and to get through any challenges that we face now. However, there is such a thing as too much nostalgia.
Generally speaking, if we’re constantly living in the past, daydreaming about our childhoods, and completely neglecting our responsibilities and ambitions in the present, then there’s a problem. Just because you were a star athlete or a top-performing student a decade or two ago doesn’t mean that the rest of your life is supposed to be a pale shadow in comparison.
Something that can help you get over that kind of funk is to pay more attention to what surrounds you in your daily life. Try to think of all the things you're grateful for. Gratitude helps you hone in on the successes in the here and now. High school was (probably) great—and you’ve got decades and decades in front of you to continue to grow as a person and enjoy life to the fullest.
#19
They keep insisting for the next 30 years that they would have taken state if coach would have put them in the game.
Serial pacifist 3 years ago
"I used to be a great football talent, but the lure of hedonism and truck driving was too tempting..."
#20
One guy I knew literally got our school emblem and mascot in a huge "CLASS OF 2010" tattooed on his shoulder.
#22
I had an abusive boyfriend. One of the things he told me was how disgusting I am because I didn’t have many friends in highschool meanwhile he did. He said he was so popular and deserves someone who was popular too. He said this when he was 26.
#23
My sister is one of these. Most frustrating are these moments.
Her: "You were never good in math."
Me: "I have a degree in Robotics, a very math heavy subject."
Her: "Well, I took a high school math class that earned me college credit, so that is better than what you have."
Me: "You are comparing one high school class against an entire college degree."
Her: "I earned college credit."
Me: "Maybe...at most, three hours. And you would have to find a school that would accept those hours, and you graduated over 20 years ago. What you have is pointless."
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦 🇬🇧 3 years ago
It's like when the people I grew up with give me that "so sad for you" face when they learn that I went on to be a veterinarian who works with poop and blood, and all the unmentionable horrors that can come out of an animal...and not some "kept" woman who married the crypt keeper and runs a boutique just for funsies...as they all did. My apologies for contriburing to society.
#24
The "popular girls" in my middle school used to tan. Like every f*****g day. Or so it seemed. Apparently one of their parents had a tanning bed and they would all go over there and do nothing but tan. I swear i had like 4-5 chocolate/orange girls in my class. We're talking Swedes here. They stuck out. I haven't seen any of them irl in like 15 years but judging by the few photos I've seen they didn't stop tanning..
.. Every time I see people who overdo tanning or make up or put s**t in their lips i just ... 🤦♂️🤷♂️
#25
"Hey girl hey! Do you wanna be your own boss babe while working from home?!" and its just a pyramid scheme
#26
Really average looking mums that don't say thanks if you hold a door or something, or they are standing in the middle of a thoroughfare and get confused when people are annoyed at them. Imo they were high school hot so everyone just put up with their s**t. Now father time has played his hand and they don't get treated like royalty everywhere they are awful bitches instead.
This says to me you peaked in high school
#27
Still going to every high school football game and sitting in the student section
#28
They tattooed their last name across their shoulders
Firstname Lastname 3 years ago
At least it's easier to identify dead bodies when they are already labeled
#29
Regularly reposting the same picture of the one notable moment that they had in high school.
#30
But all he kept talking about was
Glory days well they'll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days
#31
I talk about when I was in wrestling for high school from time to time. For me it was the only positive moment in high school, my best friend (since we were 4 y.o.) and I were on the team and training partners. We had a blast and took nothing too serious. Just the pure joy of beating the c**p out of one another in practice and still being friends after it was over. He died when he was 24. It’s been almost 7 years without him. My world is different without him in it and talking about those days keeps him alive. I didn’t peak in high school, I wasn’t popular, I never went to prom, never even had a girlfriend but those days are the few good memories I have left of him. Before he died, he was in a downward spiral and I refuse to remember him that way. That’s not who he was.
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦 🇬🇧 3 years ago
This is such a different set of circumstances. If talking about those good times you had in high school with your friend helps you heal your heart, then by all means, talk away. I can't imagine that anyone would think poorly of you, as it's completely different than bragging about something that happened ages ago.
#32
I'm married to a man I met in high school, and I can tell from people's reactions when I say that, that some people assume that means we peaked in high school. But those reactions are split 50/50 with people who think it's super sweet, adorable, like a fairy tale, etc. It's always funny to tell someone new about it and see which side of the line they land on. For the record, in high school I was painfully socially awkward and being abused by a person I thought was my best friend. And my husband was constantly on the verge of failing out because he didn't find schoolwork interesting/ challenging, but now he's got a great career and a lot of very engaging hobbies. Those were absolutely NOT the best years of our lives. In fact, the only reason I remember high school fondly is that it's where I met him.
Sam Backus 3 years ago
I married someone I went to grade school with. Been married for 40 years now.
#33
Pushing "cliquey" behavior in any setting. Like I'm thinking of moms making videos about how "stay at home moms" vs "working moms" drop their kids off at school. Comparing X type of mom to Y type of mom. "We ~dance moms~ do X! *Regular* moms do Y!" "when the teacher knows you're a [insert] mom!" Or, at a job I had there was one girl who clearly wanted there to be an "in group", pushed inside jokes, saving a seat at a table, taking lunches together (at a call center). To me it screamed 'trying to recreate high school". Any time any adult is pushing an "us vs them" or cliques in a social or work setting it screams high school to me.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
I can’t tell you how many places I’ve worked where it felt like I was back in high school. The “suits” (corporate executives or the family that owns the business) would be the popular kids, there’s usually a clique of “mean girls” and another of jocks (especially if local companies have baseball teams or something). They all gossip about, and diss, anybody who isn’t in their group. They all suck up to the suits and their own bosses, to curry favors away from others who actually deserve them—-which works the best if the bosses/suits themselves were the same high school stereotypes. If they happen to have a little bit of rank themselves, they always play favorites with their cronies, and s**t on everyone else. Doesn’t matter if they graduated 40 years ago, they haven’t matured past that mindset at all.
#34
I graduated almost forty years ago and ran into one of the more popular students at a bar a few years back. They kept trying to convince me I had been the object/victim of a mean prank their clique had pulled back in Jr. High. I had no idea what they were referring to, and after listening to them jabber about it for about ten minutes, I realized this person was hoping to shame and embarrass me in front of family and friends. When they finally wound down after realizing I wasn't reacting in the manner they had hoped for, I told them sorry, that wasn't me, however, since they brought it up, did they ever stop to think that the person they were referring to did not deserve said prank and weren't they a little old to be playing childish games at this point of their life and that their current life must be pretty s****y if c**p like this is all they have to offer. I ended it by writing "Do I like you? Check yes or no" on a napkin with a big old checkmark in the no box. They turned bright red and slunk off giving me dirty looks for the rest of the evening. Sheesh... And no, whatever they were referring to was not me, I still have no idea who or what they were referring to. Edit: 1) I am relatively new to Reddit, so I apologize if my writing style is difficult to understand, I will work on it. 2) No, nobody clapped, high fived, catcalled or any other melodramatic c**p, we all kind of chuckled about it and went back to hanging out. 3) Yes I responded to their childishness with an equally childish act, while it may not have been the best course of action, I stand by it. It served its purpose in getting them to leave me alone.
#35
I graduated in 05. I was sitting at a tire shop waiting for my truck to get done and an employee slightly older than me walks up to me and asks me, with no previous interaction, if I played football in high school. Wondering where this was going, I responded that I did, but I wasn’t great at it. He asked what school I went to, and I told him. Then he starts talking about himself. How he was “all conference” and walking me through all of his high school accolades…
I never asked for this conversation. I just sat there wondering why this nearly 40 year old, wildly out of shape, tire shop supervisor was telling me all of this. Then just as soon as it started he bid me good day and walked off. It was bizarre.
The best comparison I could make was that he was like the manager “Dan” from the movie waiting. That was his vibe.
That’s how I knew he peaked in high school.
#36
What I have learned from this thread is that Americans care a lot about high school and it seems to be a big part of culture there. Im 30 and I cant even really remember anything about high school at all
Rebelliousslug 3 years ago
You’re learning some Americans are like this, the rest of us Americans are learning the same thing you are. Most of us don’t care about high school pretty quickly after graduation actually.
#38
40 year-old dude-bro who only got his job because his buddy is the boss. Wears basketball shorts all the time, loose brightly colored shirts, athletic shoes with no socks, and a backward neon yellow hat. He yells at his employees because he's in charge, and it's how he behaves when he coaches kids football. He walks around with his chest puffed out and a strut that he thinks looks intimidating but only looks like he has hip problems. He talks like he's still in high school and calls everyone bro. Insists everyone calls him by his last name. Unfortunately, I just described my former boss. Everything about him screams peaked in high school. The less I dealt with his steroid addeld attitude, the better.
KittyGotClaws 3 years ago
Looks like he has hip problems or a Corn cob stuck up his backside...
#39
They say that college is overrated even though they didn't have the grades to get in.
David H 3 years ago
I think college is overrated and I have a masters degree. People view college as this road to success. In reality is a vocational school for fields like Computers, Engineer, Medicine, etc. Unfortunately half the degrees being awarded (and a huge chunk of the colleges cost for professors and buildings) are in essentially useless degrees because they do not lead to employment, unless you take the LSAT or MCAT with the pre-recs and go to law or medical school. College is overrated because people view it as an experience, rather than practical training for the future. Meanwhile our country lack 1.2 million trained blue collar positions in vocational fields like Plumbing, Welding, electrician, etc, with that number growing every year. Many kids would be better off in vocations school than college if they choose useless degrees
#40
In my experience, it's the people that talk about things that happened in HS as if it were yesterday. Constantly.
I had an ex who would always tell me crazy stories. I'd ask ,"When did this happen?" She would say "Sophomore year" and we were mid-20's.
Over time, it became clear that HS was the best years of her life and most likely will continue to be as she didn't have much ambition after HS.
I had 1 good year in HS and reminisce about it every now and then but it is not on the forefront of my mind.
#41
In the early 2000's I went back to my home city for my mom's funeral. Two of my closest high school buddies were there which was nice... and nice to catch up. One of them was a very successful business owner who had a great family and life. The other was **still** **living in his dad's basement, still working the same school bus driver job his parents got him in High School, still smoking pot all day long every day and still pining away for his high school sweetheart.** He was pretty burnt out from all the weed and in fact, my cousin who was severely brain damaged, was even making fun of him. We were all in our mid 40's by then.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 3 years ago
Sounds like he was dealing with some mental health issues
#42
My uncle, who is 55 years old, has his high school senior picture as his Facebook profile. He also has his letterman jacket on display in his "office". He's also named all of his dogs after teammates from high school basketball.
#43
when you're 50 years old and you still talk about all the parties you went to in high school. i.e my father
#44
Nurses who are super rude. I was horrified to learn how many of my childhood bullies were pursuing medicine.
Joe Publique 3 years ago
Or careers in middle management/law enforcement/military. Anything that gives them a modicum of soft power they can abuse to make themselves feel better about their crappy lives.
#45
Constantly talking about their high school sport experiences.
Buddy you’re 32. Nobody gives a flying f**k that you lettered in lacrosse and basketball
Mike Fitzpatrick 3 years ago
And turn your hat around, you look ridiculous. Oh, and don't call me bro, I'm your supervisor.
#46
When they call themself a retired mean girl. When they live through their kids. When they believe that teachers have something against their kid because their kid gets in trouble. People who kept their full uniform for the purpose of just keeping it. People who made fun of what other people were wearing to prom or the girls that told other girls to change because they brought the same colour dress.
#47
Wearing their letterman jacket after graduation. The moment the robe comes off that jacket needs to go in a box. Wearing it post-graduation says that their life peaked the night they scored four touchdowns in a single game while playing for the Polk High School Panthers in the city championship game versus Andrew Johnson High School, including the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against their old nemesis, Bubba "Spare Tire" Dixon. I saw someone from my school days wearing their jacket a decade later. I chose not to engage.
#48
Being mean and picking on peoples insecurities as their only form of conversation and entertainment. Nothing screams “I peaked in high school” like an old jock messaging me if I’m interested in crypto since I seemed like a cool guy back then to “I would’ve absolutely wrecked you in the weight room” when I declined his invitation to lose all my money.
#49
I see a lot of guys I went to school with still wearing the same style baggy pants and backwards Unc hats with loop earrings and a Figaro silver chain.... these mfs are early and mid 40s.
#50
Anybody who actually says, unironically, that high school was the best time of their life. I don't feel like I was even a real person until after college, and my late 20s/low 30s are better than any time previously in my life - I can't imagine peaking in high school.
Edit: Lots of good comments but a lot of them are "well what about this example" or "actually I enjoyed high school" and I was just making a broad statement so obviously exceptions apply. FWIW I had to move during high school and I was a jaded b***h, I had almost no friends in my new school and I was glad to get the f**k out and never go back. Thankfully I had and still have many friends from my first high school that I'm always thankful for. I didn't know who I even was or wanted to be in college and I didn't figure that out until my mid 20s. So for me the thought of peaking in high school is insane because I can't relate to that experience - but I know that some people certainly do.
#51
I had a conversation in a bar with a drinking buddy years ago. The guy kept going on about "the one that got away." How perfect she was and their chemistry together, how natural it was, how he hasn't felt that way about any girl since, yadda yadda. He was feeling pretty sorry for himself and uninterested in meeting anyone else because they could never compare. When I asked how long ago it was that she moved away, he said "8th grade." LMFAO
#52
Constantly posting “throwbacks” and their senior pictures. Sharing Fb memories consistently, or putting Snapchat memories of high school on their story.
#53
10 years ago a member of the local Mom’s club post a picture of a person I graduated along with a description of his vehicle as part of a creep alert. He was still driving the car he had in high school. We graduated in 1985…
Florence O'Grady 3 years ago
I want to know what car that is. A car still working after all these years must be well taken care of. Doesn't have to worry about computer issues with his vehicle. I deliver car parts and some places I deliver to have cars being worked on older than the car mention the OP. These car owners usually have money or have the skills necessary to fix the cars themselves. Remember that judging people can backfire on you.
#54
55 year old women who use filters for their social media posts: You don't look like that anymore, Lauren! We knew you then...jig is up, babe...you fool no one! Seriously - icannot stress how filters are obvious...and make you look really sad and desperate and no one believes its natural you- NO. ONE!
Stephanie Did It 3 years ago
And every post is a selfie with "ooh I look awful" just to troll for compliments from other *self employed* SAHMs
#55
Slamming beers and shouting at a tv when sports are on
#56
When the former high school bully you beat in a karate tournament with an illegal face kick shows up at your business and all your employees know exactly who he is.
#57
Social media bios that include these: "Stay at home momma" "Momma to Haydenton, Harmegaleigh, etc." "School of Hard Knocks"
#58
Had guy probably in his early 20's show up for band class every day. There would be lawsuits for allowing this nowadays.
#59
The people that ask you to join those MLM schemes selling body wraps or the like... Anyone that has a "salt life" decal on their car when they live nowhere near the ocean or even a salt mine.
#61
They only talk about high-school, probably because that was the highlight of their life so far.
#62
I still see them around our hometown hanging out with the same people. They ask if your coming to whatever reunion is new. One girl i know still goes to all the football games in her cheer uniform.
#63
They usually hang out with all of the same people they did in high school, going to all of the same places they did in high school, doing all of the same things they used to do in high school. The only difference is that it seemed cool when they were 17-18, and they’ve continued right through their 20s into their 30s.
Rebelliousslug 3 years ago
Attention world, all night teen nightclubs were never a good idea. Please don’t give teenagers a place to go all night and take drugs and hook up with other teenagers. This was a terrible idea
#64
1)Trying to keep a dying school alive so they can keep going to local high school sports events. Even when the students would be much better off if it dissolved. 2)and when they still talk about school and exploits 30 years later. Edited to note these are two separate things and clarification on second point
#65
I know a guy pushing 40 that still wears his varsity letterman jacket…..
Firstname Lastname 3 years ago
I still occasionally wear my high school hoodie a decade later, but that's just because it's warm and comfy on cleaning day.
#66
When they get extremely petty and angry over the smallest, mosh insignificant s**t. Karens and Kevins are just older versions of those extremely attractive guys and girls, who never really grew out of "I'm hot so the world's at my feet" mentality.
Rebelliousslug 3 years ago (edited)
I don’t know some of these Karens have clearly never been hot or popular. One of the originals in fact, the one that called 911 on a bird walker would fit into that category I think
#68
Bragging about how attractive the person they slept with recently was, like “sexiest lay” is a competition.
#69
If they are in their 30s - 40s and: They wear their letter jacket outside of things like high school reunions where it's only barely appropriate They still brag about their High School GPA, or any accomplishment they made in high school They wear their HS class ring outside of things like high school reunions High school could have been fun, it's fine to reminisce [like how at my HS they made a random freshman swallow a goldfish whole as a school sanctioned event], but if it defines you still, you peaked in HS.
Zsolt Hegedűs 3 years ago
What's GPA? Must be common knowledge for Americans, but not for the rest of us
#70
* Gets a standing ovation at HS football games * Pays for waterbed in cash * Fully loaded 2011 Ford Taurus * Corner apartment with fountain view. * No waiting at Beef O'Brady's Edit:... and is STILL peaking.
#71
This may not mirror your experiences, but almost all of the most popular kids at the high schools I attended were genuinely likable, intelligent, and hard-working. They all went on to be at least moderately successful, well-adjusted adults. The people who peaked in high school were already kind of losers in high school.
Rebelliousslug 3 years ago
I had a very different high school experience than you. I feel like they’re portrayed a certain way in TV and film for a reason, that stereotype originated in reality, they were the mean girls/guys. Much younger kids seem to have a very different school experience though so this could definitely be generational
#72
Under "College/University" in their Facebook profile, it says "School of Hard Knocks."
#73
Almost 10 years after highschool a guy asked me if one of my friends "was popular in highschool".
#76
I didn't really have much to do with my hometown after graduating high school, but about three years later I saw their football team was doing real good so I was like f**k it I'll go. I ran into a dude I graduated with that was wearing his lettermans jacket....
#78
Taking rec league softball way too seriously.
Mike Fitzpatrick 3 years ago
I worked with a guy who was this way. These recreational leagues were the be all end all and anyone who didn't "make the play" was a loser, pariah... Kinda pitiful actually.
#83
1. Having anything to do with high-school sports after high school when you don't have kids in high school. 2. Fancy date night at olive garden 3. Salt life sticker from one trip you took 6yrs ago to a motel 6 in the outer banks. 4. hangs out at local dive bar every weekend 5. Joining an MLM
#84
Neck beard, MAGA hat, cigarette hanging out of mouth, listening to country music in his lifted truck.
#87
You sell shoes but all you can talk about was that time in high school when you were that starting quarter back.
What do you think ?
Nat Blinsk 3 years ago
I was very relieved to finish secondary school as I didn't enjoy it much. But this list comes across as judgmental about people who don't seem to be hurting others (for the most part). Come on BP, stop dredging Reddit and Twitter for content and go back to showcasing artists, photographers, and other talented people!
Vinchenski 3 years ago
This is just a thread of people judging other people... Let people be whoever they want to be. Stop tracking people you clearly don't like, some 20+ years after high school...
Paul K. Johnson 3 years ago
This is the most depressing Bored Panda thread ever. I can't even get through it.
Wintermute 3 years ago
Ngl. This thread is sad from every angle. A lot of these posts are just as cringey as what they're posting about.
Poppy 3 years ago
It might be because I'm from the UK but I believe that most of us turn our backs on high school as soon as it finishes. No one has organised any reunions etc, people have gone on to live their lives, have families, raise children (or not as in my case) and just forget high school. It might be because we don't have our whole identity wrapped up in the high school sports team and associated cheer leaders. We don't (or didn't) have prom or prom king and queen or class presidents etc. School was just somewhere we went to learn and then went home. It wasn't a whole social thing like it seems to be in the US. Also before you all say 'OK Boomer' I'm Gen X so whatever
Joey Marlin 3 years ago
A lot of it did feel very specific to one country! No criticism of that but just not my experience in the UK either.
Load More Replies... Shayla Katherina 3 years ago (edited)
Some of these are making me wonder why they're still keeping tabs on high school classmates they've never liked. It just sounds like they never mentally left high school either. I didn't exactly have the time of my life in high school, and tbh I've barely given any thought of the people that used to be jerks or snobby to me.
DrBronxx 3 years ago
Some of these just sound like bitter people complaining. I suppose there's something to be said for schadenfreude, but there's an element of nastiness here. I would say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with reminiscing about your past experiences if you want. The only thing to be wary of is living in them, because that isn't healthy.
Tenacious Squirrel 3 years ago
I wish people wouldn’t look down on people based on their job title, which seems to be going on a bit here. Please don’t act superior because you think your job is better than someone else’s. You don’t know what people go through or why they might have to do certain jobs.
Marcus Lynch 3 years ago
High school was four years of hell with about a weeks worth of good memories. Couldn't wait to graduate get out! Made great connections with with a few teachers and a few friends but the rest of it was instantly forgettable. I'm sure I'm not alone on this one.
Michael P. 3 years ago
Reminiscing about high school from time to time and sharing your experience when meeting new people is one thing. Making your high school experience as your personality and not having any new experiences while trying to recreate it is another.
ric carter 3 years ago
Which of my six USA high schools did I peak in? Maybe the semester in Juvenile Hall trumps graduating from an adult HS a couple years later.
Jessica N 3 years ago
After graduation I used to run into "popular" kids at parties thrown by my friends. They always looked lost, the rest of us had real friendships and they had nothing but past popularity. I'm friendly and talk to anyone and a few came up to me over the years and on Facebook saying that they wished they had the guts to just be themselves like how I was and am just ME. I was considered a little weird with my pink hair and raver goth girl clothes but I always did what I wanted, they felt pressured to be like "everyone else"
Nat Blinsk 3 years ago
I was very relieved to finish secondary school as I didn't enjoy it much. But this list comes across as judgmental about people who don't seem to be hurting others (for the most part). Come on BP, stop dredging Reddit and Twitter for content and go back to showcasing artists, photographers, and other talented people!
Vinchenski 3 years ago
This is just a thread of people judging other people... Let people be whoever they want to be. Stop tracking people you clearly don't like, some 20+ years after high school...
Paul K. Johnson 3 years ago
This is the most depressing Bored Panda thread ever. I can't even get through it.
Wintermute 3 years ago
Ngl. This thread is sad from every angle. A lot of these posts are just as cringey as what they're posting about.
Poppy 3 years ago
It might be because I'm from the UK but I believe that most of us turn our backs on high school as soon as it finishes. No one has organised any reunions etc, people have gone on to live their lives, have families, raise children (or not as in my case) and just forget high school. It might be because we don't have our whole identity wrapped up in the high school sports team and associated cheer leaders. We don't (or didn't) have prom or prom king and queen or class presidents etc. School was just somewhere we went to learn and then went home. It wasn't a whole social thing like it seems to be in the US. Also before you all say 'OK Boomer' I'm Gen X so whatever
Joey Marlin 3 years ago
A lot of it did feel very specific to one country! No criticism of that but just not my experience in the UK either.
Load More Replies... Shayla Katherina 3 years ago (edited)
Some of these are making me wonder why they're still keeping tabs on high school classmates they've never liked. It just sounds like they never mentally left high school either. I didn't exactly have the time of my life in high school, and tbh I've barely given any thought of the people that used to be jerks or snobby to me.
DrBronxx 3 years ago
Some of these just sound like bitter people complaining. I suppose there's something to be said for schadenfreude, but there's an element of nastiness here. I would say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with reminiscing about your past experiences if you want. The only thing to be wary of is living in them, because that isn't healthy.
Tenacious Squirrel 3 years ago
I wish people wouldn’t look down on people based on their job title, which seems to be going on a bit here. Please don’t act superior because you think your job is better than someone else’s. You don’t know what people go through or why they might have to do certain jobs.
Marcus Lynch 3 years ago
High school was four years of hell with about a weeks worth of good memories. Couldn't wait to graduate get out! Made great connections with with a few teachers and a few friends but the rest of it was instantly forgettable. I'm sure I'm not alone on this one.
Michael P. 3 years ago
Reminiscing about high school from time to time and sharing your experience when meeting new people is one thing. Making your high school experience as your personality and not having any new experiences while trying to recreate it is another.
ric carter 3 years ago
Which of my six USA high schools did I peak in? Maybe the semester in Juvenile Hall trumps graduating from an adult HS a couple years later.
Jessica N 3 years ago
After graduation I used to run into "popular" kids at parties thrown by my friends. They always looked lost, the rest of us had real friendships and they had nothing but past popularity. I'm friendly and talk to anyone and a few came up to me over the years and on Facebook saying that they wished they had the guts to just be themselves like how I was and am just ME. I was considered a little weird with my pink hair and raver goth girl clothes but I always did what I wanted, they felt pressured to be like "everyone else"
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