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People Share Times When “There Was An Attempt” And Here Are 50 Of The Most Amusing Ones
We all know very well that things in this world tend to backfire. Call it a law of nature, a frequent twist of fate, or destiny. “Look who’s laughing now” is a phenomenon that has happened to virtually every one of us, and no matter what you do, it repeats again and again, and again.
The Reddit community “There Was An Attempt” is dedicated to precisely the comic absurdity of all the attempts in life that went against the plan, or turned in the wrong direction. Created in August 2015, the subreddit now has 1.9m members that are not immune to the funny attempts that “were there.”
“People enjoy the slapstick comedy of it. At the end of the day, everyone is laughing,” the subreddit’s moderator told Bored Panda in the interview that you can read in full below. And now we leave the stage to the ensued hilarity.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
To Make The Special Olympics Look Bad
RELATED:
#2
To Complain About A Child Selling Hot Dogs
BoredPanda is awesome 5 years ago
yeah and why would anyone complain about that?
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Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago (edited)
You know, some people should just mind their own damn business. Denying a kid the chance to make some money just because he’s not white? Get da fug outta here, Karen/Chad. So many of us had lemonade stands when we were kids, so why deny this kid the same thing, especially when he’s got such a valid reason? School clothes can be a huge expense for some parents—-kids just grow out of them so fast—-so this kid decided to take the matter into his own hands and earn the money himself. I agree with the city of Minneapolis that he not only shouldn’t have been shut down, but that he needed as much business as he could handle. Hope he got school clothes money plus a load extra. I also hope the idiot who called the cops was charged for filing a false police report! I can just see this enterprising young man growing up to become a business tycoon. You keep on rockin’, Jaequan!
YoChicken 5 years ago
This is an awesome comment, but i was just wondering.. isn't it karen/keith not karen/chad? just wondering
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Elaine Mattingly 5 years ago
A young person who will make a difference in a good way. Instead of complaining he found a way to fix the problem.
person (i think) 5 years ago
The whole story is even better. A whole lot of people banded around him and helped him get his permit (helped him file for it and paid for it) and helped him get his stand up to code (that was necessary for the permit) by building and buying the things Jaequan would need. Then they all became customers. I think now he has upgraded to a hot dog cart. I love it when a community comes together to say "f**k you" to racists and people who want to squash kids' dreams
Bill 5 years ago
Why does he have to get permission from the government if he's in his own front yard?
Mike Crow 5 years ago
It has to do with making money in service industry. A business needs a permit to operate and even though he is kid it just smooths out any issues like Karen’s.
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Bob Belcher 5 years ago
City of Housron has an ordinance that allows kids to open small lemonade and food stands without permits.
CatWoman312 5 years ago (edited)
I’m sure it was some racist Karen. A kid selling whatever isn’t hurting anyone. Not sure why there’s always someone out to steal the joy of others
Marnie 5 years ago
Could have been a black, Asian, Native American neighbor who called. Calling everything racism with zero proof just dilutes the horror people should feel about actual racism. I'm not defending whoever called, but this thing of calling any bad thing that happens to a black person racist just has to stop. White neighbors call the police on other white neighbors ALL THE TIME. And if that same white neigbor calls the police on a black neighbor, that is probably not racism. Might make them an a**hole, but does not mean racism.
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Wanda Cardenas 5 years ago
some people need to be reminded that happiness is a choice. what a sad world
blugeagua 5 years ago
Yeah we all know if this kid was white, no one would have tried to complain about it. Racism through and through.
SunofSpringtime 5 years ago
I agree with Marnie. Not everything is about racism. There's a chance that it might be it, but we shouldn't be so sure about it if it's not 100% proven that it is.
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Socat 5 years ago (edited)
Nice move from Minneapolis, and a lof of sucess to this brave young man. But I'm a little confused... Everybody seems to find normal that a child has to create an effective business in order to buy essentiels items ? Is it the world we want to live in ? What am I missing ?
Banjo Peppers 5 years ago
There ya go! I understand that it’s a slippery slope - if they let this person have a food stand without a permit, where does it end? So I like when they either get a permit for the kid or just buy all the food. That way the kid still gets a benefit and there’s no slippery slope issue.
panda123 5 years ago (edited)
"where does it end" - how would food stands without permits cause harm? Why should a willing seller and a willing buyer need other people's permission to exchange goods? I understand that it's important to prevent unsafe food practices, but is it necessary to consider all food unsafe until some bureaucrat approves it? Isn't that like considering all food sellers guilty of fraud until proven innocent?
Load More Replies... Marnie 5 years ago
No you really don't. There has been a huge increase in crime since the lockdowns and G. Floyd murder. Close to where I used to live, a gang opened fire at each other over the tops of a kid's baseball game. A guy who runs a restaurant nearby was gunned down in his place of business. Took a couple of months to recuperate. Carjackings are on the rise, assaults/muggings are on the rise. "Minneapolis violence surges as police officers leave department in droves": https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/minneapolis-police-shortage-violence-floyd/2020/11/12/642f741a-1a1d-11eb-befb-8864259bd2d8_story.html
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Kim Lorton 5 years ago
To knock down children with a strong sense of entrepreneurial work ethic, is just sad, evil and spiteful and jealous! Too bad you never had this spirit, you might have turned out to be a better, different and appreciative kind of person.
Mama Panda 5 years ago
I will always buy something from a kid doing this sort of thing. Shame on those who try to tear it down!
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
This story gives all the feels. I'd like to give a shout out to Denver TEACHERS. They put together a program where parents in affluent schools donate their kids clothes and teachers take them to other schools where the donations won't be recognized, and where kids need the clothes. Free clothes are then checked over for condition or needed repairs, cleaned and folded or hung up. Several students from poor homes said all their clothes came from those donations.
Pogy Nevis 5 years ago
The title fits the picture well. "To complain About a child selling hotdogs." Nice job, Minneapolis!
Truth Monster 5 years ago
Rules around food safety come from the fact no one wants to die from food poisoning. You need a permit to prove you meet the minimum bar of "not likely to kill someone." Imagine if an immunocompromised kid ate one of his death hotdogs and died. Permits exist for a reason.
Jenifer Halpern 5 years ago
And s**ew you to the one who complained! I hope your life is a living h*ll!
Karen Scheltema 5 years ago
I remember when this happened. Somebody with some bug up his a$$ decided that what this kid was doing was wrong just like the case of selling lemonade is wrong bc you're avoiding paying taxes on the income. There were enough caring and outraged souls who wanted to shut this troll down. People from all over the Twin Cities donated money to pay for the permit. Love is stronger than hate.
Journey Alvarado 5 years ago
wow that is so nice and this shows that the world is not all mean there is GOOD
Jeanne Clapper 5 years ago
Jaequon you rock and Minneapolis..just kudos to you guys for lifting this kid UP instead of bringing him down! Anything else could have crushed his spirit. 🥰🥰🥰
Oskar vanZandt 5 years ago
The young lad looks like he's got a professional set-up: looks cleaner and tidier than many 'official' hot dog vendors' stalls I've seen... I'd sure support his business.
Marnie 5 years ago
You forgot to give it some thought that there might be a legitimate reason for the call.
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Claire Armstrong 5 years ago
Why are so many people in America against these kids selling stuff to be able to raise money for things they need, etc?
#3
To Clean Up After Himself
Bored Panda spoke to redditor u/F4T4-M0RG4N4, the moderator of the r/ThereWasAnAttempt subreddit, who said that the community has evolved a lot since it was created 5 years ago.
“When I first joined the team, it was mostly a screenshot sub. A few months back, there was some drama about how there were only three mods who ran the subreddit (which at the time had around a million members).” As a result, they invited more people to join the moderator team and removed the screenshot posts.
#5
To Make Speaking 2 Languages Sophisticated
#6
To Sound Literate
XxInstantKarmaxX 5 years ago
I just fell in the pool and couldn't find the hook my towel was on even though I looked. All I want is to eat food, go to the loo and wake up in a better mood for my tattoo. But some fool took my Ipad and now I can't google a tattoo design or watch the movie "look". :)
For those who’re wondering what, precisely, “there was an attempt” refers to, u/F4T4-M0RG4N4 explained that it’s basically about “someone attempting something but ultimately failing.”
Conceptually, it’s similar to “if someone tried jumping off a trampoline into a pool but when they tried to jump, the trampoline tore. In that case, you could say, 'Well... there was an attempt, at least' and that’s where our subreddit comes into play.”
The posts are mainly about “some people having a dumb idea, trying out that idea, and failing.” This misery is what makes it so funny.
#7
To Prevent The Homeless From Sleeping Here
#8
To Start Cat Racing
#9
To Prove That Patton Oswalt Is A Failed Comedian
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago (edited)
I love him! He is the narrator on the Goldberg's.
Today, the moderator team only allows video submissions and cross-posts, “which are posts that were in one subreddit but were reposted to another (kind of like retweeting.” This format works better for r/ThereWasAnAttempt, since screenshots can more easily become reposts, for one.
Especially when there’s one similar subreddit that’s specifically for social media clapbacks and comebacks, but its content mainly features screenshots.When it comes to their 1.9 million member count, the moderator said that “I don’t think we have the exact same post frequency as, say, a meme subreddit.”
Partly, it’s because it isn’t easy to repost something from r/ThereWasAnAttempt. “I could probably look at the new section for r/memes and see quite a few frequent reposts.”
#10
...to Photograph Birds
#13
At Going Outside
#14
To Shame Atheists And Take Away Their Holidays
#15
I Mean... You Tried..?
Steve Barnett 5 years ago
'Having Voldemort trying to kill him at every opportunity finally took its toll on Harry Potter'
#16
To Be An Animal Activist
#17
To Arrest A “Drug Dealer
#18
To Make Fun Of A Bird
#19
To Shame Men
#20
To Sound Intellectual
#21
To Take A Cute Picture
#22
To Convince People To Be Pro-Life
#23
To Defend God
Hello it Smee 5 years ago (edited)
Or when he flooded the earth, you know the whole Ark thing.
#24
.... To Find Buried Treasure
#25
To Be Racist
Queen fhk 5 years ago
Am proudly a Muslim just like a Christian proudly a Christian and also like an atheist who is proudly an atheist!!!!!!! It's our believe when people think about freedom of speech, they forget about hurting other people's religion, but when we stand for our rights we are themed as paranoid. Just leave us alone, stop looking for trouble which you wouldn't get and exercise Human Rights fairly not partially degrading other people's religion. I quote everyone is different yet you try to make everyone the same religion, race, tribe all " Differences matters, yet that makes us who we are, denying our differences is denying the truth " I am A PROUD MUSLIM, it's me not you allow me to practice my religion in peace and stop popnosing on my affairs, everyone deserves right to religion just as u think!
#26
To Suggest A New Idea
#27
To Glorify The President
#28
To Eat A Mozzarella Stick
#31
There Was An Attempt To Run For Mayor
#32
To Replace I'm Sorry With Thank You
Charlotte 5 years ago
But actually this is a technique I used in customer service. For example when you put a customer on hold to go get more info, you ask them if they’re happy to wait. When you get back you thank them for waiting. If you say “sorry for the wait” it suggests you did something wrong, when really you were just doing your job. It leaves a different impression on the customer and genuinely impacts satisfaction.
#33
To Prove How Unfashionable These Jeans Were
#35
To Provide Front, Side, And Rear Photos For The Car Insurance Rep
#36
To Virtue Signal...
#37
To Get A Cardi B Tattoo
Some Cool Guy 5 years ago
I never realized that there is a level of messed up that someone would want to get an Anne Frank tattoo on your damn FACE
#38
To Be Deep
#39
To Display Plus Size Clothes Without Causing Offence
Roger Haywood 5 years ago
Considering that there are no plus sized mannequins, I think its good improv. (I'm on the larger size myself, and I'm nowhere near offended)
#40
To Stand Up For The Joker
#41
To Get A Heartwarming Tattoo
#42
To Fuck The Police
#43
To Keep A Streak Going
#44
To Befriend A Porcupine
#46
To Sound Tougher
#47
To Criticize A Garbage Man
#48
To Be A Professional Company
Pamela24 5 years ago
All that's gonna do is make more people drive drunk. If Uber is so concerned about people throwing up in their cars or being violent (which is understandable) they should charge a deposit and/or allow the drivers to have pepper spray or something to defend themselves if necessary (not guns!).
#49
To Create 3 Mexican Countries
#51
To Compliment Her Tattoos
#52
To Explain Who Barack Obama Is
#54
To Karma Whore On Reddit
Dave In MD 5 years ago
Also the astronaut program announced its first group of astronauts in 1959, she would have been 12.
#56
To Make An Infographic
#57
To Bash A Girl With Acne
Lord Mysticlaw 5 years ago
I hate when adults hate on teens and kids on the internet. Grow tf up.
#58
To Take A Panoramic Photo Which Included Their Dog
#60
To Amputate
a dose of reality 5 years ago
2,5 min, not 25 sec Apparently he also took of a guy's testicles by accident when amputating his leg.
#61
To Cut In Line
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
Most likely the lady who cut the line went berserk : "If I hadn't cut the line I would have been eighteenth, GIVE IT TO ME!!!"
#63
To Ambush British Vessels
#64
To Cook Smiley Buns
#65
To Escape Prison
#67
To Identify A Threat
Mademoiselle Nat 5 years ago
And what was the problem even if he was writing in a foreign language?
#69
To Champion "Straight Pride"
#70
To Say That Boomer Is A Racial Slur
Mel.Sautori 5 years ago
If when comparing the badness of two words, you don't actually say one of them, that is the worse word!
#71
To Ask Twitter
#72
To Make A Serious Ad Campaign
Marky Mark 5 years ago
This man's face has become a famous meme called "Hide the Pain Harold". He is actually a european model for stock photos so it makes sense he would appear in ads.
#73
To Raise Self-Esteem
#74
There Was An Attempt To "Shame" Someone Who Was Suicidal
#75
To Stop Suicide
#76
To Understand A Joke
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
Whoosh, BANG!!! (Joke flying over his head and breaking the sound barrier.)
#77
To Be Patriotic
Samantha Lomb 5 years ago
Liberia is connected to America because that was a country established for freed slaves, so the flag is likely a derivation of the US flag. But yeah the homophobe is also an idiot, which shouldn't be surprising.
#78
To Play Hard To Get
#79
To Be Inclusive
Connie Hirsch 5 years ago
Every once in a while, straight people should know what it feels like to be erased. (Note, I'm straight.)
#80
To Spread Anarchy
#81
To Be Offended For Another Group Of People
Kari Panda 5 years ago (edited)
That’s something I never understood... Don’t include different ethnicities: “You‘re only using white people, you‘re racist!” Include different ethnicities: “You‘re contributing to stereotypes, you‘re racist!” I mean... as long as you don’t portray a culture as inferior or ridiculous, how is including it wrong? Would they prefer Mario to wear a suit and a tophat and play the piano in this scene?
#82
To Be Non-Binary
#83
To Dress Up Like A Matrix Character....
#84
To Have A Smart Shower Thought
#85
To Be Anti-Government
#88
To Avoid Death
#89
By Google To Identify A Cat.
#90
To Be Deep
#91
To Get Into The Library
#92
To Understand A Girl
Helen Haley 5 years ago
Yeah, that's a good litmus test for they won't be keeping up with you.
#93
To Blame Hispanics...
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
Hate crimes have surged nearly 20 percent during the administration of President Donald Trump, according to a new FBI report on hate crime statistics. The report also shows that hate-motivated murders, largely committed by white supremacists, spiked to their highest number in 28 years. https://www.newsweek.com/hate-crimes-under-trump-surged-nearly-20-percent-says-fbi-report-1547870
#94
To Criticize The Local News Station
#95
To Help Someone Trapped In An Elevator
#96
To Market Her Oils
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I got lectured at the bus stop once for wearing perfume, apparently I should only be using essential oils coz I am going to get cancer from wearing perfume.
#97
To Construct A Tough And Resilient Airplane
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
The insanity of the idea. Where are you going to fly to when there's a nuclear war going on?
#98
To Be Poetic
#99
To Show China In A Positive Way
Katherine Boag 5 years ago
Yep, the US response to covid was way better, the best response, so great
#100
To Not Be Racist
#101
To Write A Math Question
#102
There Was An Attempt To Catfish
Vanta Black 5 years ago
If he was 23 prior to 2001, he's anywhere north of 42 now, depending on what year this photo was taken. Or it's just not him in the photo.
#103
To Figure Out Trump’s Natural Skin Color
#105
Oldschool Cool
#106
To Have A Selfie With Mona Lisa
#108
To Cure Cancer
#109
To Have Fun With A Halloween Decoration
#111
To Take Away Car Privileges...
#112
There Was A Attempt To Steal A Joke
#113
To Blackmail Jaromir Jagr
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
So now the world knows that Jaromir Jagr isn't gay and she's a gold digger. Jeez, big news....
#114
To Roast Males
#115
To Scare Someone
#116
To Make A Cute Picture Of A Family Wearing Masks
#117
To Save The Teens
#118
To Infect Someone With A Virus
#119
To Understand A Joke
#120
To Ask About Dirty Toilets...
#121
To Be Edgy And Poetic
Jayne Kyra 5 years ago
"Hurt" is a noun, adjective, and a verb. The first poster is correct on the tenses and used the word as a verb instead of adjective.
#122
To Promote Equal Rights
#123
To Recreate The Spider-Man Meme
#124
To Install A Kitty Door
#125
To Have A Black Friday Week "Sale"
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I laughed when I saw Catch of the day advertising on the TV last night. The Black Friday deal prices were pretty much the same prices that they always are.
#126
To Be Sexist
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
Haha, Notice how womens problems start with Men. Menopause, Menstruation, Mental breakdowns etc lol.
#127
To Make A Selfish Photoshop Request
#128
To Predict A War With Iran
Aleksandra Elias 5 years ago
In the meantime, on Nov 18, 2020, Trump wanted to launch a strike on Iran
#129
To Recreate A Wholesome Family Photo
#130
To Help The Blind Read The Sign
#132
To Get An A
#133
To Be Inclusive
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
Wait, is this for real? Since when did controllers have a gender.
#134
To Correct The Student's Answer
#135
To Protest Homophobia
#136
There Was An Attempt To Protest Racism
#137
To Get Gold
#138
... To Choose A Sexual Orientation
#139
To Have Their Dick Sucked Tomorrow
#140
To Write 7 Rings In Japanese
#141
To Make A Dark Mode Only Meme
#142
To Be Sassy
#143
To Count Words
#144
To Rick Roll On Reddit.
#145
To Make People Stop Making Rape Jokes
#146
To Make His Death Look Like A Suicide
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
Because the vast number of "coincidences" surrounding his death aren't suspicious at all. Cell mate removed from his cell on the same day he "suicided". Surveillance camera "out of order" on day he "suicided". Guards "forgot" to check on him after an earlier "suicide attempt". He also got off very easy in 2008 with a non-prosecution agreement for state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.
#147
At Least He Tried
#148
To Sneak A Hot-Dog In The Back Pocket
#149
To Sound Poetic
#150
There Was A Attempt To Steal A Joke
Add New Image
What do you think ?
L B 5 years ago (edited)
Made my day. More of this please 😊 me and my mom once explored pepper spray. We bought one and guess what-had to to try it.And we did in a single room sprayed smelled... like adult, educated woman and cried for hours... I wonder why 🤔
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
That's like the don't look reflex: when someone says "don't look" we all look to know what we aren't supposed to be looking at :D
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Astrid Nineor 5 years ago
I once tried to stop a drop of molten sugar from falling on the floor, by using my my hand.
Mary Peace 5 years ago
That's an instinctive reaction, when you see something falling to the floor.
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L B 5 years ago (edited)
Made my day. More of this please 😊 me and my mom once explored pepper spray. We bought one and guess what-had to to try it.And we did in a single room sprayed smelled... like adult, educated woman and cried for hours... I wonder why 🤔
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
That's like the don't look reflex: when someone says "don't look" we all look to know what we aren't supposed to be looking at :D
Load More Replies... Astrid Nineor 5 years ago
I once tried to stop a drop of molten sugar from falling on the floor, by using my my hand.
Mary Peace 5 years ago
That's an instinctive reaction, when you see something falling to the floor.
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