Uber Driver Gets Message Asking To Pretend To Be This Passenger’s Boyfriend, Possibly Saves Her From An Assault
The world isn’t all bad — there are everyday heroes in the most unlikely places. And some are just a text message away. Whom do these modern champions need to protect others from, you ask? Aggressively creepy guys who can’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
Nice guys are supposed to be nice, right? It says so on the tin. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, as one woman can attest, after a very unpleasant experience. One ‘nice’ guy couldn’t stop being pushy and took acting creepy to a whole new level. An Uber driver named Brandon Gale told the story of how a woman asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend because she was scared for her safety.
Uber driver Brandon Gale told the story of how a female client asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend, so she could get away from a pushy creep
Image credits: boristheidiot
Image credits: boristheidiot
Image credits: boristheidiot
Image credits: boristheidiot
Image credits: boristheidiot
In an interview, Brandon told Bored Panda more about the event and his newfound popularity: “I wasn’t really prepared for the attention that this would bring, but I’m trying to “go with the flow”, for the most part. I think the overall message was clear: more people need to know that there are more ‘escape routes’ out there than most people know, and I feel like we can do better.”
“It was the week of the yearly fair in our area,” Brandon went into detail with Bored Panda about the day he pretended to be his client’s boyfriend to protect her. “A lot of people were out riding the rides, eating fair food (corn dogs, deep-fried everything, and generally all the food that is bad for your heart) and watching the bands play. It was later in the evening, but the weather was beautiful, giving everyone more reason to be out.”
“My phone showed that I had a ride request, so I accepted. About a minute later, I got a message through the app that just said: “When you get here, can you pretend to be my boyfriend?” It sounded easy enough, and I like helping others. When I got there, my fare seemed very calm and collected. Her body language towards the guy gave off a very “stay right where you are, and I’ll be over here” vibe.”
Image credits: infinitecasey
“I rolled down the window, and she greeted me as if we were in a very familiar relationship, and I responded in kind. The guy seemed less than thrilled that I was there. Once she was in the car, and we pulled away, she let out a huge sigh of relief and tried to come across the center console to give me a hug. Still driving, I tried to confirm to her that everything was OK, and asked what happened. That’s when she told me her story, all while still trembling and trying to catch her breath,” Brandon explained what happened.
“After I posted the story, a few of my friends texted me and told me they were proud of me. Which is nice, and it felt good. I had the common sense to pretend to be someone’s boyfriend or brother when we were all out at a bar before, but never when driving for Uber,” Brandon said. “In the short time that I’ve been an Uber driver, I’ve had a lot of interesting calls. My customer service included transporting mothers and their children from abusive homes to a sanctuary. I’ve picked up couples who were still in mid-argument. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a young man who had just told his father that he was gay, and the young man’s father didn’t take the news very well.”
Brandon’s wife had lots of praise for her husband’s gentlemanly behavior
Image credits: infinitecasey
The probably Uber driver ever gave some advice about staying safe, and also commented about guys who can’t take ‘no’ for an answer: “I think men and women can benefit from traveling in groups or staying in well-lit and/or heavily populated areas. Communication seems to still be a huge issue. No matter what side you’re on, some people are going to blame someone for not being direct enough or tiptoeing around the issue. It seems like everyone who isn’t in the situation seems to have all the right answers, when in reality, there are a lot of factors at stake. Fear. Adrenaline. Past experiences in a similar situation. Never having dealt with something like this ever before.”
“If hearing this story helps even one person get out of a scary or awkward situation, I’m satisfied. There’s been a lot of positive attention to this story, but also some negative. I’ve seen a few comments from people complaining that I generalized this towards all men. My intention was never to say “all men are the enemy” and “all women are angels.” But I come from a football and wrestling background. When our coach addressed the team after a loss, he never said “Everyone did great, except Greg. You lost us the game. Everyone, hate Greg”. The coach would always tell us what we need to improve on together and say “we gotta do better next time.” At the end of it all, I don’t care if people know my name, as long as they get what I was trying to say.”
People had quite a lot to say about the bizarre situation
We can’t help but applaud Brandon for his willingness to help a lady in need, as well as for his impressive acting skills, and ability to stay on his toes. The woman then explained to the driver what the situation was all about: she was at a fair with a group of friends, one of whom was “very forward” and “had a history of being very aggressive.” Naturally, she was scared of being assaulted when she couldn’t shake him off. That’s when the genius idea to turn her Uber driver into a temporary boyfriend was born!
Life coach Madalina writes that women should make every effort to distance themselves from potential abusers and harassers in their lives, if they’re an acquaintance. Meanwhile Cosmopolitan gives some examples of how women stood up to creeps, including confronting them and embarrassing them publicly. Sometimes creeps can appear aggressive, so being rude to them can be dangerous; in that case, it’s best to meet up with people, even strangers, who can help.
However, there are cases when a guy’s just straight-up oblivious that you’re not interested in his advances. Dating and confidence coach Nick Notas explains that avoiding a guy’s texts or friend-zoning them just doesn’t work. It’s best to tell them straight up that you’re not interested in them romantically, and do this with a text message; then ignore any further communication. Notas also warns that you should never take back your rejection and shouldn’t contact the guy again, unless you’re serious about them.
What would you have done if you were in the woman’s shoes? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to read Bored Panda’s posts about a woman’s creepy encounter with a seemingly nice man, as well as 12 tricks women use on creepy guys asking for their contact details.
This is pretty awesome he didn't question the situation & did as she asked. But there's a lot of men bashing on comments. This is a situation that goes both ways. I've worked as bartender for many years and often witness the aggressive suitor is women. Just because you hear of it in public, such as this story, more often it doesn't mean there isn't an issue both ways. Men are victimized and often forced by society to accept it.
Boys and girls, if you ever have the very consistent suspition that a creep is following you, pick any older person, link your arms and say anything on the line of "Mom/Dad, I was just on my way home!". Advise of my favourite teacher after I got almost raped
Something my cousin did some years ago then a couple guys followed him. Went to a random building, pressed any button and asked the guy who answered, not to open the door, but to call the police and engage in casual conversation till the guys left.
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A lot of guys at my university don't understand the term "no" and really push the creep levels. A guy from my math course told some acquaintances of mine that he loved the idea of "violating" me. My friends didn't let me walk to the parking deck alone for months because of it. Another guy followed me to my car late at night even though he should've been walking in the other direction toward the subway (this was around the middle of the night). Mind you, my car was several floors up in the parking deck. Another guy didn't understand why I didn't want to go on a date with him and by accident found out I was taking a gym course at a specific time with a mutual friend of ours. Ever since then he stood in the doorway and watched me because the instructor wouldn't let him in. Friend caught on quickly and would always cut him off by standing in front of me. This kind of behavior is ridiculous, but common. People like this gentleman above are one of a kind and extremely appreciated.
I'm sorry you have so many idiots around you. May I suggest you take up krav maga or something similar? I hope you never have to use it, but knowing that if you need, you can, may prove to be a deterrent to idiots (I've been told by police that your posture (self confidence) is part of why people want to target you. If you know you can kill someone bare-handed, you walk differently and will be less attractive as a target.) Shouldn't be necessary.. but.. it is.
Load More Replies... Proud of real men like him, ashamed of 'nice guys' everywhere.
This still could have gone horribly wrong. What if the Uber/Lyft driver hadn't been as good a person and took advantage. Going from one bad situation to another. Although not sure what else she could have done. Still being guy I can't ever understand how anyone thinks it's even remotely ok to insist when she clearly indicates no. Just thinking of perpetrating a thing makes me sick.
Was thinking the same thing. There have been plenty of stories of Uber/Lyft/... drivers being total creeps themselves... Still kudos to this guy for helping her.
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So just for information for the passengers that take uber or Lyft and may think we are low class or whatever they think of us . We are uber drivers but we could be police,security, brother for you when you need it so our job it's not as easy as some think . So I wish you guys appreciate it our work . Very nice job from Brandon most of the drivers would of done the same. Wish everyone to be safe and be nice and helpful to each other
I’ve pretended to be female friends girlfriend to scare off creepy guys a few times, or plain ol called out weird guys for creepy/rude behaviour and I’d happily be someone’s Mum/sister/aunt etc if it meant they could escape a bad situation :) Yes things can escalate but there sometimes is safely in numbers 😊
I have no clue on how to respond to your question "What would you have done if you were in the woman’s shoes?". My answer is I could never answer that question. It is easy to say what a person THINKS they would do, but doing it in the moment is entirely another thing. That question can also make others feel defensive for how they responded if they froze or made bad judgement.
Wouldn't be awkward if the driver was female. Might even be easier to put the creep off if she said, "Look, my girlfriend is here. I've been trying to tell you I'm lesbian, OK?"
So many messages in this culture that say that a woman's resistance to a man's attention can be overcome if the man just presses on with more insistence. Think of all the movies in which a woman is rejecting a man's amorous attention and then melts in his arms when he overpowers and kisses her despite her protests! And, this is portrayed as romance.
When will men finally grow up and stop being such entitled creepers. Mothers TEACH YOUR BOYS to respect girls. Teach your girls that teasing/bullying are NOT "because he likes you". Teach your girls to stop being nice and just say no. Teach your boys that no means no. Silence means no. Maybe means no (she's just being polite). Only yes means yes.
This Uber driver is a good man and a true hero. That was very kind of him to come to that young ladies aid. People in general need to learn that no means no. It doesn't mean "if you keep talking to me, maybe yes". It doesn't mean "I said no, but follow me anyway ". It means NO, period. If you hit on a person and they show no interest in you, just move on. Following them around is only making you look like a creep.
Both men AND women need to be taught how to accept rejection. Being rejected isn't nice, but you HAVE TO accept it,no question. One of my scariest moments was when I was at a bar with a friend. We were dancing, having fun, and without us realising it the crowd had thinned out as people moved on. I had a slightly older guy approach me and flirt. I spoke to him, but made it very clear I was not looking for the kind of good time he was looking for. As I turned to the bar tender to order 1 more drink before leaving, he pushed me against the bar with his body, and put his hand up my skirt, grabbing onto the band of the tights I was thankfully wearing. I yelled and hit the guy, all while the bar tender (who could clearly see I was in distress) stood and watched. It was the guys friends who dragged him outside, all while he yelled at me and called me names, just because I rejected him. I’m glad his friends had more sense, but if they hadn’t? What then? Accept rejection, have some dignity.
Maybe the creepy dude was just doing because he got inspired by those youtube channels where guys hit on girls all the time. Those channels seem to have a lot of bro fans
Mithos56: I wish I could respond directly to you or that you would see this. We are taught that the normal reaction to threat is "fight or flight", but females often react with "freeze or friend", terribly confusing. He may think they're having a flirty conversation, while she's afraid to be rude and not sure how to get away. No one's evil (probably) in this situation, but no one's reading it the same.
He wrote: "Sex Ed should teach kids how to communicate regarding this. How to ask someone out, how to reject, and how to accept rejection." I think this is BRILLIANT.
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I would have cancelled the ride and called Uber to report and let LE handle it. I'm not getting shot or assaulted by some weirdo for $2.65. Call me no hero, but I'm just a driver
yeah, I was also wondering what would happen if the creep had decided to go after the "boyfriend". good on him, though
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Nice story. But let's not go nuts here. Some Uber drivers are also creepy and inappropriate. Not every driver is equipped to do this.
No one should use uber. They don't do back ground criminal history checks and have no car insurance
Does Uber show you a picture of who's picking you up, or at least a name of the person? If not, then either BP needs to be more careful when writing, or I'm calling shenanigans. What if the driver was an old man, or a woman? Also, she said she was out with friends. Where were her friends? Also, her friends would know if she had a bf or not. Also, I doubt she'd be so vague with her request. It's a weird request so she'd probably say why. They way this story is presented doesn't seem right.
Carry a knife and mace. Have used both with little provocation. Police came once, fake sobbed hard and he was taken away
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bare minimum? no. the bare minimum is doing nothing at all. he could have misunderstood her, he could have not complied (given he was married) and ignored her request, well within his rights to ignore, so he did actually go above and beyond.
Load More Replies...
This is pretty awesome he didn't question the situation & did as she asked. But there's a lot of men bashing on comments. This is a situation that goes both ways. I've worked as bartender for many years and often witness the aggressive suitor is women. Just because you hear of it in public, such as this story, more often it doesn't mean there isn't an issue both ways. Men are victimized and often forced by society to accept it.
Boys and girls, if you ever have the very consistent suspition that a creep is following you, pick any older person, link your arms and say anything on the line of "Mom/Dad, I was just on my way home!". Advise of my favourite teacher after I got almost raped
Something my cousin did some years ago then a couple guys followed him. Went to a random building, pressed any button and asked the guy who answered, not to open the door, but to call the police and engage in casual conversation till the guys left.
Load More Replies... A lot of guys at my university don't understand the term "no" and really push the creep levels. A guy from my math course told some acquaintances of mine that he loved the idea of "violating" me. My friends didn't let me walk to the parking deck alone for months because of it. Another guy followed me to my car late at night even though he should've been walking in the other direction toward the subway (this was around the middle of the night). Mind you, my car was several floors up in the parking deck. Another guy didn't understand why I didn't want to go on a date with him and by accident found out I was taking a gym course at a specific time with a mutual friend of ours. Ever since then he stood in the doorway and watched me because the instructor wouldn't let him in. Friend caught on quickly and would always cut him off by standing in front of me. This kind of behavior is ridiculous, but common. People like this gentleman above are one of a kind and extremely appreciated.
I'm sorry you have so many idiots around you. May I suggest you take up krav maga or something similar? I hope you never have to use it, but knowing that if you need, you can, may prove to be a deterrent to idiots (I've been told by police that your posture (self confidence) is part of why people want to target you. If you know you can kill someone bare-handed, you walk differently and will be less attractive as a target.) Shouldn't be necessary.. but.. it is.
Load More Replies... Proud of real men like him, ashamed of 'nice guys' everywhere.
This still could have gone horribly wrong. What if the Uber/Lyft driver hadn't been as good a person and took advantage. Going from one bad situation to another. Although not sure what else she could have done. Still being guy I can't ever understand how anyone thinks it's even remotely ok to insist when she clearly indicates no. Just thinking of perpetrating a thing makes me sick.
Was thinking the same thing. There have been plenty of stories of Uber/Lyft/... drivers being total creeps themselves... Still kudos to this guy for helping her.
Load More Replies... So just for information for the passengers that take uber or Lyft and may think we are low class or whatever they think of us . We are uber drivers but we could be police,security, brother for you when you need it so our job it's not as easy as some think . So I wish you guys appreciate it our work . Very nice job from Brandon most of the drivers would of done the same. Wish everyone to be safe and be nice and helpful to each other
I’ve pretended to be female friends girlfriend to scare off creepy guys a few times, or plain ol called out weird guys for creepy/rude behaviour and I’d happily be someone’s Mum/sister/aunt etc if it meant they could escape a bad situation :) Yes things can escalate but there sometimes is safely in numbers 😊
I have no clue on how to respond to your question "What would you have done if you were in the woman’s shoes?". My answer is I could never answer that question. It is easy to say what a person THINKS they would do, but doing it in the moment is entirely another thing. That question can also make others feel defensive for how they responded if they froze or made bad judgement.
Wouldn't be awkward if the driver was female. Might even be easier to put the creep off if she said, "Look, my girlfriend is here. I've been trying to tell you I'm lesbian, OK?"
So many messages in this culture that say that a woman's resistance to a man's attention can be overcome if the man just presses on with more insistence. Think of all the movies in which a woman is rejecting a man's amorous attention and then melts in his arms when he overpowers and kisses her despite her protests! And, this is portrayed as romance.
When will men finally grow up and stop being such entitled creepers. Mothers TEACH YOUR BOYS to respect girls. Teach your girls that teasing/bullying are NOT "because he likes you". Teach your girls to stop being nice and just say no. Teach your boys that no means no. Silence means no. Maybe means no (she's just being polite). Only yes means yes.
This Uber driver is a good man and a true hero. That was very kind of him to come to that young ladies aid. People in general need to learn that no means no. It doesn't mean "if you keep talking to me, maybe yes". It doesn't mean "I said no, but follow me anyway ". It means NO, period. If you hit on a person and they show no interest in you, just move on. Following them around is only making you look like a creep.
Both men AND women need to be taught how to accept rejection. Being rejected isn't nice, but you HAVE TO accept it,no question. One of my scariest moments was when I was at a bar with a friend. We were dancing, having fun, and without us realising it the crowd had thinned out as people moved on. I had a slightly older guy approach me and flirt. I spoke to him, but made it very clear I was not looking for the kind of good time he was looking for. As I turned to the bar tender to order 1 more drink before leaving, he pushed me against the bar with his body, and put his hand up my skirt, grabbing onto the band of the tights I was thankfully wearing. I yelled and hit the guy, all while the bar tender (who could clearly see I was in distress) stood and watched. It was the guys friends who dragged him outside, all while he yelled at me and called me names, just because I rejected him. I’m glad his friends had more sense, but if they hadn’t? What then? Accept rejection, have some dignity.
Maybe the creepy dude was just doing because he got inspired by those youtube channels where guys hit on girls all the time. Those channels seem to have a lot of bro fans
Mithos56: I wish I could respond directly to you or that you would see this. We are taught that the normal reaction to threat is "fight or flight", but females often react with "freeze or friend", terribly confusing. He may think they're having a flirty conversation, while she's afraid to be rude and not sure how to get away. No one's evil (probably) in this situation, but no one's reading it the same.
He wrote: "Sex Ed should teach kids how to communicate regarding this. How to ask someone out, how to reject, and how to accept rejection." I think this is BRILLIANT.
Load More Replies... I would have cancelled the ride and called Uber to report and let LE handle it. I'm not getting shot or assaulted by some weirdo for $2.65. Call me no hero, but I'm just a driver
yeah, I was also wondering what would happen if the creep had decided to go after the "boyfriend". good on him, though
Load More Replies... Nice story. But let's not go nuts here. Some Uber drivers are also creepy and inappropriate. Not every driver is equipped to do this.
No one should use uber. They don't do back ground criminal history checks and have no car insurance
Does Uber show you a picture of who's picking you up, or at least a name of the person? If not, then either BP needs to be more careful when writing, or I'm calling shenanigans. What if the driver was an old man, or a woman? Also, she said she was out with friends. Where were her friends? Also, her friends would know if she had a bf or not. Also, I doubt she'd be so vague with her request. It's a weird request so she'd probably say why. They way this story is presented doesn't seem right.
Carry a knife and mace. Have used both with little provocation. Police came once, fake sobbed hard and he was taken away
i am daily earn $200 on my laptop in my house from online work.Now i am very happy do online work.if you are do this work so join my website and get more information & work. Go to this site...www.TrendExplorers.com
bare minimum? no. the bare minimum is doing nothing at all. he could have misunderstood her, he could have not complied (given he was married) and ignored her request, well within his rights to ignore, so he did actually go above and beyond.
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