How self-involved does one have to be to ditch a shopping cart right in the middle of a busy grocery aisle? Or treat a crowded public sidewalk like their own personal studio for a few likes on Instagram?
Apparently, a lot.
These people are everywhere, and the internet seems to think that they suffer from the infamous “main character syndrome.” You know the folks who think the world revolves around them.
Bored Panda scoured the web to find proof (with pictures) of the most entitled people out in the wild. Keep scrolling, if only to make sure you never end up on a list like this yourself.
#1 Concert Etiquette
If you plan on standing for the entire concert, get a spot in the pit, or the lawn seats instead of the assigned SEATED SECTION. A little bit of self awareness and common courtesy goes a really long way.
Image source: Jaded-Albatross-5242
#2 Geez, Some People Are Extremely Entitled
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#3 It’s Almost Impressive How Little Consideration Some People Have For Others
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Some people live their lives like they’re the star of a blockbuster movie, and everyone around them is just an unpaid extra forced to stand in the background.
That is the core idea behind “Main Character Energy.”
Back in 2020, this trend blew up on TikTok, where people started filming themselves doing normal, everyday things — like drinking coffee, walking in the rain, or staring out a train window — with dramatic cinematic music playing over it. It started as a harmless and fun way to boost self-confidence and romanticize everyday life.
#4 Thinks The World Stops For Him Because He Spent Too Much On His Truck
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#5 Central Park, NYC
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#6 Some Truly Grinch Behavior
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When confidence crossed the line and turned into entitlement, the internet started calling it main character syndrome.
It isn’t a medical diagnosis. Yet experts use it to describe someone who thinks they are the center of the story, which naturally changes how they present themselves to others and how they act in public.
“You view yourself through a storytelling lens, like you’re on a movie or a TV show, and the spotlight is always on you,” says psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD.
#7 How Dare You Not Have The Most Top Quality Food And Beverage For Me, For Free?
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#8 I Can’t Believe How Entitled Some People Can Be
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#9 The Driver Parked Horizontally Across Two Separate Handicap Parking Spots
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Our research shows that in 2013, blogger The Game Detective coined the term main character syndrome. They defined it as an affliction that causes a person to “create and play a character as though they’re the lead and every other player character is part of the supporting cast.”
Interestingly, tabletop gamers then started using the term to roast players who hogged all the game time and ruined the fun for everyone else.
Today, social media algorithms reward this exact behavior. When you get obsessed with likes, comments, and views, it becomes easy to forget that real people have real lives — and that the world doesn’t exist to be your movie set.
#10 The World Is Starting To Heal
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#11 Getting Mad At A Target For Not Arresting Her Sooner
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#12 A British Afrocentric Influencer Climbed Temple Walls With His Shoes On
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Experts believe that some aspects of main character syndrome are often closely related to behaviors associated with narcissistic personality disorder.0
“The key difference between narcissism and main character syndrome is the level of stability. For someone who has narcissistic personality disorder, you would see evidence of this throughout their life and in different contexts in their relationships at work and at home,” explains Dr. Albers. “For someone who has main character syndrome, this is something that may be the focus or mindset at certain periods of someone’s life and not in others.”
The ultimate irony of main character energy is that while it masquerades as unshakeable self-confidence, taking it too far actually exposes deep-seated insecurity.
Dr. Albers believes this syndrome can stem from anxiety and low self-esteem.
#13 Squashing Supermarket Oranges Just To Get A Good Portrait
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#14 Idiots Stopping Traffic To Take A Video Or Picture On The Brooklyn Bridge
Image source: ago i-am-not-sure-yet
#15 Woman Is Tired Of People Using The Basic Functions Of A Free Social Media App On Her Public Platform Unless They’re Sending Money
Image source: IAmTheMainCharacter
While most people might picture the main character strutting down a busy city street, the reality is a lot more relaxed. A recent survey shows that 45% of Americans actually feel most like the star of their own show when they’re safe inside their own homes.
Unsurprisingly, Gen Z brings this lead-actor mindset straight into the digital world. Over a quarter of young adults (27%) say playing video games ramps up their main character energy—nearly double the rate of the general population (15%). That online-first mentality spills over to social media, too, with 18% of Gen Z reporting a boost in main character vibes on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, compared to just 10% of everyone else.
Group chats provide a unique stage for Gen Z, with 12% feeling like the main character in this social space.
#16 Just Crazy
Image source: FOB_cures_my_sadness
#17 Is This Person A Coach?
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Gen Z’s knack for taking center stage isn’t just a digital thing — it spills right over into real life, too. Whenever they want to escape reality, the star treatment follows.
On vacation, 22% of Gen Z feel like the lead role, compared to just 15% of everyone else. The same vibe carries into nightlife, with 13% getting that spotlight feeling at bars and restaurants, versus only 8% of the general public.
Gen Z hands over the crown in only two places. The first is at home, where they feel slightly less like the main character than older generations (43% vs. 45%).
The second is at the office. When it comes to workplace confidence, Gen X actually takes the cake, with 22% feeling like the main character compared to just 18% of Gen Z.
#18 How To Get Yourself Banned From A Restaurant And Waste The Waitstaff’s Time
Image source: IAmTheMainCharacter
#19 My Daughter’s Estranged Father Showed Up Uninvited At Her Graduation, And Gave Her A Happy Mothers Day Card
Image source: Tasty-Bee-8339
Having main character energy isn’t inherently evil. Boosting your self-esteem and hyping yourself up is great, right up until you stop caring about anyone else.
Experts believe that people who take it too far end up with an inflated ego, zero empathy, and an unhealthy obsession with clout and validation.
They view everyone in their life as background noise, which destroys personal relationships.
It’s almost impossible to build real trust or support in relationships when you’re too busy treating your loved ones like a side character.
The main character narrative is “destructive to views of human beings as fundamentally relational and interdependent, and poses a threat to two important experiences of being human: the first is connection to others; the second is love,” explains Anna Gotlibis, an associate professor of philosophy at Brooklyn College in New York.
She believes this narrative’s influence extends far beyond TikTok and shows up in the business world, academia, and the halls of power.
#20 Should Not Have Said That, Tate
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#21 What Type Of Leap In Logic Is This
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#22 A Swiss Woman Drives Her Microcar Onto The Train Because It’s Too Slow. Once You’ve Reached A Certain Level Of Aura, You No Longer Have To Be Considerate
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Self-love is great, but basic respect for the people around you is what makes you a decent human being.
So the next time you see an influencer in the wild inconveniencing everyone around them, or a neighbor hogging all the parking space, call them out, take a picture, and make them the main character in the public hall of shame.
#23 A Few Years Ago, A Young Girl In My Town Attempted To Steal The Pony She Had Been Caring For At A Stable By Taking Him On The Train Toward Her Own City
She made the whole ~30 minute trip and was only stopped after leaving the station.
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#24 Might Have Found The Most Insufferable Man On The App
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#25 A Bridesmaid Posted This In My Local Mums Lounge
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#26 Not Everyone Wants To Hear Your Music
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#27 This Giant Ring Of Prime Beach “Claimed” Before 6:00 A.m. And Still Unused At 10:30 By A Bunch Of Inconsiderate Jerks At 107th Ocean City, Maryland. The Beach Is Packed And This Huge Area Is Unused
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#28 The Park Is A Perfect Place To Practice My Pole Dancing Skills
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#29 It Happened Again
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#30 Rules Apply To You. So Do Fines Up To $25,000. Don’t Post Videos Of You Breaking The Law To Social Media
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#31 Sitting At The Coffee Shop For An Hour Without Purchasing Anything
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#32 Neighbours Had A Gender Reveal In Their Garden And Now My Garden Is Covered In Blue Plastic
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#33 Came Home To This On My Fridge From My Roommate Who Doesn’t Clean
He never cleans anyway and just got an injury that doesn’t prevent him from doing any of these
Edit: Dylan is 33, a male, and did write this himself in the 3rd person. He recently got a fibula fracture but was given a boot and I watch him get around the house just fine.
Image source: SlipperrE
#34 Pnw Nature Influencer Blatantly Scoffs At Strict “Leave No Trace” Rules
Screen grab from her video on the short form platform. She was deliberately leaving plastic fairies throughout this public park. When a different commenter very gently and kindly informed her that it was illegal and she is leaving microplastic garbage in her wake, she laughed at him and said “the forest will survive”. 😡 A person who is specifically focused on promoting the gorgeous PNW should know better.
There are strict litter laws, fines for failing to follow “pack in, pack out” rules, and even a possible fine if the county needs to involve extra resources to find and dispose of the litter.
I reported the video to the county. The report is public info now.
ETA: PNW = Pacific Northwest (USA and Canada)
Image source: LateDxOldLady
#35 Live Streaming Dj Set In The Middle Of A State Park
We hike here often for some peace and tranquility. We love the fresh air and sounds of the waterfalls. This jerk was live-streaming his dj mix with speakers full blast at the falls lookout. I hiked 1.8 miles for this.
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#36 Gurl, Bye
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#37 One Of My 5 Apartment Complex Neighbors Keeps Using The Front Entrance Bushes As A Clothes Drying Rack
There are 6 apartments in this building, all of which have to use the same entryway to get to their apartment. Every day I get home from work, I get to play a mental game of “what color pants and underwear are laying on the bush today”.
Don’t know who it is, so there’s not much to be done besides report to our leasing office, which also doesn’t seem to care. Guess this will just keep my return every day entertained. Any guesses for tomorrow?
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#38 This Truck Blocking 90% Of The Sidewalk
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#39 She Wanted To Copy My Essay
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#40 Military Discount At A Swimwear Store
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#41 Woman Taking Up Four Space
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#42 Imagine Being So Entitled That You Make Everyone Drive 20mph Because That’s What You Want
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#43 Starbucks “Loosing” A Loyal Customer Because They Got His Name Wrong
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#44 Bringing Your Kindle To The Movie Theater
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#45 No Words
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#46 This Twitch Streamer Sitting The Wrong Way On My Motorcycle Without Permission Parked Near Twitch Con For Her Stream
and then yelling at me for interrupting her stream when I asked her nicely to get off my bike and she tried to shame me live on her twitch stream and stuck the cam in my face
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#47 Tourist Taking Yoga Selfie Pic On The Memorial Site In Berlin
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#48 This Main Character At Aushwitz
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#49 Finds Out Euros Aren’t Optional
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#50 Must Be Exhausting Being Thomas
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#51 Motorcycle Guy On The Tram
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#52 Took Away Towels From Sunbeds At A Resort And Owners Were Furious
So we (me, wife and two kids) are staying at a vacation resort in Tuscany in Italy. It’s not that big (maybe 30 apartments) and there’s a beautiful pool with enough sunbeds and parasols. The pool is busy, but because people are coming and going there are always a couple of sunbeds free. This morning we arrived at 11:00 in the morning at the pool and the best four sunbeds beside the pool had towels on them, but there was no one there. Nobody reserves sunbeds here with towels, so it was a bit strange. We took another place and the pool got more and more crowded until almost all the sunbeds were in use. At 14:00 the towels were still laying on the four sunbeds and I got irritated, because I saw families arrive and search for free sunbeds and had to improvise to have a spot at the pool.
I’m usually a very chill guy who avoids confrontation, but this really annoyed me. I took the towels and placed them at the gate of the pool. Within 10 minutes the sunbeds were used by a family that arrived. At 17:00 the owners of the towels arrived, 6 hours later!! A mother and 2 children. They were furious someone took their towels away. The selfishness and entitlement is unbelievable with these people. They were even with 3 people and tried to occupy sunbeds for 6 hours at a busy pool! They had to sit all the way at the back and I felt so good. I know it’s petty of me, but I had great fulfillment that these people didn’t get away with it.
Edit: The owners of the towels were furiously talking to each other at the gate where they found their towels. The family who took their “reserved” beds, weren’t bothered by them. I kept an eye on the situation and would’ve told them I did it if they’d blame the innocent family. Edit2: Wow! Woke up and didn’t expect it to blow up like this! Thank you all for you comments and likes! P.s. at the pool again and it worked like a charm. Not one bed reserved with a towel.
Image source: IllCardiologist6408, aowsakornprapat/Enavto (not the actual photo)
#53 Best Friend Got Mad I Made His Bday Dinner Instead Of Buying It
For context i had already paid for everyone to go to an escape room since he likes that kinda stuff and it was abt 35 per person for a group of 6. Money was alr kinda tight before the escape room but i genuinely couldn’t afford to take anyone out to eat. Everyone else loved it and even grabbed seconds but I could tell he was disappointed by it. I feel bad abt it so maybe i could make it up to him by taking him out when i have the money.
he loves thai food so i made red curry over rice + spring rolls and cucumber salad but eb ate those before i could get a pic
edit: for everyone asking me if he ever said he was mad he didn’t explicitly say so but all this happened yesterday and he hasn’t talked to me since then which is highly unusual ( for eb telling me to text him i took a ss it’s in the comments )
final edit: he has been dropped and blocked anddddd is currently trying to guilt trip me while texting off random numbers !
Image source: NaeeeBearrr
#54 Missed My Train And Was Late To Work Because My Uber Driver Had A Hankering For An 11am Cheeseburger
was already running a little behind so i decided to get an uber rather than the bus to the train station. timer stayed at 3 minutes for approximately 15 minutes as my driver finished whatever he ordered in the mcdonald’s car park. missed my train by 5 minutes.
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#55 This Man Left His Wife And Got Up To Sit Next To Me. For Context I Am In The Emergency Escape Aisle With More Legroom
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#56 Lady Demanded That We Stay Open After Closing Because She Was Already On Her Way
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#57 11 Hour Flight To Paris
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#58 Customer Is Upset That A Mattress Store Won’t… Help Them Move…?
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#59 Car Dealership Blocking The Sidewalk With Their Cars
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#60 Lady Covers Seat With “Seat Bag” – Tray Table Cannot Be Opened…
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#61 Wants A Model With Amazing Aesthetics And Should Film Multiple Videos, All Unpaid And Doesn’t Have The Decency To Offer The Jewellery As A Gift Either
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#62 Getting Insulted After Politely Refusing A Ride At 6:30 Am To Someone I Haven’t Spoken To In Months
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#63 Lady Wanting Preteen To Watch Kids For $50/Week
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#64 This Guy’s Response To A Girl Saying That She Got Engaged
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#65 Local Real Estate “Investor” Is Mad That I Told Him I Didn’t Have Time To Speak When He Showed Up Unannounced
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#66 Everyone Should Hear Me Sing
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#67 Benches For Me, But Not For Thee
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#68 The Driver Had Better Gotten A Good Tip
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#69 Woke Up To This Message From A Colleague In Our Group Chat. She Started Prank Videos And Has Received A Warning From Work About Some Of Her Content Too!
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#70 Please Don’t Wake Her Precious Baby
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#71 Main Character Syndrome
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#72 Taking Photos In A Sensitive Habitat
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#73 I Let A Colleague Borrow One Of My Favorite Books, And It Was Returned To Me With The Pages Written On And Stuffed With Sticky Notes
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#74 How Dare An Uber Driver Not Know Who She Was! It’s Microaggression, I Tell Ya!
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#75 These People Used Books To “Reserve” Their Seats At The Resort And Then Just Never Showed Up
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#76 Put Your Call On Speaker Right In Your Ear But Put Your AirPods On
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#77 When Did This Become A Thing In The First Place?!?!
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#78 An Argentinian Fan Gets Caught Pouring Himself A Cup Of Beer After The Fifa World Cup Final
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#79 I Was A Plus One At A Wedding Where The Bride Kept Interrupting People’s Conversations Because They Weren’t “On Brand”
I was a plus one at this wedding a couple of weeks ago so I didn’t really know anyone there besides my girlfriend. Ceremony was nice and then the cocktail hour was normal and obv dinner starts and everyone is just doing what people do at weddings you know catching up with relatives they haven’t seen in ages.
Then the bride starts making the round and at first I genuinely thought she was just being a really attentive host until she stopped at the table next to ours where two guys were talking about football and said, smiling the whole time with a really eerie smile- “No sports tonight, let’s keep the conversations about the wedding.”
It was so awkward everyone laughed and the guys laughed too then she walked away.
About ten minutes later she stopped an older couple because they were talking about a cruise they’d just come back from. She actually said and I not kidding- “You’ll have plenty of time to talk about holidays later today is about us.”
She kept doing it all night and it was driving me insane notice how she was sucking away the joy from her own wedding. Someone started talking about buying a house, she redirected them. Someone was telling a story about work and she appeared like Voldemort again. My girlfriend started catching up with a cousin she hadn’t seen in years and the bride literally came over and suggested they share their favourite memory of the couple instead. like are you actually serious as an adult? What kind of attention seeking is this? It said so much about her as a person and I was kind of also worried considering my girlfriend is friends with her.
On the drive home I asked my girlfriend if I’d imagined the whole thing because it was so weird.
She just goes – No, she did this at the engagement party too. I am honestly left questioning how is my girlfriend even friends with this lady?
Image source: Constraints-First-67, andriymedvediuk/Envato (not the actual photo)
#80 People Are Jumping Into Meat Coolers In Supermarkets To Cool Down
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#81 Temu Spiderwoman Hires A Photographer
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#82 Skid Row In La? Nah These Are Pokémon Card Scalpers
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#83 Summer Tourists Parking In Front Of Fire Station Exit In Sweden
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#84 Return A Wedding Gift After 40 Years
So my aunt and her husband recently decide to divorce after almost 40 years. The reasons are not important but the divorce is going well. Well, apparently my ex-uncle’s sister contacted my aunt and asked that since they were divorcing could my aunt return the gift she bought them. Apparently she bought them a coffee maker. Back in 1987. That thing had long since died and gone to the dump. When my aunt told her ex-SIL that it was gone her ex-SIL asked if my aunt could buy her a new one to replace it. Apparently my aunt has not responded to this request yet, but my family group chat is enjoying roasting this woman for her audacity.
Image source: littleredbird1991, gpointstudio/Envato (not the actual photo)
#85 People Who Feel Rules Don’t Apply To Them At Sequoia National Park
One woman decided that the fencing and signs protecting the tree didn’t apply to her. One couple that decided their dog was special and could walk on the trails even though it’s prohibited.
Edit The Regulations Pets are prohibited on all trails. This includes paved trails, such as the General Sherman Tree Trail, Big Trees Trail, Grant Tree Trail, and others.
Edit again – cell phone service is spotty. 1. People seem confused but as per my previous edit, but dogs are not allowed on any trials in either of these parks. 2. The reason they don’t want people to walk this close to the tree is it can damage the roots and kill the tree. 3. I called this park by the wrong name. There are two parks in one location and this was at Kings Cayon.
Image source: mtflamingo
#86 Typical Day On Facebook Marketplace
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#87 Woman Took Up Half My Leg Space On My 8 Hour Flight
Fell asleep early on my flight, only to wake up to my seat neighbors feet on top of mine. I told her multiple times that she was in my space but would revert to that position after a few minutes. Might have to start going for business class after this incident.
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#88 Received Birthday Gifts And My Mother Decided To Make My Little Sister Feel Bad By Pointing Out She Bought The Gifts And My Little Sister Didn’t Actually Buy Them
I figured my little sister didnt really buy me these cause shes too young for a job, but why would my mother go and call her out like that just to make her feel bad? I was totally OK playing along and making her think I believed she bought these herself, now shes crying and my mother’s screaming at both of us
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#89 Nobody Should Be Swimming
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#90 This Guy Stood Outside The Stall Door Like This For The Duration Of My Use
Image source: nojunkpeter
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