“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is one of the most incorrect sayings of all time. Idiotic opinions, fallacies, and outright untruths are all, unfortunately, broadcasted over the internet for everyone to see, meaning that all of us have to see, hear, and read the very worst words and ideas humans can put together.
The “Facepalm” internet group gathers all those moments when people really did or said something so unbelievable that it caused a visceral reaction to all onlookers. And through the magic of the internet, it can reach you too. So be sure to upvote your “favorites” and comment your thoughts below.
This post may include affiliate links.
In Fact, It’s Happened 7 Times
I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO SPORTS, BUT THIS DUDE IS AMAZING FOR STICKING UP FOR THEM
The Rich vs. The Poor
im so tired of this. the immigant boat was on the news for days. Stop acting like no one cared. I literally had to stop watching the news because of the coverage broke my heart. The submarine became world news after a few days because it was a stupid concept and the first time it happened. Lifes and families are ruined. Its not a contest. Edit: the most submarine attention comes from people that say we shouldnt give them attention. Like right here.
Burnnnnnnnnnnnn
The oldest use of the word “facepalm” (but not the actual, physical action) dates back to the early days of the internet. In 1996, where the first netizens mentioned it in a variety of posts about everyday life. This points to the fact that this phrase was in the popular lexicon earlier, as the posters do not clarify what the word means and use it nonchalantly.
However, the actual post, of holding one’s face in your palm, is relatively old, and found in statues and sculptures going back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Normally, it was associated with more serious loss, like Henri Vidal’s Caïn, depicting the biblical figure mourning the death of his own brother, who he killed.
American Dream
“Muh Guns!!!”
Both my kids went through primary school, high school and university without ever knowing what 'Active shooter drills' are all about. I never had to wonder if they would come home alive everyday.
Now Your Own Decisions Belong To A Man You Havent Met
Due to the internet and the general ubiquity of this emotion, the facepalm remains popular, to such a degree that there is even a facepalm emoji (Unicode U+1F926) and a vast library of stock images depicting this action. While commonly reaction images of humans facepalming were used, one can now even find animals doing the gesture, most likely by accident, but it’s always fun to imagine a cat actually facepalming.
What A S**t Show
It absolutely did. We are such an embarrassment. Add in that I'm Texan and I want to hide my head in the sand these days. I'm no longer proud of my country or state and that's tough to say.
This Anti Vaxxer Trying To Stop Her Son From Getting Vaccinations Himself
"I can't wait until I turn 18, I'm going out and doing shots!" "But you have to be 21 to drink in the US" "I didn't say drinks; I said shots"
Just Your Average Pro Life Hypocrite
For those that see something not worth a full facepalm, as it is a bit dramatic at times, you can use the good old disappointed head shake, that one’s grandparents will tactically deploy when they see anything that confuses them. Over text, one can quickly and easily communicate their disappointment with the good old acronym smh (shaking my head) which is actually older than good old facepalm.
In Church For Blessing Ar-15's. But Blaming Others Than Christians
Spot On
High Iq Destruction
On the other hand, should one need to deploy stronger language, there is always the trusty face desk aka the head desk. While we do not recommend you actually do this, be sure to upvote the posts that go beyond a facepalm. This is a stronger emotion, one so visceral that the victim wants to physically bash the thing they just read or heard right out of their head.
Who Wants To Pay Our Bills
Not Bad
I once saw a guy in his car crossing himself before starting to drive at a green light. This was in Athens and traffic was hell (2003).
Show Me
The reality is that there have always been people who might cause us to facepalm. Bad decisions and horrible opinions are deeply human and probably existed before language. So it’s overall a net positive that we have methods to immediately “get it out of our system” when someone does something so deeply idiotic that it makes us feel bad by proxy. As long as we don’t facepalm too hard.
Who Needs Vaccines When You Have Miracles
It Was Media Control All Along
Why would your code name for something be a god damn anagram that's literally so stupid
Brain Damage: Cool, Vaccine: Nope, Thanks
Similarly, while the internet allows us to see more facepalm-inducing moments, on the flip side, it lets us publicly shame people with ideas this bad and it communicates to others who might have similar ideas that in reality, they are wrong and should keep it to themselves. Someone is not a bad person for being wrong but sticking by an objectively terrible opinion even when presented with contrary evidence is pretty childish. If you want to keep facepalming, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our other article on this topic here.
Texas Be Looking Like Gilead
And too many people don't seem to realise how utterly stupid that sounds.
Lemme Ask You This
Having A Functioning Circulatory System
Don’t have a functioning circulatory system because it gives guys the ick. Got it
She Tried
Antivax Logic
Burn Victim
I can absolutely say I dont understand "human drivers of fire"what is that? Sounds scray! I need to read MCarthy et al 😄
Damn Son!
I had a boss tell me that morning meetings were not for me because I was a temp. One day the manager comes by and yells at me for not attending meetings, in front of the boss that told me not to go. And she didn't say a word. I quit that day.
Awkward
Ummm all that stuff about the weed I’m just repeating what I have heard other people say.
Just Because Of Freedom And Law
You'll Survive
My ex manager was a chain smoker, like every hour outside for a cigarette break, when we were discussing favorite soda flavors, he said’ yuck, do you have any idea what soda does to your body’
Yep That Sound Right
Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions
Immigrant Prisoners Are Lease To Be Slaves
Perfectly legal under the 13th Amendment. Former slaves were often arrested in the South to be used as (slave) prison labor. 13A is ironically part of the root of today's mass over-incarceration in the US.
What If We Made An App That Would Endanger Lots Of Women?
Tat
When You Try To Sue A Restaurant For No Reason And Lose
Yeah, Sounds About Right
Which One Of The Many Mass Shootings Are We Talking About?
You Had One Job
But My Country Is Not Happy Any More
Their secret is oil. Lots and lots of oil, which profits the government first, instead of individual companies or CEOs. They have so much money that they build very expensive bridges to teeny tiny islands, just because they can.
We Did Everything But
☠️☠️☠️ How Is This Possible
My Brain
She's a Trump. Her brain doesn't function like the rest of us
Just Another Normal Day
Virtue Signalling
I've written longer responses about this topic, but for now I settle for saying that calling everybody out for cultural appropriation has gotten out of hand.
People need to be educated what cultural appropriation actually is and stop using that term for each and any cultural exchange. When pharmacy companies went to Africa, learned about useful drugs and plants from local tribes, then learned to synthesise the medical ingredients, patented them and burned down the region where it naturally grew to eradicate the source and make more money, that was cultural appropriation! When Disney tried to get a copyright on the term santa muerte and everything related to it after Coco so they could sue native mexicans for celebrating their national holiday, that was (attempted) cultural appropriation! Getting inspired by another cultures quisine, buying spices and dishes from an ethnic store or wearing a dress/costume inspired by other cultures is not. Sometimes this form of gatekeeping resembles a renewal of segregation more than actual care for other cultures.
Load More Replies...I never understood cultural appropriation when it comes to the United States anyway. The United States is a combination of cultures and that’s how our culture has evolved. We’ve taken cultures and homogenized them.
The difference in the United States is that the culture and culturally related aesthetics were monetized, celebrated and turned into fashions and trends when it was done by white people but criticized, belittled and criminalized when it was presented by people from that culture. THAT is the issue.
Load More Replies...I'm waiting for an alternative looking white girl to claim on tiktok that cosplay is appropriating Japanese culture and if you're not Japanese you shouldn't dress up as anime characters. It's always theses types saying it.
Something like that already happened! An insta-girlband got backlash for using anime styles. It was ridiculous. And it didn't come from the Japanese who didn't even care one bit about it. And there was an attempt to gatekeep the chinese moon festival, but it was beaten down by massive backlash from chinese people who made pretty clear that celebrating the lunar new year was meant for everyone and that sharing, especially with strangers, is an integral and essential part of that cultural event. They got pretty angry that foreigners tried to gatekeep lunar new year! In my opinion it's pretty racist to try to speak for cultures as modern and big as china or Japan. They don't need any white girly to gatekeep them. They can do that for themselves if they want to. They're not a minority and they have enough economical power to make themselves heard. One could say, cultural gatekeeping of cultures like that is pretty entitled and shows a nasty superiority complex.
Load More Replies...When I had Facebook my cousin posted an Irish joke. Some American, with a definitely not Irish name, reported us for racism and posted he would do so. My cousin replied age said "born in Ireland, raised in Ireland, live in Ireland. So go away muppet". He was then lectured by this fella about how shameful we are for being racist against our own people.
As a mixed race Asian, it actually makes me happy when people show interest in traditional costumes and our culture. This is not appropriation, at least in my book.
When people tell me I'm not allowed to have opinions about "Africa". First of all, "Africa" is a continent, not a country (and I only know enough to have opinions about one of the countries) and secondly, I AM FROM HERE (A COUNTRY IN AFRICA). I think I can have opinions about MY OWN COUNTRY thank you.
A little effort to be respectful would help this. If a designer confers with cultural experts on a particular design, and they help them alter it so it’s no longer improper or offensive, but just a design, I think a lot of this would be alleviated. When the culture itself helps to make a design something they’re just fine with, and no longer appropriation but merely inspired by ___, it then becomes cultural collaboration, and the argument that it’s cultural appropriation no longer holds water.
Are we all in agreement that it was some white person who was so outraged they had to express it publicly? What would the world be like without the white saviors?
i am literally tired of the word literally to, like, literally stop!
Load More Replies...Could people stop being unreasonably outraged on other peoples behalf? Literally nobody asked. Remember when Super Mario Odyssey was released? People were outraged that one of Mario's costumes was a sombrero/poncho combo and called it "clichè" and "cultural appropriation". And then actual Mexicans spoke up with "WTH shut up? We love it, look at him, that's representation! We love that he is wearing our clothes!"
For about the hundredth time: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
I hate gatekeepers. The "culture police" usually aren't even part of the culture they accuse others of appropriating.
Liberal, progressive types claim to know what's best for minorities without even asking them.
Queen Elizabeth Is Asking For Money On Internet
Woman On American Airlines Plane Duct-Taped To Her Seat After She Tried To Open The Door Mid-Flight
These Darn Spoiled Kids Today, With Their "Need To Eat At Regular Intervals" Or Whatever, Smh My Head
Rich kids get free meals from their parents. These people must think that rich kids eat at their leisure because their little fellows somehow earned it. I know sometimes I feel entitled to my privileges, but this is a whole other level.
Instead Of Calling The Cops, The Museum Turned Off The Heating And Lights. Protestors Were Asking For Food And A Bowl To Go To The Toilet - No One Cared
Keep It Simple Stupid
Affect is a verb and effect is a noun, but sometimes effect is a verb as in “ to effect change,” (thank you to those who commented below, I genuinely didn’t know!), English is lovely, isn’t it?
Yahoo Answers Might Be Gone, But We Still Have Quora
Time To Hate White People For (Checks Notes) Walking In The Rain?
Can these be titled properly? Clicking on something with a general title of 'idiots' isn't the same as "hey all you xenophobic BP'ers out there, you can really get your bigot on with this thread!". Expecting to have a laugh only to see hypocritical after hypocritical post and comment is mind boggling.
My God I gave up got the stupidity was bugging me. Think I'll go pour another vodka and kill a Brain cell or two
A lot of BP just seems to be about illustrating how much Americans hate each other.
These threads make me so angry about America. You guys are living in a dystopia. You ok over there? Love and concern, Australia
I’m making a necklace from my craft book =D it says it’s a necklace that they make in Central Africa. I’m making it out of a paper plate lol. Our lives aren’t all death and despair.
Load More Replies...She is why racism exists! Im so sick of dumb people bringing up race. Who cares what color someone is. Reverse racism
No it's just prejudice. Racism specifically arises from systems of oppression.
Load More Replies...When you decide to do or say something stupid you don't have to post it on social media. Just make it your little secret. I don't think anyone will mind.
Well this was... enlightening. Man there are some terrible people on here.
Well this whole article could have just been called "Let's S**t on America". I came expecting lighthearted funny idiot stories, not the darkest parts of our social politics.
I figured out how to block all the stupid posts on major social media outlets
Can these be titled properly? Clicking on something with a general title of 'idiots' isn't the same as "hey all you xenophobic BP'ers out there, you can really get your bigot on with this thread!". Expecting to have a laugh only to see hypocritical after hypocritical post and comment is mind boggling.
My God I gave up got the stupidity was bugging me. Think I'll go pour another vodka and kill a Brain cell or two
A lot of BP just seems to be about illustrating how much Americans hate each other.
These threads make me so angry about America. You guys are living in a dystopia. You ok over there? Love and concern, Australia
I’m making a necklace from my craft book =D it says it’s a necklace that they make in Central Africa. I’m making it out of a paper plate lol. Our lives aren’t all death and despair.
Load More Replies...She is why racism exists! Im so sick of dumb people bringing up race. Who cares what color someone is. Reverse racism
No it's just prejudice. Racism specifically arises from systems of oppression.
Load More Replies...When you decide to do or say something stupid you don't have to post it on social media. Just make it your little secret. I don't think anyone will mind.
Well this was... enlightening. Man there are some terrible people on here.
Well this whole article could have just been called "Let's S**t on America". I came expecting lighthearted funny idiot stories, not the darkest parts of our social politics.
I figured out how to block all the stupid posts on major social media outlets