As humans, we are generally quite good at understanding the gap between the spirit of a request and the literal meanings of the words. This allows us to be selective when someone we don’t particularly like, for example a toxic ex, starts making all sorts of demands but isn’t picky enough with their words.

A woman maliciously complied with her ex-husband’s request to “toss” his things into boxes. She took the idea quite literally, to his dismay. We reached out to the woman who shared the story via direct message and will update the article when she gets back to us.

Listening to an ex’s demands can be grating

Image credits: Kampus Production (not the actual photo)

So one woman decided to take his words literally, to his chagrin

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

Image source: MrsKnockers81

It’s possible to do exactly as someone says while not actually fulfilling their wish

Malicious compliance is just another case of the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law. For those who are uninitiated, the core idea is that the technical way something is “written” (the letter of the law) can at times be followed, while ignoring and thereby subverting the intention of the law, i.e. it’s “spirit.”

For example, in this story, the ex-husband, rather lazily, makes the demand to have his things “tossed” in some boxes. “Toss it over there” is a common enough phrase that most of us wouldn’t even think twice. After all, it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t want his valuable collectables literally tossed.

However, the woman decided to act on this technicality. He perhaps didn’t actually want his items treated this way, but he can’t exactly be that mad when she literally followed his demands to the letter. As she herself puts it, “my ex learned to not ask me to do anything for him any more.”

This can be seen as a teaching moment

At the very least, hopefully, it would teach him to be more careful with his words. Barring that, maybe he can at least consider simply doing things himself instead of asking a person (with kids) to pack his own things for him. While her actions were perhaps a tad hostile, it could have been a lot worse. Besides, humor is always important, during the good times, as well as the bad.

After all, he has been described as a cheater and jerk, so some folks would see this as a prime opportunity to scatter their belongings across a busy road. Her keeping them and even being willing to ship them to his new residence is, in all honesty, a sign of character. Importantly, she barely even “tossed” the items, instead, allowing the delivery process to do most of the damage. People who have been cheated on tend to go to more elaborate lengths than just some “tossed” boxes.

We love malicious compliance because it requires cleverness and skill

This story is a classic example of why we love malicious compliance tales. Revenge is a genre as old as time, but malicious compliance scratches a very specific itch. After all, revenge can be disproportionate and brutish, but getting by on a technicality requires some skill. Malicious compliance makes the perpetrator regret their actions in a clever way.

The hope, in a case like this, is that the ex-husband has perhaps learned his lesson. Of course, as a “jerk and cheater,” laziness is lower on the list of things he should perhaps improve, but it’s a start. At the very least, the woman gets to have a nice memory to perhaps get some closure on what was not a happy relationship.

Readers thought her execution was perfect

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