25 Times People Were Told “Don’t” But Listened To Their Intrusive Thoughts Instead

As a person who doesn’t like bugs, reptiles, moths or any kind of creepy crawlies, if someone says stop, turn away or don’t touch, I would obey without question. In my mind, if someone is at a better vantage point to determine that your person is under threat, they can only alert you to that fact. It’s still up to you to take preventable action. After the incident has been avoided, there is plenty of time for questions and answers, because, as the adage states, ‘prevention is better than cure’ and that rule can apply to many instances in life.

However, not everyone chooses to live by such codes of conduct. Some people can be downright stubborn about their health to the point that they end up purposely engaging in stupid acts that could be detrimental to their safety. Though it comes across as an immature response, it seems to be an affliction that affects many people regardless of age. So when one Redditor asked, “What’s the stupidest thing you’ve seen someone do despite being expressly told not to do it?” a few honest stories rolled out of respondents’ memories, and we’ve shared our favourites in the gallery below.

#1

I worked tech support for copper phone lines. Had an old German sounding lady on the phone saying her phone was electrocuting her while she was holding it. The phone she was talking to me on. I told her to please stop using the phone and we’d send someone out to see what’s going on. This lady just kept screaming about how bad it hurt to hold the phone and how much pain she was in. I was like lol just hang up idk what to tell you, but she just stayed on the phone in agony until I ended the call.

#2

New hire running a press brake, which is a large machine used to bend sheet metal. The new hire was holding the part with one hand and resting his other hand on the bed of the machine.

Three different times he was told to NOT put your hand on the bed. The last time he was told there was a large amount of four letter words used to try an impress upon him that you do NOT rest your hand on the bed.

He would keep his hand away for awhile then go right back to it. He got into a rhythm and he placed his hand on top of the bottom dies rather then the bed. Top dies came down with 35 tons of force and crushed all four fingers off of his hand.

#3

Picking up a box jellyfish and continuing to hold it the entire time it was stinging him.

#4

When I was in grade 8 we had a science class were we were supposed to be describing the properties of chemicals. We were shown how to waft the hand over a vessel to get a smell, not to taste it, etc and then were given a beaker of liquid to write observations about. We were constantly warned to follow the protocols we were taught.

One kid grabbed his beaker, drank it down, and said it’s water. He was immediately kicked out of class and later that day I heard the teacher talking about how at the last minute he decided to use water as a first chemical instead of an acid because of how stupid this one kid would be. He wasn’t wrong.

#5

Co-sign a car loan for a friend.

#6

I had a friend looking for his first car and he wanted a BMW or Cadillac, which was pretty crazy considering we both worked the same job making less than $30K a year. After searching for two months, he finds a 2011 BMW 335i for $16k. But after six months of having the bmw it breaks down badly and it’s back to him getting a ride from people to work. Four people out of the six of our friend group told him to get a Honda or Toyota as a first starter car and he said “no I’m worth more than that. I want something nice”Now three years later hes still paying on the bmw that hasn’t been driven in 2 1/2 years

#7

When I was in college there was this idiot that, despite being told multiple times that it was a bad idea, decided that he just HAD TO grab onto the electric fence around his friends property. I’m told that the noise that came out of him was hilarious.

Yes. I was that idiot.

#8

It was me.

I saw a red hot burner, asked my mom what red feels like. She responds telling me not to touch it that it’s very hot and will hurt me badly. I then decided I wanted to see what red felt like.

#9

One that happens entirely too often.

Tell the new guy do not watch p**n on the company computers.

Then I get a call from my boss saying the new guy got himself fired for watching p**n.

Seriously people, if it is on their network they can see it. Incognito mode will not save you.

#10

Climb into a cardboard baler because he threw his phone in and wanted to check after he already crushed it. I yanked the key out and he was fired immediately

#11

Leaving the boardwalk in those areas of Yellowstone where you could break through the surface into a scalding hot spring.

Also in Yellowstone, approaching a bison “because they’re so cute”.

#12

Safety video: “Do not stick your hand in liquid molten plastic.” 5 minutes on plant floor Supervisor to Me: “Hey, take Johnny to the hospital because he stuck his hand in molten plastic and has 3rd degree burns.” That was the end of Johnny. I never saw him again.

#13

Had an ex-boss who was expressly told by HR to quit with his sexual harassment; he had “two strikes” by then.

He then decides to specifically mention my breasts in a public conversation. He was gone within the hour.

#14

I was chaperoning a field trip where the 7th graders got to shoot compound bows. They were expressly told multiple times to NOT dry fire the bow (pulling back and letting go without an arrow).

One kid literally did that as soon as he was handed a bow and broke it. Luckily these were small/low strength pullback bows so he didn’t get hurt, but he sure as heck got benched for the rest of class.

#15

My cousin was living with us and the milk he purchased for himself was several days out of date. “Hey Nate, just a heads up that this milk is really expired so make sure you don’t use it.” Then I left it in the fridge so it didn’t stink up the trash before I could walk it to the outdoor trash bins. He immediately got up from the couch, walked in the kitchen, opened it and took a sip. Then immediately started heaving into the sink. It was straight up CHUNKY. He could have just taken a small wiff of it or even LOOKED at it to tell that it was, indeed, very spoiled.

#16

In the Navy, there was this guy who literally sucked at everything he did. You could put him in a 4×4 room with a giant steel ball and he’d find a way to lose it or break it. We were doing elevator testing, very clearly making it go up and down and ensuring people were CLEAR of the shaft before every operation. Obviously you’d get crushed to death hanging around that area while the platform was moving.

We get to the bottom of the shaft and I checked to ensure it was clear. I start walking up to tell the operator it’s all clear and they ask “Where’s McPhearson?” I look behind me and see he didn’t follow me up. I go all the way back down to the bottom of the shaft. Where is this MF? INSIDE the elevator shaft SLEEPING.

#17

The tech next to me was using canned air to clean a dusty computer. I noticed he was tilting the can to the side really far to get into the fans so I told him to be careful because if you tilt it too far it’ll spray sub zero temp liquid that can freeze-burn your skin. He said “really?” and then immediately turned the can upside down and sprayed directly into his palm. I was just speechless while he clutched his hand and cursed.

#18

We where out and drinking with some friends. In the group was this guy and he was drunk as f**k and was saying he could jump over a car. We laugh not thinking anything of it. All of a sudden he runs in to traffic and jumps towards a car. Got hit and got thrown across the street where an other car hit him again.

No need to say, he was in the hospital for a long time. Never saw anything stupider than that

#19

I was a prep cook in a college town restaurant kitchen. One of the other cooks was in the university’s ROTC program and was bragging about his “fire proof” nomex gloves. He decided to show off what they could do by donning a glove and submerging his hand in a pot of boiling water.

Nomex is a fire-resistant fabric. It is neither heat resistant nor water proof.

#20

I worked in an aquatics store, and I told a new hire to be careful when working in the coral vats because the halogen lights got stupid hot (this was before LeDs and they were out the way of customers) so I told him not to touch. As soon as the words left my mouth, he stuck his fingertips on the light. Had to get him to A&E (accident and emergency or the ER for the Americans), and almost 20 years later, I can still hear the sizzle of skin

#21

I used to work at a restaurant that specialized in soup. We always kept it on the burner on the stove so it would be piping hot when it was served. Every time I would bring it to the table I would say the same thing: “Bon Appétit! Here’s your soup. Now be careful because it’s piping hot.”

And every. Single. Time. They would say: “OK!” And then immediately take a sip of it and go. “Ah! Thats..That’s… really….” “Hot?” “Yes..” “Yeah, I know. I just told you that.” 😆

#22

When I was 5 years old, my dad poured some sort of strong and relatively toxic deep cleaning liquid on our wooden dinner table to remove a stain. He jokingly told me not to taste it, and left the dining room for a moment while the deliciously green liquid was dissolving the stain.

I stared at it for a while and proceeded to lick it.

#23

Saw a truck driver get his fuel tank caught on fire hydrant. Everyone yells at him to stop and points at the problem. Driver gets out looks at it, jumps back in and proceeds to try RAM his way through. Ruptures his fuel tank AND breaks off the hydrant.

#24

Not me, but saw a video of a woman tell her husband not to put diesel in their car just because it’s cheaper.

Cut to… the car having to get towed.

#25

Wearing gloves while using a table saw. He “didn’t want to get any splinters”, and I believe he didn’t, though I did have to sift through a pile of sawdust to find his severed thumb for the paramedics, you win some you lose some I guess.

Shanilou Perera

Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.