Reddit’s ‘Am I The Asshole?’ Page Has Become My New Isolation Obsession

Lockdown has meant that we’ve all been spending more time at home, often living in close quarters to family, our partners, or housemates. This can cause a whole host of issues and disagreements, as people grow frustrated and act out.

Because of added stresses, it’s extra difficult to work out whether these actions are justified, who’s in the wrong, or more succinctly…are we just being assholes? Enter subreddit r/AmITheAsshole, a page on Reddit that has grown a massive following and allows users to submit their own personal anecdotes for the rest of the subreddit to decide whether the person is an asshole or not.

Posts often begin with the acronym ‘AITA?’ before putting forward their story and pitching their defence. It’s essentially trial by Reddit and each post ends up with a final verdict: asshole or not the a-hole.

Once you land on the page, it’s kind of hard to ever leave. There are just so many wild stories. Some are extremely petty, others rather serious and alarming, but most of the stories at their heart are about people wanting to be good, or at least appear that way to others.

Among the thousands of posts, there are people who clearly were not the asshole and they’re extremely wholesome to read. Like this young teen, who felt bad for baking heaps for his girlfriend, but not baking as much for his family.

AITA For Not Baking Much For My Family from AmItheAsshole

Here’s another person who had to tolerate being mucked around in a job interview, before choosing to leave.

AITA for walking out of a job interview? from AmItheAsshole

This parent questioned whether they were an asshole for simply telling their daughter’s teacher how to correctly pronounce their kid’s name.

AITA for correcting my daughter’s teacher about her name? from AmItheAsshole

But there’s plenty of stories where the person definitely is the asshole and it’s intriguing to get insight into how some people think. Like this guy who deleted his girlfriend’s Instagram like it was no biggie.

AITA for permanently deleting my girlfriend’s instagram? from AmItheAsshole

Then there was this Reddit user, who lost their shit after their friend dared to put potatoes into their bowl of chili. The audacity.

AITA for storming out of a dinner when I found they put POTATOES in the chili? from AmItheAsshole

But there’s also plenty of moral dilemmas that live in a grey area because they’re extremely weird. Like, whether an adult should have to choose between their girlfriend and a stuffed panda.

AITA for making my girlfriend choose between me and her stuffed animal? from AmItheAsshole

Or when the story is so juicy it should be adapted into a 12-episode mini-series.

AITA for ‘gate crashing’ my ex’s wedding and causing the marriage to get annulled? from AmItheAsshole

This next story is a real journey. At first the person wasn’t sure they were an asshole, but after reading their post’s responses eventually admitted that they were the asshole and have attempted to fix their mistakes.

AITA for praising my son differently than my daughter? from AmItheAsshole

It’s hard not to get completely invested in all of these stories, and I’m absolutely hooked. Finally, it shouldn’t need to be said but if you live in a student sharehouse, don’t put your dick in a jar of peanut butter kept in the communal kitchen.

AITA for putting my penis in peanut butter and leaving it in the kitchen? from AmItheAsshole

Yes, you’re the asshole.

Read more stories here, but believe me once you start, you won’t be able to stop. Watch The Junkee Takeaway’s breakdown of the subreddit page below: