One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. Sometimes society creates fantastic perks for people, but that one guy finds ways to take advantage and then ruins it for the rest of us.
Here are some shining examples of cool things ruined by one person’s selfish (sometimes abhorrent!) actions.
Free Light Bulbs
Back in the day, electric companies would replace light bulbs for free if you returned the used ones. It only took one hardware store to sue for the practice to stop.
Now we all have to pay for lightbulbs because of one company’s greed.
Toothbrush Mustache
Charlie Chaplin donned a magnificent stash, but his contemporary, a German dictator who will remain nameless, destroyed the look for the foreseeable future.
Fun fact: Charlie Chaplin and said German dictator were born four days apart in 1889.
Shoes on an Airplane
Someone tried to smuggle explosives in their shoes, and now everyone has to take their footwear off when going through airport security lines.
Sushi Licker
Many Japanese restaurants used to serve sushi on a conveyer belt. Patrons would take what looked good as it passed by.
Unfortunately, one sicko thought it would be funny to lick the sushi as it rode by, thus eliminating the practice.
Inappropriate Coaches
When people abuse their positions of power, everyone suffers. Obviously, the victims have the worst of it, but the stories destroy the prestige of the profession and cause people who are dedicated to their jobs to take extra precautions to limit the potential for abuse.
In professions like coaching, where coaches need one-on-one interaction with the players and must sometimes catch them or help when they’re injured, the stigma can hurt performance.
“Fifth One Free” Food Stamps
Most restaurants that issue cards allowing customers to get something free after several visits regret the decision. Customers find any possible way to take advantage, from stealing the stamp in general to demanding stamps for lesser purchases.
Why can’t we just accept nice things?
Easy Open Meds
All over-the-counter medication must be tamper-proof because one jerk in the 80s tried to poison a bottle of OTC pain meds.
Millions of people must wrestle with annoying packaging to get their sweet relief.
Free Food
Some restaurants and grocers used to give away their unused food at the end of the day, but litigious folks claiming to get sick ruined the feast for everyone.
Vaccines
Andrew Wakefield single handily destroyed the glowing reputation vaccines enjoyed. His now-debunked research caused millions of people to doubt the efficacy of vaccines, and it turned out he was an absolute hack.
Kinder Toys
We can’t blame the kid who choked, but we do blame the parents for allowing a small child to attempt to eat chocolate filled with a toy surprise.
Now, kinder eggs can’t include toys.
One man invested millions of dollars into an impressive social media company and subsequently destroyed it. It’s practically unusable.
New Twitter is a sinking ship as millions of users switch to other apps.
Democracy
People in the US used to have faith in their elections. One candidate who couldn’t accept he lost destroyed millions of people’s faith in the system.
Freedom for the Poor
America has freedom, if you’re wealthy enough to enjoy it. Here are 14 ways only the very rich get to enjoy America’s freedoms.
Is America Actually Dystopian?
Although there are many fantastic things about living in the US, some of our systems and laws leave many scratching their heads, wondering if we’re already living in a dystopian nightmare.
Here’s the evidence that makes us wonder if America is actually a dystopia.
If America is the Best, Why Can’t We Have Nice Things?
Everyone claims America is the best country in the world, but other Western nations put us to shame. Here’s the cool perks other countries provide their citizens that we wish we had in the States.
Are You Smart Enough To Spot The Propaganda?
Propaganda surrounds us. It attempts to sway our thinking in both mundane and critical ways. Here are some examples of propaganda we see every day.
Conspiracy Theories That Might Just Be True
Some conspiracy theories are far more believable than others. Here are some we can get on board with.
Source: Reddit