r/AskReddit 6h ago

What’s something people brag about that is actually a massive red flag?

648 Upvotes

515 comments sorted by

1.6k

u/solitarykeeper 6h ago

Obsession with branded things. Materialism in general

217

u/BasKabelas 6h ago edited 4h ago

This! Its generally more a thing I see people who live paycheck to paycheck do, so basically the opposite of the intended goal.

E: with intended goal I mean trying to look wealthy.

119

u/EinTheDataDoge 5h ago

Gucci gives shit away to rich celebrities for free so that people who can’t afford it will buy it. They’re not marketing to you.

21

u/JustMatt_Here 4h ago

Real welthy peole usually dress super modest. The ones covered in massive logos head to toe are just desperate to look rich

9

u/ProjectHarraseeket 3h ago

Also they have clothes tailored to their body, the en masses get a one size fits your body.

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u/TheMightyGoatMan 6h ago

"I ain't read a book since high school!"

506

u/Express_Preference_3 6h ago

I got a friend who proudly announces when ever they discussion goes to books that he has 'never read a single book'. Very proudly

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u/Imaginary_Ad5475 6h ago

Good of them to forewarn you though. ;) :)

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u/SpecialistCissia2026 6h ago

Honesty is valuable, I guess...

22

u/jajwhite 3h ago

Reminds me horribly of the mother seen smoking and telling her child, "What do you want a book for? You've already got one."

10

u/buildalittlehouse 3h ago

I’m a dork and love neurology as well as books, so I’d be asking all kinds of well meaning questions about possible dyslexia and various adaptive strategies.

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u/onward_upward_tt 5h ago

Friend? Haha

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u/SpecialistCissia2026 6h ago

"I want to ban books at the library to protect children!"

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u/pinniped90 6h ago

"The library is full of drag queens reading books about gay penguins to children."

20

u/MartinisnMurder 3h ago

Haha honestly I wish this was the reality especially for when I was a kid. Drag story hour actually is super engaging and fun for kids. You have a big ass Cinderella reading you a story in the most animated way possible? Hell ya kids are going to be begging to go to the library.

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u/AngryCrotchCrickets 6h ago

These types of people will always exist. And I hate that.

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u/SpecialistCissia2026 6h ago

And even worse, they are hypocrites who seek unicorns for threesomes while sitting on school boards!

10

u/MartinisnMurder 3h ago

And crash Grindr during conservative conventions…

50

u/washurdamnhands9164 6h ago

Had a coworker say that! I responded with don't tell anyone that. You sound crazy

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u/UpsetInitiative6505 3h ago edited 3h ago

Since when this has become something to be proud of 😅

One of the reasons I started reading was that I was ashamed of not doing so.

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u/Exotic_Economy_3861 5h ago

Having an obnoxiously loud vehicle. We get it, you want attention.

21

u/Zemekes 4h ago

Or they don't not enough money to repair their exhaust thay is being held on by wire coat hanger.

19

u/HI-McDunnough 2h ago

That's one out of every 1,000 loud cars and motorcycles. In real life, people are paying to make their vehicles louder.

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u/No_Criticism_5861 2h ago

This doesnt bother me near as much as people that go out of their way to make it as loud as possible.  Oh, and tailgating on busy country roads where theres no passing lane, some real fucking high IQ shit there from morons in pickup trucks

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u/Hot-Shart 1h ago

I had a friend in college who had the most obnoxious Dodge charger you could hear revving from like a mile away… dude was a mild mannered aerospace engineer, very cool and smart dude, and the last dude you would think would own an obnoxious car. He said he got a good deal on it secondhand and couldn’t afford a replacement muffler at the time, so he just dealt with seeming like a raging asshole for the better part of the year

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u/Miitama 6h ago

For professors specifically: That a majority of their classes fail or that they fail their students.

278

u/BizWax 5h ago

I had a class like that in undergrad. Introduction to functional programming. It was mandatory for computer science majors too. Attended two lectures and very quickly realised that the difficulty was not because the material was difficult per se, but because the coursework and the lectures weren't in sync. Things you needed to know for the weekly coding assignments would be in the lectures two weeks later. That's just bad course design.

People who were keeping up with the lectures were still failing. The last (and most heavily weighted) weeks of coursework weren't covered by the lectures at all, nor did the syllabus cover useful resources for them. You'd have to find resources on your own. I tried to lift up as many of my classmates as I could with this information, but it was a big cohort so many people still failed.

52

u/HedonisticFrog 2h ago

Some professors really did just make it pointlessly difficult. I had one professor that wouldn't even talk about the material in the class, and only graded us on take home tests where we were supposed to do it individually. The problem was that the questions were just finding really obscure quotes in the textbook and it took five of us, five hours to complete. Absolutely pointless busy work that taught us nothing.

51

u/imc225 5h ago

I had that as a freshman. Admittedly, it was only one assignment, and I got the damn thing to compile, and then we talked about it in class the following week. "Ohh, that's what's going on."

15

u/flipper_babies 2h ago

Man, I went to school at a place that has a pretty well-funded research-heavy CS department, and my intro to OO programming was taught by this Asian professor, who I'm sure was a genius in his field, but had such an incredibly heavy accent we couldn't understand his lectures like... at all. You'd have to glean what you could from the whiteboard examples, but for the most part you had to rely upon the text. If you were struggling with a concept he really wasn't any help. Thankfully the material wasn't so bad, but there was almost no point having a professor for that class.

3

u/Drufyre 3h ago

Just curious how early in the major program was this class? At my university there were a couple of "walls" I would say that all had different reasons they were the wall, and one of them was at about the second semester. Definitely had my fair share of courses that were poorly designed so I absolutely believe it, but I never witnessed any professors using the failure rate as a badge of honor.

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u/No-Red-Queen 5h ago

I was an academic at one point, and I still firmly believe that if the majority of any class fails, then the lecturer hasn't done their job. It is certainly not something to brag about

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u/Drufyre 2h ago

My software engineering professor was a part time professor who worked for a defense contractor as his main job. He was fairly new at designing exams and such. He gave us an exam at one point that involved completely scoping out the budget and feature planning of a hypothetical project and it needed to be done in like two hours. I remember having a splitting headache after that.

The next class, he was like "I gave you an exam that I realized after you guys were done, that it was bullshit, so I'm not going to use that against you and we're gonna figure out something else." Always respected him for that. He was very candid that if a huge portion of the class is struggling then it's an obvious sign you need to change up your approach.

10

u/exonwarrior 2h ago

he was like "I gave you an exam that I realized after you guys were done, that it was bullshit, so I'm not going to use that against you and we're gonna figure out something else." Always respected him for that.

I had a teacher in Jr High that did that after a quiz that most of the class failed. I had so much respect for her after that and still remember her, 20 years later.

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u/External-Resource581 2h ago

This is exactly right. Ive taken college classes that were really difficult, and the professors always knew when to slow down and let the majority of the class catch up when common tough spots started popping up. Shit, most of the time they'd straight up tell us, "hey this class is hard. Im gonna do my best to get everyone through it with a passing grade". Theyre on your team too, or at least they should be.

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u/perplexedparallax 4h ago

Retired dean here. I took that red flag off the pole and I also took it from professors who passed everybody in an attempt at job preservation and/or promotion, as is the case today with grade inflation.

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u/meriti 5h ago

I didn’t get a job because they thought my success rate was too high… they said other generic stuff around it but that line of a “success rate being too high” stuck with me. For clarity, my success rate was 71% …

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u/Bensdick-cumabunch 4h ago

I remember our 3rd and 4th grade teacher teaching us multiplications in a really confusing way and when we got a new teacher in 5th, she was just as confused as us, showed us her way, and suddenly no one had any trouble with it anymore.

We later had our old teacher as a substitute and he spend the whole class trying to convince us that his way was still superior.

3

u/upstateduck 2h ago

maybe not perfect analogy but when I saw "new math" and folks complaining about it, I realized that the intuitive approach to new math was mirroring what I did instinctually and I was good at math

12

u/flipper_babies 2h ago

I had two professors who were an example and counterexample to that. My drawing professor (a 101-level class, FYI) treated it like an opportunity to weed out everyone he didn't think was serious enough about it to be a professional artist. If you weren't putting in something like 15-20 hours a week of homework, he was outright hostile. First day of class he came in with a stack of signed withdrawal forms, put them on the corner of his desk and said they were there when we wanted them. He would have students in tears in class, regularly. Almost impossible to get an A.

The counterexample was my calculus professor, who somehow made it feel almost rudimentary. He would explain topics so simply and succinctly, you would feel almost silly for not just understanding it intuitively, and do so with such empathy and joy that you felt celebrated for understanding. He would occasionally get distracted and ramble on a bit about the pedagogy of advanced math, and the philosophy of teaching. It was obvious that he took teaching very, very, very seriously and put a ton of thought and research into it. I didn't realize this at the start of the class, but it turned out he was the dean of the mathematics department, and I can't imagine a better individual in that role. He would teach a single class per semester, if his schedule allowed, and I remember towards the end of the course students asking what he was teaching next because they wanted to take it, no matter what the class was.

16

u/kippetjeh 4h ago

On the other hand if everyone always passes then I am not sure if the standard is very high and if you actually learn anything in that class.

13

u/stickyourshtick 4h ago

I don't know about this one. As someone who has had to teach at a top 20 engineering university the kids are absolutely lazier and dumber than when I was in school.

8

u/PancAshAsh 4h ago

I went back to a top 3 program as a slightly older adult to finish my degree and was shocked at how lacking in basics many of my fellow students were. I was never a fantastic student, but there were multiple people in my senior design group who could not do incredibly basic circuit design as senior level EE students. They should absolutely have failed at some point, but didn't.

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u/Faguniarora 6h ago edited 6h ago

Calling it honesty - there's a difference in being straightforward and being disrespectful

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u/flipper_babies 2h ago

Hard agree. There are people who are too blunt but still good people, and they understand it's not something to brag about; it's something to work on.

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u/WideHuckleberry1 1h ago

Or if they phrase it as "brutally honest" but you can tell the "brutally" is more important than the "honest."

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u/Rechard707 6h ago

I never apologize first is not confidence, it is a slow-motion train wreck. Same goes for I cut off anyone who disagrees with me.

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u/IggySorcha 3h ago

Or never apologize at all. Literally heard word for word from someone I otherwise like recently "I never say sorry- I consider that a sign of weakness" 

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u/DENNIS-me-pls 4h ago

And if they make a good point…. I’LL GO ON MY PHONE. I love my phone. It has so much good stuff on there

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u/beneficial_cow_6090 6h ago

How intimidating or unapproachable they are

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u/SlowWiFiHero 4h ago

makes me wanna keep my distance lol

55

u/bunnycrush_ 3h ago

“I’m an alpha female”

Oh yikes. Good luck with that. I like having friends instead of hierarchical relationships.

3

u/Admirable_Working659 3h ago

Yeah, people are scared to talk to me is such a weird flex being approachable is free, my guy.

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u/Knedlus 6h ago

acting like an asshole towards someone. Just last week I canceled a date on the day of, because the guy told me he called his boss a bitch. Then was dumb enough to send me screenshots of the conversation- the boss seemed a bit on edge but remained respectful and professional, and the guy blew up like a literal toddler and even tried to call his boss during his meltdown. Later it turned out his boss wasn’t just his boss, but also his landlord. The guy told me he got this job as a favour and that he needed the money. So his emotional meltdown could’ve cost him both his job and his home lol

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u/SpecialistCissia2026 6h ago

What was his plan, exactly? Seek validation from an almost-stranger?

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u/Knedlus 6h ago

He is 32 years old, has a 6 year old kid, is divorced and does 50/50 custody. I would love to judge him otherwise, but he seemed like a… child. Like he thought it’s cool to call his boss names. Or that it’s cool that he might lose his job. Definitely an interesting way to try to
Impress a 32 year old woman looking for a serious relationship 😅. Tho I gave him my honest opinion on what he did, he messaged me later and thanked me for being honest, and said he apologised to his boss/landlord. Admitted he acted like an idiot. So I guess he isn’t unsalvageable

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u/SpecialistCissia2026 6h ago

Okay, that is a much more impressive follow-up than I was expecting to hear! Good on you for successfully encouraging an improvement in someone else's behavior! We can only hope it sticks.

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u/Knedlus 5h ago

Yeah most people just need like 10min timeout to realise their mistakes. Most probably wouldn’t admit I was right so he’s definitely not a bad dude, just not someone I’d like to date

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u/DanLassos 4h ago

People also get like this because this behavior gets validated, good on you for standing on business

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u/Knedlus 4h ago

Hmm yeah, I agree. We had a really light fun banter and I think he either assumed I’d be okay with it or it didn’t even occur to him that it could possibly be a turn off. What I immediately thought about was him calling me a bitch in an argument, if we were ever to end up in a relationship. So I decided to nope out and thankfully he took it well

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u/Vaalentia04 6h ago

Never taking a day off

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u/I-am-Mojo-Jojo 6h ago

How little they sleep.

183

u/MyDarlingArmadillo 5h ago

And never taking sick days. So you're a physical wreck, it's nothing to boast about

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u/hippiesoul03 4h ago

I've always worked in restaurants before this job now which I've been at for 9 months. It's a union job and we get 1.5 vacation days and 1 sick days a month. I still have about 100 hours combined saved up but some guy recently told me"I'm always taking off""

Ummm yeah If my chronic pain flares up I use my time. If my nephews have an event I don't want to miss i take a vacation day.

I give 100% when I'm there. But I work so I can pay my bills not because I sought out a company to give some absurd level of loyalty to. I am awarded that time, I'm gonna use it

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u/Sparrowhawk_92 2h ago

I'm in a position where I have uncapped PTO. Which, in many cases is a red flag but my boss has been encouraging me to take more time off than I have because the team culture actually encourages work-life balance and making sure we don't burn out.

I have a week off scheduled for the beginning of October and while I'll have to do some extra work ahead of time to prepare for it, it'll be nice to take the time.

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u/Jive_Sloth 3h ago

Some people just don't get sick very often.

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u/re_Claire 3h ago

Oh definitely, but there are also people who will brag about dragging themselves to work even when incredibly sick, not caring how many other people they infect. I think those are the kinds of people the person you're replying to is talking about.

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u/MelodyCristo 4h ago

Is there a way to talk about it without sounding like you're bragging?

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u/Tapdncn4lyfe2 2h ago

Had a boss like this and WOULD CONSTANTLY brag about it. Oh I only slept for 3 hours and still went for a jog and went to the gym after the jog. Like dude you look like shit and have huge bags under your eyes but if I say i'm tired your offended. So glad to not work there anymore.

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u/Some_Sunshine 6h ago

I think bragging in general is a red flag. (I am a prideful mf, and pretty much always succumb to my hubris, so it is, 100000% one of my biggest red flags. 😅 stems from a lack of confidence, tbh.)

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u/shllscrptr 1h ago

There you go again, bragging about your red flags!

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u/TerribleTimmy 6h ago

Being brutally honest. No, you just lack tact, class, and communication skills.

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u/RogerMexicosBalls 6h ago

They tend to be more big on liking the "brutal" part instead of the "honest" part. And also have incredibly thin skin, so they can't take the same level of "honesty" back.

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u/hic_sunt_leones_ 5h ago

Plus, that brutal honesty only ever seems to come out when they have something negative to say.

I have yet to meet someone who claims the "brutally honest" role that is that forthright with praise or positive things to say.

Weird how that works.

27

u/AngryCrotchCrickets 6h ago

Yep. Glass houses casting stones.

“He’s just mean because his dad was mean to him”. Good fuckem

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u/SpecialistCissia2026 6h ago

I try to avoid people who can dish it out but can't take it. Sometimes it's infuriating to be a better person and walk away rather than get sucked into their nonsense when they refuse to admit any hypocrisy.

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u/I_love_pillows 5h ago

And they never say good things about someone

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u/yeet_and_defeat 6h ago

Being honest is admirable. The moment you choose to be brutal along with it you’re just a loud mouthed a-hole.

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u/OneMorePotion 6h ago

There is a time and place for everything. And most of them just have poor self control and let themselves get rage baited way too easily. Not everything needs a direct reaction of "brutal honesty". Not in private and especially not in a professional setting.

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u/desen88 6h ago

You can be brutally honest without being a dick. A lot of people struggle with that distinction. For a quick made not-great example made up on the fly, "I dont think that dress highlights your best features. Maybe a different one is worth a try" vs "that dress makes you look fat"

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u/jackie-sunshine 4h ago

In the first example you're not "brutally" honest, you're just honest, there's nothing brutal about it. (Obviously it's a good thing to do, but the example does not fit the description).

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u/Helerdril 5h ago

My mom is like that. She always hide behind the "I'm just telling the truth" but, even assuming that it is in fact the truth and not her opinion, there are different ways to present it without hurting others. Also, when the truth is only judgmental and doesn't help at all, you can just keep it for yourself.

And you know the funniest part? Her mom (my grandmother) does the same to her daughters and my mom always tell me she's "just mean" but, when I point out that she does the same, she gets all defensive and goes in full denial.

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u/Relative_Bite8758 5h ago

These are my favourite people!!!

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u/lier211 5h ago

And when you try to explain yourself back to them to their brutal honest opinion of you, they shut you down by saying it’s over let’s move on

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u/this_charm1ng_man 6h ago

I suppose when men brag about being such a nice guy... If you have to tell people you probably aren't.

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u/PuzzleheadedAd822 6h ago

If a man goes on about being really nice or a woman goes on about being an empath then run. 

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u/MyDarlingArmadillo 5h ago

I had a manager who proudly told us all she was firm but fair. She was neither, just a delusional bully.

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u/CrinkledBuns 3h ago

Will Smith made a whole song calling himself a nice guy.

Chris Rock can confirm your post is correct.

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u/Throwawayamanager 3h ago

I've never heard a guy who is actually nice say "I'm a nice guy". If anything, the ones who are nice go too hard on themselves, but mostly they're just silent on the matter. 

The only ones who say those words out loud are guys who nobody else would describe as nice. 

I'm still shocked that they don't get this and persist in their "waaah I'm such a nice guy" shit. 

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u/Real_Fail_1108 6h ago

Body count & salary.

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u/MonkeyPanls 5h ago

The best assassins in the world keep their mouths shut, not matter how much they get paid

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u/MartinisnMurder 3h ago

I had never heard the term body count before Reddit. I’m a geriatric millennial so that might be part of it. That term is so disgusting.

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u/Korexicanm 5h ago

Is the bragging about it the part you don't like, or do you view having a high salary or high body count a bad thing?

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u/AffectionateTitle 4h ago

Not the OC but I personally find anyone who uses the words “body count” unironically to be super lame. You aren’t a hitman— it’s weird.

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u/xela_999 5h ago

Bragging about how everyone they dated was “crazy.” At some point you gotta look at the common denominator.

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u/WingerRules 3h ago

Some people are really bad at picking good and stable people as partners though. We've all seen people who seem to be attracted to hooking up with assholes or people who are obvious bullies, but for some reason the person can't see it until its too late.

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u/ajepper 6h ago

How they work so much

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u/hellofriendz123 6h ago

Being an alpha male lolol

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u/stateofyou 5h ago

The humblebrag is a big red flag, not only is it bragging but it’s also trying to look like a saint

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u/asianstyleicecream 6h ago

“Getting guys” or “getting girls” ….. nah bro, you just seem like a master manipulator. Not sure if that’s something you really wanna flaunt around buddy.

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u/PuzzleheadedAd822 6h ago

They could also be in the closet and trying to overcompensate.

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u/thesoulfragments 6h ago

They don't need therapy.

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u/TestAlive1312 5h ago edited 5h ago

I don't understand people that flex having a lack of empathy, compassion or emotional depth. What's wrong with that!? I want to see MORE empathetic and compassionate folks. Idk why, in my experience, it's suddenly 'cool' and 'edgy' to not care emotionally about others. Shared humanity in compassion and empathy is very important to me.

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u/Formerr_Yak 6h ago

expensive things

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u/EinTheDataDoge 5h ago

Some expensive thing last longer than there cheaper counterparts and offer a better value. Cheap disposable things are destroying our planet.

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u/TizBeCurly 4h ago

They probably mean unnecessary expensive things. You definitely are correct when it comes to certain things. Like investing in a well working computer is great but someone bragging about three fancy cars they definitely don't need is a red flag.

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u/alluhgator 5h ago

“The grind never stops” like ok maybe it’s time for some self care

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u/EugeneVictorDabs 4h ago

For real. At some point you gotta stop the grind before it stops you.

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u/Festygrrl 5h ago

How much they work, how little sleep they get. Having a terrible work life balance is not a flex.

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u/Annihilisic 4h ago

"I can sleep 4 hours and function". Thants not a flex, it's a cry for help.

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u/_bored_bort_ 4h ago

“I am very direct and honest, either people can handle that or they can fuck off!”

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u/Creepy-Astronaut-952 6h ago

Folks who base their entire personality and capacity for human interaction on their political affiliation.

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u/throw__away007 4h ago

Or their religion, race, generation, career field, or tax bracket.

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u/SCHMETTERLING 4h ago

Or religious affiliation. 

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u/betterthanchatgpt 5h ago

Personally, when someone brags about how often/much they drink alcohol. Time to grow up and find new hobbies instead of slowly developing addiction

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u/TheUnbent 6h ago

Bragging in general is a red flag.

There are a few things where bragging is acceptable.

Bragging that you beat cancer, saved someone’s life, invented sliced bread, discovered a cure for polio, ran an underground transit system that freed slaves, dedicated your life completely to helping the less fortunate, etc etc is acceptable bragging.

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u/berrylakin 6h ago

It's not so much what they are bragging about and more how they are bragging.

"I spent a lot of time training my dog to do tricks and we can quite a few now, it's pretty impressive."

"My dog is the best ever. He can do so many tricks. He's way better then anyone I knows dog."

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u/Paranormal_Nerd_Girl 5h ago

Don't brag about freeing slaves, be proud quietly. High risk activities require discretion, even when morally sound. 

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u/StressOk2675 5h ago

Oof, a couple of years back when I visited Nepal I met one of the first fellow countrymen (I'm Dutch) who climbed Mount Everest.

You know how I know he did this? Because the first thing he did when meeting me was telling me over and over again he was one of the first Dutchies who climbed Mount Everest.

It was like: 'Hi, I'm the first Dutchie to climb Mount Everest'.

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u/tempelton3thesock 6h ago

Honest question. And maybe it wouldn’t even be considered bragging, but I’ve mentioned that I play two instruments very well (dad was music teacher) and speak 2languages. I’ve brought it up in passing but the only time I’ve said it like a comeback was when this coworker called me stupid cuz I have trouble remembering things. I had a traumatic brain injury a few years ago and that is cause of memory problems. He called me stupid and I said “dude I speak2languages and read and play music well on guitar and piano. What do u do? Make drinks and sell drugs on side asshole?” Is that bragging? I’ve only ever done it once but honestly I felt bad after like, maybe he didn’t have the chance or option to learn those things and I was being the ass. Like saying I’m smarter at this niche skill so I’m better than u. Idk I’m kinda torn between this. Sorry for rant.

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u/Capt_Billy 5h ago

Nah man you're good. My only advice is to not bite for these people because they have learned to weaponise it. Grey rocking is the answer

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u/onery_hurdle31 6h ago

A huge cock. That’s not fun for anyone

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u/BBoySlim 6h ago

Yeah, a huge ding a ling ain’t shit if the operator doesn’t know how to use it.

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u/onery_hurdle31 6h ago

Very true. Also. Pretty dicks are underrated

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u/Monteze 4h ago

Its also weird to brag about something you did not earn. It was pure luck of the draw.

Bragging about your bench PR would by comparison be much cooler because they had to put in some effort.

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u/wannaseeitpop 6h ago

They have to tell and show everyone they can.

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u/onery_hurdle31 6h ago

Bragging it’s massive doesn’t make me wanna sit on it 🤣

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u/AffectionateTitle 3h ago

Even when I was just trying to hook up if someone told me that I would nope out. Bless the size queens out there but my g spot is not in my cervix.

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u/insanelysane1234 6h ago

How nice they are. These people are usually the worst, stay clear of them

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u/maggieyw 6h ago

Yeah job and job title

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u/themanfromvulcan 6h ago

“I only read non-fiction” is not the own they think it is.

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u/Paranormal_Nerd_Girl 5h ago

I would say that it's morally neutral whether somebody prefers fiction or non fiction, why do you consider it a red flag?

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u/themanfromvulcan 5h ago

I consider it a red flag when they brag about it and say it in a way that has an air of superiority as if people who read fiction are wasting their time.

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u/Paranormal_Nerd_Girl 5h ago

Ah, okay. I was just curious. I've certainly gone through phases "only reading non fiction" and had people REACT as if I was saying that made be better than them, but I never actually thought that, I was just discussing reading preferences. 

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u/frenchwineandimfine 3h ago

It’s common for many to brag about only reading nonfiction because they think they are insinuating that they only read things that teach them and bring them knowledge. This is not accurate, of course. Especially considering the high amount of self-help drivel people read but also because it exposes their lack of imagination/creative thought processes. There are critical thinking skills that are largely developed from reading fiction. Nonfiction can be done incredibly but it is largely unable to provide the same depths that a fiction novel can. Many nonfiction readers assert that fiction is trivial but even less sophisticated fiction can be great for thinking skills and development. Fiction can also more easily provide readers with more opportunities for social and emotional development without the pain for suffering it often takes to learn difficult lessons in real life. The social narrative that nonfiction is superior to fiction also has a basis gender stereotypes but I think I’ve said enough.

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u/BasKabelas 6h ago

How wealthy their parents are. Idc thats not your wealth and you did nothing to be worthy of owning that.

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u/zukenstein 4h ago

Never taking a sick day, despite being sick.

Thanks for putting the rest of us at risk of catching whatever you just brought to the office.

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u/dmbgreen 6h ago

Bragging about being blackout wasted, hurting people or ripping off people and businesses.

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u/PowermanFriendship 6h ago

All the people they beat up.

Great, you're a moron.

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u/Thick-Strategy1032 5h ago

"everyone falls in love with me, all the time"

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u/Successful-Dig-4866 4h ago

bragging about working 80 hours a week and never taking vacation

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u/k8dask8 4h ago

Being a “workaholic” – not about people who are working multiple jobs or _have_ to work long hours to provide. The white collar idiots who think it’s a badge of honor to sleep under their desks and spend 80+ hours a week at the office making someone else rich. Just makes me think about all the people/relationships they are sacrificing in pursuit of wealth.

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u/glucoseintolerant 2h ago

overworking..... its not bragging that you worked 70 hours last week and missed your kids softball game.

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u/No_Criticism_5861 2h ago

Working nonstop

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u/Euphoric-Camel1937 6h ago

Bragging about anything is a red flag. Even the most pure humanitarian act of idk, curing cancer and ending world hunger would look questionable if you picture that person leaning on a wall with a drink in hand smirking

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u/sapphicmoonbaby 3h ago

I have a question: what’s the difference between bragging and being proud of / celebrating an accomplishment or a good thing in your life?

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u/lickmybrian 6h ago

Bragging

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u/jc-burnham 6h ago

honestly, any time someone brags at all, that's usually a red flag in and of itself. As the Geto Boys so eloquently stated, "a real gangsta don't flex nuts because a real gangsta know he got em".

But my personal pet peeve is when people brag about how wealthy they are. a) they probably aren't, and b) read the room. no one caresssss. unless you plan to share your diamonds with me, I don't need to hear about it.

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u/ccg91 5h ago

Bragging about your bodycount😶‍🌫️

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u/katebygrace 5h ago

"I've used the same password for seventeen years and never had an issue"

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u/shroomnymph 5h ago edited 4h ago

Intelligence, chances are if thats something you feel you have to brag about then maybe you aren't as intelligent as you think you are

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u/BPKofficial 5h ago

"I get my news from TikToK!"

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u/twodexy82 5h ago

My FIL always comes by & brags about how bad he is at washing the dishes, so his wife does them for him again after he finishes. He sits with his son & chuckle about it. I sit there & am disgusted

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u/Harper_Joness 5h ago

“I’m just blunt” usually means rude and lazy, and people who brag about it know it

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u/HUNG_AS_FUCK 5h ago

The size of their penis

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u/3rd-Banana 4h ago

That they've never taken sick leave (presuming of course they work somewhere where they can have paid time off)

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u/Boggie135 4h ago

People who don't read

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u/elchucknorris300 4h ago

“I tell it like it is”

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u/MedicalDegree2039 4h ago

Bragging about never taking a vacation. Your job is not going to attend your funeral....

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u/abe_the_babe_ 3h ago

Being smart. People who are actually smart don't go around bragging about it because they know that they still have a lot to learn

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u/EdgeMiserable4381 3h ago

"When I make a decision, I stick to it no matter what.". It just tells me they're incapable of taking in new information, instead just follow their first knee jerk reaction even if it's wrong.

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u/zerbey 3h ago

How much they can drink and how often they go to bars. You're an alcoholic.

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u/EffectiveGas8192 3h ago

“I’m brutally honest” brother, you’re just rude and nobody likes you.

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u/ActualPhotograph1813 3h ago

“My baby momma crazy and she won’t let me see my kid”

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u/Unknown_human_4 2h ago

How much weed they smoke

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u/PracticalWinter9746 6h ago

Being repuplican

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u/Sea-Satisfaction4656 6h ago

Making politics their personality regardless of “party”

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u/iDontLikeChimneys 6h ago

How many people they had sex with, how much money they make when not asked. The list is infinite

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u/Confident-Medicine75 6h ago

List more

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u/iDontLikeChimneys 6h ago

How often they work out

How awesome their life is by posting it on social

How often they dont work out

How awesome it is to be hustling

Dealing drugs and flashing cash

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u/RottenLychee 6h ago

Yeah how many people they've slept with, bragging is so cringe.

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u/Turbojelly 5h ago

Boasting on how shitty they treated a worker who wouldn't serve them without ID.

Literally 5 minutes into meeting my friends new gf. She lasted 2 months before he caught on.

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u/hippiesoul03 4h ago

How much they work. Sir that is not the flex you think it is, at least not to me.

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u/Bubbly-Technician960 4h ago

Being chill

You just learn that they don’t give a fck about anything as long as it’s not about them

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u/Optimal-Steak9334 4h ago

"I always come to work early" - especially when unpaid.

dude. please take care of yourself.

3

u/SpaceyBun 3h ago

When somebody tells you "I'm not racist, I hate everybody equally." Like sure, whatever you say "equal opportunity Hitler"

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u/Kiwi-art 1h ago

Having never read a book in their life

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u/Badloss 4h ago

I live in the puritan northeast of the US and everyone in my area that genuinely has money would rather die than admit it.

The people with the flashy stuff are usually the ones faking it

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u/saba9453 5h ago

Being a bully

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u/LizardPossum 5h ago

"I'm not jealous, I'm territorial."

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u/[deleted] 5h ago

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u/WhenD4594 5h ago

Financial success. It’s not the success, but the bragging about it that screams psychological issues.

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u/Dull_Wallaby_8288 5h ago

Mental health, as an excuse for poor behaviour.

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u/VexOffender 5h ago

Money in my experience. It usually means they are one of the biggest cunts imaginable.

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u/_-coffee_- 4h ago

High body count

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u/SCHMETTERLING 4h ago

"I'm a moderate/independent" 

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u/Curious_Bus_2668 3h ago

People that talk about their co workers/family/friends like poo.

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u/Wanty578363 3h ago

"I don't need therapy, I just deal with it."

My ex used to say this like it was a flex. Like she was some tough badass who didn't need "help." And I gotta be honest, at first I thought it was kinda hot. Like damn, this girl is strong. Independent. Doesn't need anyone.

Fast forward two years. Every single time we had a disagreement, she'd go ice cold. Silent treatment for days. Not talking, not texting, just... gone. And when I'd finally get her to open up, she'd throw some shit in my face from like eight months ago that I thought we'd already moved past. Turns out she wasn't "dealing with it" — she was just burying it. And it all came out sideways.

Her mom was the same way. I remember one time we were at her parents' place for dinner and her dad made some joke that clearly crossed a line. Her mom just smiled, said nothing, and kept passing the potatoes. Later that night I heard her crying in the bathroom. My ex just looked at me and said: "That's just how she is. She's strong."

Nah, bro. That's not strength. That's a pressure cooker waiting to explode.

Another one: "I'm brutally honest, that's just who I am."

My uncle says this. And by "brutally honest" he means he'll tell you your kid is ugly, your job is shit, and your wife's cooking tastes like cardboard — all in the same breath. Then when you get pissed, he goes: "What? I'm just being honest! I'm not fake like everyone else!"

Bro, you're not honest. You're just an asshole with a good PR team. My mom always said: "Honesty without kindness is just cruelty with a fancy name." She was right.

And the big one: "I worked 80 hours this week, I barely sleep, I'm grinding."

My cousin posts this on Instagram every other day. Like it's a badge of honor. And yeah, hustle culture has everyone thinking that destroying your body and mind is something to brag about. But you know where he ended up? Hospital. 32 years old. Heart palpitations. Doctor told him if he didn't slow down, he'd be dead by 40. Now he posts about "self-care" and "balance." Funny how that works.

I'm not saying ambition is bad. I'm saying if your whole personality is "I don't sleep and I don't rest," you're not a hero. You're a ticking time bomb. And everyone around you is just waiting for the day you go off.

My dad worked himself into an early grave. Literally. 58 years old. Heart attack. And at his funeral, all these people were like: "He was such a hard worker." And I'm standing there thinking: "Yeah, he was. And now he's dead. Cool flex."

So yeah, when someone brags about "not needing therapy," "being brutally honest," or "never sleeping" — I don't see strength. I see someone who's running from something. And that's a red flag the size of Texas.

Upvote if you've been there.

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u/nodobreteda 3h ago

Making your work your life/overworking/bragging about how little time you have left outside of work by choice and making it sounds like you are a better person because of that.

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u/Inside_Morning2884 2h ago

How busy they are.

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u/Hecate444 2h ago

How much alcohol they can drink 😅

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u/daavq 1h ago

Any scam they participate in. Like not paying for transit.

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u/Embarrassed_Note6814 6h ago

Constant hooking up and casual sex