The world isn’t just black or white—it isn’t full of sunshine and rainbows all the time, but neither is it always as bad as what you might see on the news. However, there are truly awful moments when you see how horrible people can be that make you wonder how anyone could be so cruel.
The r/HumansBeingJerks online community does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a place where internet users share images and videos of people behaving like utter jerks. You’ll find some of the most egregious examples as you scroll down. But be warned, you might just end up losing your remaining faith in humanity.
#1 A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
Image credits: FreshStink
#2 Trashed The Whole Top Of Mount Everest
Image credits: XXX-_TENTACION
#3 Humans At It Again Being Jerks
Image credits: reddit.com
The r/HumansBeingJerks subreddit was created all the way back in May 2013. So members of the group have been sharing some of the worst examples of human behavior for more than a decade now.
At the time of writing, nearly 24.9k internet users were part of the community. It’s not just other people that end up being treated poorly—it’s animals, too. And scrolling through this list, you’ll realize that everyone deserves to be treated better. With respect, dignity, and kindness.
#4 This Is Appaling. Clean After Yourselves, Goddamnit
Image credits: iicxsey
#5 Always Check Beefore Your Night Gets Ruined
Image credits: LiterallyNiamh
#6 Jerkwads Making Millions From Some Of The Last Old Growth In Canada. Can We Cancel-Culture That?
Image credits: -cin-
Whether you like it or not, the reality is that people are capable of being incredibly virtuous, as well as deeply cruel. There are very few saints in the world, just as there are few people who are completely evil. Most human beings are nuanced and embody a mix of virtues and deplorable behaviors. In short, nobody’s perfect. What truly matters are the choices we make in life and the decisions to be kind and caring when we could easily be malicious. However, a small minority of people take pleasure from others’ pain or feel no empathy at all.
#7 Cruel Humans At It Again. Poor Guy
Image credits: That-specific-user
#8 People Who Put Gum On The USB Ports Of Public Transport
Image credits: GW2RNGR
#9 I Call Your “4 Parking Spaces” And Raise You The “4 Disabled Parking Spaces”
Image credits: iwishiwasonlykidding
As BBC Future explains it, people tend to do things to avoid pain and get pleasure. That’s why there are three main reasons why people might be cruel to others. They might not feel other people’s pain. They might actually gain pleasure from harming the harmless. Or they might see a potential threat to their safety, finances, or social status, even if there is none.
#10 His Beautiful Flower Field Got Trampled By Tourists
Image credits: Gremick92
#11 “Haha Lmao What A Prank Amirite”
Image credits: SlavicToken
#12 This Jerk Taking Up Two Huge Parking Spots
Image credits: chaosgirl93
People who get pleasure from hurting or humiliating others are known as sadists. These are individuals who may feel others’ pain more than might be normal. Though they might enjoy inflicting pain on others, some sadists may actually feel bad after everything’s over. It all depends.
#13 Asheville Pd Destroy Medic Station For Protestors; Stab Water Bottles & Tip Over Tables Of Supplies
Image credits: vanessalb_87
#14 This Is My Car But This Is Not My Cart
Image credits: bellyscritches
#15 Oh, You Wanted To Sit… Oh Well
Image credits: Beastmodealfredo
However, sadists are portrayed in a very exaggerated light in movies and books. What’s far more common is everyday sadism. People who embrace it tend to like films with lots of gore in them, play violent video games, and watch brutal sports fights. They might also have a keen interest in torture as a topic.
#16 Unwanted Puppy Was Adopted And Given As A Gift To A Family For Christmas… Only To End Up Back At The Same Shelter Next Christmas. Dogs Are For Life – Not Just Christmas
Image credits: andreisavanovsexa
#17 Of All The Places This Guy Could’ve Parked
Image credits: Borrelparaat
#18 This Just Makes Me So Sad
Image credits: PlatformerKing
According to a 2018 study done by researchers at the University of British Columbia, around 6% of undergrad students admitted to getting pleasure from hurting others. Everyday sadists are your schoolyard bullies, internet trolls, and video game players who aim to ruin everything for others.
#19 It’s Literally Like 5-10 Sq Ft More
Image credits: DarkLazer215
#20 I Just Caught This Super Cool Guy Proudly Cutting Lilly Flowers In Cala Lilly Valley In A State Park. Didn’t Care When I Confronted Him. Drove Me Nuts
Image credits: killahamron
#21 This Guy’s Park Job Next To Handicap Spot
Image credits: swimfastalex
Sadists shouldn’t be confused with psychopaths, however. The latter may hurt others because they feel less pity or remorse, and their actions help them achieve their goals. Psychopaths can also understand what other people might be feeling, on an intellectual level, without feeling the same things themselves.
#22 People At My School Threw The Pay-To-Ride Bikes In The Bushes Instead Of Putting Them Back On The Bike Rack 10 Feet Away
Image credits: wadsofcash37
#23 They Were Mocking Them While Throwing The Food. The Video Was Deleted Shortly After
Image credits: Xiaomuthefox
#24 Collection Of The Must Punchable Faces Ever
Image credits: okolion
It’s far from easy to tell whether someone might be a psychopath because some of them know how to appear trustworthy and, well, ‘normal.’ They know how to dress well, how to compose their body language, what to say, and what expressions to make. For all intents and purposes, they seem like ordinary folks.
#25 Taking Up Multiple Seats On A Full Train
Image credits: Joemama1107
#26 You Have To Be A Pretty S***ty Person To Do This
Image credits: AGlassOfCoolMilk
#27 Burning People With A High Powered Laser And Getting Yourself Banned From An Airport For Clout
Image credits: rdias002
According to BBC Future, only 0.5% of people around the world can be said to be psychopaths. However, not every psychopath is a danger to the people around them. So-called prosocial psychopaths might focus entirely on the thrill of pursuing new ideas. However, these ideas themselves can shape the world in unexpected ways, for better or worse.
#28 Human Leaves His Dog On Side Of The Road
Image credits: Oreallyman
#29 Racists In My Hometown
Image credits: DestaNations
#30 Someone Taped A Razor Blade To A Shopping Cart
Image credits: dickcave24
#31 I Have No Words. Humanity Is Done
Image credits: LilSugarDemon
#32 Someone Smashed My Daughters Pumpkin Last Night So I Did Some Surgery After She Left For School. Frankenpumpkin Lives!
Image credits: darksithlord740
#33 Jerks Continue To Be Jerks
Image credits: smallfry1009
#34 My Friend Drives To Work In An E.v. And Was Greeted In The Parking Garage With This
Image credits: mr_smiggs
#35 Police In Colombia Intercepted Poachers Smuggling Live Flamingos Stuffed In Boxes
Image credits: reddit.com
#36 Police Officer Pepper Spraying Kid
Image credits: Vt2310
#37 Oh Hey What’s Their Address? I Just Wanna Talk
Image credits: amanduh_curran
#38 Found This While Researching Thresher Sharks. People Can Be So Terrible
Image credits: alfaghia
#39 Cruelty At Its Peek !
Image credits: Pun_nav
#40 Donation Bin Being Used As Dumpster
Image credits: ToddHowardthe4th
#41 Walked To My Car This Morning To This… What Is Wrong With Ppl ?
Image credits: anicelatina
#42 My Son & I Cleaned Up Trash For An Hour & Filled Up 4 Bags. I Can’t Believe It’s 2018 & People Are Still Littering
Image credits: Dcmommy13
#43 I Hope He/She Stole Their Least Favorite Kind
Image credits: mikeemes
#44 Of Course, It’s Audi
Image credits: daekaz
#45 Found On My Old Neighborhood Facebook Group
Image credits: JackSummerhill
#46 How My Apartment Neighbors Treat Our Recycling Room
Image credits: torquemantom
#47 My Buddy Needed A New Tinder Pic. My Cat Did Not Want Any Part Of It
Image credits: PowerShark5000
#48 Jerks Tagging Over The Artwork On The Berlin Wall
Image credits: nebs_underscore
#49 Found This Outside Of A Thrift Shop After Hours. Thought It Would Be Perfect Here
Image credits: GrasshopperMan17
#50 All This Litter Next To Three Anti Littering Signs
Image credits: SteveSnow14
#51 I Walked Home From School With My Brother And I Found This On My Lawn. If You Don’t Know, That’s A Doggie Bag, Aka A Bag That You Pick Up Your Dog’s Poop With. At Least It’s Not Just Dog Crap Sitting On The Grass
Image credits: reddit.com
#52 Spitting Out Sunflower Seed Shells On The Subway
Image credits: Mallornthetree
#53 “Global Warming Isn’t Real” – Lake Ivösjön, Sweden
Image credits: reddit.com
#54 Ok But Why. People Can Be So Short-Sighted It’s Insane
Image credits: rnarms
#55 A Kid Got Angry At Me Because He Couldn’t End Me In Time In Rdo During A Mission, This Was His Message
Image credits: ReTrO_ShAnE
#56 One Of Our Neighbors Crashed Into Our Bushes In The Middle Of The Work Day And We Came Home To Our Bushes Destroyed. No One Has Come To Take Responsibility
Image credits: florescrisxoxo12
#57 The 5th Gray Wale To Die This Year Off Of The Washington Coast. Most Likely Due To Local Sewage Spills Or Lack Of Food/ Disruption Of Food Chain Because Of Humans
Image credits: Chellybean411
#58 This Tiger Has Not Seen Sunlight In 14 Years! Downtown Aquarium Has Tiger In A Tank. Why?!
Image credits: TimeLadyAsh
#59 It Was Just A Baby
Image credits: reddit.com
#60 Faking Cancer Diagnosis For Clout Is Next Level Disgusting
Image credits: reddit.com
#61 For Some Ungodly Reason, Someone Decided To Breed Pidgeons With Massive Growths On Their Necks
Image credits: James_Fennell
#62 He Lost His Child Ffs. How Horrible Can A Person Be?
Image credits: Thunder298
#63 Critically Endangered Yellow-Crested Cockatoo Being Smuggled In Plastic Bottles Destined For The Illegal Pet Trade. Between 1980 And 1992, Over 100,000 Of These Birds Were Exported And The Current Population Is Thought To Be Fewer Than 7000 Individuals And Declining
Image credits: reddit.com
#64 My Neighbors Leave Their Trash Outside Their Door. I Have To Walk Through Leaking, Smelly Bags Of Garbage To Get To Mine. No, We Do Not Have A Trash Pick Up Service, And The Dumpster Is Not That Far Away
Image credits: MrsMozely
#65 Local Jerk Spotted Being A Jerk
Image credits: hobbsmw9
#66 That’s One Envious Mailman
Image credits: girlpearl
#67 Dad?! 🙁 Literally Would Take Him 2 Seconds To Lift Up His Baby And Avoid Tears
Image credits: Momin_23
#68 How Can You Be This Dumb And Lazy?
Image credits: Dangus777
#69 People Aren’t That Bad….. Argument And Exhibit A, Right Here
Image credits: reddit.com
#70 Owner Of Atlis Gym In New Jersey Ignores Any State Laws And Continues To Open With No Mask Mandate
Image credits: kiwicarm
#71 I Don’t Know What To Say
Image credits: OptimalVenus
#72 Slicing And Dicing Perfectly Useful Shoes To Maintain Their “Posh Image” Smh
Image credits: GabyJess0912
#73 This Is The State We Have Gotten To
Image credits: Ayham_abusalem
#74 Someone Abandoned A Beautiful Kitty In The Middle Of The Highway In Arizona This Morning. Temperature Is A High Of 106f For Today
Image credits: lokthan
#75 Umbrella-Less People Blocking A Subway Exit For Shelter During An Unexpected Downpour In Hong Kong
Image credits: adammchanc
#76 Humanity Is Gone
Image credits: Tejanbs
#77 No Hot Ashes It Says
Image credits: shitoupek
#78 12:31 In A Restaurant Parking Lot
Image credits: PunkinMan
#79 Humans Being Jerks To This Baby Tree
Image credits: reddit.com
#80 Found On My Facebook Wall. These Theives Got An Early Christmas
Image credits: MrsMozely
#81 Is This Cage Cruel? One Of My Neighbors Has Like 8 Birds In There
Image credits: Adequate-Comfort
#82 How Thin My Patience Is
Image credits: dabeawbeaw
#83 Guy Jumping On A Decomposing Graywhale Carcuss To Post For A Picture
Image credits: Chellybean411
#84 Came Home To Find Out That Some Jerk Rammed My New Car And Left No Note. They Spent Time Cleaning Up The Mess Though. So I Looked Like A Fool To Police While Making The Report Who Kept Telling Me They Don’t Believe It Happened There
Image credits: Missdeejayn
#85 Just Why? You Proud Of Being Part Of The Problem?
Image credits: 7vertebrae