Passive-Aggressive NotesPassive-Aggressive Notespassive-aggressive -- and just plain aggressive -- chinotes from roommates, neighbors, coworkers and strangers Articles
the audacity of theft
2008-06-06 21:54:00 writes an anonymous submitter in houston: “a neighbor in my building put up an obama yard sign on the door of her apartment around the time of the texas primary. when it disappeared, i assumed she took it down herself.” then up went this note ? a cheerful bit of propaganda that oh-so-subtly disproves all those ... More About: Stereotypes , Propaganda , Theft , Hillary , First Amendment
you might want to take a hard look at your washcloth first
2008-06-05 11:51:00 an anonymous submitter in portland, maine is currently chafing under one of the most common irritants of communal living: a roommate “who has never once bought toilet paper.” she and her other roommate tried some of the more subtle manuevers in the passive-aggressive playbook ? up to and including the ol’ hide-and-carry ? to no avail. ... More About: Hard , Anonymous , Urge
we all need somebody to hate on
2008-06-04 06:33:00 “working in a university library, you get used to a lot of ‘quirky’ personalities,” says our anonymous submitter in manhattan, kansas, “but so far, this is the only one that has decided to put pathology to paper.” More About: Pathology , Hate , Anonymous
a matter of taste
2008-06-03 00:52:00 christine in san rafael, california says sol food is “literally the best thing about san rafael.” one reason? the restaurant “keeps this gem of a note right where it belongs ? on display in the glass cabinet outside the front door, where most restaurants would keep a menu.” seeing as the note has been up ... More About: Matter , Taste
maybe ?no teenagers? would have been simpler
2008-06-02 13:08:00 our anonymous submitter spotted this signage at a homemade water park somewhere near cherry point, south carolina. related: and pull up your pants More About: Photos , Marine Corps , Teenagers , Array , Gratuity
thou shalt honor thy facebook newsfeed, and keep it holy
2008-05-30 03:12:00 a certain facebook friend of our anonymous submitter seems to have been going through a rough couple of weeks. but, hey, at least she seems to be confronting her issues! (confidential to facebook friend: i’m no shrink, but i have a feeling this strategy might be more effective if the method of confrontation was ... More About: Facebook , Honor , Holy
it takes a ?genius? to come up with a potluck theme like this one
2008-05-29 00:57:00 dealing with the rantings of your crazy boss or overzealous receptionist is one thing. but what do you do when your office’s resident passive-aggressive note-leaver doesn’t even work there? casey in san diego (a.k.a. the beloved runbarbara) says that’s the situation she’s found herself in at her job. the offender, sandra, “has met me a total ... More About: Theme , Genius
wet laundry?s a bitch
2008-05-28 17:45:00 spotted by anna on the wall of an apartment complex in phoenix… meanwhile, in ottawa…it’s comforting to know that even when mom isn’t there to do your laundry, she can still help you guilt-trip your neighbors. More About: Laundry , Bitch
or at least pass the sports section under the door
2008-05-27 05:28:00 “i work for a pretty awesome nonprofit, where people are amazingly laidback, accepting and non-OCD,” says our anonymous submitter in san francisco ? so this note came as something of a surprise. adds our submitter: “i have to admit, seeing the newspaper on top of the toilet tank the previous week had kinda gotten on my ... More About: Sports , Pass , Section , Door
news you can use
2008-05-25 20:07:00 the word “newsflash,” like the phrase “no offense,” is an early indicator that what follows is probably going to be something pretty bitchy. unless, of course, you’re watching tv news, in which case the word “newsflash” more likely heralds the announcement of a hard-hitting segment about the household product in your kitchen that could be ... More About: News
the art of the passive-aggressive note
2008-05-23 18:11:00 sure, it’d be easier and quicker to just clean it up. but the modern passive-aggressive (like katey in berkeley’s ex-roommmate) can’t pass up the opportunity to make a point. a common variation on the van der rohe approach, as documented below by sam in dallas, is the so-called “reverse magritte.” meanwhile, post-modern passive-aggressives (like this new ... More About: Note , Passive
the parking class
2008-05-22 21:00:00 this lovely little exchange from seattle comes to us via the ever-brilliant dan savage at the stranger. it reads a bit like a “SAHM vs. WOHM” faceoff on urbanbaby, with blessedly fewer acronyms. (more backstory and larger versions of the photos over at the slog.) related: there’s hertz…and there’s “not exactly” extra credit: “not that kind of gay” ... More About: Photos , Parking , Class
greek melodrama
2008-05-22 16:20:00 writes kimberly in knoxville, tennessee: “on our sorority dorm floor, the girls decorate their doors with pictures and various sorority decorations.” but when one of kimberly’s sorority sisters noticed a few of her pictures were missing, she was like, really not happy. so, over the course of several days, she made her feelings known. ... More About: Greek
?swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning?
2008-05-21 06:09:00 writes bibs in tacoma, washington: “my sophomore year in college, i was placed in a campus house with six other girls i didn’t know. to say the least, we did not really get along, but we made a chore chart so we would all at least have a semi-clean house to live in.” at least, ... More About: Cleaning , Meaning , Bloodline , Wheel , Chores
perhaps it?s time for a little group therapy?
2008-05-19 21:38:00 our anonymous submitter spotted these notes in the shared kitchen of a “professional building” ? one our submitter says is full of shrinks. perhaps one of them could deduce whether “i.e. me” fits the DSM’s criteria for a diagnosis…or whether she’s just having a little trouble with her latin. related: eau dear extra credit: “food odors at ... More About: Time , Therapy , Group
the pepsi challenge
2008-05-18 22:09:00 kasey in tucson spotted this orgy of vending-machine notes in the anthropology department of the university of arizona. says kasey, “they just keep adding up. i think the pepsi man is either amused by them or just doesn’t care.” perhaps…or maybe he’s just hanging back until he has enough material for his dissertation on non-verbal ... More About: Pepsi , Challenge
some dating advice
2008-05-16 19:31:00 a breakup note too long for a text message…though that might have a been more (fucking) appropriate. related: you oughta know More About: Advice , Dating
the more you know
2008-05-15 14:30:00 this public service announcement is brought to us by tully’s coffee, courtesy of megan in seattle. related: “if it wasn’t for the toilet, there’d be no books”
maybe it?s time for sally struthers to get involved
2008-05-14 07:02:00 with finals and thesis deadlines coming up, stress levels among grad students at uc-berkeley have been running high (which means attention to the finer points of, say, apostrophe use, are running low). and now there’s a lunch thief on the loose! sadly, says our submitter, the note’s multi-pronged approach (guilt, threats, helpful advice) seems to ... More About: Time , Sally
?it wasn?t me?
2008-05-13 14:45:00 as far as post-coital “littering” goes, i’m guessing most dorm bathrooms have seen a lot worse than a pink t-shirt, no? (and we certainly appreciate matt in greensboro, for snapping the photo.)
try not to bite the hand that the dog bites
2008-05-12 18:13:00 while paying his old office a weekend visit, jimsu from katy, texas didn’t catch the original note (or, perhaps, conversation) that precipitated this huffy screed from the mailman… …but he did spot the follow-up from the office smartass. related: this is why your postal worker is disgruntled More About: Hand , Bite
did you send your mom a mother?s day card?
2008-05-11 05:01:00 “living with your parents while still in college has it’s benefits (saving money and all) but it also has its drawbacks,” writes laura in springfield, missouri. primarily…boundaries. “my parents regularly grab my mail and put it in a compartment on a desk in our kitchen, which i don’t always check,” laura explains, and sometime shortly after ... More About: Card , Mother , Send
did you send your mom a mother?s day card?
2008-05-10 05:01:00 “living with your parents while still in college has it’s benefits (saving money and all) but it also has its drawbacks,” writes laura in springfield, missouri. primarily…boundaries. “my parents regularly grab my mail and put it in a compartment on a desk in our kitchen, which i don’t always check,” laura explains, and sometime shortly after ... More About: Card , Mother , Send
an extra bold request
2008-05-09 05:23:00 jessica from chicago spotted this gem at a boston-area starbucks. notes jessica: “i wonder if all that special barista training they had recently included anything about dictating the topic of conversations allowed?” related: our customers are always right…except when they’re wrong More About: Request , Extra
(they match the plastic slipcover on the futon)
2008-05-08 03:30:00 our anonymous submitter lives in what she says is a typical college apartment, one that is “not decorated according to any theme.” and yet, in a transformation a college freshman taking lit 101 might describe as “kafkaesque,” one of her roommates has been replaced by your [fill-in-your-own-ethnic-stereotype-here] grandmother. adds our submitter: “these weird towels wouldn’t dry ... More About: Plastic , Match
perverse and often baffling
2008-05-07 02:28:00 you decide! which clip art catastrophe raises the most new and troubling questions in your mind? is it exhibit a, from new york’s west village? (think about the designer’s thought process here for a moment. why the sunglasses? and not just any shades…but electric blue sunglasses? ditto, the sunflower.) exhibit b, from a casino in cambodia? (does no crossed ...
dude kinda has a point
2008-05-06 03:30:00 at this college dorm in seattle, our anonymous submitter says each floor ordinarily has one male and one female bathroom. however, because this particular floor happens to have an overwhelming number of female residents, both bathrooms were deemed female-only…much to some guy’s chagrin. (click to enlarge!) related: losing lisa More About: Dude , Kinda , Point
yes, those letters were colored by hand
2008-05-05 05:15:00 explains our anonymous submitter: “we have a breakdown in communication at this place.” related: what, no bubble letters? More About: Letters , Hand
you?re not fooling anyone
2008-05-03 02:02:00 this note was posted in the girls’ toilets at a college dorm in canberra, australia. later, this note was slipped under the doors of everyone on the floor. click to enlarge! related: losing lisa
if your grandma wrote PSAs
More articles from this author:2008-05-02 02:05:00 j. star says he found this passive-aggressive twist on the old rspca campaign/scottish band in a cincinnati parking lot. (pet-lovers: just to let you know, it was crumpled up on the ground, not on his windshield.) related: i can has guilt trip? More About: Wrote , Grandma 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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