45+ Hidden Messages in Disney And Pixar Movies

We’ve Never Noticed

Jade Josef

This article was originally published on Oldermillennials

Disney and Pixar have produced countless masterpieces over the years. But it's easy to get distracted
by the cute jokes and beautiful animations, and miss the many subtle messages and symbols hidden
in these movies. Once you discover them though, it adds a whole new layer to your favorite animated
classics.

Freud is everywhere in Alice In Wonderland

Alice In Wonderland is one of he most complex and layered animated movies ever produced, which
makes it one of those movies you can watch over and over and still discover something new. One thing
you might not know is how the entire film is filled with Freudian symbols.
For example, doors symbolize thresholds to new life stages, and caterpillars symbolize regret. Once
you take a closer look at Alice In Wonderland, you realize Alice's journey is the one we all go through
during childhood and adolescence.

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The main message of the movie, but in latin

Beast in Beauty And The Beast is trapped in his monster body due to his own actions. He was a cruel
prince, and paid the consequences. But, through his relationship with Belle, he learns to better his
ways, conquer his inner demons, and thereby find true happiness.
"He conquers who conquers himself" is the main message of the movie, and that is spelled out to us
right in the beginning of the movie. But since it's in latin, "vincit qui se vincit", it's hardly surprising
most of us missed it.

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What A113 really means

If you're someone who pays attention to details, you might have wondered what's up with the A113
scattered in the background of almost every Pixar movie. It's actually a cute hidden inside joke between
the animators.
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Most of these talented artists perfected their craft at the California Institute of the Arts, and almost all
of them took animation classes in classroom A113. You can spot this number in all Toy Story movies,
Up, Brave, and many more.
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It doesn't get more creepy than this

Conspiracy theorists rejoiced when they noticed this not so hidden message in the middle of a
DuckTales episode, and the rest of us were pretty shocked too. As Scrooge goes to see the doctor, the
eye test chart in the background isn't your regular combination of random letters.
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It spells out "ask about Illuminati", which is a kind of creepy message to hide in a cartoon. Was this the
prank of one animator, or was it consciously put in there? As of today, no one seems to know the story
behind this hidden message.

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What that Zebra is actually saying

Disney always does its best to keep their movies family friendly, right? Well, yes and no. On the surface,
the dialogue is almost always appropriate, but in between the lines there is a much more cheeky side
to Disney.
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When the zebra in Madagascar said "sugar honey iced tea", we didn't think much of the random
combination of words. But as soon as you see this scene with subtitles, it's pretty obvious what he was
actually saying...

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Misunderstood hidden message in the dust

Everyone was shocked when this rumor about The Lion King started first started circulating. People
claimed they could see the letters s,e,x written out in the dust in this scene, which seemed wildly
inappropriate for an animated children's movie.
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But Disney claims the letters are actually s,f,x, which is a nod to the special effects team (because for
some reason, special effects is often abbreviated as SFX). Many people are still not convinced though,
and believe Disney just won't come clean about hiding a naughty word in a beloved children's movie.

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Secret nod to Steve Jobs

We'll preface by saying this is an unconfirmed theory, but it does seem very convincing. Some believe
the Macintosh clan in Brave is a nod to the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs.
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He passed away in 2011, and Brave came out just a year later. Not to mention, Jobs was involved in the
Pixar company during its early days. He is even mentioned in the end credits of the movie. This isn't so
much a hidden message, as a subtle tribute to one of the greatest within the tech community.

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The voice you didn't know you're hearing in every Pixar movie
If you know John Ratzenberger's face from anywhere, it's probably from his role as Cliff Clavin on the
classic '80s show Cheers. What you might not know, is that he is also Pixar's hidden "good luck charm".
He voices a small character in every single Pixar movie, and he is the only person in the world who has
done so.
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How this tradition started is unclear, but by now it's a thing. Maybe animators are more superstitious
than you'd think, and don't want to jinx their never-ending blockbuster luck by excluding John.

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Just say it backwards

This is one of the most obvious hidden messages in Disney history, yet surprisingly few know about it.
In the iconic Fantasia from 1940, in the part known as The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the wizard is named
as Yen Sid in the end credits. Just read those two words backwards, we'll wait. Figured it out yet?
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That's right, the wizard's name is Disney, and was apparently also drawn to look somewhat like Walt
Disney himself. This is especially clever since Walt literally was the mastermind (the wizard, if you will)
behind Walt Disney Animation Studios.

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A lesson in always reading contracts before signing

Did you ever stop to really read the contract Ursula has Ariel signing in The Little Mermaid? You
should, because it seems as if Disney tried to turn it into an important lesson.
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We've all been told to never sign contracts without carefully reading them first. Yet we all do, which
can land us in trouble. In this case, Ariel supposedly gives up her voice when signing it - but the
contract is basically gibberish. In other words, it has no validity, and Ariel could just have walked (sorry,
swam) away without any repercussion.

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Alice is Eve
Here is yet another hidden symbolic meaning of Alice In Wonderland. Many believe Alice is actually Eve.
Yes that Eve, from the Bible.
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Alice's adventure starts in a garden, much like Eve in the Garden of Eden. Eve becomes a sinner by
taking a bite out of the forbidden fruit, Alice instead goes down a rabbit hole and into an underworld
that is filled with questionable characters and problematic behaviors. Both Eve and Alice transform
from children to adults, in other words; from innocents to sinners.

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A real address, almost

Most people don't pay very much attention to cards and letters in animated movies, because they
assume it's all random gibberish. But that's not always the case.
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Remember when Don Carlton pulls out his business card in Monsters University? The address written
is 1200 Dark Avenue, which sounds very made up. But the real address to Pixar Animation Studios is
actually 1200 Park Avenue in California, so the very similar address is definitely no accident.

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Nemo appeared before Finding Nemo

If you want to find out what character Pixar will do a movie about next, pay attention when watching
the current ones. Nemo, for example, can be seen making several appearances in the background in
Monsters, Inc, two years before he starred in his own hit movie.
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It's unlikely his is just a coincidence. It takes years to make these movies, so it's very likely at least the
basic plot of the next is already established during the animation of the one they're currently working
on.

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The Lion Hamlet

When we watched The Lion King as kids, we had no idea it was actually a modern interpretation of
Shakespeare's classic Hamlet. The entire plot follows the same themes; an uncle as the villain, prince
Hamlet/Simba being exiled but eventually returning to avenge the father, and take their place at the
throne.
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When Scar plays with the skull in this scene, it's a direct reference to the original play, and the famous
scene where Hamlet discovers the skull of Yorick.
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Symbolic chess piece

Chess is often used in movies, and it always symbolizes a dramatic and important turn in the plot. In
Frozen, this was done very elegantly - but so subtly many missed it.
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When Hans sentences Elsa to death, a distraught Olaf is watching from the window. In the foreground,
there is a chessboard, and the white queen chess piece is knocked over by the wind. The hidden
message here is of course that Elsa is defeated (but luckily not for long).

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Note the name tags

In Disney and Pixar’s recent movie Soul, 22's room room has a very cool wall filled with some really
great Easter Eggs and running Pixar jokes. The most unique one is all the names with 22's previous
mentors.
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We see some very famous names such as Albert Einstein and Johnny Cash. But mixed in with those,
are names in foreign languages, and shoutouts to real animators who worked on the movie. It's
definitely a good scene to press pause to be able to spot all the famous and not so famous names.

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They're not really brothers
For The Lion King, Disney made a point to be as factually accurate as possible. They studied lions and
their body language, and even took a trip to Africa to observe and learn about all the animals of the
savanna in their natural habitat. So they realized, Mufasa and Scar could not be actual brothers, since
that's not how lion prides work.
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In real prides, there is one alpha male, and any males born leave when they reach adolescence, to form
their own prides. But to keep with the Hamlet storyline, Mufasa and Scar sort of had to be brothers,
so Disney decided they're just not biological brothers. (We know, it still makes no sense).

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Why the Luxo Balls?

Ever noticed a yellow ball with a red star and a blue stripe in the background of Pixar movies? This is
known as the Luxo Ball, and has become an easter egg, or symbol if you will, of Pixar's humble
beginnings.
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The animation studio ,which ended up so successful Disney bought it to not have to deal with the
competition, made the short Luxo, Jr as one of their first animations, back when no one knew what
Pixar even was. To this day the Luxo Ball is included in Pixar movies. Sort of like their own "I'm still
Jennie from the block" reminder.
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How we know Gaston really died

When the sleazy Gaston meets his demise during this dramatic scene in Beauty And The Beast, we
never actually see him land (so we have no real confirmation of his death). This wasn't shown, since it
seemed a little too gruesome for the young target audience. So how do we know he really didn't
survive?
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The animators put little skulls in Gaston's pupils, which is a great way to symbolically tell us he did in
fact die, without showing the body.

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Dumbo reference
A Bug's Life is one of those slightly forgotten older Pixar movies. Because as much as the audience
loved it at the time, the animation and storyline doesn't quite measure up to the masterpieces that
have come out of the studio over the past decade.
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But that doesn't mean A Bug's Life didn't have its far share of cute Easter eggs and hidden messages.
For example, this Casey Jr. Cookies box is a direct reference to Dumbo. Casey, Jr. is the name of the
circus train in that movie.

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Mother Gothel's touch
Let's be honest, Mother Gothel in Tangled is a very obvious bad guy. So obvious, in fact, we don't really
understand how Rapunzel is ever fooled by her.
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All she would have to do to realize her ulterior motif, is pay attention to what Mother Gothel does
every time she tells her daughter she loves her. Every time she says “I love you most”, she is touching,
and obviously referring to, Rapunzel's hair, not the girl herself.

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A bookshop filled with Disney classics

Tangled's Flynn and Rapunzel visit a bookshop in a scene, which was a great opportunity for Disney to
hide some subtle shoutouts to other literary masterpieces they've turned into animated movies.
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Wee see The Little Mermaid on a table, a copy of Sleeping Beauty is in front of the window, and Beauty
And The Beast on the floor. This is a cute way to pay homage to the many classic novels that provide
the basic storyline in most of our favorite Disney movies.

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Barely visible California homage
During that heartbreaking scene when Belle's father Maurice gets lost in the woods during the storm,
we briefly see a worn down sign. To the untrained eye, it might look completely unintelligible. But if
you press pause and look closely, you can make out two town names; Anaheim and Valencia.
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Anaheim is where Disneyland is located, and in Valencia there is the iconic California Institute of the
Arts, where so many of the most talented animators have studied.

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The Mickey Mouse tradition

This is well-known running joke at this point, but Disney fans love it all the same. Basically, every new
Disney movie is an opportunity to play "spot the hidden Mickey".
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For decades now, Disney has hidden Mickey Mouse all over their movies. Sometimes it's pretty obvious,
such as the Mickey Mouse toy on the shelf in Oaken's shop in Frozen. Other times it's way harder to
spot. Like the outline of Mickey's head visible in Pongo's fur, in Dumbo's bath bubbles, or a brief
second as Jasmine's tiger Rajah is transforming.

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Selling virtual reality
Toy Story came out in 1995, and was the first feature-length movie Pixar made. The movie also made
history for being the first one created entirely by CGI. So it's pretty symbolically fitting that Andy's
home is listed with a real estate company called "Virtual Reality".
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CGI has forever changed the movie industry, and has made even the seemingly impossible look real on
the movie screen. Virtual reality is the hottest thing on the movie market, and Pixar were the first to
start selling it on a big scale through Toy Story.

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A hidden letter
When Lilo and her older sister Nani go to the animal shelter to adopt a puppy, hilarity ensues when
Lilo stubbornly decides she wants Stitch (who is very clearly not a dog, and behaves very strangely).
Nani reluctantly agrees, and starts filling out the adoption papers.
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In the middle of this funny scene, there is a touching hidden letter. The adoption papers are neither
adoption papers nor gibberish, but a surprise thank you letter to everyone who worked on the movie,
included in secret by the producers.

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Adult joke in Frozen
Ok so this isn't very hidden (except for from the kids, who luckily won't understand this joke), but we
had to include it anyway because it's so good.
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Over the past couple of decades, both Disney and Pixar have been pushing the limits more and more
when it comes to that PG rating, by including subtle (or not so subtle) adult jokes and innuendos.
We're actually somewhat surprised they keep getting away with it, but it seems as if the parents in the
audience enjoy it to much to bother to complain.

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Emeryville shoutout
We've already mentioned Pixar animator love to give homage to their roots, which means their movies
are filled with clever nods to their animator roots. In Cars we have yet another such homage, this time
to Emeryville, which is the California town where Pixar Animation Studios is located.
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Cars takes place in the fictional California city of Radiator Springs, but as you can see on this sign
Emeryville makes an appearance as the city where the race takes place.

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Sully nod in Brave

Brave is filled with grizzly bear lore and symbolism, and not to mention characters literally
transforming into bears. So of course at first glance you would think this carving in the piece of wood
is one of a grizzly. But it's actually not.
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Take a closer look and you'll see it's actually Sully from Monsters, Inc. In other words, this is yet
another layer in the Pixar multiverse, where Pixar movies give hidden nods and shoutouts to each
other.

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Shorts in Toy Story
Speaking of Pixar movies giving nods to each other, since Toy Story was the animation studio's very
first full-length feature, they couldn't' do that the same way. There was no history of previous big
movies and well-known characters to reference. So the studio instead included nods to their previous
shorts.
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In the bookshelf here behind Woody, the books are actually names of the studio's first animated
shorts, such as Red's Dream, Tin Toy, and Knick Knack.

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Spot the Hans

Plenty of Disney movies leave loose ends, but once in a while those storylines are cleverly continued in
another movie. This is such an example, which is very easy to miss. Check out the wanted poster in the
background in this scene in Big Hero 6.
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Yes, that is indeed Hans from Frozen, which tells us him being arrested and sent back to his country in
the end of Frozen wasn't where his story ended. He escaped, and is now a wanted man...

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The cage around Cinderella

Cinderella may be old, but much in this classic still holds up today. It's also beautifully animated, many
would even argue more beautiful than the CGI animations of today. And together with the beautiful
look of this movie, there's also tons of clever symbolism hidden in the animations.
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Just look at this dramatic still, for example. Cinderella is standing in her evil stepmother's bedroom,
and the shadow from the window puts her in a cage. Cinderella's life is an actual prison, so that is a
great way to drive this message home.

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A not so subtle way of saying dad is dead

Believe it or not, but even back in 1933 Disney animators had some very dark sense of humor, and
loved to include that in their animations. We hope this one from the short Three Little Pigs went over
the youngest kids' heads, because it's pretty morbid...
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Throughout the movie, and in future ones about the little pigs, their dad is always pictured as...dead.
He's either sausages, or pork chops, or some other way pork is consumed.

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The chicken and the rock

Hei-Hei might be the most hilarious non-verbal sidekick in an animated movie ever. Despite not saying
a word, he keeps offering comedic relief, and melt our hearts at the same time.
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Right from the beginning of Moana, one of his most odd behaviors is trying to swallow rocks. We
realize later this was the clever build-up to a joke, because later on when he tries to chomp down on
Maui’s finger - he is literally eating the rock. As in, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is voicing Maui.

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Casually referencing Oedipus

We've already mentioned the prevalence of adult jokes in Disney and Pixar movies, here is yet another
one that's pretty daring. Hercules here makes a reference to Oedipus, which is one of the more
controversial characters in Greek mythology.
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For those of you who don't know the story, the short version is he killed his father and married his
mother (yikes). So Hercule's comment here is kind of on point, literally all of our problems pale in
comparison to Oedipus'.

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The same villain

Here is a cool theory/hidden message you probably haven't heard before. Some Disney fans have
analyzed Snow White and Tangled, and believe the latter is actually a sort of sequel to the former - a
continuation of the Evil Queen's story.
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They think the Evil Queen from Snow White survived, and simply faked her death in the end of the
movie, and is Mother Gothel in Tangled. The two do look pretty similar, and both used their magic to
look older or younger than they really are. So there might be something to this theory.

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People do really have crazy imagination

If to believe fans, Disney doesn't only include adult jokes and innuendos in the actual movies. But even
on printed material, such as movie posters, there can be hidden raunchy jokes. And in the case of this
Lion King poster, it's hard to disagree with that theory.
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Sure that's the face of a lion. But was it really so hard to draw a face of a lion, that also doesn't look
exactly like a woman from behind wearing very revealing underwear?

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Recognizing the creators

Recognizing the creators is something both Disney and Pixar take very seriously, as they should. The
animators in these movies are immensely talented artists, who work hard for years to make these
masterpieces come to life.
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In this dramatic scene in Mulan, the text on the graves in the temple is in actual Chinese - but whats
written has nothing to do with Mulan's dead ancestors. Instead it's the movie credits, with the names
of all the people who worked on this great movie.

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A hint at WWII
Scar is one of our all-time favorite villains. He's terrible, of course, but his dry sarcastic humor and
clown-like hyena minions just make the bad guys of The Lion King hard not to love on some level. But,
the scene where Scar is delivering a speech to the hyenas and they march around him, is one that gave
us the chills.
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Suddenly we see Scar for the dangerous lion he really is. And there's no wonder this scene is so scary -
as it was modeled after World War II Germany and Hitler's infamous speeches.

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That's not just a random name

Ok this isn't an animated movie, but since the original Scooby Do is an animated adventure, we figured
it was worth including on this list.
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When Shaggy, played by Matthew Lillard, meets Mary Jane, he exclaims that that's his favorite name.
Well, that may come off as a genuine, innocent comment to children (and some adults). But it's more
than likely a reference to Shaggy's love for a certain herb that goes by many names - one of which is
Mary Jane...

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25+ Ableism Experiences That Made Our Blood Boil

Emile Bartow

There’s an old saying out there that goes something like, “Those of us with privilege aren’t aware that
we have it.” And sadly, for many people, they weren’t born with the privilege of being perfectly healthy.
Even worse, they’ve suffered hardship at the hands of people who would discriminate against them,
either overtly (to be mean) or carelessly (by being thoughtless). While many people are just trying to
live their lives, they’ve unfortunately been on the receiving end of ableism. Despite the fact we wish it
had never happened to it, we can see for ourselves that it’s still running rampant today.

Well, it could be worse…

Sometimes, when a person has a disability, they just want to be able to talk about it without
judgment. Living with a chronic disability can be hard, but living with several? Our hearts go out to the
person in this post.
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What’s worse isn’t just the fact that they’re living in excruciating pain all day, but the fact that people
will just cheerfully undermine them by pointing out that it could be worse. We’re just glad they don’t
have to fight cancer, too, with all of their other struggles.

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Uh, then don’t take them, then?

Some people like to take a holistic approach to life. If they have the sniffles, they drink chicken soup.
They have a sore throat, and they think a cup of hot tea with honey will do the trick. But some people?
They don’t have that same privilege.
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Whether it’s for a chronic disease they’re fighting off, or it’s for pain that they’re trying to keep at bay,
they don’t have a choice as to whether or not they take medicine. So if you see them taking it, please
keep the judge-y comments to yourself.

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A little bedside manner would help
When you go to the doctor you should expect to be taken seriously. However, oftentimes your doctor
might pass judgment before figuring out what is wrong with you. In conditions like epilepsy, signs,
and symptoms of the disease may not be apparent when seeking help.
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The neurologist didn’t think this patient’s epilepsy was a problem, but made passing remarks about
the patient’s make-up. This made the patient feel ignored and defeated. We believe doctors should be
more compassionate and address their patient’s real concerns.

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Gee, thanks, we’re cured

One of the worst things about having a hidden disorder is how some people are so quick to offer a
solution. They don’t realize that having Crohn’s disease isn’t just like having a “tummy ache” or
something like that. It’s a very serious disorder, and it can even be life-threatening.
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Being told that your grandma’s aunt’s cousin’s sister took some herbal supplement isn’t exactly going
to cure it. The poor guy had already had three surgeries on his intestines, so no, we don’t think some
herbal supplement is going to cut it.

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It’s not what it looks like

For those of you who aren’t in the know, ankylosing spondylitis is a very serious disorder, causing
fusing of the spine. For the person who was struggling with it, he just wanted to be treated with
respect. Instead, when he’d call his doctor’s office to ask for an appointment to discuss his pain, he
instead got chided.
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The staff would constantly remind him that they don’t offer strong medicine for it, and he’d try to
explain that’s not what he was looking for. It’s a real shame that a person would ask for help, but
instead, be treated like a user.

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It’s such a headache

TMD, or temporomandibular jaw dysfunction, is an extremely painful condition caused by poor
alignment of the jaw. Not only does it cause serious pain in your neck, ears, and jaw, but this person
also found themselves suffering from migraines, too.
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We can’t even imagine having to deal with this misery, only to be spoken down to and have our
feelings dismissed. Plus, what right does a doctor have, prescribing something as horrible as trying to
change their looks, when they’re in pain? We hope that doctor is ashamed of themselves for doing
that.

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They don’t count, then?
The pandemic has been hard on all of us, and we all struggled during this period. From not being able
to work, to being worried about avoiding the virus, we’re all ready for normalcy. However, some people
seemed to think that because they weren’t a high-risk group, that they could just dismiss the
pandemic guidelines outright.
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Well, yes, the immunocompromised were at higher risk. It doesn’t mean their lives mean any less, or
we should be any less cautious. If anything, we should be more careful, for their sake.

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They have to eat, too

For many, hopping into your car to get dinner is just another normal thing. However, for those who
have a disability, it’s not that easy. For this person, they found that the pandemic made it hard for
them to do something as simple as getting a meal.
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Fortunately, meal delivery services exist, making it possible to order something to eat with the push of
a button. That said, there is never any excuse to judge a person who’s trying to not go hungry. We’re
so disappointed in the person who called them a liar.

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They’re humans, not liabilities

For some disabilities, you can’t just look at a person and determine if they have one or not. This is
especially true for people with epilepsy, as their medication can help keep them in remission from
their seizures.
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The person in this comment pointed out that when their meds are working fine, they feel great.
However, their former boss seemed to think otherwise. Not only did they accuse them of faking it, but
they also advised other staff to not help them if they had a seizure on the clock. How terrible is that?

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Some sister she is

When a person gets sick, they can reasonably expect strangers to not really care. Yeah, it stinks, but
strangers don’t have that same connection with you as, say, your family might. That’s why it may sting
if someone you don’t really know dismisses you, but if your own family does that?
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Ouch. We can’t imagine how much it must’ve hurt this person, knowing that their own sister thought
they were just using their illness “as a crutch.” We’re sure their fourth medical procedure in five years
might speak otherwise, though.

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Just drink more coffee, duh
Narcolepsy is an incredibly misunderstood disorder, and unfortunately for the person in this post,
even their doctor misunderstood them. Or, rather, they misdiagnosed them. We can’t imagine how
awful it was for them to be so tired all the time, falling asleep at their desk and even behind the wheel.
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That’s not just scary -- that’s also dangerous! And for their doctor to tell them to drink more coffee?
How could they miss such a clear case of narcolepsy? We just hope they’re doing much better now.

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Disability isn’t laziness

The nurse in this comment really touches our hearts. She’s working hard to take care of other people,
and putting their needs first, while dealing with RRMS (or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis).
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When she starts to get overworked -- which is bound to happen, as she’s a nurse -- she gets brain fog
and blurry vision. All she needed was a half-hour to regroup, but instead, she got verbally abused by
her manager. Look, taking your half-hour break is not slacking off. And if that’s what it takes, let her
have it. Her patients need her.

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Homeschool isn’t that great

When we look back at our teenage years, we probably feel somewhat nostalgic about that era. It’s
some of our most formative years, and we make some of our best friends and memories during that
time.
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But for this person, they were unfortunately very sick during that period, and had to miss a lot of
school. They also missed out on the whole “teenage experience” that other kids got to enjoy. While
they’re understandably bummed, they aren’t getting the sympathy they deserve from peers who
thought they were just lounging around in bed.

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A little louder for those in the back
Schoolchildren depend upon their teachers to not only give them a solid education, but to also mentor
them. In many ways, teachers are huge role models and even heroes. This teacher, though, was
anything but.
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Not only did she not want to be “inconvenienced” by this deaf student, but she actively went out of her
way to make sure he was excluded. Even worse, she threatened him. We’re so upset for the six-year-
old version of the original poster, who had to go two whole weeks in the dark, so to speak.

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Do tears make it more valid?

We all deal with our pain differently. Some of us try to be strong and grit our teeth. Others may sneak
away to let a few tears fall, but we don’t show that face to the public. However you handle your pain,
though, it doesn’t mean your feelings are any less valid.
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Unfortunately, some people didn’t get that memo. Evidently if you don’t constantly cry in public and
make a big deal about your pain, it’s not “real” pain. We really admire them for their strength, but
we’re sad they have to deal with this.

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Just wait until you’re older

We’ll be the first to say that we generally really respect our elders. They’re more mature and wiser, and
they’ve got the years behind them to prove it. Sometimes, though, being older does not automatically
mean that they’re wiser. Take, for instance, the older person in this post.
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After hearing that their younger colleague was struggling with depression, they didn’t respond with
empathy. Instead, they decided that the younger generation isn’t worthy of having feelings of
depression. It saddens us that someone with a few extra years could be so immature.

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If it’s bad now, then what’s the future?

Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way right now. Just because a person is older, it doesn’t
mean that they have a monopoly on pain. Sure, our bodies do start to experience wear and tear once
we hit a certain age, but younger people can also feel pain.
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For the poor guy in this post, he’s got serious back pain from an injury he sustained while he was
younger. But just because he’s probably fairly fit, and only 28 years old, people think his pain isn’t
really that bad.

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That’s a load of IBS

There’s a few things you just don’t talk about in polite company. For instance, you don’t discuss your
intimate life with friends. You don’t talk about how much you make (can we say tacky?), and above all?
You don’t discuss your bathroom habits.
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Apparently this person’s manager, though, thought it was fair game. A person’s bowel habits are
absolutely private, and they should stay that way, too. If we happened to be their boss, we’d let them
do their business in peace... without the prying questions or the invasive doctor’s note.

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Geez, sorry to disappoint

We’ve really got to hand it to the person who wrote this post. Goodness gracious, but do they have
grit or what? The fact that they have both rheumatoid arthritis and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos
syndrome says a lot about their pain levels.
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Yet, instead of giving up, they are still committed to their job. Their coworkers, though, didn’t seem to
think the same and gossiped about them staying home and collecting disability. And when they
complained to their supervisor, they didn’t get the empathy they deserved. Instead, they were rebuked
for taking the rare day off.

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Young people struggle, too

One of the hardest things a person will ever have to deal with in their lives is probably having a
chronic disability that impacts their mobility. But if anything could make their situation more stressful,
it’s probably hearing that their experience is somehow less valid because of their age.
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Yes, getting older is hard, we can readily admit that. That said, being young and having to contend
with a disability isn’t necessarily easier. And we’re hoping that as the person who wrote this gets older,
people stop making such disrespectful comments at them.

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That sweet parking spot, though

There’s a whole range of rude and disrespectful things a person can say to a person with a disability,
but this one takes the cake. Sure, it’s flat-out thoughtless to dismiss their experience or their
struggles, but to see it as a sort of perk? That’s just appalling.
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It’s not like the person became disabled, then rubbed their hands gleefully together because they
knew they had a future of awesome parking spots ahead of them. Then people make ridiculous
comments, like asking to use their placard, which just shows how totally tone-deaf they are.

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Just book it, already

Let’s get a show of hands here. Who else grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books? Her iconic Little
House on the Prairie books were pretty much our childhood, and it bums us out that someone would
be denied access to them just because of their age.
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What does it matter if someone’s in first grade and not in third grade? If they know how to read, just
let them check out the book already. Plus, can we talk about the fact that the librarian was somehow
bothered that a six-year-old allegedly read too fast?

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What a terrible teacher
As a general rule, we try to avoid making snap judgments about people. After all, we’re literally
advocating right now about how hasty judgments can hurt another person. But, that said, we’re going
to have to put that reasoning aside for the moment because, hello?
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This poor kid’s teacher was an absolute monster. Not only did she mock and ridicule the poor student
with dyslexia, but she did it over and over again, and let other students mock them, too. We guess we
thought all teachers loved their students, but this one proved us wrong.

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Can you wait a minute?

Having an asthma attack has to be one of the most frightening things that can ever happen to a
person. Just try to imagine it, okay? Your throat is closing off, you’re gasping for air, and you can’t
draw in a breath. And the life-saving device, your inhaler, isn’t even in your pocket.
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For some goofy reason, your school system took it from you and put it in the nurse’s station.
Newsflash, guys. By the time someone got halfway across the school to retrieve the rescue inhaler, the
poor student might be long gone.

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The coach was very inflexible

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a fairly serious connective tissue disorder. People who struggle with it
tend to be hypermobile and overly flexible, to a dangerous degree. Despite this, the young lady in this
post wanted to live as normal of a life as possible.
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She even went as far as joining her school’s volleyball team. However, her coach didn’t appreciate her
hard work, and instead insulted and berated her for her disability. Even more appalling, many people
tried to tell her that it wasn’t real, and she was just being emotional. How horrible is that?

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That’ll fix ya right up

As anyone who struggles with digestive issues understands, there’s nothing quite as miserable as
being backed up. Your stomach is bloated and cramping, but you can’t seem to find any relief. The
person who shared their struggles really gets to us, though.
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Their very own mother, who should be a sympathetic ear, is anything but. When they try to vent to
her about their pain or discomfort, the mother simply tells them to drink a glass of water. While water
is great for hydration, it’s not exactly a cure for chronic impaction.

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But you look just fine
In our society, many people think that telling a person they look fine is a compliment. And in many
ways, it oftentimes is. Like when you’re worried if your new haircut or outfit looks good? Yeah, a “you
look fine” is great in that situation.
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It’s not so great, though, when you struggle with a serious chronic disorder. It’s even worse when
someone dismisses your feelings and says you only think you’re struggling because you live with the
disorder. Well, yeah. That’s exactly their problem, isn’t it? Some people are so clueless, unfortunately.

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Trying to keep the faith

For many of us, turning to our faith can help us through hard times. However, many people need a
little extra help than that. When the individual in this post confided in their youth pastor about their
depression, they probably hoped for kindness.
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Instead, they received a very harsh criticism, and some blunt words about their faith. While there’s a
time and a place for that, the time is definitely not when someone confides about struggling with
depression. These words carried a lot of pain, and they are still dealing with it nine years later.

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What’s your availability again?

Seasonal work can help a person earn a little extra income during the holiday months, and we’re sure
this person was initially thrilled they landed it. The issue arose, however, when they were asked about
what days off they needed.
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They replied that they needed just one day off, and that was to see their cardiologist. Because of this,
they were denied the job, but that’s not the worst part. The very same job let other employees skip
days to study or take tests, but when it was a matter of life or death? Nope.

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Here, try this cure
We all know the importance of taking one’s medicine. Sure, sometimes you can white-knuckle a
headache and skip the aspirin, but what if the medicine was actually keeping you alive? The person in
this post took a grand total of twenty-one medications per day, six in the morning and fifteen in the
evening.
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Then they had to do an additional infusion, sort of like chemo. But yes, evidently skipping the medicine
and focusing on their faith could cure them. The sheer ignorance of someone who would make such a
remark is outrageous.

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Please listen to her doctor

Some people are natural-born athletes. They’re born with a shot-put in their hands or a pair of
sneakers on their feet. Others? Well, maybe not so much. The thing is, not everyone is going to be able
to exercise -- and that’s fine.
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In fact, if a person tells you that they can’t work out, please just listen to them. This young lady had
doctor’s notes and everything, and she was still mocked for not running. If an athlete is going to drop
from the heat and exhaustion, what do you think would’ve happened to her?

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It doesn’t add up
Most people are familiar with dyslexia, where a person struggles with reading. It doesn’t mean they’re
any less intelligent. It’s actually a disorder that impacts their ability to read. Dyscalculia is similar, but
instead of letters getting mixed up, numbers do.
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The person in this post struggled with math, but their teacher wasn’t having any of it. Instead of
letting them work out their formulas, the inconsiderate teacher tried to force them to do mental
math. That would be hard for anyone, and we’re just speechless that a teacher did that to them.

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We can’t believe she said that
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is fairly common, but not common enough that most people
can recognize the signs of it. Fortunately, the little sister of the person in this post got an early
diagnosis of ADHD.
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Because of it, they were able to get a prescription for the right medicine to help them control it.
However, their teacher was horribly thoughtless, and she would make snide remarks at her in class.
Rather than discreetly asking the girl if she had taken her medicine, she’d call her out in front of all of
her peers.

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So, a pointless round trip, then

If you’ve ever had a migraine, you instantly know how excruciating it can be. Not only are they
incredibly painful, but they can also blot out your vision and make you feel like you’re going to be sick.
This woman had struggled with this disorder and had tried to not let it interfere with her work.
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Her boss, though, was less understanding. Instead of letting her stay home when she couldn’t focus,
they told her to come in… then just, like, turn around and go back home? That doesn’t even make
sense.

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There’s no reason to be like that

For a lot of people, doodling is more than just a creative outlet. If you’re the type who has to focus on
a boring task, then a few idle sketches in the margins can help with your focus. For the person in this
post, she knew if she made a few drawings on her paper, she’d be a better student.
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Her teacher, though, didn’t see it the same way. Instead of understanding her struggles, he instead
berated her and called her names. Honestly, if someone said that to us, we’d totally cry, too.

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It’s not a “day off” pass
If you work in an office setting, then you probably already know that your coworkers aren’t necessarily
your friends. Sure, it’d be nice if they were, but this offhand remark made by a fellow employee just
proves it.
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The person who wrote this post struggles with PTSD and had just had a panic attack, and they were
on their way home to recover. Instead of sympathizing, the coworker just had to make a snarky
remark, saying how they wished they could go home when they were sad. How clueless can people
really be?

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Just jog that illness away

It’s such a shame that some people think it’s okay to comment on other people’s bodies. For this
person, they had to field off remarks for years about their looks and fitness levels, as though that
could make them feel better. As it turned out, they had a very serious disorder, called “progressive
multiple sclerosis.”
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What they should have done was be kind and gentle to their body, but they unfortunately listened to
the bad advice. And by doing so, they managed to land themselves an eight-day stay in the hospital.

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How about an organic “no”?

If you’ve never heard of Crohn’s disease before, it’s a serious digestive disorder that can cause
malabsorption. Many people who have it eventually need to go on and have a procedure to hope to
eventually be able to live a life without pain. In the case of this person, they had to take several
medications each day to help them be able to eat.
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Nevertheless, they were still told that if they simply ate organic food, they’d be fine. Nope, Crohn’s
doesn’t care if it’s organic. If you don’t take your medicine, you’ll literally starve.

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No, it’s not a prop

For younger people with a disability, it can be hard to convince people that you’re struggling. Well, first
of all, nobody should ever have to justify their private health concerns with another person. That said,
what kind of silly person points at a person’s cane, then asks if it’s just for show?
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We can’t even fathom what they must’ve been thinking. What did they think would happen next, the
person would start tap-dancing while singing “Hello, my baby, hello my darling, hello my ragtime gal”?
In other words, no, it wasn’t just a prop.

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It’s not just anxiety
For many years, many doctors claimed that fibromyalgia was a fake disorder, and completely made up
to get attention. We’ve heard of this before, too, where a doctor would dismiss a woman’s pain and call
it hysteria.
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Well, calling a person’s very real disorder nothing more than just “anxiety” really isn’t that far removed
from this shameful and dismissive attitude. If a person is in pain, it doesn’t mean they don’t want to
hang out. It means that they’re literally in so much agony, they have no other choice. Why don’t people
understand this?

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