r/Damnthatsinteresting
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u/[deleted]
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Mar 22 '23
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29-year-old scientist enrolled in high school and pretended to be a teenager because she was lonely and “wanted to return to a place of safety” Image
[deleted]
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u/schafkj
Mar 22 '23
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Did she get a chance to test the hypothesis “O’Doyle rules”?
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u/calculatorTI84plusCE Mar 22 '23
This is an odd one, but I do hope she’s doing alright
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u/xRetrouvaillesx Mar 22 '23
From the article,” But it appears that her life started to unravel soon after, as she got divorced and fell $20,000 (£16,300) behind on rent, according to court records.
“I’m no psychologist,” her lawyer, Darren Gerber told the New York Times, “but separated from her family and being in a different country - as well as a couple of other stressors in her life - may have caused her to act very uncharacteristically.””
It’s looking like she will be getting some help and support if the trail goes well
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u/veilosa Mar 22 '23
As some one who has lived for an extended time abroad, I can definitely sympathize with her. Especially if you're surrounded by a language you're not native to, you are effectively trapped in your own mind. but I wonder why she chose a high-school specifically. she could have went to a university and gone to classes and no one would have said anything.
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u/SpanInquisition Mar 22 '23
In my experience high school festers a more social environment - smaller classes, more forced social interactions.
At university it's very easy to not talk to anyone and still pass without a problem.
If she was lonely, high school seems like a better option for an introvert perhaps.
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u/TheBirminghamBear Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 23 '23 •
High School can definitely be stressful for a lot of people, certainly, but one thing that we never seem to pay much attention to, is how psychologically stressful it can be moving out of that community. The k-12 school system is something that in the broadest sense is very special, very important, to the extent I'd argue what kids learn is only secondary in terms of it's benefits.
For almost 16 years of your life, unless you move schools, you're in close proximity every day to hundreds of people. You're in a community like that almost from the time you really start making memories. It is profoundly formative.
And then at 18, we just sort of - throw you out. You leave your parents, you leave this tight knit community.
And for most people, you never find that again. That closeness, that tight-knit community.
On some campuses, college can resemble this, especially in a dorm experience, but it's sort of transitionary.
And then in the "real world," we almost never have that sort of community ever again.
People shouldn't underestimate how deeply jarring that is for many people, to lose all that.
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u/CapricornBromine Mar 22 '23
This is it right here, community. There's no sense of community once you enter the world, barring a few exceptions. The only thing I miss about that time was being a part of something greater, something I've not had for years now
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u/Bituulzman Mar 23 '23
This is why organized religion can be very attractive. There is community there.
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u/KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZ Mar 23 '23
its probably the only place outside of High School in the real world that truly encapsulates that incredibly close sense of community. Back when I still went to church I remember some people there that werent even really Christians, they just found a group of people who really cared about you,(more than you would find elsewhere at least), would come visit when you were sick, your children would hang out with their chidren etc.Its very easy to see why it would be very appealing because that sense of natural community does not really exist elsewhere in the adult world.
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u/Phylar Mar 23 '23
I push CONSTANTLY for the understanding on how training and introductions to work must be changed for people who just graduated High School. These basically older kids spend their entire life being told how to do things, where mistakes mean detention, failed exams, poor grades, social isolation, etc. Then they are thrust into an environment where they are expected to adhere to some semblance of individual accountability accompanied by some variation of professional independence and responsibility. All the while being told that mistakes happen and to not worry, in the best cases. All of this often done without a single familiar learning format.
You ever stop to think how many of these teens/young adults fail because of shitty training systems? How many of them try their best only to get whiplash as opportunities pass them by only because their brains worked in a way that requires a slightly different approach.
"Maybe this just isn't the job for you."
Yeah, well we can't go about blaming the successes on leadership while also shifting responsibility of all those who tried and didn't make the cut. I'd bet what little I have that at least 50% of our younger workforce struggles in any position because we, the current workforce, just expect them to "figure it out" and that "training takes time". Give the ones struggling actual active support and watch them soar.
Fuck.
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u/HelpSuspicious9001 Mar 23 '23
You ever stop to think how many of these teens/young adults fail because of shitty training systems? How many of them try their best only to get whiplash as opportunities pass them by only because their brains worked in a way that requires a slightly different approach.
Here's an anecdote:
I am 37 years old and I just found out that I have autism. I still live with my parents and have been trying to "fix" myself for my whole life.
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u/BananaMasq Mar 23 '23
yeah it also doesn't help that the places that do invest in new employees generally arent the ones desperate to hire. Whereas others are looking for years of experience for entry level pay/positions :c
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u/ShanMan42 Mar 23 '23
Definitely relate to this. I spent years pouring my efforts into academics because it was repeatedly stressed to me how important it was. I followed instructions well, I was always prepping for the next step (the following year, then college, then job interviews, etc.).
By the time I got to the thing that school had been supposedly prepping me for (the job market), I had no idea what to do. I was always asked what my plans were, but within constraints. For example, "what do you want to do as a career?" but within the constraint of the assumption I would go to college first. Once there were 0 constraints, I didn't actually know what I wanted. There was nothing to guide me anymore.
I complained about this to every role model I could find but I always got the typical "figure it out" answers. I didn't know how to pay bills or find a good deal on a mortgage or set goals or just try new things. Heck, I still struggle with some of those concepts 5 years later. Years of instruction followed by an insanely open world with little social support to guide me through it was just so incredibly harmful to my self esteem.
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u/Ok_Sir5926 Mar 23 '23 edited Mar 23 '23
To be fair, and I'm not taking sides, but there's a VERY real possibility that the teachers you had were ALSO not equipped to deal with the things you mention (I am a middle school coach, post military retirement. Some of my coworkers would boggle your mind). That's really not who you want teaching you about life. Some are stellar, however, and have led fulfilling lives prior to teaching.
But if your entire life experience is "school->college->teaching certificate->23yr old teacher," well...how are you going to advise people, who were your peers, a mere couple years prior, about the interworkings of adult society? They can't, because they've never experienced it.
The super old teachers? It's even worse. They've never logged onto zillow, they've never dicked with cashapp, and they struggle to mute themselves on zoom meetings. Honestly, take your pick of awful choices.
Imo, the best people to do this job would be people who have actually dealt with the world in a non-academic scenario, otherwise it's just the blind leading the blind.
TL;dr: most younger teachers have the same issue as you, and have no business teaching the things you wanted taught. The older ones are mostly outdated, and their experience would be irrelevant to 2023 and beyond.
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u/Aetra Mar 22 '23
I find that POV fascinating and never thought of it that way since I changed schools a lot.
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u/Emotional-Text7904 Mar 23 '23
The same effect happens to people who leave the military.
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u/Underdogg13 Mar 22 '23
I think this was her strategy here. In high school you have much less agency, so you're basically forced to socialize with other students, if not casually than due to a group assignment.
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Mar 22 '23
Money probably.
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u/Furryraptorcock Mar 22 '23
Nobody carding outside the lecture hall...
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u/aetius476 Mar 22 '23
If the class is big enough for the professor not to notice you don't belong, it's big enough for the other students not to notice you at all.
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u/PM_me_those_frogs Mar 22 '23
I was carded once on the way out of a final, lol.
When I was in college I visited a friend at his school during finals week and took a final with him. Was one of those 400-person lectures. Only snag was they divided up the final by last name and mine didn't fit in the letter range. The TA was over it and just collected my test and sent me off.
The moral is, if this yahoo can get past an ID check on a final, anyone can sneak into a regular big lecture no prob.
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u/btveron Mar 23 '23
It's stupid easy to sit in on big lectures. At least it was when I was in college 10 years ago. Taking a final for a class you're not in is hilarious. There were a couple classes I took where you probably could have gotten away with it.
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u/Shellbyvillian Mar 22 '23
If you’re going to fake it anyway, just show up to class. Stick to the big lectures where no one knows everyone, especially not the professor. Say hi, get invited to a party. Meeting people was so easy in that environment.
I’m starting to think this isn’t a terrible idea, brb gotta tell my wife and kids.
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u/T3-M4ND4L0R3 Mar 22 '23
I'm pretty sure this is straight up allowed by most colleges as well, I had an old guy who did this just for fun in one of my gen ed courses and the prof knew and didn't care lmao.
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u/GeorgiaOKeefinItReal Mar 22 '23
Ya..i think they even mentioned the 20k in debt to a landlord... if it's in the us, college isn't paid for by the govt like in other countries.
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u/AWelshFail Mar 22 '23
She definitely approached it wrong but it's fucking excruciating making friends as an adult. I moved to a new city a couple of weeks ago and I found myself just sitting in my room wondering "how the fuck did I make mates again?"
It can be really hard to meet people especially now there's so much remote working (again something I struggle with).
My recommendation is just to think of a hobby you've put off for years, google a club that runs wherever you are and just go. I did it with DnD and its been awesome. Friend finding apps like Bumble Friends are apparently really good as well.
Whatever you do don't just sit in your room and think your a weirdo cause you've forgotten how to make friends. It's a problem alot of us deal with but it just takes a bit of courage and you can leave it behind.
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u/Texas1010 Mar 22 '23
My wife and I have moved a lot and now we have a kid. We always thought making friends when you have a kid would be easier because you’re around other parents of similar age and in a similar stage of life. Except what we didn’t realize is that you have way less time as a parent and you’re usually more tired, so the last thing you want to do is spend the few hours you get as a family on the weekend running over to someone else’s house just to socialize. Making new friends as an adult is incredibly difficult.
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u/Xy13 Mar 22 '23
I think I made 1 friend in college, and 0 friends post college. Everyone I talk to is from high school / online gaming (but still met during high school or prior).
Yikes that's depressing.
Small company so not like there's a flow of new young coworkers, I don't go out to bars or what not. I go to the gym and have some hobbies and activities but it's all just acquaintances really no true friendships have been formed.
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u/warsatan Mar 23 '23
Man, same here . I'm in my early 40s now and have zero friends since I moved around so much. I keep in touch with a few old friends but that's like a phone call or txt every few months. One of best friend (I have like 2) died last year and I cried so hard. I'm going to die old and lonely without friends. I do have my wife beside me but it's not the same as having that best friend you know ?
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u/iBeFloe Mar 23 '23
My one friend from college is the sole friend I have… Haven’t made any friends after college. I’m in a hobby group, but even that is more just like acquaintances.
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u/blitherblather425 Mar 22 '23
Thanks dude this made me feel a bit better. I moved to a new city about 5 years ago and cut all the old “friends” out of my life because they were toxic. The last 5 years I’ve just been sitting in my apartment on my days off extremely lonely. All I do is play video games, I don’t talk to anyone. I also have depression so that doesn’t help.
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u/AWelshFail Mar 22 '23
I'm not gonna tell you it's easy to just get up and go since I know how daunting that first step can be. But after that first step you'll be amazed at how quickly things can improve.
Either way wish you the best man
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Mar 22 '23
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u/BlewOffMyLegOff Mar 22 '23
I think I would actually just melt into the floor if someone approached me at the gym
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u/biIIyshakes Mar 22 '23
I’m in about the same boat as you (moved to a new place and work remotely) and I’m lonely as fuck so I understand her impulse. I wasn’t cool in high school but I did have a small friend group, and high school was the last place I was automatically around friends most days of the week. College has some of that but you’re way less likely to take classes with the same groups of people unless you are in a really small major.
Adulthood with no physical workplace, while super convenient, is kind of a social wasteland. It feels like no one is doing virtual social things anymore but there’s also still way less in-person social things as well. I’m really introverted but I’ve officially hit the point where even I crave social connection.
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u/Swordbreaker925 Mar 22 '23
I feel that honestly. I miss the days of having much much less responsibility. No taxes. No job. Just school and friends and video games.
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u/Put_It_All_On_Blck Mar 23 '23
Kids have responsibilities, but I don't think kids fully grasp them, so they feel less bound by them.
Like looking back at the mistakes and poor choices you made as a kid, they look so obvious and stupid. Not doing homework, forging a parents or teachers signature, skipping class, not navigating the social circles better, etc. Kids see those choices and don't worry about the outcome. Adults see those choices and would try to be a honor student athletic star that sits at the popular kids table.
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u/ChaoticDumpling Mar 22 '23
If she wanted to be a 29 year old pretending to be a teenager,she should just star in a Netflix show set in a High School
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u/Gilem_Meklos Mar 22 '23
In Spider-Man Homecoming: the girl he had a crush on (Liz played by Laura Harrier); was 27 while portraying a 17 year old. Pretty amusing.
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u/catslugs Mar 22 '23
in the amazing spider man, andrew garfield was supposed to be a highschooler lmao
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u/lorelioness Mar 23 '23
Both Andrew Garfield and Tony Maguire were 27 years old when they played high school age Spidey
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u/Dusty-Rusty-Crusty Mar 22 '23
Lol. Of all the examples. She actually looked the part. I more think of people who look middle aged playing freshmen.
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u/TuxTues3 Mar 22 '23
I'm looking at the one balding man in the background of Sabrina the Teenage Witch
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u/waterlogged_fly Mar 22 '23
When I was in high school, one of the kids in my class went bald at 16. He quickly went full bald too, not just lightly balding
It happens. I knew he wasn't older than 16 because we'd been in classes together for the last 5 years
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u/peacemghee Mar 22 '23
I knew a guy in highschool who was balding. He was the first white rapper in my community back in Aught 4
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u/Aureus88 Mar 22 '23
I knew a balding guy in HS too.... he bought the beer.... carding was less strict back then.
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u/jerk_mcgherkin Mar 22 '23
The actress who played 15 year old Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films was like 45 at the time.
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u/RIPUSA Mar 22 '23
Shirley was 35 when she first played Myrtle but your point remains the same.
She was supposed to be in the Dune:Sisters tv show but dropped out unfortunately. She’s been around in small part for ages.
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u/jerk_mcgherkin Mar 22 '23
That was the first time, but she also played her in Goblet of fire in 2005, when she was 40 and Myrtle still would have been 15.
I thought 45 because I could have sworn she was in Half blood prince, but apparently they cut that scene from the movie.
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u/EtOHMartini Mar 22 '23
To be faaaaaaair: she was CGId to hell and back. It's not like she was even opaque.
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u/Pigvalve Mar 22 '23
My favorite example is the vampire diaries. Roided out 30 year olds being 16.
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u/silent--echoes Mar 22 '23
Wow, she’s 33 in a few days, I’m 31 and look like Sylvester Stallone’s testicle.
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u/lkn240 Mar 22 '23
To go old school - just be on Beverly Hills 90210. I'm pretty sure that Ian Ziering was in his 30s when he was supposed to be a high school student lol.
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u/yooolmao Mar 22 '23
I was just young back then and thought that's what high school aged students looked like lol. It's crazy that you say that because looking back now they look ridiculous
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u/Jerseygirl2468 Mar 22 '23
Same for the actress who played Andrea, I think she was like 29 or 30 when the show started, and she definitely did not look 16.
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u/confuciusly Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
Yeah, I think these shows have messed up my perspective. At my son's varsity football game I'm like why are the middle school cheerleaders here?
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u/_beckyann Mar 22 '23
No but really they could easily just make them college students instead of high-school its real weird.
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u/LegitimateApricot4 Mar 22 '23
High school's just the last place where everyone generally goes regularly. College isn't relatable to everyone, and even that varies wildly by major. Office jobs aren't relatable to everyone, neither is blue collar work. Restaurant/retail are also not as universal. But high school? Almost everyone goes through that.
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u/Petrichordates Mar 22 '23
Then they'd be much different shows, college is nothing like HS or the real world.
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u/Eddie-Spaghetti Mar 22 '23
If she wanted to be a 29 year old pretending to be a teenager,she should just star in a Netflix show set in a High School
Keiko Agena is best known for her role in Gilmore Girls, where she played Lane Kim, a Korean-American teenager who is the best friend of Rory Gilmore, one of the lead characters. Agena played this role despite being significantly older than her character, who was 16 at the start of the series, when Agena was 27.
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u/ReservoirPussy Mar 22 '23
Bianca Lawson played a 17 year old for over 17 years, from Saved by the Bell: The New Class to Pretty Little Liars.
She could probably still pass, tbh.
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u/ex_oh_ex_oh Mar 22 '23
Holy shit, I just looked at her filmography and her first gig was in My So Called Life and was in Buffy and Dawson's Creek. But at least she was a teacher by the time she was on Teen Wolf.
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u/Ok_Relationship_705 Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
"Hello.. I mean, sup? I too, also enjoy scrolling the Tik Tok. Dead-ass, facts, Burr"
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u/LineChef
Mar 22 '23
edited Mar 22 '23
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College probably would’ve been a better choice.
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Mar 22 '23
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Mar 22 '23
community college aint so bad, take one class, do a ton of activities, or heck, you can probably do the activities without enrolling. If she's willing to sneak around and pretend to be a kid, its not even as devious and uh creepy lol
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u/Borthwick Mar 22 '23
Can confirm, 31 and in community college, its pretty awesome
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u/johnthomaslumsden Mar 22 '23
Yeah same. I found this secluded trampoline on campus the other day. Bounced near an hour, like I was on the knee of a goddess
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u/monkomonkoman Mar 22 '23
Double bounce me!
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u/geologean Mar 22 '23
Why are you doing this?!
I hate you...
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u/CheekyArab Mar 22 '23
It's going to be a maze.
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u/SquishedPea Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 23 '23
Greendale?
Just be careful of a groundskeeper with a 'maze' tattoo on his chest
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u/texas_joe_hotdog Mar 22 '23
Is it true what they say? Non whites ruin everything?
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u/Wize-Turtle Mar 22 '23
You're really risking people not getting the reference here lol
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u/Desperate-Fuel7182 Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
can confirm as well. 22 and in community college as a stepping stone to a four year school and ive met some great people and had some really fun times. it's almost like senior year of high school again because you can just dick around as long as you get your work done because nothing matters. 10/10.
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u/Mozu Mar 22 '23
you can just dick around as long as you get your work done because nothing matters.
This describes all of life
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u/acog Mar 22 '23
Community college has an interesting mix of people. There are people working hard because they have a goal, but there are also a bunch of people who are treading water, keeping up a pretence of going to school so their parents will continue to support them.
Or at least that was the case in the one I went to.
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u/shakethecouch Mar 22 '23
My CC everyone went to class and left. Wasn't quite like Greendale.
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u/Ecstatic_Wheelbarrow Mar 22 '23
You can just hang out on campus and if the college is large enough you can go into lectures. Professors don't take roll or learn names unless they need to.
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u/Th3_Admiral Mar 22 '23
And is way less a "place of safety". I was way more stressed in college than I ever was in high school.
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u/Ok_Skill_1195 Mar 22 '23
It really depends on where you go to school and what program you're enrolled in. I'd imagine taking an easy course load at a small school would be pretty close to a laid back high school experience while being significantly less illegal.
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u/Acid_Monster Mar 22 '23
You could legit walk into any lecture you wanted at my college and no one would have ever noticed. Not like there’s any security checks between classrooms.
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u/ThinkingWithPortal Mar 22 '23
She's from Jersey, could've easily walked into a Rutgers lecture of like a bajillion people lol
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u/PM_me_ur_claims Mar 22 '23
She went to Rutgers, even. She has to know exactly where the 101 classes are and how to get to them. And she could have pulled off grad student and joined tons of clubs
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u/polecy Mar 22 '23
Lol I remember some dude that looked high did that at my community college, it was a night class, sat next to me and he was blabbering random shit but we played it cool and the teacher was aware of the situation and said we needed to go to our computer lab "field trip".
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u/shadyelf Mar 22 '23
I found college rather isolating. I've felt a greater sense of belonging in high school and at work than at college. I tried joining a few clubs and all that but nothing ever clicked.
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u/IlIIlllIlIllIllllIlI Mar 23 '23
It's because highschool and work allow you to stick with the same people at regular times throughout your time there. So that leads to better friendships. I go to lectures in college and you rarely get time to chat with classmates, and even if you do it's not enough to become friends. So yeah its tough for sure.
Clubs have worked for me though.
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u/Acertitude Mar 22 '23
This is just sad.
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u/17degreescelcius Mar 22 '23
Honestly reading this all I could say is I could see myself doing the same, although to a lesser extent
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u/biIIyshakes Mar 22 '23
I sometimes dream of returning to college — I wasn’t even a party animal, I just loved the abundance of walkable green space, studying in libraries, and opportunities to meet people.
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u/avelineaurora Mar 22 '23
For real. I'm almost 40 and I think about time in college a lot still. Sigh.
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u/hyndsightis2020 Mar 22 '23
Honestly this is sad, hopefully she gets the help she needs and this isn’t placed on her permanent criminal record. Especially considering no one was harmed, and from what information that’s available, it seems she just wanted to go back to a time in her life when things were simpler and more under control.
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u/ShamelessBaboon Mar 22 '23
Yeah people are lonely. I wish we had a better society that didn’t allow people to fall through the cracks.
I hope she finds community and friendship that’s perfect for her.
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u/Main-Equipment-3207 Mar 22 '23
She needs mental health support and maybe probation but putting her in jail would be a waste of taxpayer money. It doesn’t seem like she intended to harm anyone. And if she’s dealing with divorce and money problems jail isn’t going to help fix it. There are actual criminals who get a slap on the wrist.
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u/1Cheeky_Monkey Creator Mar 22 '23
Well sure, who doesn't feel like that?
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u/MyDogHasAPodcast Mar 22 '23
Me. Had an awful time in my school years. I wouldn't wanna go back there.
But I know it's different for some people, for some it's the best time of their lives.
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u/itaniumonline Mar 22 '23
Should’ve gotten a cat.
My loneliness has gone away now that I got a cat roommate.
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u/Particular_Tadpole27
Mar 22 '23
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High school? Place of safety?
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u/Anotherherolost Mar 22 '23
You're taking classes you've already passed, no job to worry about, no pressure.
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u/AreWeCowabunga Mar 22 '23
What do you say to your landlord when rent is due? "Sorry, can't pay, I'm in high school."
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u/17degreescelcius Mar 22 '23
I'd imagine in her mental state maybe she purposefully ignored it or involuntarily fell into a state where she genuinely believed it was simply being paid for, like her state of mind regressed to her youth
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u/lookyloolookingatyou Mar 23 '23
Someone else mentions she's being sued by her landlord for 20k, and an article I read says she only attended school for three days before she was caught. So I think she was already in a hopeless financial situation and just decided of all available options, this was the fantasy she was going to ride before it all came crashing down.
Can't imagine she had much fun in between the dread of her debt and the constant fear of getting caught. It'd be interesting to hear from one of the kids who was in class with her, like was she just radiating constant nervous energy or totally catatonic? It's surreal for me to even read about it, I can't imagine having just spent three days in her presence.
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u/Broskibullet Mar 22 '23
Idk what kind of high school experience she thought she would have but she doesn’t want the one I had
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u/Xciv Mar 22 '23
I still get stressful nightmares about tests and deadlines in my 30s, which are actually the best, because when I wake up and realize I'm not in High School anymore I feel absolutely amazing about life and it starts my day off in a really good place.
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u/BatQueeny Mar 22 '23
She's probably just looking at the past with rose tinted glasses. Sometimes I miss being in highschool, then I remember "oh yeah, highschool fucking sucked I just miss having a big friend group".
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u/Unlucky-Anything528 Mar 22 '23
Damn, if only individuals could think differently and go through different experiences. Nahhh doesn't seem real.
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u/GuujiGang Mar 23 '23
Yeah, as much as Reddit likes to harp on and on about how miserable school is/was for them, there are genuinely millions of people across the world who had a perfectly fine or even great time in high school, and only a few of them are the stereotypical 'peaked in high school and never grew out of it' assholes. A lot of people look back on it fondly and have every reason to do so.
Not me. But a lot of people.
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u/jdub213818 Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 23 '23
I would not want to get up in the morning, go to school, get assigned homework, and hear and deal with high school drama all over again. fuck all that.
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u/kboo91 Mar 22 '23
This kind of speaks to the negative emphasis society puts on us post-youth to become individuals. I’m 31, I miss high school because all of my friends were in one place at the same. Once you’re older it’s not uncommon to go weeks at a time without seeing friends. It’s the way the system sets us up and separates us. I still regularly talk to my friends but they’re all over the country now mostly. It’s almost taboo to make or have friends in adulthood and it shouldn’t be. She probably just wanted to see people and hang out with them. Sorry if this is kinda rambling and doesn’t make sense. On the treadmill….
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u/Ml124395 Mar 22 '23
No it does. Our parents probably grew up and worked as well as retired within the same area. As well as the friends and family. But our generation and the evolution of society was saying get a degree get a job which most like was outta town or state. I was in electronics but grew up in a car manufacturing and steel manufacturing area. I had to leave for a job. It’s been fun, I’ve lived in several states now but I also look at what I missed
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u/BookLuvr7 Mar 22 '23
Idk what she considers "a place of safety," but my hell school was NOT it.
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u/crescendodiminuendo Mar 22 '23
This happens more often than you think:
Brandon Lee: The model school pupil who was a 30-year-old imposter
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u/Hairy_Buffalo1191 Mar 22 '23
Came here to say that. I’ve seen news stories like this pop up several times over the years. The Treva Throneberry case in particular sticks out though because the root cause of her behavior is so sad.
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u/Fun-Arm-6973 Mar 22 '23
Call it lonely all you want, she needs serious mental help.
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u/addiktion Mar 22 '23
I'm thinking maybe she should have became a science teacher. She gets paid that way and still gets to absorb the culture of youth.
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u/Kit_Marlow Mar 22 '23
As a teacher, I try to stay far away from the culture of youth. I don’t do TikTok so it’s easy.
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u/addiktion Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
Haha, I'm glad you are one of the ones who grew up but still enjoy teaching kids. My neighbor used to teach 5th grade math and she's definitely a grown-ass woman that didn't get attached to that scene, click, or youthfulness but I've met some that are like that and its always a bit interesting to me.
I can understand where she's coming from even if she took it to a extreme though. You feel safe as a kid even if it is naive to think of a school being much safer than anywhere else. Just based on my own personal observations from my own family and some teachers I've met or got to know it, it seems some people mentally cap at a certain age with their personalities, and given the complexities of the brain, it isn't a perfect mold that conforms to what is socially acceptable.
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u/NoAlarm8123 Mar 22 '23
Never considered that some people liked high-school so much that they want to go back. I only know people who hate it.
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u/TheBoomExpress Mar 22 '23
Sounds awfully similar to the plot of Never Been Kissed....
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u/epicnaenaealert Mar 22 '23
I have dreams about this shit all the time. Actualy nightmares. Of being forced to go back to college or high schoo
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u/Beemo-Noir Mar 22 '23
I have high school dreams/nightmares constantly. Lots of crying and being upset, hah.
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u/TequilaMockingbird42 Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 23 '23
This type of sentimentality is the reason why in Japan, the vast majority of manga are set in a school setting. After school there are no more fun times, only work and death. Much of that society as a whole yearns to be young, as it was the only fond time
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Mar 22 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/FrozenChihuahua Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
This reminds me of a woman I once knew.
I used to work as a loan broker in a casino town giving out loans to people who came to gamble.
There was a South Korean woman in her 40’s to 50’s who would regularly stop by to get a loan before gambling. She was always by herself and seemed quite lonely. We would spend time chatting and having nice conversations about our days and life. It was nice to be able to see her smile and to be a part of her day in what I imagine was otherwise a pretty lonely time of driving 45 minutes to sit and play on a slot machine completely by yourself.
One day she invited me out to go to the casino with her and that she would pay. She said there was crab legs there and it wasn’t anything sexual. Keep in mind I was a 25 year old dude. I was really tempted and told her I’d take her up on her offer next time but procrastinated and pushed it off.
Shortly after I quit that job and never saw her again.
I think about her from time to time and feel a string of regret and guilt for procrastinating and not having gone to the casino with her. I’m sure she would’ve liked to have someone there with her and have a real friend.
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u/imhereforagooodtime Mar 22 '23
This got me in the feels. Wish there was a way you could reconnect with her!
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u/TooSmalley Mar 22 '23
People just gotta pick up weird hobbies. The most social guy I know is in a cappella group. My co worker does Disc Golf and he’s always hanging out with some rando’s.
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u/Dr_Emmett_Brown_4 Mar 22 '23
I understand this.
She probably should have gone back to grad school or work on her bachelors.
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u/RadiantMarzipan1291 Mar 23 '23
As far as mental breakdowns go, this was fairly harmless.
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u/Pretend-Feedback-546 Mar 22 '23
She went like 20,000$ in debt due to her rent and medical bills i think?
Caused a downward spiral of dispair as her family is all still in Asia and she didn't have a support system. Just kinda did it out of hopelessness it sounds like.