‘He Wanted to Road Trip From California to Ireland’: People Are Sharing the Moment They Realized They Were Dating an Idiot
One viral thread asked people when they realized they were dating an idiot — and the answers range from mildly clueless to “I ended it in the parking lot.”
We’ve all dated someone who was… not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Maybe they were hot, or maybe you just didn’t want to start over on the apps again.
A recent Reddit thread asked, “When did you realize you were dating an idiot?” and the replies are a wild mix of financial disasters, geography failures, and people who apparently slept through all of history class. Here are some of the best (and worst) moments.
1. “He thought that was his money”
One woman shared that her college boyfriend proudly announced he had $13,500 in his account. For broke students, that’s huge… so she asked how he got it.
The answer:
“Turns out he was approved for a credit card in this amount and had no idea how credit cards worked. He thought that was his money.”
Fifteen years later, she added, “he still lives at home with his parents.” Hard to say it’s all down to financial literacy, but it clearly didn’t help.
2. The guy who literally called a tow truck on himself
Another ex got his first apartment and decided a particular parking space near the door was “his.” When someone parked there and refused to move, he called a towing company.
By the time they arrived, the other car had left, so he pulled into the spot himself. Then came the phone call to his girlfriend explaining what happened:
“My ex called me and told me they towed his car because it actually wasn’t his spot, he just wanted to park there since its closer to his apartment. Dumb*** literally called the towing company on himself…”
She had to drive 40 minutes to pick him up from the impound lot. Romance.
3. “Do they speak English… in England?”
One commenter didn’t even need a complicated story:
“He asked if they spoke English where I was planning on visiting……I was going to England.”
The replies were basically everyone collectively asking the same thing: was he extremely hot, or was the dating pool just that dire?
4. “New husband, new Social Security number, new credit score”
Not technically a partner, but the logic still qualifies. One person shared:
“I had a friend who was excited to get married because she’d get a new name, a new social security number and her credit score would get reset. Bless her heart.”
That is not how any of that works, but you have to admire the optimism.
5. Falling for the “free vacation” scam
One woman’s ex picked the worst possible moment to reveal his judgment skills. She wrote:
“He got a random phone call & the caller told him he won a free vacation. He completely believed them & ended up giving out all his banking information to them.”
Another commenter joked, “When the son of the deposed King of Nigeria e-mails you directly asking for help, you HELP. His father ran the freaking country!!!”
It would be funny if people weren’t actually handing over full banking details to strangers on the phone.
6. “If you wanted me to pay attention, you should have told me”
One story wasn’t about low IQ as much as complete emotional cluelessness. A woman thought she had a detached retina and asked her boyfriend to drive her and sit in on the consult. Totally reasonable.
Afterward, she asked what he thought of the doctor’s advice. His response:
“He said if you wanted me to pay attention you should have told me.”
This was after she’d been with him “every day and evening during heart surgery and recovery.” She ended it on the drive home from the eye doctor.
7. Calling Congress about traffic noise
Another commenter dated a woman who lived on a busy main street and constantly complained about traffic noise. One day, she learned about “noise ordinances” and became determined to get something done.
The problem started when she tried to figure out who to contact. After some fumbling around local government basics, she blurted out:
“Oh! Like Congress & Senators?”
Her boyfriend tried to explain that city noise ordinances aren’t really a Congress problem. She wouldn’t accept it and decided to start at the top anyway.
Half an hour later, she called back to ask who her congressperson even was.
8. Failing algebra because parentheses are “optional”
Back in college, one woman did her boyfriend’s take-home algebra test for him — step-by-step, on a separate sheet, so he could copy it correctly. It was basic factoring with parentheses.
He turned it in and got a zero. When she asked how that was even possible, she learned that he’d copied the answers… but decided the parentheses didn’t matter and left them out.
9. The half-empty bottle of ginger ale
One guy hit his limit over a single, disgusting moment. He wrote:
“When she picked up a half empty bottle of soda and drank it. Someone’s discarded trash ginger ale. I dumped her that day. Ain’t no way I’m gonna catch Hepatitis because my partner is an idiot.”
Another commenter chimed in, “Just reading that makes me nauseated,” while someone else “helpfully” added:
“Statistically speaking, 48% of half empty bottles of ginger ale actually contain piss.”
10. Thanksgiving as a cosmic coincidence
Some people aren’t great at patterns. One commenter said:
“She didn’t believe that Thanksgiving was purposely on Thursday every year and thought it was just a coincidence.”
Another person shared that their brother once called, outraged, to announce, “Do you know that Thanksgiving is on a Thursday this year???”
He also apparently hadn’t grasped that Christmas is always on December 25.
11. “He thought rice came from potatoes”
Sometimes the moment is short and devastatingly simple:
“He revealed he thought rice came from potatoes.”
12. Planning a road trip from California… to Ireland
And then there’s this guy. One commenter wrote:
“He told me he wanted to take a road trip to Ireland. Leaving from his house in California. ‘No ferries, I want to drive the whole way.’”
There are bad ideas, and then there’s trying to brute-force your way across the Atlantic in a car.
So… are they the idiot, or are we?
Somewhere in the thread, one person dropped the line that probably hit a little too close to home for a lot of readers:
“If I never dated an idiot… I’ve been the idiot the whole time.”
That’s really the point here. Yes, plenty of these exes had no clue how credit works, how geography works, or how basic medical empathy works. But a lot of commenters also admitted they stayed because they were lonely, or they just didn’t want to admit how bad it really was.
If this all hits a little too close to your own dating history, you’re definitely not the only one. And if you’re in the mood for more relationship chaos and perspective, there’s a piece about women walking away from dating and not regretting it, plus another where men share what they only figured out after dating or marrying a woman — both are a very enlightening follow-up to this.
Why So Many Women Are Walking Away From Dating — and Don’t Regret It
A candid Reddit thread lays out why so many women are opting out of modern dating and choosing peace, safety, and freedom instead.
Read more: Why So Many Women Are Walking Away From Dating — and Don’t Regret It
Men Were Asked What They Only Learned After Dating or Marrying a Woman — The Answers Were Way More Insightful Than Expected
What started as a joke quickly became a surprisingly thoughtful look at everyday relationships.
He Thinks a Heart Rate Monitor Is the Secret to ‘Honesty’ in Their Relationship — She’s Not So Sure
A woman thought her boyfriend’s love of fitness trackers was a quirk. Then he told her what he really wanted to use them for.
Read more: He Thinks a Heart Rate Monitor Is the Secret to ‘Honesty’ in Their Relationship — She’s Not So Sure
These 10 States Are the Worst Places to Be a Woman, According to a New Study
From poor healthcare access to low wages, these states are falling short for women.
Read more: These 10 States Are the Worst Places to Be a Woman, According to a New Study
These 10 States Are the Best Places to Be a Woman
Backed by data, rankings based on healthcare, equal pay, poverty levels & workplace policies
Read more: These 10 States Are the Best Places to Be a Woman
