letters that make you say, “wait, what?”

by Alison Green on June 14, 2022

There’s now a new category in the sidebar: letters that make you say, “Wait, what?”

It’s here:

Wait, what?!

It’s currently got 165 letters in there. Happy reading!

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{ 89 comments }

{ 89 comments… read them below }

    3. Lucy Skywalker*

      This genre of letters is what introduced me to this blog and what keeps me constantly coming back.

  4. Heidi*

    The letters under, “You may also like” are gold. Unhinged gold, but gold nonetheless.

    1. Nayo*

      Oh, my god, the “coworker prayed for my fiancé’s death” one never fails to make my head spin.

    2. Warrior Princess xena*

      Out of curiosity, does anyone know if Alison curates these suggestions or if they are assigned by algorithm?

      1. SAS*

        I assume they’re randomly generated (maybe weighted by more comments?) from the same tag/category.

      2. Hapax Legomenon*

        Per an old comment, right before Alison rolled out the Mortification tag:

        “This site has produced so many stories about people being mortified by their own behavior at work that someone who was doing some tech work for the site and needed to categorize posts by topic (differently than how I’ve done it in the site’s topic categories) had enough to create a large category called ‘Mortified At Work.’

        He also had a category called ‘Wait, What?'”

        I think we can all agree that the anonymous tech worker is our hero, and I appreciate Alison giving us all access to the category.

  7. Former Gifted Kid*

    I want updates to all of these. Was there ever an update to the turtle one?

  8. I WORKED on a Hellmouth*

    This is GLORIOUS. I had no idea that I needed this in my life… but I DO.

    1. Pomegranate*

      Your whole Saga in Friday thread was a full Wait, What?! section on its own:) AAM remembers!

      1. Soprani*

        A Wait, What?! installment novel with plot twists at every turn! Hellmouth, I’m so glad you’re in a better place, but your Friday updates were bonkers and well told.

    2. Chauncy Gardener*

      And please PLEASE write a book about this whole thing! It’s totally epic and you write really well!

  9. MuseumChick*

    I’ve been hoping for YEARS for a Gumption category. I get the feeling a lot of those letters will fit very well here.

  11. cubone*

    this is like a greatest hits catalogue tbh. The “disrespectful” employee who didn’t get paid! The no-humor policy! I didn’t go back far enough but I very much hope the Hawaiian rolls made an appearance.

    1. New Jack Karyn*

      Hawaiian Rolls/Cheap Ass Rolls did not, but I suspect that’s because it was in a 5 Short Answers column.

      1. Paulina*

        Some of the “five answers” columns do have the tag, including the original letter about the Leap Year birthday.

    3. Marthooh*

      “My VP of HR says my service dog is too small” sounds like clickbait, but they really, really said it!

  12. MEH Squared*

    I didn’t need another reason to go trawling in the archives, and, yet, I will happily embrace it, nonetheless.

  14. KatoPotato*

    Many of my favorite letters start with the advice, “This is weird.” Thank you for this!

  16. Penny*

    Ah, excellent. My favorite Alison responses are the ones that begin “What on earth.”

    2. Irish Teacher*

      I’m lucky here in that I’m on my summer holidays and don’t start correcting the State exams until next week, so this comes at a good time for me.

  20. Governmint Condition*

    Anybody want to bet on how quickly this page becomes the most visited category on this site?

  21. Ms. Norbury*

    OMG, this category could easily be called “Letters for which I desperately want an update”. LWs, if your letter is here and you haven’t sent an update yet, please, please do!

    1. Koalafied*

      Seriously, I was really hoping for an update on the “as per CEO” assistant by now!

      1. Ms. Norbury*

        Same! I’d also love an update from the person whose boss wouldn’t look at her, and the boss who thought “please” was rude.

      1. Empress Matilda*

        March 18, 2020. Most of us were otherwise occupied at the time, what with the end of the world and all. I didn’t see this one either, so I”m very glad it got boosted!

        1. lb*

          oh WHOA I super duper missed the date… I guess working from home might have helped resolve some of it…? :|

  28. Quaint Irene*

    Oh, gosh. The chance to read the The Ghost and Mrs. Sylvia saga all over again. What a tonic! Thank you.

    And not to be petty, (will immediately be very petty) I had forgotten the several malapropisms in the the OP’s original letters that really elevated the whole thing to Hall of Fame status: “unattainable” for “untenable,” “bear the blunt” for “bear the brunt,” “untangled” for “entangled.” Team Sylvia FOREVER.

    1. lazuli*

      OP acted horribly, but the letter reads like it’s from someone for whom English is not their native language.

  29. yepyep*

    I was looking to make sure “my boss tapes people’s mouths shut during meetings” was on there. I think all of us have felt condescended to or degraded at least once in our careers. (If not, very curious how you’ve avoided). This letter summed up so perfectly the humiliation I often feel through the actions of what has to be the worst manager. my boss tapes people’s mouths shut during meetings. https://www.askamanager.org/2020/02/my-boss-tapes-peoples-mouths-shut-during-meetings.html

  31. Mr. Shark*

    I just saw this, and laughed again at the utter ridiculousness of people: my VP of HR says my service dog is too small

    It’s mind blowing how many people think they know things that they really have no idea about.

  33. TPS reporter*

    Severance is not looking very much like fiction! I hear defiant jazz when I read these.

    1. Constance Lloyd*

      I just watched that finale 15 minutes ago and the only person I know IRL who has also watched it is my coworker who is currently out on Jury Duty… or so I’m told. :)

      1. TPS reporter*

        No all must watch immediately!! I bet not a lot of people have Apple tv.

        Hehe “jury duty” is the new I need a break

        1. Constance Lloyd*

          Many do not, I started a trial exclusively because of severance. Now I’m annoyed because I think I have to keep it!

  35. I edit everything*

    I’m trying to decide whether to dive right in or save them for when I need a pick-me-up.

  36. Pikachu*

    I can’t believe the QAnon letter is nearly a year old and we still have high-ranking politicians spouting this nonsense. I wonder what OP’s interviewer is up to now and how their views have evolved.

  38. Seven hobbits are highly effective, people*

    I look forward to a delightful archive dive this weekend. Thank you!

  42. Lucy Skywalker*

    “Please” is disrespectful and sounds like an order? That’s the exact opposite of what I was told years ago.

  43. Wait. What?*

    Where’s the one about the person who ticked her coworker’s feet and didn’t get fired, which led to the tickle victim becoming so hostile to the tickler that she had no choice but to quit?

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