20 Pleasing Stories About Arrogant People Getting Put In Their Place, As Shared In This Online Community

Ego is one hell of a drug. Although not physically harmful, yet not great for one’s mental well-being either. One of the biggest reasons ego is humanity’s worst enemy is that it keeps you out of touch with reality and hinders the truth. Don’t get me wrong, confidence and knowing your strongest qualities are excellent and very much encouraged. However, there’s a fine line when that turns into arrogance and inflated ego. And you know what they say about ego? The bigger the ego, the bigger the fall.

#1 A Weightlifting Competition

Image source: usernameemma, Nick Bastian

When I was in middle school I was very short and generally just looked like a stereotypical 14-year-old girl. One day in gym class we go to the weight room, so I’m doing weighted squats (don’t remember the exact weight, but probably between 60 pounds and 80 pounds), and this kid starts getting all cocky and teasing me for “trying too hard” and basically challenges me to a bench pressing competition.

What he didn’t know was that I spent 2 hours in the weight room every morning.

I kicked his butt, it was very satisfying.

#2 David Copperfield And The Jam-Packed Restaurant

Image source: tikivic, David Copperfield (owner), Homer Liwag (photographer).

Ex girlfriend was hostess at a swanky restaurant in Seattle. She was looking down at her book when some people approached the dais and a guy said “I need a table for 8.” She said without looking up “it’s probably going to be at least a 90 minute wait.” Voice says “But I’m David Copperfield.” Ex says “Then maybe you can make a table appear.” Finishes what she’s doing. Looks up. It’s actually David Copperfield. No table appeared.

#3 Pretending To Be A Professional Dog Trainer

Image source: legoguy26, Jan-Willem Reusink

There’s this guy who always shows up to the public dog park and let’s everyone know he is a professional dog trainer.
One day he targets this good looking woman with a big ol German Shepard. He goes up to her, gives her the usual schpeel “hey I train dogs professionally and just wanted to let you know that your dog is a killer. It’s a good thing you have him out here getting his energy out. I can tell he is young and I’m sure you’re coming home to tons of accidents and objects chewed up? I’ll happily give you a free lesson.”
The woman looks at him and says “my dog is 5 years old and has never had an accident in my house and never chewed up anything.”
Dog trainer guy just sort of laughed and walked away, onto the next person he can bother.

#4 Losing To One’s Mom At The Shooting Range

Image source: loempiaverkoper, Franklin Hunting

My army friend when he lost to his mom at the shooting range at the carnival

#5 An Extremely Entitled Customer

Image source: Gardengoddess83, FotoSleuth

I worked for a Mercedes Benz dealer. Lots of a-hole customers, but one in particular was just a d**k. He’d throw a tantrum if he couldn’t get in for a service appointment with zero notice and pulled a lot of “do you KNOW who I AM” c**p to try to get his way. He came in one day and made a huge production of buying a $100,000 car – made sure everyone in the dealership knew he was buying it and exactly how much it cost, drove it into the service bay to smugly show it off to the techs, rolled the top down and blasted his lame 80’s music as loud as he could on the way out…super cringy. About three hours after he left with his new car, he walked back into the service bay absolutely losing his $hit and demanding his money back because “the car was ruined”. Sure enough, here comes the tow truck with his pretty little convertible in tow. Turns out genius had decided to show off his car to his work buddies and parked it on the street with the top down, then popped inside to “conduct some business”. Welp, a downpour came out of nowhere and drenched the interior of the car. Totally ruined the electronics, soaked into the upholstery, and he couldn’t even turn it on. The thing was essentially totaled and he’d had it for three hours. It was amazing.

#6 Winning A School Race

Image source: Serious-Break8404, Jim, the Photographer

Elementary school track meet, 1995.

My friend E introduced me to her friend S who went to another school. I was there as a sub but someone on our team didn’t show so I was up. E mentions I’m in the same race as S and turns out we’re both starting the relay. S immediately starts ribbing me – “I’m going to beat you”, “I’m faster than you”. I was a sweet looking innocent girl, people were generally nice to me unless they were the type of a*****e who spotted an easy target.

Race starts, I’m running and I don’t see her anywhere. I’m thinking, damn, she is fast until I check over my shoulder. When I tell you this girl was not just behind me but SO FAR behind me. Our team placed 2nd and hers came in something like 5th or 6th. She didn’t say a word after, I doubt she’d even remember it but to this day I think about it anytime someone goes into S mode with me. I never give it back to them, I always just do my own thing and hope that I prove them wrong and usually it works.

#7 Fixing The Unplugged Monitor

Image source: Ryan233tiger, Sean MacEntee

I worked IT support for my school while I was in college. One of my coworkers was the type who thinks they’re the smartest guy in the room. One day he came in and couldn’t get his monitors to work. After 10 minutes of watching him struggle I tried to interject and help but got a long-winded rant about how he’s been working with computers his whole life and doesn’t need any help, if he can’t figure it out I certainly wouldn’t be able to.

I just responded with “that’s cool man, I just thought monitors had to be plugged in to work, my bad.” His entire face turned red and he looked like he wanted to die as he realized both monitors were unplugged.

#8 Self-Claimed Erudite Loses Pub Quiz

Image source: Unknown_Captain, Mark Hakansson

Some dude came into the pub I work at for the pub quiz. Kept going on about how he was smarter than all these bumpkins (I live in a university city) and that he was gonna get first prize. He was adamant and he sat at the bar across from me the whole time. I played on my phone and named myself Bumpkin. He didn’t even place in the top 10 and was furious that he got beaten by a bumpkin and a “gang of old retired f**kups that have nothing better to do”

#9 Just Turn On The Equipment

Image source: ashrae9, jm3 on Flickr

I used to work at a photography studio. I’m not a photographer but I know some basics.

Photographer guy, probably in his 50s, tells me the equipment he rented isn’t working and he is ranting on about how he has wasted 25 minutes of his rental time because his camera wasn’t syncing to the lighting equipment. All in front of his poor clients.

Best moment of my life — as he was cursing me out I walked over and wordlessly plugged it in. Never seen a grown man turn so red.

#10 The Very Best Daddy In The Whole World

Image source: i-piss-excellence32, Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos

Son was born the day before, my wife was in bed recovering. I’m all cocky because I was able to put him to sleep and did a perfect swaddle. I was able to calm him down in seconds and I’m just getting more arrogant by the minute. I volunteer to change his pooped diaper because I’ve been a father for an entire day and clearly an expert at this point. So apparently my beautiful newborn wasn’t finished pooping and not only peed all over my face and chest but he pooped all over my hands. After that happened I was a little more humble.

#11 Mommy Is The Best Dad

Image source: Covenent125, Tùng Lycan

Me: who’s the best Dad in the world?!?!

My daughter: Mommy!!!!

Me: little sh*t

#12 Scoring 64 Instead Of Claimed 100 At The Exam

Image source: Fit-Lawfulness-525, srgpicker

A girl in my English class said that she would score a 100 on our End of Course test. She made everyone feel bad about themselves and thought that she was the best in the class. In the end, she scored a 64.

#13 Wife Gives Herself Away

Image source: BrickOnly2010, RubyGoes

BIL always preening and bragging about how he’s the best. At everything. At a family dinner with people he hadn’t met before, someone asked him if his last name was Italian. He said yes. Another person said,”Ah, I’ve heard about those hot Italian lovers.” Before he could get a word out , his wife looked at him and very clearly said, “Yeah, I’ve HEARD about them too.”

#14 Breaking A Wrist While Trying A Bike Trick

Image source: Mymorningpancake, Hiroyuki Takeda

Me when I was a kid. Made fun of a girl in my neighborhood in front of people, then proceeded to try and do a bike trick and break my wrist as they all watched.

#15 Call Me Doctor!

Image source: Astramancer_, Ash Berlin

When I was a kid a new guy showed up at church. He was inordinately proud of the fact that he had a PHD in communications and insisted everyone call him “Doctor” (and he was old enough that it’s not like he *just* got his doctorate). He basically treated everyone else like uneducated rubes because *he* was a Doctor.

Whelp, the neurosurgeon, the anesthesiologist, the radiologist (chief of radiology at the biggest regional hospital!), the 3 dentists, the 2 orthodontists, and a handful of other people that I have no idea what they did all started calling each other “Doctor” as well.

Weirdly, mr. communications stopped insisting everyone call him doctor.

#16 Stealing The Job Promotion (Actually Not)

Image source: BICSb4DICS, Maryland GovPics

I got promoted (at a f*****g McDonald’s… Wow…) over some other girl. I didn’t even know I was being considered until a day or two before the managers voted. I was told to come in the next day in my new uniform and the other girl came in, saw my uniform, and quit on the spot. She accused me of stealing “her” promotion.

I found out from an assistant manager that they were openly considering her and tried to push her towards things she would need to know/do and she would never take the initiative to learn more, do more. I actively tried to learn more (mainly to get out of service and into the kitchen… Fuuuuck the public) and was well liked by most of the crew/management and someone randomly tossed my name in the conversation.

#17 Martial Arts Guru

Image source: invalidpassword, Photo Omega

In highschool a martial arts group performed for us during an assembly in the gym. The lead guy with a microphone was arrogant and full of himself. He was demonstrating how you could lock your arms behind your neck in a hold that can’t be separated. He asked for someone from the audience to try and break his arms apart. Down from the bleachers came our top male gymnast. The student got behind the “expert” and in a matter of seconds the student not only broke the hold but dislocated the pro’s shoulder in the process.

Best assembly ever.

#18 Rich Parents Turn Out To Be Scammers

Image source: discostud1515

A dude in high school had lots of money growing up. He liked to splash it around and bragged about fancy clothes and cars and throwing parties where he would supply alcohol for everyone. I wasn’t so much of a friend but we just ran in different circles. A few years later it was discovered that they were so rich because his dad who was a wealth manager embezzled money for years from his clients. This was a sort of small community so his clients were all friends and family. It was all over the press that his dad went to jail. This hit him hard. I ran into him a few years later and he had changed his name, his personality was different and he even walked with a different poster. I couldn’t imagine how much this would have rocked his world. It definitely took his ego down a few notches. I sort of felt bad for him as he was just a product of his environment. He didn’t know that it was at the cost of practically everyone around him.

#19 Stealing One’s GF After A 10-Minute Phone Call (Actually Not)

Image source: Zjoee, Michael Pollak

I knew a guy that always felt the need to one up everything I said. I was on the phone with my girlfriend at the time and he happened to overhear us talking. He came up to me and started to brag about himself, loud enough for my girlfriend to hear, and how he could steal my girl just by talking to her on the phone for 10 minutes. I offered him my phone and my girlfriend reamed him out for 5 minutes straight before he handed me back the phone and walked off. I was so proud of her haha.

#20 Losing Executive Board Position After Claiming An Easy Win

Image source: 1980pzx, WOCinTech Chat

A guy in our union was running for some executive board position and he was telling everyone what an easy win it was gonna be for him because nobody like the other 2 people running for the job. Come election day he got a very humbled awakening. Out of 1300 people he got less than 10 votes. He didn’t speak to many people for awhile after that. Nobody likes a braggart.