What does #AITA mean?

It’s short for “Am I the Asshole?”

What’s the format of the pod?

We usually riff as long as 12 minutes at the top. Kind of a lot but like… WE GOT THINGS TO SAY. Then, we read two posts from the subreddit. After each post, we read listener and reddit comments. If you want your comments featured, comment on our FB group. After, we try our best to break down the situation, tell related stories and jokes, and have a good time.

After the reddit AITAs, we read a listener submission. You can submit above. Finally, we wrap up on some segments including: Am I The Hero?, I’m The Asshole, Asshole Watch, Guess The Verdict?, and banter (which is just open-ended, human conversation).

I want to submit. I have a situation. I have something to say.

There’s a form above where you can submit. You can also email us at AmITheAhole@gmail.com. Also please JOIN the FB group and comment on situations. We no longer posting directly to the fb group bc people get all insulty and it got weird. You must submit anon above or email. PLEASE SUBMIT.

What do all these acronyms mean?

On the subreddit, a person OP, original poster, will describe a situation where they are curious if #AITA,

After, commenters respond to OP (original poster) with the following acronyms:

YTA - You’re the asshole (and the other person is not)

NTA - Not the asshole (and other person is)

NAH - No assholes here

ESH - Everyone sucks here (all people are aholes).

Who is this for? Why is this happening?

The subreddit describes itself as “a catharsis for the frustrated moral philosopher in all of us.“ The sub also says “This is NOT an advice sub.” The pod definitely aims for some moral philosophizing, but we dole out advice like a dude meeting a woman who’s more educated than him. Plus, Danny will occasionally say something that pisses people off and then he learns from it and there’s character development.

Our goal is to gain wisdom and learn from the subreddit, submissions, and our community. But we also like to roast people that suck.

Who came up with the ‘subreddit’?

The subreddit and related terminology was spawned by u/flignir looking to settle a score in his office related to air-conditioning (Mashable). According to the Daily Dot piece, he felt “that since his female co-workers had the option of putting on additional clothing, they should cede control of the thermostat to the overheated men.” In a meta post linking to news coverage about AITA, u/flignir said “Someone… said something to the effect of ‘You're right, I guess.’ And I became the first non-asshole on the sub.” It appears the original post is deleted. Guess they couldn’t take the heat :D

Who coined the phrase, “Am I the asshole?”

The earliest use we could find online was in 2003. A guy named Ian Glazer wrote a blog post regarding his thoughts on Americans having too many passports, and therefore being too prevalent all around the world. He said, “Frankly, the less fat-ass, ignorant, white-sock wearing, TGI Friday’s eatin’, assmonkies, I have to deal with while I am abroad, the better. Am I the asshole here?“

I’m going NTA on this one.

Are you formally or officially associated with Reddit or the Subreddit?

Nope, we’re just casual users.

Tell me 7 things you’ve learned doing the pod. NOW.

If you start a fight and lose fairly, people will definitely call you an a-hole. Holding others to a one-strike rule can often make you an asshole. Sometimes the only way to get someone to walk in your shoes is to throw your shoe at them, which sucks because 1. A common courtesy is something society expects you to do, but you’re not a good person for doing it. It’s expected. Paradoxically, not doing a common courtesy can often makes you an a-hole. (i.e. not holding a door open for an old person) “Intent doesn’t reduce the impact.” This quote is mainly about understanding that your motivations don’t change the emotions felt by the other person. If you have good motivations, then you’re not to be “blamed,” but if you care about that person, their feelings are still your responsibility. On that note: It doesn’t have to be your fault to be your responsibility. And my personal fave: discretion is the better part of valor. Being brave is sometimes about doing… NOTHING. Or using tact. Or being careful, precise, and thoughtful.

I have more questions

Feel free to submit any questions to the submit form above. If you’re curious about the subreddit, check out the rules here.