PassiveAggressiveNotes.com » meta

Warning: Beware of banana peels, falling anvils, and wet paint

Kerry — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:27:50 +0000

“I’m sure they didn’t actually paint the toilet seats,” says Brett in Syracuse. And yet, he says, when he saw this sign posted by a former co-worker, “I couldn’t stop laughing about the idea that that’s what got her.”

Perhaps a few signs like this (as spotted by Madeline at her university’s art studio) would have made for a proper rebuttal?

Please, contain your excitement.

Kerry — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:19:05 +0000

“My office just got a new style of paper which has caused quite the stir,” says our submitter in Seattle. “It’s made from forested trees, or something like that, so obviously we can’t wait to use it.”

And seriously, FYI you guys

Kerry — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 05:01:44 +0000

This note was spotted by Sara at the downtown Alamo Cinema Drafthouse in Austin, seemingly written by an employee channeling Amy Poehler’s character in Wet Hot American Summer.

Seriously guys, amirite?!?

Please refrain from unintentional irony

Kerry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:39:55 +0000

Is it executive exceptionalism at work here? Supreme lack of self-awareness? A wicked sense of humor? You decide.

Exhibit a) from Reva in Reedsburg, Wisconsin

Exhibit b) from Peggy at the University of New Brunswick

Exhibit c) from Jess in San Francisco

Happy Boxing Day from Passive-Aggressive Notes!

Kerry — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:52:36 +0000

Now, if you wouldn’t mind taking a moment out of your busy schedule of sport and/or shopping to bestow a bit of charity on those you live with?

(Cheers to our submitter Victoria, her mates at Oxford, and their disgusting flatties.)

A Post-it Note-Off

Kerry — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:00:11 +0000

LJ, a student at Mississippi State University, was up late one night writing a paper when her roommate asked her to stop — the noise of her typing was keeping her up. “I had a paper to write and i didn’t think I was making enough noise to warrant moving my workstation outside, so, I stayed put,” LJ says. “After she threw a huffing, puffing, tantrum and left to sleep in the lobby, I finished my paper and went to bed.”

The next morning, she awoke to a bathroom filled with notes like this one:

LJ decided to respond by giving her roomie a little taste of her own medicine. (Whether the irony was intentional or not, I’m not quite sure.)

Ah, the joys of dormitory living!

related: oh, the irony

Oral argument

Kerry — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:40:07 +0000

Our defendant, Lee in Austin, was just finishing off a travel-sized toothpaste from a recent business trip when Lee’s roommate — apparently oblivious to this small change in routine — became convinced that Lee was mooching off her tube of Advance White.

“My roommate told my boyfriend that she had left me ‘a note,’ and about a week later he asked me if I had seen it. I had not, because, in fact, I had never touched her damn toothpaste. But now, every time I reach for my toothpaste, I see this.”

And by the way, adds Lee, “She [said roommate] is currently out of shampoo.”

Seriously distruping

Kerry — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:44:18 +0000

Found on the street by Joe in Somerville, Mass…

related: oh, the irony

What we didn’t learn at Comicon: a passive-aggressive show & tell

Kerry — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:00:30 +0000

First, the “tell” part: I know it’s ridiculous, but I still have a mini existential crisis every time a friend/colleague/family member forwards me a passive-aggressive-themed article or cartoon along with a remark like “this made me think of you!”or “hey, passive-aggressive girl!” (I comfort myself with the thought that hey, at least I didn’t decide to go with a more “technically accurate” site name like notesfromcrazyassholesanduptightbitches.com.)

Now, for the show: on Monday, Jon Stewart uttered a phrase I’ve heard from visitors to this site on, oh, let’s say more than one occasion. Meanwhile, this is the second week in a row that the words “passive-aggressive” have featured prominently in The New Yorker. here’s this week’s:

Of course, this is well-trodden territory for the most excellent web comic Toothpaste for Dinner. Last week, several discerning readers pointed me toward the latest:

If you take a spin through the Toothpaste for Dinner archives, you’ll find even more familiar themes. Here’s a sampling:

And of course, xkcd never disappoints.

Thanks to Kate and Ellen in New York, Diane and Mary in Chicago, Lisa in Minnesota, Segat in the U.K., and Zack M. for sending these our way!

extra credit: The New Yorker anti-caption contest [radosh.net]

“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny.”

Kerry — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:07:11 +0000

“This morning we were reminded via an office-wide email that we must comply with the official timekeeping rules,” writes an anonymous federal employee in Colorado. That means recording the correct times time sheets, not being absent during core hours without submitting a leave slip, not being off campus except for lunch hour or approved leave — you know, everything short of requiring hall passes to use the restrooms. (Really, would you expect anything less from the United States government?)

Later that a day, a print-out appeared on the bulletin board for a training called “dealing with difficult people.”

This follow-up note was posted soon after.

Adds our submitter: “As far as I know, no one has actually been fired or threatened with firing for not complying.” (Again, this is the federal government we’re talking about.)

related: four approaches to ice-cube maintenance
extra credit: “the audacity of government” [thisamericanlife.org]

Notes white people leave

Kerry — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:14:16 +0000

OMG, ramekin drama! (from San Francisco, natch…)

(click to enlarge!)

related: #54 kitchen gadgets [stuffwhitepeoplelike.com]

Ceci n’est pas une note passif-agressif

kerry — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:39:01 +0000

Rachel in Virginia says her two roommates, “despite seeing and talking to me multiple times a day, decide to air their grievances through notes.” These grievances include being responsible for a $200 water bill “because i wash my face and hands at night and in the morning.” rachel has decided that enough is enough.

To paraphrase the Dude paraphrasing Bush Senior: This passive-aggression will not stand, man.

Meanwhile, Ben in Helena, Montana says he loves passive-aggressive notes.

In fact, he loves them so much that he had these special sticky notes printed up — both as an homage to our humble projet and “to encourage and facilitate the leaving of such notes.”

Adds Ben, “They’ve proved so popular I already need to order some more.” (Unclear whether this is a good thing.)

related: “That shit is disrespectful”

The sincerest form of passive-aggression

kerry — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:18:07 +0000

Laura in Boston says one of the restrooms at her school is a real note bonanza. The inside of the stall features no fewer than four individual notes about proper flushing etiquette, and immediately outside the restroom are two (slightly contradictory notes) about proper door opening/closing procedure.

But what’s most interesting? How a couple of those notes look awfully familiar...

Dearest roommate

Kerry — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 01:00:32 +0000

“Is it doubly passive aggressive to use this site to convey this message? I am the creator of this note, and the photo depicts actual conditions. I would love to send a post of this to said roommate at work.” —flushpatrol in Washington, D.C.