Clock in, grab your badge, and prepare to quietly judge strangers on the internet — because this week, we’re knee-deep in Am I the A$$hole workplace chaos. From petty boundary-setting that somehow turns into a full-blown reputation shift, to coworkers who simply refuse to learn someone’s name, to the moment you realize the person undermining your professional credibility isn’t even from your job — this episode is all about respect, power, and what happens when people keep testing limits. Gina and Gary unpack a lineup of stories where the phrase “I tried being polite” shows up right before things get extremely awkward, extremely petty, or extremely overdue.

🧾 This Week’s Stories (Linked Below)

AITA for ignoring a coworker who refused to use my actual name?
Eight years at a company vs. one new hire who decides names are optional. OP sets a boundary, sticks to it, and discovers that consequences have a way of arriving… on a rainy night. 🏷️🌧️
🔗 Link: [Story 1 – Ignoring coworker who won’t use my name]

AITA for calling my hot-tempered coworker “emotional”?
When HR won’t intervene and “that’s just how he is” becomes the default excuse, OP flips the script — and suddenly the office vocabulary shifts in a very specific direction. 🔥🧠
🔗 Link: [Story 2 – Calling an angry coworker emotional]

WIBTA if I started calling my white coworkers by random “white” names?
One employee, one very easy name, and a year of “close enough.” OP considers matching energy to make a point — and sparks a conversation about microaggressions, memory, and who’s expected to be patient at work. 🪪📛
🔗 Link: [Story 3 – Wrong names at work]

AITA for walking out when my fiancé introduced me as a bookkeeper?
This one isn’t about a coworker — it’s about someone who should’ve been in OP’s corner. Professional titles, public disrespect, and a moment that turns an engagement into a reality check. 🥂📊
🔗 Link: [Story 4 – The bookkeeper fiancé]

Halfway through, we clock out of Reddit and into the news — because the real world is also… kind of the a-hole sometimes.

• The Guardian: “High on … mustard? Cannabis industry teams up with chefs in push to stand out”
  🔗 Link: [Article 1 – Cannabis culinary collaborations]

• SciTechDaily: “Goodbye, Cavities? This Natural Amino Acid Helps Teeth Fight Sugar”
  🔗 Link: [Article 2 – Arginine & cavities]

• ScienceDaily: “Scientists sent viruses to space and they evolved in surprising ways”
  🔗 Link: [Article 3 – Viruses evolved in space]

• AP News: “New homes needed for more than 450 pet rats found in NYC suburbs”
  🔗 Link: [Article 4 – Pet rats rescue]

• Harvard Business Review: “When AI Amplifies the Biases of Its Users”
  🔗 Link: [Article 5 – AI & user bias]

• AP News: “AI use at work has increased, Gallup poll finds”
  🔗 Link: [Article 6 – AI use at work / Gallup]

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See you at the water cooler… and please, for the love of HR, use people’s actual names. 🧊👀