If we completely rejected government authority and social structures, our world would probably go up in flames. However, rebelling against the rules once in a while doesn’t hurt anyone, as long as the consequences are minimal. In fact, dabbling into some light anarchy can feel empowering and boost self-confidence.
The subreddit ‘First World Anarchists’ is full of examples of people who live for a bit of trollish rule-breaking. From doing the opposite of what signs are telling them to eating pizza on pineapple (not the other way around), scroll down to find some inspiration to keep your rebellious fire burning.
#1 A Black Man Drinking From A White Only Fountain In 1956
Image credits: -_Anonymous__-
#2 Doing It Right
Image credits: nathanemke
#3 Cats Never Follow The Rules. That Sign Is Pointless
Image credits: EmperorHenry
“We all feel the oppressive presence of rules, both written and unwritten – it’s practically a rule of life. Public spaces, organisations, dinner parties, even relationships and casual conversations are rife with regulations and red tape that seemingly are there to dictate our every move,” writes professor of behavioral science Nick Chater.
“We rail against rules being an affront to our freedom, and argue that they’re “there to be broken.”
#4 This Cat Rebels Against The Airport System
Image credits: 20195780
#5 Yay, Loophole!
Image credits: Pumuckl4Life
#6 Anarchist Tricycle
Image credits: GardenHead90
However, as a behavioral scientist, he believes that it’s not really the concept of rules and our restriction of freedom that makes us want to break them. It’s rather that people feel that some rules can’t be explained in a reasonable way. According to him, the issue with this is that it can be difficult to distinguish the difference between the two.
#7 Coyote In San Francisco
Image credits: the_walrus_was_paul
#8 Anti Doggo
Image credits: Taskmasterreal1
#9 I Did Not Find Out
Image credits: YBtheOutlaw
He explains it by looking at some aspects of our lives and how they would look without rules. The first example Chater provides is rejecting the rules of English or language as a whole. We might think of liberating ourselves from it, but this new-found freedom would not make us ‘unchained.’ Conversely, it would turn us into incoherent creatures who would be hard to understand. Consequently, we wouldn’t be able to communicate with others, and that’s not something a person commonly wants to do.
#10 Do Not Touch
Image credits: Fancykiddens
#11 Too Late
Image credits: Slygirl997
#12 R/Norway's Got The Spirit
Image credits: gheeboy
He further explains that rules are also an essence of games, sports, and puzzles, even though they might be fun. However, chess or football without guidelines would be meaningless and formless activities. “Indeed, a game with no rules is no game at all,” Chater says.
#13 Give No Fox
Image credits: i0nlymeow4u
#14 Found This Blanket At My Friend's House
Image credits: AvalieV
#15 Suck It!!
Image credits: neuroticsmurf
The rules mentioned above make sense, right? Just like driving on the left or right side of the road, stopping at red lights, or not littering. Those are rules that seem justified to us, and we feel less encouraged to break them. Similarly, as in games, we have some ‘moves’ we can and can’t do to ensure that our social interaction runs smoothly.
#16 You Don't Tell Me Where To Walk!
Image credits: Pumuckl4Life
#17 That's A Lot Of Anarchists
Image credits: Pumuckl4Life
#18 @ My Local Walgreens ?
Image credits: FloofyMarshmellow
On the other hand, people are rapidly generating new rules that govern behavior, communication, and economy that they seem to accumulate endlessly and extend beyond their initial logic and purpose. Such rules become unjustifiable, which fosters our urge to overturn them.
#19 Where's Your God Now
Image credits: builtCake
#20 Ha Ha! No One Will Stop Us From Stickering Whatever We Please!
Image credits: RippyADMB
#21 Not Pictured: A Lot Of Husks Behind The Sign
Image credits: ilslh
Even though we might feel tempted to protest some rules, they’re hard-wired into our DNA. We simply absorb complex language systems and social norms without really asking too many questions, saying, “It’s the way we do things around here.”
#22 No Bicycle Parking On This Street
Image credits: CatPlastic8593
#23 Finally Get To Join Your Outlaw Gang!
Image credits: franklin_p
#24 First Thing I Did
Image credits: BlackRoseRaider
This allows us to live (for the most part) in harmony with each other, without going into chaos and disorder. “Without some rules – and some tendency for us to stick to them – society would slide rapidly into pandemonium. In fact, our species’ ability to latch onto, and enforce, arbitrary rules is crucial to our success as a species,” concludes Chater.
#25 My Grocery Store Gets It
Image credits: WiJaMa
#26 This Camera Man Will Not Be Stopped
Image credits: G14mogs
#27 Don’t Tell Me How To Live My Life
Image credits: lazyeye888
#28 Where Is Your God Now
Image credits: codefluence
#29 No Chairs, Who Cares?
Image credits: FaithInTheSound
#30 [insert Title Here]
Image credits: dynamiteSkunkApe
#31 On The Wall Is Written "Do Not Park Backwards"
Image credits: Colonel_Thunder
#32 Drinking German "Breakfast Juice" At 19:35 In The Evening
Image credits: Relevant-Team
#33 Nobody Tells This Bird Where It Can Be
Image credits: A_Is_For_Azathoth
#34 Connecticut License Plate
Image credits: rpodovich
#35 Whoever Gave The Name To This Pink Peony
Image credits: Winter_Drawer_9257
#36 No Boats Or Trailers
Image credits: Enspiredjack
#37 No Picnic Table
Image credits: SchwillyMaysHere
#38 That Hole Wasn't Made For Me
Image credits: horsthorsthorst
#39 I Did It
Image credits: Harambesic
#40 I Drop Bossy Signs Like Sucker MCs
Image credits: BartKing
#41 My Coworkers Get It
Image credits: capnlatenight
#42 Try And Stop Me!
Image credits: kcdirtracer
#43 Anarchist Pumpkin
Image credits: SheetsGiggles
#44 Found In Japan
Image credits: buddyinjapan
#45 The Way I Cut My Birthday Cake
Image credits: 1zeye
#46 No Subir = "Don't Climb"
Image credits: Matingas
#47 Not A Door Stop
Image credits: enter_soulman
#48 Rebel Dog Gets It
Image credits: omegajakezed
#49 Become Ungovernable
Image credits: phenwulf
#50 I Don't Have To Listen To You, You're Not My Real Dad
Image credits: Dan_Berg
#51 This Sign Couldn't Stop Me
Image credits: JustAnRandomKEG
#52 Wendy’s Joining The Anarchists
Image credits: italianshark
#53 “Strawless,” You Say? ?
Image credits: The_MadStork
#54 I Just Put A Sign That Says "No Exit" On The Only Door Of My Toilet, So Now Everyone Leaving The Room May Feel A Little Anarchy
Image credits: GoedekeMichels
#55 I Stood Here To Take This Photo
Image credits: transmanandpan
#56 Someone Flat Out Daring Them To Check The Cameras
Image credits: Rendigs
#57 The Signs Say: "Please No Bikes Here"
Image credits: silentartistloudart
#58 And There’s Nothing You Can Do About It
Image credits: Maskay57
#59 Don’t Tell Me What To Eat
Image credits: Lopatron
#60 Good Boy!
Image credits: TimeLine_DR_Dev
#61 Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!
Image credits: GenSaltyPants
#62 Unhinged
Image credits: Yeyo666
#63 This Is How This Works Right?
Image credits: Jembers1990
#64 Definitely Not The Right Color
Image credits: lordofthebrocean92
#65 Someone Clearly Ate Subway At This Hungry Jack's
Image credits: MARio23038
#66 Put Out The Watermelon Display Boss!
Image credits: InDaRed
#67 Samsung AirPods
Image credits: wavecopper
#68 They Start 'Em Young Nowadays
Image credits: snorkiebarbados
#69 Yeah, I Did It!
Image credits: RipRapRob
#70 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Image credits: SchwillyMaysHere
#71 No Locks
Image credits: stefanondisponibile
#72 Its Called The Future
Image credits: CorbinC2000
#73 My Favorite Tea To Drink In The Afternoon
Image credits: StackedCrooked
#74 S***ty Beer Inside An Even S***tier Glass
Image credits: reddit.com
#75 That'll Show 'Em!
Image credits: White_Dynamite
#76 I Did It
Image credits: Craft_Master06
#77 How Else Am I Supposed To Open It, Though? Brute Strength? They Made Me Do This
Image credits: Pir8Life
#78 Oh No They Didn't
Image credits: poeticinverse
#79 No Drinks
Image credits: lost-on-the-highway
#80 Where's Your God Now?
Image credits: Ohiobound03
#81 These Oranges Know What’s Up
Image credits: J5Screwed4Life
#82 Drinking Coke While Wearing A Dr. Pepper Shirt
Image credits: nlwfty
#83 Help Me Touch
Image credits: Acceptable-Pop-7123
#84 Saw A Guy Plating His Food On A Buffet Tray
Image credits: MrTerrificPants
#85 Pouring Starry Into A Coke Glass
Image credits: nlwfty
#86 Went In Anyway
Image credits: _meatpaste
#87 They Start 'Em Young Nowadays
#88 Drinking Coke While Wearing A Dr. Pepper Shirt
#89 Definitely Not The Right Color
#90 This Rice Is Called Forbidden Rice. Nice Try. I Made It Anyway
#91 I Put A Quartz Dial On A Mechanical Movement Because Why Not
Image credits: ExpertTaste6303
#92 “Fruit” To Go
#93 Today Is Monday
#94 On An Airplane And They Just Announced, "Laptops Should Not Be In Seat Back Pockets For Your Safety."
Image credits: rabidstoat
