TheaterFire

Does anyone else still say “a dingo at my baby!” when it’s relevant?

Posted by mischievous_misfit13@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 280 comments

Does anyone else still say “a dingo at my baby!” when it’s relevant?

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280 Comments

Lehk@reddit

Absolute nightmare fuel, her child is eaten by wildlife and the whole world mocked her for decades
View on Reddit #73838835

Key-Pickle5609@reddit

Yeah. Once I learned that a dingo actually did eat her baby (and it wasn’t her excuse) I stopped saying that
View on Reddit #73859963

henryhungryhenry@reddit

I stopped referring to anything stupid done willingly as “drinking the kool aid” once I discovered many of those who died at Jonestown were straight up murdered.
View on Reddit #73861321

fleebleganger@reddit

I think that’s a case where, because people were murdered, we should use the phrase. Keeps the idea fresh that cults don’t just hurt themselves. 
View on Reddit #73861823

CallidoraBlack@reddit

No, because the phrase implies something that did not happen. People with guns were standing around and you either drank the poison and gave it to your kids or you injected by force. If you resisted or tried to run, you got shot. It's also been suggested that even for those who were willing or not panicking, their lunches had been spiked with sedatives, a thing that had previously been done in the community.
View on Reddit #73864584

unbanned_lol@reddit

But the people who were willing to kill others for the cult were also willing to drink the kool aid themselves. If anything, it's an even more powerful warning given this detail.
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CallidoraBlack@reddit

No. None of you grew up in a cult and it shows. This is gross.
View on Reddit #73870788

unbanned_lol@reddit

That's not a response that furthers the conversation nor helps anyone understand what you're trying to convey.
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CallidoraBlack@reddit

No one is interested in what I'm trying to convey because this is purely academic for them. The idea that something could be insensitive, convey no important meaning that is specific to the expression, and also rely entirely on misinformation to be understood at the same time is not important to them.
View on Reddit #73878987

unbanned_lol@reddit

Ah, so you argue in bad faith. Good to know!
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CallidoraBlack@reddit

That's rich coming from you. You don't support your argument at all and when someone says how they feel, you pretend this is suddenly a serious debate despite you not treating it like one.
View on Reddit #73880367

unbanned_lol@reddit

Why should I bother supporting my argument? You're said you're not interested in what I'm saying, lol.
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CallidoraBlack@reddit

I did not. I was saying that no one cares that your argument sucks because they don't want to change their behavior. No one cares what my argument is because people don't want to change their behavior.
View on Reddit #73890757

unbanned_lol@reddit

>I did not. You are a liar. You said exactly: "You didn't make a good argument for what you're saying and neither has anyone else, but that is also unimportant because no one cares." You said that it is unimportant what I said because no one cares. I hate to break it to you, but you, being someone, are part of that group. So again. Thank you for admitting that you argue in bad faith. You yourself don't care what I have to say and have said as much. Protip: If you want people to come to your side, you have to be willing to engage in open and fair discussion. Since you admit that you don't do that, you will always be wasting your time. Have a good life. Try to do better.
View on Reddit #73899938

CallidoraBlack@reddit

You are so full of crap! Did you think I wouldn't see this? >[So, exactly what I said. I understand that some people find it offensive. I can't help how other people feel. People are literally offended that I exist. Sorry not sorry.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Xennials/s/E9MLA79vmL)
View on Reddit #74139053

unbanned_lol@reddit

You said you don't care about what I have to say. My words don't matter to you because you've admitted you're arguing in bad faith. Why are you still here? If there's nothing I can say that you'll listen to, you're just screeching, not conversing. Go away.
View on Reddit #74139054

henryhungryhenry@reddit

By using their logic, we should continue using “the dingo ate my baby” to teach babies about dingo danger.
View on Reddit #73882629

unbanned_lol@reddit

Nope, that wouldn't be analogous. The dingos didn't "drink the kool aid" when they ate that child in any sense. However, the cultists who killed people in the name of their cult did live up to the metaphorical meaning of "drinking the kool aid".
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henryhungryhenry@reddit

But the quote isn’t “like the cultists who killed people in the name of their cult, I’m drinking the kool aid”. [“Drinking the kool aid”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_the_Kool-Aid) does not differentiate victim from perpetrator, which is why I take issue with it - the children did not know they were being poisoned, they did not line up willingly. *”The phrase "drinking the Kool-Aid" as used to describe either unquestioning obedience or loyalty to a cause is considered offensive by some of the relatives of the dead and survivors who escaped Jonestown.[11] Seventy or more individuals at Jonestown were injected with poison, and a third (304) of the victims were minors.[12][13] Guards armed with guns and crossbows had been ordered to shoot those who fled the Jonestown pavilion as Jones lobbied for suicide.”*
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unbanned_lol@reddit

So, exactly what I said. I understand that some people find it offensive. I can't help how other people feel. People are literally offended that I exist. Sorry not sorry.
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henryhungryhenry@reddit

Beep boop. I understand you are saying that the cult members who forced the others really did “drink the cool aid” - but without this detail, is your understanding of the phrase that it is generally used to mock someone for willingly doing something stupid?
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unbanned_lol@reddit

Why don't you want someone seeing your post history? Seems pretty suspect.
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henryhungryhenry@reddit

Suspect how exactly? Please provide a genuine reason why you are entitled to pick over the excessive amount of comments I make over at r/TheWire? I’m pleased you agree that the phrase itself is not a warning.
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unbanned_lol@reddit

Oh, I'm not entitled to your post history. But Please provide a genuine reason why you want to hide the excessive amount of comments you make over at r/TheWire.
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henryhungryhenry@reddit

Hooray! We agree on something, you most definitely are not entitled to my post history. You’re also not entitled to an explanation for why you cannot see it, when you can’t even tell me why it “seems pretty suspect”.
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CallidoraBlack@reddit

It's exactly what I said. No one cares because no one wants to change their behavior. You could change how people feel by not being selfish, but you don't care. So stop pretending this is anything more meaningful for you. It's not.
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CallidoraBlack@reddit

Thank you!
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henryhungryhenry@reddit

I not down for suggesting that people (including children) who were forcibly injected with cyanide were stupid. I don’t know if you have heard the audio, but they were not the screams of willing participants.
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electricsugargiggles@reddit

And how the number of casualties were initially underestimated because those that first discovered the carnage saw that most of the murdered victims had died face-down, spread out throughout the compound. The children and babies were under the bodies of the adults who tried to shield/comfort them in their final, tortured moments.
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unbanned_lol@reddit

But the people who were willing to shoot others were also willing to drink the kool aid themselves. If anything, it's an even more powerful warning given this detail.
View on Reddit #73870523

CallidoraBlack@reddit

Yup. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown
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FungiStudent@reddit

Fucking chilling
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electricsugargiggles@reddit

Not to mention that the more we learn about the insidious system of cults and abuse, the more empathy we should have for people who were victimized and lost everything. To dismiss these people as being stupid*** implies that they were fully cognizant of what was happening at all times, psychologically sound/invulnerable to coercive behavior, and that they possessed 100% agency to leave without repercussions. Nearly all abusive situations once looked like love, acceptance, special recognition, and socially acceptable self-improvement. And that’s exactly how abusers get their hooks in you. (***I’m specifically referring to how we as a population refer to cult members or abuse victims, not you as an individual)
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drift_off@reddit

Wait really? I have some research to do!
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Kelly_Louise@reddit

I couldn’t finish the audio. It’s sickening. And even harder to listen to now that I’m a mom. The crying children makes me shudder.
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henryhungryhenry@reddit

If you can stomach the audio of the massacre, the Casefile podcast covered it respectfully and reasonably well. It’s a tough listen though.
View on Reddit #73863410

altiuscitiusfortius@reddit

They drank knockoff flavor-aid so you can keep your joke
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Derrick_Mur@reddit

Plus, it was Flavor Aid, not Kool-Aid
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goglamere@reddit

https://i.redd.it/a958nm6r1a8g1.gif
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Grand-Try-3772@reddit

Kool aid was too expensive an investment for expected results.
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Derrick_Mur@reddit

Because they didn’t want to blow all their money before dying?
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NickConnor365@reddit

...and it was Flavor-Aid.
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TransportationOk657@reddit

They actually drank Flavor Aid, so it's all good to keep using the phrase! 😁
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activelyresting@reddit

It's ok, you can keep saying it. Jonestown used Flavor Aid
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CallidoraBlack@reddit

Not only that, but it wasn't even Kool-Aid. The actual brand in question is still my favorite because their 'summer punch' flavor is the best.
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what_on_roshar@reddit

Makes me think of the phrase "Don't drink the Kool Aid" I heard it a lot growing up, having no idea about the Jonestown massacre or where the phrase generated from. So many people including small children had the 'Kool Aid' forced down their throats or injected. That helicopter image of all of the bodies gives me chills just thinking about it.
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FaxCelestis@reddit

Mocked? Judging by OP and the comments in the other thread, using past tense here is incorrect.
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Lehk@reddit

i don't mean dark jokes on random forums, broadcast TV all over the world was joking about her
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Peanut083@reddit

No. I’m Australian and have always thought the joke was in really poor taste. Lindy Chamberlain got really badly shafted with the whole situation. It didn’t help matters at all that Michael (her husband at the time) decided to use all the media attention to proselytize for the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Lindy also gave birth to her fourth child in 1982 while in prison. I can’t even begin to imagine how much it would mess someone up having their child taken away immediately after giving birth while serving time for a crime they were falsely convicted of. It’s certainly not a situation I’d ever want to crack jokes about.
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Emannuelle-in-space@reddit

mother's are allowed to have their children 5 years old or under live in prison with them in australia.
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Peanut083@reddit

I didn’t know this was a thing, so I looked it up. It turns out that it’s not an automatic given, and it depends on what state you live in. e.g. if you’re incarcerated in South Australia, there’s no facilities in place to support children living in prison with their mothers. Somehow, I doubt that the programs that allowed mothers to apply to have their children live with them in prison existed in the early ‘80s, which was the specific circumstance I was referring to.
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Emannuelle-in-space@reddit

Yeah she definitely didn’t get to do that, they didn’t make it a thing til 2012.  I just saw an opportunity to drop a factoid and took it.   I learned it from the show that orange is the new black ripped off, I forgot what it’s called, but it’s a women’s prison in Australia. One of them women has her kid there and I was like ???wut, but yeah turns out it’s a thing there.  Yall must have nice prisons, I can’t imagine anyone choosing to keep their child in prison in the usa.  
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shillberight@reddit

Wentworth?
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Emannuelle-in-space@reddit

Indeed
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draculasbloodtype@reddit

Fuck I'm American and I have never said this in my life. Even if it wasn't true it isn't funny. I never liked dead baby jokes. Second, I find it hard to believe that people thought wild feral dogs \*wouldn't\* snatch and eat a helpless baby. It's like people thought it was so horrific it couldn't be true and it had to be the Mother.
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Peanut083@reddit

Yeah, and doesn’t everyone like to pile on anyne they perceive to be a ‘bad’ mother?
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lcsulla87gmail@reddit

I just learned today that was a true story
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Adventurous-Ice6109@reddit

Yea same. I feel bad now.
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New_Stats@reddit

Wait until you hear about the horrific burns that lady who sued McDonald's for their hot coffee suffered
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Adventurous-Ice6109@reddit

Yeah that part is new to me, too. I think I even recently referenced it explaining to my middle schooler how Americans are stereotyped as litigious (we are American and I think it’s more or less true). I didn’t know the burns were so bad. Should have done my research.
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sanebyday@reddit

We should always do our research before repeating things we hear.
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OdinsGhost@reddit

Just when I didn’t think that situation could get any more fucked up…
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Peanut083@reddit

If you want to hear about a really fucked up situation, do some reading into Kathleen Folbigg. She did 20 years in prison for supposedly smothering her four children (all at separate times). It took improvements in genetic testing and exhuming the bodies of her children for it to be proven that they all had a genetic disorder that predisposed them to a form of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The main circumstantial evidence that lead to her conviction in the first place were journal entries that showed that her mental state wasn’t the greatest. Of course one’s mental state isn’t going to be great when they have post-natal depression. Especially given that her babies kept dying.
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napalmnacey@reddit

There’s so many layers of shit to this story. They all landed right on top of Lindy.
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BrucetheFerrisWheel@reddit

I'm a NZer and I agree, never been funny.
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AZSharksFan@reddit

Yeah its such a horrific story. I'm american and only knew of the Seinfeld reference originally but when I found out the real story of that poor woman I can't imagine cracking a joke about it afterwards.
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Skyjack5678@reddit

I say it all the time and I never knew what it means or where it's from.
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noblewind@reddit

I only knew it from Seinfeld and assumed it was from a movie I never watched. Sad to hear the origins.
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napalmnacey@reddit

No, because I’m from Australia, was alive when it happened and know enough about the case to realise what an absolute fucking tragedy it is. A little baby girl lost her life gruesomely. Dragged away by apex predators, probably terrified and alone. That poor little baby had no idea what was happening and her last minutes were painful and horrific. And then her mother, who was grieving and feeling pain one cannot imagine if not in her shoes, was dragged through the mud in the courts and on national (and international) TV. She was subjected to the very worst kind of misogyny and accused of killing her own child, even though she had the national park employees, rangers and Aboriginal trackers local to the area giving detailed information to the authorities that dingoes are more than capable of stealing off with a baby in the night, with tracks present backing up the claim. (So an added fun layer of racism). Poor woman gets convicted of first degree murder and her husband gets three years or something. I cannot emphasise enough how *ugly* this all was, how LONG it went on for, how public and brutal it was. It happened when I was one years old, but the litigation and investigation took so long that I was filled in on it by the endless news reports about it in the 80s. Lindy was accused of using scissors to snip her own 9 week old baby daughter’s neck! She was grieving and in pain and she was then accused in horrific detail. This isn’t a meme. It was a fucking tragedy, as I said before. And anyone making light of it should be forced to sit down and learn to very gods-damned detail of this case. And shame on you, OP, for perpetuating this dumb-ass meme for no good reason. You should be ashamed of yourself. Again - a little girl died and her mother was punished when she was completely innocent.
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S4Waccount@reddit

It's kind of the point of this entire post. There was a lot of misinformation in America about the case so most people did not realize that she was innocent at the time. It became a meme before memes were a thing. If anything OP is bringing attention to that. If enough Australians believe she killed her kid that she went to jail over it, why do you expect people a world away to know any better?
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napalmnacey@reddit

But it wasn’t a huge number of Australians that believed that she killed her kid. It was the police and the fucked up courts.
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hurtloam@reddit

I think Americans were more making fun of Meryl Streep's performance as the mother in the film A Cry in the Dar. I don't think they knew the phrase from the original news story
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Peanut083@reddit

I was born a few years after it happened, but I was around when Lindy was released from prison several years into her life sentence. What I particularly remember was the media attention when Lindy was awarded compensation for her wrongful conviction in the early ‘90s. I do know that even at the time of the original trial, there were plenty of people who didn’t believe that Lindy had killed her daughter. Anyone who still didn’t believe that Lindy was convicted on flimsy circumstantial evidence sure changed their tune in the late ‘90s when evidence of dingoes attacking small children on K’gari (formerly known as Fraser Island) came out. In particular, a dingo tried to snatch a 13 month old girl in 1998 and managed to drag her for about 2 metres (6.5 feet) before her father was able to scare the dingo off. Her parents were about 3 metres (10 feet) away while cooking dinner at the time of the attack. A dingo also attacked a 3 year old girl on K’gari on the same day. The real criminal in this whole situation was Meryl Streep for that atrocious accent she used in that movie that popularised that line and turned it into a meme.
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atlantagirl30084@reddit

I remember this from you’re wrong about and I just googled it-they said she decapitated Azaria with *nail scissors*. I don’t think it would be possible to do that.
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9897969594938281@reddit

People don't know every single detail about everything they hear. They probably just thought it was a reference to something said on a TV show and didn't think any harder than that. Drop the attitude
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OshetDeadagain@reddit

No, once I learned the whole story behind it I stopped. It was funny to mock someone who would murder their own child, but to find out that the dingoes really *did* eat her baby and she spent all that time in prison and under public ridicule because of assumptions and lazy investigation? It's just cruel.
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garden__gate@reddit

Yeah, it’s kinda like the old lady and the coffee from McDonald’s. Once you know the story, it’s not really funny.
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OshetDeadagain@reddit

Yes! I can't believe there are people who *still* don't know the travesty of that incident. The absolute horror of those burns, and the fact that all she wanted was 20,000$ to cover medical bills (and I can't believe they were that low!) and McDonald's told her to go fuck herself. It was the jury that said "no, fuck *you,* 2.7 million!" (though the judge reduced it to a mere 640,000$ and it was settled for an undisclosed amount). I have no problem snapping at people who bring that up to be disparaging.
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DeliciousShelter9984@reddit

Iirc, McDonalds had hundreds of customers reporting serious burns from their coffee before the Stella Liebeck’s case. They had known it was a problem for a decade but did nothing to change it.
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OshetDeadagain@reddit

You do recall correctly; it was a big part of the prosecution's evidence pointing to gross negligence.
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nastynateraide@reddit

The defense argued that due to her advanced age that the plaintiff should be entitled to less. Because old people are worth less.
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OshetDeadagain@reddit

Punitive damages aren't about victim entitlement, though. The intent is punishment of the guilty party to add an extra impact of consequences to their action so that they - and anyone else found in a similar situation - learns not to repeat it. General damages are intended to set the victim back to rights from before the harm occurred - they are not intended to profit from it.
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littleyellowbike@reddit

I too am happy to be the "well, *akchually*" asshole whenever it comes up. The fact that anyone still wants to side with the multi-billion-dollar corporation in this day and age is mind-boggling.
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OshetDeadagain@reddit

Someone else in the comments mentioned having a photo of it on their photo to traumatize people with, and I think that would be an hilarious - albeit disturbing - random bomb to drop on someone!
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Wombat_Nudes@reddit

That 2.7 million wasn't some number they pulled out of their ass either. That was one day of coffee sales for McDonalds.
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OshetDeadagain@reddit

2 days worth of sales, but yeah. I don't recall why the judge dropped it, but it seemed more than fair for punitive damages, *especially* since they refused not only her initial ask, but two pre-trial offers as well. It would have been no hardship for the company, and set one hell of a judicial precedent.
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drkittymow@reddit

I saw pictures of that lady’s burns once in a class. Totally horrifying!
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VomitShitSmoothie@reddit

Yeah, and the media made it seem like she was a crazy old loon that spilled it all over herself. They served her coffee that was so hot it *melted* through the cup. It had to have been near boiling.
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maximian@reddit

I know most of the other things people have said about that case here, but I’d never heard this, so I looked into it. I can’t find any corroboration for this. Do you have some?
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RealSinnSage@reddit

there is a documentary about it released by one of the streamers, you can easily find it using google.
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percypersimmon@reddit

It’s not true. She was with her grandson and there were no cup holders in her car, so they stopped for her to add her cream and sugar while it was between her knees. It tipped over when she tried to remove the lid. I think the “melting” thing comes from the fact that her skin melted.
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VomitShitSmoothie@reddit

Sadly no. This case is so old that I couldn’t possibly remember where I acquired that information many years ago.
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thatstwatshesays@reddit

I think that picture is seared into my brain, unfortunately. Any idiot who says this (I live in the EU, and people love to talk about Americans and our frivolous lawsuits) gets shown *that* picture. Doesn’t seem so frivolous now, does it, Jürgen???
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charutobarato@reddit

lol I had a Lufthansa flight attendant yell at me recently for having our kid unbuckled on a flight - “your kid could DIE and you’re AMERICAN so you will sue us!” Well yeah lady, if my kid dies on your plane I sure as shit am going to sue everyone.
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South_Feed_4043@reddit

Way to not walk right into the stereotype...
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alles_en_niets@reddit

I think her point was that an American would sue despite being the one that ignored the instructions by leaving their child unbuckled.
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thatstwatshesays@reddit

Absolutely. Also, passengers being unbuckled is one of the most common reasons for injury during a flight. Why? Because usually it happens when the plane hits an air pocket and loses a bit of altitude. If you (or your damn child ffs) aren’t buckled in, you hit the bottom of the overhead bins (concussion, broken neck, even death can occur). So, don’t be a douchebag parent and keep your kid buckled.
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scissormetimber5@reddit

Your alleged leader is suing the bbc for 10 billion. This is why we say things about your judicial system, not things where a corp is legally culpable for ruining a women’s life for the sake of ‘customer satisfaction’ in a drive through.
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thatstwatshesays@reddit

Dude, Ive been an immigrant for 25 years and the BBC lawsuit was made public this week. wtf are you talking about??
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Fire_Tiger1289@reddit

That’s not my leader. Ewww
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likesexonlycheaper@reddit

Why is it always Jürgen? Always
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Rapidwatch2024@reddit

It is always! I work with him and he's such a tool.
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username32768@reddit

I too used to work with a Jurgen -- nice guy, but not the sharpest light bulb in the sandwich.
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garden__gate@reddit

Fucking Jürgen. 🙄
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AbibliophobicSloth@reddit

"That lady" is StellaLiebeck. She was the victim of such a successful astroturfec smear campaign that there is/ was a 'darein awards'-esque competition of silky lawsuits called The Stellas".
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CruelStrangers@reddit

Im not loving it
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JudgeJuryEx78@reddit

I didn't know till one of my podcasts covered the story a couple of years ago. There was quite a spin on the story when it first happened. Late night talk show hosts did a lot of damage back in the day.
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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

I’m with you on the coffee lady, not the dingo lady even though I’m laughing at her expense. It’s just fun to say.
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FaxCelestis@reddit

Reminds me to mock you when something traumatic and outside of your control happens to you.
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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

Only if I yell it and it sounds funny.
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OdinsGhost@reddit

If you think it’s funny even after learning that that poor couple lost their baby, who was ripped to shreds by a wild animal and likely eaten alive, and that rather than receiving sympathy for their lie they went through a horrendous prosecution and the nearly served life in prison for their tragedy… Seriously?
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Zeras_Darkwind@reddit

What do you mean "their lie" when it was proven true - the parents never lied?
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REDDITSHITLORD@reddit

Bob & Tom show guest: "How much is a 60 year old vagina even worth?" God, it makes me cringe to look back at the shit I used to think was funny.
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Cube-in-B@reddit

And that is one of many reasons I don’t fuck with McDonalds. Biggest reason being their food is fucking gross.
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NickConnor365@reddit

Yeah even Weird-AL took a shot, "I sued Starbucks 'cause I spilled a frappucino in my lap, and brr, it was cold"
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MrsSpookyMulder47@reddit

Are we all listening to the You’re Wrong About Podcast? I learned so much about the stories I’d only ever heard Rush Limbaugh talking about in my dad’s car.
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garden__gate@reddit

Hell yeah! And Michael Hobbes’ other podcasts too.
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MrsSpookyMulder47@reddit

I LOVE If Books Could Kill.
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garden__gate@reddit

Maintenance Phase actually changed my life.
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Ineedavodka2019@reddit

I also stopped saying that but I still say “ain’t nobody got time for that “
View on Reddit #73869929

DoctorLazerRage@reddit

They teach this in law school as a lesson about public communications, because the case was straight down the fairway in terms of tort law at the time.
View on Reddit #73861344

Alistair_Burke@reddit

The only point the haggle on is how much of it was her fault. The jury set it around 20%. I think it should have been a little higher as coffee between your legs in a car is inviting calamity. McDonald's still could have made it disappear for a lot cheaper.
View on Reddit #73856132

DJMagicHandz@reddit

Blame Jay Leno and his corny ass jokes.
View on Reddit #73885785

superneatosauraus@reddit

I used to say it because I thought it wasn't real when I was a kid! The deep shame I felt when I realized I'd been mimicking something a real person said. I don't know where I thought it came from, I just thought of it as some joke. 
View on Reddit #73841977

goat_penis_souffle@reddit

I only knew it as a throwaway gag from the Simpsons.
View on Reddit #73851942

LangdonAlg3r@reddit

I still hear the line in the voice of Beavis in my head. That’s the only tv reference I can remember.
View on Reddit #73876027

Embarrassed_Key_4539@reddit

Seinfeld too
View on Reddit #73854501

Mysterious_Fennel459@reddit

And on Modern Family. They changed the wording around but still acknowledged what they were mimicking.
View on Reddit #73866724

pebbles_temp@reddit

And from my understanding, she was worried about dingos getting to the baby and people told her she was overreacting.
View on Reddit #73839590

CruelStrangers@reddit

I dont have a clear concept of what a dingo is sadly
View on Reddit #73847656

unbanned_lol@reddit

If only they made these interweb devices able to look things up! Damn!
View on Reddit #73869837

MetricJester@reddit

Australian coyote
View on Reddit #73853758

GarminTamzarian@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/wxvb6lxud58g1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fd8dc9a942d1164682db0ba01433edf1ecc0550
View on Reddit #73850671

karmiccookie@reddit

Wild dog
View on Reddit #73847977

unbanned_lol@reddit

Calm down. I'm sure she just needed some doctor delivered orgasms for her hysteria.
View on Reddit #73869805

napalmnacey@reddit

Yep. The ranger at the park kept warning the authorities about the savage dingo problem but he was denied the opportunity to cull them off a bit.
View on Reddit #73841684

Leading-Summer-4724@reddit

This. I shut my dang mouth about it the moment I found out she had been right all along, and their whole family was torn apart because of the subsequent trial and media circus.
View on Reddit #73860682

MissKhary@reddit

Yeah, I would find it in poor taste.
View on Reddit #73840680

BlueSnaggleTooth359@reddit

Yeah it did hit differently once we later found out it really was a dingo.
View on Reddit #73838305

Longjumping-Bell-762@reddit

The real story is so tragic and sad.
View on Reddit #73837321

Alternative_Goat_584@reddit

Only once, in a game of Catch Phrase. I wanted them to guess “dingo” and after a couple failed attempts I yelled “oh, it ate my baby!” I’m ashamed, but it worked.
View on Reddit #73909211

goglamere@reddit

TIL that this was a real thing. I thought it was just a random phrase possibly inspired by a crocodile Dundee film, like the phrase “you call that a knife?”
View on Reddit #73907355

RadScience@reddit

Kirk Lazarus taught me that it was a real story. So sad. Until Tropic Thunder, I thought it was fictional story.
View on Reddit #73903687

momlv@reddit

No. I always thought that was horrible and never funny.
View on Reddit #73901406

FreddyMercuryFazbear@reddit

No, but I do say "my poor baby boy! got eaten by the crocodiles! Bo hoo hoo"
View on Reddit #73854266

FreddyMercuryFazbear@reddit

All these people downvoting me must have never seen The Rescuers Down Under
View on Reddit #73899653

jessek@reddit

Yeah, it’s a very tragic story.
View on Reddit #73836648

rangeo@reddit

+Time
View on Reddit #73895057

Platt_Mallar@reddit

Holy shit, I thought it was from some B movie. I had no idea this happened in real life! I feel terrible!
View on Reddit #73891978

professorpumpkins@reddit

I was trying to remember where I heard this reference before… it’s not explicit but I feel like it’s implied: [The Office (Kevin’s Australian Accent)](https://youtu.be/blRvH2ysvHY?si=HO6Ma3Zf_TLBzT9o). This story is horrific, I had no idea there was a backstory to it. Ugh.
View on Reddit #73891638

PokerbushPA@reddit

I say it. No one knows why. I work with morons.
View on Reddit #73891406

_plays_in_traffic_@reddit

i havent in about 25 years since the aussie exchange student that stayed with my friends family went home. she came here straight as arrow and left pregnant by way of the son of the host home and doing just about ever drug imaginable.
View on Reddit #73890583

rattfink11@reddit

Was just referencing Elaine on Seinfeld when she said that very same line in S3E10, and I explained to my Gen Z kids Elaine’s reference
View on Reddit #73890033

NeverMakeNoMind@reddit

Never said it. I always thought it was stupid, even in the first comedic primetime depiction on Seinfeld, and absolutely cruel to consider comedy even at the time, when I was child. I had a friend that would walk around and say it for a comedic effect and I just thought it was stupid and cruel. How are dead babies funny? Same with rape jokes in the 90s and early 2000s. Wtf. It's insane how normal that was to theo in as a joke.
View on Reddit #73888878

histprofdave@reddit

Honestly this reference makes me think more of Elaine in Seinfeld than it does the actual incident.
View on Reddit #73836956

Jets237@reddit

Yep, was an adult before I knew the actual story
View on Reddit #73840163

Phoniceau@reddit

Same
View on Reddit #73888747

Sinead_0_rebellion@reddit

Same
View on Reddit #73859953

Sad_Egg_5176@reddit

Me too, didn’t know it was referencing something until much later in life
View on Reddit #73842189

Stoned_Immaculate802@reddit

I'm running out of people that Seinfeld references are even known, nevermind relevant. ![gif](giphy|USnfWeCOHTHB3WX0aY|downsized)
View on Reddit #73837327

naamingebruik@reddit

Never really watched seinfeld maybe saw 2 or 3 episodes and always thought it was like "friends" but for my parents or older cousins who also liked ally mcbeal and I'm born 1980.... Also there was something about Jerry it felt off putting. Don't know what it is. But I really disliked the dude at first glance
View on Reddit #73841572

Peanut083@reddit

I never got why people liked Seinfeld or thought it was funny. To me, it’s absurdist humour done very poorly. I actually thought I hated absurdist humour for the longest time because of this show. Then I realised that I just hate shitty absurdist humour, of which this show is the pinnicle of.
View on Reddit #73852229

fleebleganger@reddit

What’s a good example?
View on Reddit #73861950

Peanut083@reddit

It’s pretty old, but anything by Monty Python. I have to admit that I generally prefer comedy shows made in the UK over those made in the US, although I suspect that’s a cultural thing.
View on Reddit #73879813

Ebella2323@reddit

Going to repeat my comment from above—Jerry dated literal teenagers before he was married and he signs bombs that drop on kids so he’s absolute zionist trash. Your instincts are spot on.
View on Reddit #73851743

ChiefSampson@reddit

Yeah whenever I bust out Seinfeld, or Chapel show references I'm met with confused stares. It's a sad state of affairs.
View on Reddit #73838309

naamingebruik@reddit

Chapelle is soboften referenced and Ibnever get it because he wasn't on tv here in Belgium. I started hating him just because of always feeling left out of the loop
View on Reddit #73841639

ChiefSampson@reddit

It was a great show at the time of it's airing. Some of the skits are a little dated nowadays, but many are still absolutely hilarious.
View on Reddit #73843443

Lowspark1013@reddit

Exactly. It's the kind of material that hits close to home when it's made, but looks more and more out of touch the further you get from it. I mean, how is someone going to truly enjoy Real World Hoboken if they didn't grow up with the Real World ridiculousness.
View on Reddit #73865597

Stoned_Immaculate802@reddit

Life was better when there was less material to work with. Trying to explain Duke, Farrakhan, and the power of the cookie really takes the joy out.
View on Reddit #73839328

vand3lay1ndustries@reddit

Yea. I feel ya there. 
View on Reddit #73838320

MaryMalade@reddit

It makes me think of Oz’s band in Buffy
View on Reddit #73843934

Constant_Concert_936@reddit

Same, and I wish it stayed that way. As someone who has had several babies, the true story horrifies and saddens me.
View on Reddit #73839368

ChiefSampson@reddit

"Dingos ate ya baby!"
View on Reddit #73838273

Phoniceau@reddit

But you say it because of Seinfeld.  Until about a year ago I didn’t know it was a real event, tragic.  
View on Reddit #73888645

Rodeoqueenyyc@reddit

That baby was one of us. 1980 🥺
View on Reddit #73888001

Rurumo666@reddit

"relevant" meaning, anytime you see or hear something about Australia?
View on Reddit #73887872

Broserdooder1981@reddit

i say it when it's irrelevant
View on Reddit #73887743

GenericDave65@reddit

https://i.redd.it/zakdliowo38g1.gif
View on Reddit #73838029

1hubbyineverycountry@reddit

And noooow I’m just realizing that he reacts this way because the dude playing *this* dude is Australian, and this highly familiar with the circumstances.
View on Reddit #73854408

pragmageek@reddit

Damn. Unexpected layer to silly movie
View on Reddit #73886391

ballen1002@reddit

You’re about to cross some fuckin lines!
View on Reddit #73868893

DirtyBirdDawg@reddit

"Pump your brakes, kid."
View on Reddit #73848581

napalmnacey@reddit

Don’t make me laugh in this thread! 🤦🏻‍♀️
View on Reddit #73841696

Sinistas@reddit

For 400 years...
View on Reddit #73840966

unicorn-beard@reddit

Yes and I still have no idea what a dingo is.
View on Reddit #73884004

garden_dragonfly@reddit

The clothes were going, but not the baby? So there's a chance the baby is now an adult, living amongst the dingos?
View on Reddit #73881675

wrathofthewhatever2@reddit

All Seinfeld fans still quote it
View on Reddit #73881674

Jd11347@reddit

I haven't heard that line in years. I remember as a little kid seeing the movie that they made about this incident. A Cry In The Dark. I don't remember the details but I remember that the case made no sense. There was some debate as to whether a dingo could get it's jaws around a baby, and that there was limited or no evidence of a dingo attack on a human ever. I think that once this case got international media attention, the prosecution threw common sense out the window and didn't want to lose a case under so much scrutiny. Sad that the need to win for the sake of winning over powered justice.
View on Reddit #73881404

HappyKadaver666@reddit

When is it relevant?
View on Reddit #73880075

likwidsylvur@reddit

Yes but only enemy it isn't relevant, like at all. When I jokingly get lost in a store apart from my spouse...."help me¡ help me¡ a dingo ate my ba-beh!"
View on Reddit #73879437

bby8urdingo@reddit

Yep still remember
View on Reddit #73878321

deathmetalcassette@reddit

when, uh … when is it relevant?
View on Reddit #73877259

languagehacker@reddit

More often, if someone is talking about where their baby is, I do the impression Elaine did in Seinfeld
View on Reddit #73874425

thelaceserpent@reddit

Holy crap, I remember this quote, but did not know the origin. That poor family 😩
View on Reddit #73873783

osddelerious@reddit

Jesus I’ll never say it again. No idea it was a real event.
View on Reddit #73838431

littleyellowbike@reddit

There's a really good episode of the You're Wrong About podcast that covers it, if you're interested.
View on Reddit #73854245

osddelerious@reddit

I appreciate it but I’m horrified and it’s too sad for me. Those poor parents
View on Reddit #73873490

atlantagirl30084@reddit

That’s a great podcast.
View on Reddit #73860815

caryn1477@reddit

Same. This is God awful.
View on Reddit #73860536

Matty_D47@reddit

I was really late too
View on Reddit #73845233

napalmnacey@reddit

It was and it was fucking horrible. I remember my Mum crying every time it was brought up on the news and getting frothingly mad that Lindy was being treated so badly.
View on Reddit #73841751

HereWeFuckingGooo@reddit

[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Jd7uRPtXBNY](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Jd7uRPtXBNY)
View on Reddit #73841181

Alarmed-Range-3314@reddit

Why did I think this line was from Quigley Down Under??
View on Reddit #73862902

Lunar-Havoc@reddit

Because it is. I didn't know it really happened until now.
View on Reddit #73871972

Alarmed-Range-3314@reddit

Okay, good. I was like, “how did we all have a collective memory of a criminal case in another country and turn it into a joke?”
View on Reddit #73872125

ljustin1@reddit

This always makes me think of Tropic Thunder
View on Reddit #73871068

Capital_Gate6718@reddit

["You know that's a true story? Lady lost her kid"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADpKWbu_Hwc)
View on Reddit #73870283

clandahlina_redux@reddit

Seinfeld made it popular, but they didn’t explain the whole story. Once I learned it, I stopped saying it.
View on Reddit #73869923

unbanned_lol@reddit

I mostly just say it when it's completely irrelevant.
View on Reddit #73869737

Striking-Access-236@reddit

Only know this from Seinfeld which I binged during the writers strike of 07-08
View on Reddit #73869681

SlayerAlexxx@reddit

Yes I learned from sinefield. One of my go to praises when I want to do assume accent. Right up there with shrimp on the Barbie and crikey mate.
View on Reddit #73868259

ParticularYak4401@reddit

Huh. Who woulda thunk that wildlife is well..,.WILD!?! There is a reason Glacier National Park encourages you to make noise on trails cuz of the bears. Noise tends to scar them away. Hell the coyotes on the golf course my friends live on come up onto their patio and yard all the time at night. Sends their dogs into howling banshees and they steal Watson’s favorite stuffed dog toys.
View on Reddit #73865486

RadioWavesHello@reddit

"Maybe the dingo ate your baby"
View on Reddit #73865356

Alarmed_Drop7162@reddit

![gif](giphy|LxO3cmE6qc0XS)
View on Reddit #73864677

Aimin4ya@reddit

It's always relevant
View on Reddit #73864067

swisszimgirl79@reddit

Not to be a Debby downer but when is it ever relevant???
View on Reddit #73842765

Key-Pickle5609@reddit

Right? There’s no context for that that I can think of
View on Reddit #73863918

RickThrust@reddit

Dingo mishaps come up; at least once per quarter-century for me.
View on Reddit #73850508

BlamRob@reddit

Pretty sure I’ve never said those words together in that order. I heard it growing up like an urban legend. But to me it was just a weird story. I don’t recall ever telling the story, much less using it like a joke. Many years later I heard the actual story on My Favorite Murder. Absolutely tragic.
View on Reddit #73863435

sobernyc@reddit

I only knew the saying from Seinfeld until I was older
View on Reddit #73863257

Few_Improvement_6357@reddit

I hate that it is the name of Ozs band in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It's just a stark reminder of how casually cruel we can be in life.
View on Reddit #73862870

YourGuyK@reddit

No, because that phrase was making fun of a woman who people wrongly blamed for her baby's death.
View on Reddit #73862391

tultommy@reddit

No i specifically stopped saying this when I found out it wasn't just a line from a movie. The entire story was incredibly sad. I hope most folks today know better than to continue using that phrase.
View on Reddit #73861895

Scherzkeks@reddit

I don’t know why the instinct was to disbelieve her… dingos are carnivores, why wouldn’t they try to eat a human baby? I’m sure wolves would. I’m sure coyotes would.  I bet even jackals or feral dogs would. All of canidae is sus when it comes to baby safety…
View on Reddit #73861880

Trashman82@reddit

Australia is full of wildlife that can kill a full grown person let alone an infant. Children being killed by dogs is not unheard of either. Was the idea of a dingo snatching a small child that unbelievable?
View on Reddit #73861540

velvetjacket1@reddit

Azaria Chamberlain could have been a classmate. What a terrible tragedy. I won’t ever joke about it again if I ever have.
View on Reddit #73861087

poopoojokes69@reddit

The only two things I know about Australia are that *a dingo ate my bay* and *let’s throw another shrimp on the barbie!*
View on Reddit #73861067

walter_grimsley@reddit

Horrible. I try not to think about this. 
View on Reddit #73860490

caryn1477@reddit

God, this is really sad and tragic. What a nightmare.
View on Reddit #73860472

Unhappy_Performer538@reddit

I sure hope not. Literally a baby was eaten, this is not funny it’s horrible
View on Reddit #73859970

Boring_Pace5158@reddit

![gif](giphy|kgQz2qE3i0T1C)
View on Reddit #73859562

REDDITSHITLORD@reddit

![gif](giphy|12tq3FwypcSSvS)
View on Reddit #73859441

Electronic_World_894@reddit

Oh god I hope no one says it as a joke anymore. That poor woman.
View on Reddit #73859031

blove135@reddit

![gif](giphy|YLghfz0W895Ty) You know that's a true story? Lady lost a kid. You about to cross some fucking lines!
View on Reddit #73858748

stangAce20@reddit

As Im not in Australia, no
View on Reddit #73856174

LilMushboom@reddit

Not since it was proven that the poor kid was in fact killed by a dingo and it wasn't just some made up excuse.
View on Reddit #73856084

USAF_Retired2017@reddit

My husband still says it. At least once every couple months. Weirdo.
View on Reddit #73855971

Frunklin@reddit

That Seinfeld episode lives rent free in my head.
View on Reddit #73855344

Legitimate-Produce-1@reddit

Absolutely not. It's horrible.
View on Reddit #73854898

Aezetyr@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/0jg3fr1yu38g1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97350e5e155a961fad243ddb1a2ca1b629fc8f4c
View on Reddit #73839055

napalmnacey@reddit

Why are Americans so obsessed with this fucking joke? What is wrong with you people?
View on Reddit #73841779

RoyalEagle0408@reddit

Literally most of us probably didn't know it was real and that poster is for a band in the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's not an obsession today, in 2025, but in the 90s people made jokes. Doesn't make us obsessed.
View on Reddit #73853900

New_Stats@reddit

**gestures wildly at literally everything going on right now** There's so much wrong I don't even know where to start
View on Reddit #73852386

phantom_phreak29@reddit

Yeah Buffy was also my first thought. The band 4 Star Mary providing the actual tunes, great band.
View on Reddit #73840705

RoyalEagle0408@reddit

Also thought of Buffy.
View on Reddit #73853799

OdinsGhost@reddit

No, though I will say that I thought it was funny as a kid when I thought it was just a funny joke I heard on TV. Once I got older and found out that it was an actual court case and that it actually did happen, and worse that she was sentenced to life in prison after a wild animal ate her child, it really stopped being funny. I feel nothing but sorry for that family for everything they went through.
View on Reddit #73853497

SaveusJebus@reddit

I don't, but man this story always makes me so mad/sad for that poor mother. Getting mocked so publicly. I remember Seinfeld show having Elaine saying it to someone. smh
View on Reddit #73852473

coopnjaxdad@reddit

Yep, I always use my terrible Aussie accent to bring it home.  What a crazy and sad story. 
View on Reddit #73852064

Dees_A_Bird_@reddit

I had heard the saying but never knew the story until I was an adult. At that point in my life it didn’t hit as a joke. What a terrible ordeal for that family
View on Reddit #73852056

New_Stats@reddit

Idk when it'd be relevant because when that saying started we all thought she killed her baby and made up the dumbest reason ever for why her baby was missing Maybe when cops are being incompetent fuckwits? Still hard to squeeze that in to that situation
View on Reddit #73851971

HeCalledMeLucifer@reddit

As an Australian it was never funny and I was always disappointed Seinfeld used it. 
View on Reddit #73839573

Ebella2323@reddit

Well, he’s also a pig who dated 17 year olds and signs bombs to be dropped on children, so not surprising.
View on Reddit #73851602

9897969594938281@reddit

He's also a big butthead
View on Reddit #73851769

elkniodaphs@reddit

As an American, it was never funny and I always skip that Seinfeld episode.
View on Reddit #73845552

lsp2005@reddit

No. Once I knew what it actually was, I just found the entire situation extremely sad. 
View on Reddit #73850790

phatmaniac57@reddit

Australians here: Yes
View on Reddit #73848646

SteelGemini@reddit

I'm sure I did. It was everywhere for a time. I was well into adulthood by the time I learned the story behind the saying, and that dingos had in fact eaten her baby. It's mildly infuriating how long it took for that to be more commonly known compared to how rapidly that phrase spread in my childhood. I wasn't yet born when she died, and was still a young kid when they found her remains and her parents were exonerated. I absolutely heard the phrase used in pop culture well after that and would not know the truth until I was in my 30s. Granted, I wasn't looking for the correction, but I swear it was in cartoons and shit. Just a funny line people would say. Fuck.
View on Reddit #73837639

CruelStrangers@reddit

Im slmost certain Rockos Modern Life references a dingo at times
View on Reddit #73847873

Professional_Use6852@reddit

Absolutely not. It’s a terrible tragedy
View on Reddit #73847833

shyanongirl@reddit

No
View on Reddit #73846144

RVAforthewin@reddit

Omg. I’ve heard this phrase throughout my life and I thought it was a movie quote! I hate that it isn’t.
View on Reddit #73845882

DaDutchBoyLT1@reddit

I had a Carolina dog for many years, also known as an American Dingo. Anytime someone would spout out that damnable line I would lean in and school them on the origins of the “joke”. Didn’t have any one repeat it around me. See ya in the other side Maxine <3
View on Reddit #73845670

OrangeAugust@reddit

I never knew the story behind it but yeah once in a while lol
View on Reddit #73843459

lemonadeandfireflies@reddit

When it's relevant?!?! Where/when are dingos eating babies (aside from this time) 🤣 I absolutely say this when it is 100% not relevant.
View on Reddit #73843292

ennuiismymiddlename@reddit

Is there ever a relevant time to say that?
View on Reddit #73838590

Numerous_Control_702@reddit

I guess when a dingo actually eats your baby lol
View on Reddit #73842949

shameonyounancydrew@reddit

![gif](giphy|kgQz2qE3i0T1C)
View on Reddit #73842873

Jerkrollatex@reddit

No. Poor little girl got eaten by wild animals. It's not funny.
View on Reddit #73842808

b00ty_water@reddit

I honestly never knew there was any kind of real story attached to that phrase. I never really said it, just heard it in media etc… How terrible to lose your baby and then be incarcerated for it.
View on Reddit #73842302

SlackerDS5@reddit

Only I quoting Tropic Thunder. I’m usually saying “what do *you* mean, you people?”
View on Reddit #73842196

Pantstrovich@reddit

I never thought that was funny. It's an abhorrent thing to mock.
View on Reddit #73842085

nyXhcinPDX@reddit

Ate, yes.
View on Reddit #73841446

HereWeFuckingGooo@reddit

When is it ever relevant?
View on Reddit #73841038

likesexonlycheaper@reddit

I say it solely because of Elaine. Had no idea about this story growing up so I must have been sheltered
View on Reddit #73840855

Thorn_Within@reddit

I use this, but from Seinfeld.
View on Reddit #73838596

wanna_be_green8@reddit

Where do you think they got the line?
View on Reddit #73840423

badllama77@reddit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Angels_(film)
View on Reddit #73839923

Kryptin206@reddit

![gif](giphy|12tq3FwypcSSvS)
View on Reddit #73838304

TheRealTheSpinZone@reddit

NGL I thought it was a myth. Also yes, Elaine Benes is my first thought
View on Reddit #73837348