Avoid Tasmanian Devils. Resist helping those who refuse to help themselves.
The Tasmanian Devil is a Looney Tunes character. He is basically an unstoppable wrecking ball that spins in a tornado type fashion. Nothing can stop him when he gets going. His teeth bite through everything. He eats half of what he touches while leaving the rest completely destroyed.
He's also a popular white trash tattoo. Mainly for bikers, alcoholics, or both. I've seen him tattooed on both men and women. No judgment, just calling it as I see it.
Tasmanian Devil is also a term I use for people who will suck you into their vortex. If you escape you're always half eaten with a lot of destruction to clean up.
The cartoon version of taz sucks physical things into his twister. The people I'm describing in this article suck up your money, attention, sympathy, and most destructively, your time. They are like emotional vampires on steroids.
These people are often those who are closest to you. Friends and Family are notorious for being Tasmanian devils. You have to avoid these people at all costs. It can cost you your sanity, financial ruin or even your life. And I do mean life, as in, they can get you killed. Whether it's putting you in a bad situation with unsavory people they get tangled up with or killing you in a drunk driving episode.
I want to be clear here. I am not saying to not help friends and family who may have hit a rough patch. Everyone does. Don't be a dick. What I am asking you to do is try and recognize a pattern of destructive behavior in adults. Teenagers and Kids don't count. (That's another article)
You will feel drained after talking to a Tasmanian Devil. After Multiple run ins you will often feel like you actually got hit by a tornado.
Some people simply cannot be saved. No matter how much you help them. Most likely you have your own family, business, job etc. You cannot allow someone to scoop you up in their tornado. It will ruin two lives instead of one.
When people are drowning they are often hysterical. They will scratch, claw, and push rescuers under the water. Helicopter rescue divers and professional life guards are taught to punch these individuals in the face and swim away from them. They have to in order to save themselves. You can't let one person drown two people. It's a harsh reality. But eye opening.
Reach, Throw, Row, Never Go in.
From Wikipedia:
"In emergency situations in which lifeguards or other trained personnel are not present, it is advisable to reach for the victim from land with your hand or a long stick, row to them in a boat, or throw them a flotation device, but not to enter the water (often pithily summarised as "Reach or throw, don't go.") While the instinctive reaction to drowning is taking place, the victim will latch onto any nearby solid objects in attempts to get air, which can result in the drowning of a would-be rescuer as well as (or instead of) the original victim. This "aquatic victim-instead-of-rescuer scenario" is common and killed 103 would-be rescuers in Australia between 1992 and 2010, and another 81 people in New Zealand between 1980 and 2012. A study of drownings in Turkey found 88 cases in which 114 would-be rescuers drowned during their attempts to rescue a primary drowning victim." source
I've messed up a ton in my life. That's why I feel educated enough to try and steer you in the right direction. Save time and energy by learning from mine/others mistakes.
10 Common signs you're dealing with a Tasmanian Devil:
Complaining Tasmanian Devils are constant complainers. There is ALWAYS something wrong in their lives. Their stomach hurts, their job sucks, they're tired, they're broke, traffic is terrible, it's raining, they're unlucky, their coworkers don't know how to do their jobs, their iphone 14 plus is junk. Just think of literally anything. They will complain about it.
Its always someone else's fault. Personal responsibility is non existent. Their parents, coworkers, boss, partners, ex partners, kids, dog. Doesn't matter. Just as long as they make it known it wasn't them.
There is an excuse for everything. And they will stop at nothing short of holding you down and forcing you to listen to it. On the off chance it isn't directly blamed on someone else, their is a physical ailment, life event, or mental state as to why. It will never be "I just messed up, I need to do better"
They have an unwavering drive to tell every person they come in contact with about their problems and why it isn't their fault. They believe in their complaints and reasons so passionately. It always blows my mind how little self awareness and shame they have. They will call and text every single person in their contacts or tell every person they meet at the gas station their problems and why it isn't their fault.
Alcohol or Drugs are involved in 50% of Tasmanian Devils. The number may be higher. But more often than not these people have a drug or alcohol addiction.
They will drag you down to the very depths of hell with them. Should you choose to get to close, be prepared for F5 tornado damage. They will "borrow" money, dump problems, and wreck the car (usually drunk) you let them use to get to work. Their is no end to the asking. And with every request you grant, the stronger the tornado gets.
They are usually pathological liars. When talking to Tasmanian Devils you will notice inconsistencies in their stories every time you hear them. Once you start paying attention you'll soon see that almost everything they say is a lie. It can range from embellishment to full blown lies. But nothing about what they say is consistent.
They usually have so much potential. Almost every Tasmanian Devil I have had to cut from my life has had the ability to be amazing. They just seem to keep fucking up. And 99 times out of 100 it's their own fault.
They love to mentally masturbate. What I mean by this is sometimes they do come up with a plan to possibly fix their life. They will explain how it's just what they've been looking for. It's usually a get rich quick scheme, holistic/spiritual program, or even a genuinely descent idea. They will take zero action. They can talk about it for weeks or even months but their actions will change very little. Until the day they tell you how it was messed up by someone/something that wasn't them.
40% of them seem to be Marines. 25% are woman over 30. The rest are a mixed bag. This is just anecdotal from my own personal experience/bias. I have no way to really prove this to be accurate.
It can be hard to cut people out of your life. Especially if they are a close friend or relative. Family can be a special kind of dangerous. Just because you share blood doesn't mean they have good intentions or need to be in your life. Empathy is a human emotion. But you have to be smart enough to know when to get out of the way. If your gut is telling you something every time you talk to this person, listen to it.
On the other hand. If someone is taking responsibility for their actions and has a positive attitude, don't write them off just yet. They may just be inexperienced. Throw some encouraging words their way and be kind to them. It may be just what they need to push to the next level.
Helping others in a time of need is an extremely worthy and fulfilling experience. You should do it if you are able. This is a different situation entirely. If the person you are helping refuses to help themselves. Get across the bridge, pour gas on it, and light it asap. Every second of your life is to valuable to let it get sucked up into a 200 Mph cone of destruction.
Until next time, Live with GRIT
