Flipping out on a stranger might feel good in the moment, but it rarely pays off.

So, what would you do if you tapped someone on the shoulder to help them, but they yelled at you like you’d just slapped them?

Would you apologize and proceed?

Or would you just walk away and see how it plays out?

In the following story, one traveller finds himself in this exact scenario and decides to teach a fellow traveler a lesson in kindness.

Here’s how it went down.

TSA Malicious Compliance

I’m coming through TSA today at ATL.

The guy in front of me is emptying his pockets into the bin.

A classic situation. How many of us have done this?

As he does so, I notice one AirPod slip out and fall to the floor under the table.

So I tap him on the shoulder as he turns away to let him know.

He flinches and snaps, “DON’T ******* TOUCH ME!”

Aight. Bet. No problem, bud.

That wasn’t the last he saw of the guy.

Coming up the stairs after security, I see him rummaging in his pockets like he’s lost something.

I give him a big smile without touching him, of course, and say: “Hey man, I think you dropped an AirPod back before the checkpoint. Have a great flight!”

For the non-Americans amongst us, TSA is airport security, and once you go through, you’re not coming back without a hassle.

Yikes! That was some attitude!

Let’s check out how the people over at Reddit relate to this story.

This is a really good point.

Here’s something that’s interesting to know.

There’s a big difference.

Most people will help. It’s all about approach.

This guy is a mess!

He needs to slow down and get a grip, because he sounds very unorganized.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.