Passive aggressive behaviour is defined as an indirect expression of hostility, usually words or actions that register the displeasure of one individual to another or to a group of people based on the other doing something that the original person did not like. It can become a serious psychological condition when a disorder is diagnosed. However, we all do it to get back at somebody for a perceived injustice or lack of consideration against us. Here is a list of the most amusing from around the internet.

1. God Hates Fruit?

Westboro Baptist Church, despite having a small congregation, is known across the world thanks to the wonders of the internet. They are considered the most hateful people in America due to their obsession with homosexuality and the notorious name of their official website. Instead of getting angry and denouncing them, one bright spark got revenge by parodying their website name as ‘God Hates Figs’ where it posts Bible verses condemning the humble fruit. Though the website is no longer up, they do now have a Facebook page.

2. Royal Welsh Guards Choice of Music

The Royal Welsh Guards of the British armed forces have famously provided the music at official functions welcoming visiting heads of state. They were not happy in 2007 when asked to play for the visiting head of Saudi Arabia, a leader who stood accused of many human rights abuses. Even the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown had spoken out about basic human rights being universal. The Welsh Guards made their feelings clear in the choice of music at the arrival: Star Wars’ Imperial March!

3. Stephen King’s Rejection Pile

Budding writers take heart from those who have made it that success could be just around the corner. The famous horror writer Stephen King ‘ as with any writer ‘ struggled to get published in his early days and decided to keep all of his rejection letters. He received so many that he used a railroad spike to store all of them. When he finally got published, he found the most disparaging letter and sent it back to the magazine with his own commentary. They took it in good spirits, published his letter and put his name on the cover

4. Roland Emmerich Casts Ebert and Siskel in Movie

Roland Emmerich has never really had a particularly good relationship with his critics. So many of his films had been given low marks by famous movie critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel: Universal Soldier and Independence Day were trashed so utterly that Emmerich took revenge on the pair by casting two characters with the same surname in his next film Godzilla. Not only that, but their characters were based on the reviewing style of each critic with Ebert quick to anger and dismissive of everyone around him.

5. ‘Thanks for leaving fingerprints’

There is rarely a way for victims of burglary to get revenge on those who burgle them. At best they can hope to get their possessions back and for the criminals to be caught. A couple who were burgled in Northampton, England decided to write a letter to their burglers which had a few lines of humour ‘Sorry we didn’t have more for you to take’. They also lamented that the (worthless) VHS videos were not taken. Finally, they signed off with a ‘thanks for leaving the fingerprints’.

6. The Simpsons vs George Bush Snr

The former President once famously said ‘”We are going to’¦ make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons’. Naturally, Trey Parker and Matt Stone took exception to this. They created a new scene for an existing episode in which many jokes were made at the President’s expense and they immediately set about producing an episode where the retired Bushes move into a house across the street. A feud between George Bush and Homer Simpson erupts after Bush spanks Bart and all hell breaks loose.

7. DJs Lotus Esprit Sold for 50p

A Birmingham (UK) DJ did not think of the consequences of flirting with model Jodie Marsh on his radio show, perhaps forgetting that he was going out to the entire city, and perhaps not realising that his wife might be listening, he boldly informed the model that he would ‘leave his wife and kids for her’. The angry wife rather than packing her bags promptly listed his prized Lotus Esprit car on ebay. Worth £25,000, she listed it for a mere 50p, something in the region of (US)85c. The car sold in a matter of minutes.

8. Lord Byron’s Pet Bear

One of the greatest English poets ever, Lord Byron was once accepted into Trinity College Cambridge and wished to take his pet dog. However, the college had a rule against pet dogs on campus and refused Lord Byron the exception. Accepting this verdict, he purchased a pet bear. When confronted by the staff once more he asked them to point out where in the rules it stated that no bears were allowed. They couldn’t and Lord Byron was permitted to keep the ursine

9. Ebay ad for Cheating Wife

In another ebay story, in 2008 came the tale of a man who discovered that his wife had cheated on him with multiple men, including a co-worker. He listed her for just one penny, describing her as “adulterous, lying, cheating, bitch, whore”. Paul Osborne threw her out of the house before making the listing. By the time the auction ended, bidding had reached in the region of £500,000 ($850,000 approx). The man she cheated on him with did not get off lightly either. He was married and Osborne put his personal details on the site.

10. Bank of America Foreclosed

Turning the tables on a bank is one that most people would be applauded for following the banking crisis of 2008. The Bank of America delivered a foreclosure notice on a family who didn’t actually have a mortgage ‘ they had paid for their house in cash. When the couple took the bank to court, the court awarded in their favour and ordered the bank to pay $2,500 in costs. The bank refused to pay up so the couple, under the advice of their lawyers, foreclosed on the bank! They were legally entitled to claim any and all properties within the building. The manager though realised what was going on an immediately paid up

Conclusion

Hell hath no fury when anybody is wronged. Violence is not the answer to everything and indeed, it is rarely the answer to anything. Thankfully, we have passive-aggressive behaviour in order to exact our revenge and to feel better about ourselves. Plus, such stories make amusing internet fodder.