Man Exposes Father-in-Law’s Horrific Internet Search History at Family Gathering

“Viewing sexually explicit content or ‘pornography’ has become increasingly commonplace. Research indicates that 46% of adult men and 16% of women intentionally view pornography in an average week,” according to the website of the Utah State University.

What are the negative impacts of viewing porn sites?

• Difficulty in sexual arousal without pornography
• Loss of interest and fewer sensual engagements with partner
• Stronger tendency to hook up and commit infidelity
• Feelings of sexual inadequacy by the partner of the pornography user
• Partner objects to certain activities desired by porn site user
• Decreased sensual satisfaction and emotional intimacy
• Decreased trust in the relationship due to dishonesty and deception about porn use
• Decreased level of relationship stability and satisfaction, negative communication, with both partners experiencing more psychological aggression
• Concern about children getting exposed to pornographic materials

Based on this viral Reddit post, this husband didn’t expect to discover this secret hobby of his father-in-law, whose arrogance has long been targeting him for being “less than a man.” And when he divulged it in front of his family, he didn’t intend to do it out of revenge. Sometimes, you just lose control of your tongue.

Here’s what happened as this husband related it in Reddit’s popular r/AmItheA–hole forum with the username u/OrdosDeluxe: “I (M36) am absolutely not what you would call a ‘handy’ kind of guy. I can build an IKEA flatpack, and I can follow a YouTube tutorial to find out how to de-clog my washing machine, but I don’t have any (what my Father in Law [M60] would call) ‘worthwhile skills.’ I have to give him the credit that he’s due and say that he’s knowledgeable about plumbing, joinery, and electrics. He has often helped me and my wife with matters in our home (leaky pipe, some plastering work, etc.), and we have always been grateful and appreciative of his efforts.”

Yes, OP lacks those practical abilities, but his knowledge and skills in IT have enabled him to build a career in it. It’s why his relatives would often call on him about their computer and internet problems. In this particular area, OP admitted that his FIL was ignorant. But, in gratitude for his FIL’s occasional help in their household, OP has been helping him with tech concerns despite the older man’s incessant criticisms about OP’s lack of “worthwhile skills” and his uselessness in times of emergency because he’s not a “real man” — using those kinds of degrading words even in front of family and friends.

OP continued to relate in his post, “Because he does a lot of stuff that I generally suck at, I bite my tongue and don’t say anything to him. This week changed that. We bought my daughter this massive climbing frame/swing set for her birthday. My wife and I were able to assemble most of it, but the last few bits, as well as anchoring it to the ground, were giving us issues. My brother stopped by to visit, so he helped, but my wife also phoned FIL to come and help. We got the job done, but again, the commentary continued, which was especially insulting considering my brother was there.”

And so, as everyone would expect from a person subjected to these constant criticisms, OP reached the end of his patience. While visiting his in-laws, where his wife’s brother and spouse were also present, his FIL asked OP to check his laptop for a virus. OP gave in to the request and found that a ransomware program caused the problem. At the same time, he noticed from his FIL’s browsing history that he’s frequently been visiting porn sites.

The embarrassing incident followed next, according to OP: “I was able to get his computer somewhat back to normal after a while, which took longer than he’d have liked, according to his comments. While I was bringing it back, he kept badgering me about what had caused the virus. A perusal of his internet history revealed a LOT of porn. Nothing particularly embarrassing, but probably information that he wouldn’t have wanted to be shared. It was out of my mouth before I finished processing the thought. ‘Loads of these porn websites have a lot of viruses and dodgy stuff. I’ll get you a membership from my Norton account.’ You could have cut the tension with a knife. His wife looked super angry, and sister-in-law stifled a laugh. We left shortly after that, but on the way out, we heard the two of them arguing.”

Ha ha! Of course, OP’s wife didn’t appreciate it, and she pummeled her husband in deep anger. OP tried to defend himself by saying that his FIL has always hassled him, but he refrained from saying anything. Nonetheless, since that shocking revelation, OP’s being given the cold treatment. Was he to blame?

Well, this kind of situation happens. No one’s perfect, and you can push someone only up to a certain limit. What OP’s FIL has been doing was abusive, and his age does not excuse him from such conduct.

The judgment of the AITA community? OP’s Not The A-hole. Especially since it was just a slip of the tongue and OP didn’t mean for it to happen. If there’s anyone guilty in this story, it’s the person who should have known better.