FMLs

Fmylife.com is a website where people submit short anecdotes of crappy things that happen to them for the sake of making other people laugh, hence why the site is called fuck my life (FML). It is basically the definition of Schadenfreude—the pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. There is a simple formula that all FMLs: they must start with “Today,” and end with “FML”; the story goes (obviously) between them and must be 300 characters or less.

FMLs can be submitted by anyone with internet connection—there are French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, German, Russian, and Swedish versions. Readers can up- or down-vote each story by clicking “I agree, your life sucks” or “You deserved it.” Readers can also comment on stories or help moderate by choosing which FMLs deserve to get published. People tend to post FMLs when things happen to them that suck so much they’re funny or want to validate the suckiness of the event.