What goes around, comes around. Call it karma or call it something non-religious, but the value of justice is inherent to being human. We all like to believe that those who do something bad will get the comeuppance they so richly deserve. And sometimes, we get to see it in action.
Smartphones, security cameras, and other devices are always recording life around us. They capture moments that would have gone untold otherwise. But now that there's footage, the internet wants to share. It goes under different monikers, like "instant karma" and "justice porn", but the theme is the same: a wrongdoer getting punished.
1. /r/InstantKarma (Web): Videos and GIFs of Sweet Justice
While the Instant Karma sub-reddit is for both good and bad stories, it's overwhelmingly filled with the bad kind. It's exclusively about images, which means there are no text stories for you to read here. See photos, GIFs, or videos of a miscreant being served justice on a platter.
The GIFs tend to be pretty large, so you might need something like the GIF Delayer extension to pause GIFs till they load completely. Most of the videos are posted on YouTube or Streamable, which makes it easy to watch them on mobile or desktop, without any inconvenience.
The photographic evidence means that this is one of the places you can reliably find true stories from real people.
Warning: Some of the posts contain foul language.
2. /r/JusticePorn (Web): Watch Bullies Get Their Comeuppance
One of the most popular sub-reddits around, Justice Porn is the polished version of /r/InstantKarma. It has an active community of moderators and loyal fans, who post a lot of content regularly and make sure the forum stays clean. You won't find bigoted comments or offensive remarks here, although the language can often be strong.
The focus on bullies is interesting, since everyone wants to learn how to deal with bullies. There's plenty of cop videos and street fights in this forum, which isn't how you or your kids should necessarily handle your altercations. It's best to keep this sub-reddit away from children, lest they get the wrong idea.
If you're new to Reddit, read our full guide to Reddit to figure out how to browse. The simplest way is to click Top > All-Time and just go through the posts one by one, filling your heart with the knowledge that sometimes, karma works in the most satisfying ways.
Warning: Some of the posts contain foul language.
3. /r/JusticeServed (Web): The New Forum for Old /r/JusticePorn Loyalists
Apparently, the moderators at Justice Porn implemented some rules that didn't go down too well with several forum members. So they went ahead and set up their own new sub-reddit, Justice Served.
It's the same concept, but it's not as strict as /r/JusticePorn. The result is that you get to see many more videos, images, and GIFs that aren't accepted on the older forum. Still, the more offensive posts are clearly marked with tags like "Gore" or "NSFW" (an internet acronym you really should know by now).
The nice part about this one is that it also includes plenty of text posts, where people describe incidents in their life, often with a little proof attached. Courtroom battles are the most popular versions of these, and it's nice to see law and order working the way it should.
Warning: Some of the posts contain foul language.
4. JusticePorn.org (Web): The Web's Most Popular Videos
With so many websites curating these videos of retribution, you'll have some overlap and repetition. In case you don't want to visit all the sites separately and just want one place to watch the best "justice porn" videos, this is it.
Joseph Rocca, a fan of the instant karma genre, has happily curated some of the best and most popular videos from the category on his site. All of the videos are embedded, so they play as a quick popup instead of taking you away from the page. It's a little different on mobile, but you can still play YouTube videos in the background with the right app.
Rocca has also put up a notice on his site asking for more curators to step forward. So if you're interested in contributing to this site, drop him an email!
5. Petty Revenge Stories (Web): Best Served Cold
When you can, you should forgive and forget. It's the healthier way of living. But there's something primally satisfying about exacting vengeance that gets the better of us. At Petty Revenge Stories, people share how their tormentors got their just desserts.
The Tumblr is filled with tales of eye for an eye (or sometimes, much less than an eye). They're largely humorous and great fun once you read the climax. There's plenty of strong language there though.
The stories are user-submitted and updated almost daily, which makes this one of those sites to read quick, free stories every day. Bookmark this one, you'll love it.
Warning: Some of the posts contain foul language.
Tell Us Your Instant Justice Story!
Reading these tales has got us hankering for more. Come on, we know you have it in you. At some point, you saw a bully finally get what they deserve, or you got back at your enemy with the perfect act of revenge.
Tell us your tales in the comments below!