Have you ever read someone else's journal/diary?
Asked by
aviona (
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April 5th, 2009
Have you ever read a friend/family member’s (maybe an enemy’s?) journal or diary? Did you find it accidentally or were you searching for it? If you were searching for it, why, what were the circumstances?
Did you feel differently about the person after reading it? Was there anything written about you? Did you feel guilty?
I know that I have happened on two friends’ journals in the past. Once was while we were traveling together and things weren’t going that well for various reasons. She had written some nasty things about me, which made me feel angry/like shit. It also made me change my behavior after that, though.
The other friend and I are really close and share almost everything, so reading it didn’t really tell me a whole lot I didn’t already know. I do feel slightly guilty. It makes me wonder if people have read mine… :/
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26 Answers
No, it’s very unmanly to do such a thing.
1. Yes, I have.
2. I happened upon it.
3.Yes, quite a bit differently.
4. There were one or two things about me, but nothing much. They were good things. Oh, and there was a quote from my journal.
5. I felt like shit for a long time. I feel like shit when I think about it. It is not something I am proud of.
My current “quasi-g/f” has read me some excerpts from hers over the last few years, mostly stuff involving me. It’s interesting and kinda cute. I wouldn’t read it if I happened to find it somewhere. Seems way too faux pas to me (plus if I had one I wouldn’t want anyone reading it).
Yes, I’ve read someones journal. It’s a weird feeling having so much insight. I don’t feel guilty.
No, I never have. I would expect to find it just as boring as mine own is.
Yes, but I was only 10. I wouldn’t do it again.
No. I would consider this an immense breach of trust. I would never do such an action as I would never want such an action done to me (ah, golden rule!). The one exception is regarding a public blog, as the writer has intended for others to read their words.
Dang it. I need to go to my storage locker and dig my journal out. I started one in college and kept up with it pretty faithfully for years. It really helped me get through some tough break ups. Then I met my current girlfriend, and could not be more happy with her. But, I did notice after dumb arguments that we had, I would write a bunch of negative junk. And I hated that so I stopped writing. But reading over the answers here, it makes me want to get back into writing. My girlfriend and I are doing the long distance thing currently. Writing things out, really helps sort my thoughts.
She has one and hardly ever writes in it. I would love to read it no matter what it says, but I would never ever read it with out her permission.
yes, but it was my sister’s and i was little. i’d never do it again.
I once found a diary of my mothers and I read the first page but felt so guilty that I couldn’t read anymore. The funny thing was, what I read was really boring, nothing I didn’t already know and yet I still felt guilty.
My teenagers diaries. Yes. You betcha red rider.
I always read my little sisters (shes eight) and I know that sound reaally piontless and kind of heartless but she lets me. I read it because she writes songs. They are am amazing, seriously. She should be a choreagrapher or whatever they are called. But I think she will end up being a doctor. She is super smart, shes at a grade five or six level and she is in grade 3. She absolutley loves TLC medical shows and she in facinated by overly obese people (like those shows “the 5 ton man” etc)
My mom had a journal. It wasn’t hidden at all. For as long as I could remember it was in a kitchen cabinet. One day, when I was about 13, I decided to read it. That’s how I found out my dad had been married before, for about 6 months, to a chick called “Trixie”!!!! It was pretty dang traumatic!!
Hah. The way I found out my dad had been married before, for about nine months, was by looking through the filing cabinets (not at all secret, but not screaming “look at me” either) in his office.
@petethepothead Did it freak you out just a little too? Was her name “Trixie?” I mean, “TRIXIE”???!
No, it was a normal name. But it did freak me out quite a bit. She and my dad bought the house that we live in now when they were married. Then, according to the divorce papers, she “deserted” my dad on such and such a date. A few years later my dad married my mom. The whole thing was so bizarre to read about. I had no idea!
—I HAVE.I HAVE ALSO READ TEXTS FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER.
I THINK THAT EXCHANGE IS MORE INTERESTING. BUT ITS WEIRD TO READ. I FELT KIND OF GUILTY AFTER. LIKE I KNEW SOMETHING I SHOULDNT HAVE—
@petethepothead Ya know, pete, some people don’t even know that all caps is considered yelling
I’ve read texts before, too. It seems weird, but in this day and age, that can almost be worse. It’s like reading two diaries in one… :/
I read Anne Frank’s diary :-)
@Ronberg Did you have her permission??!! :) (JK, in case you don’t know me yet!)
Much to my disgrace, yes, once years ago. My (then) boyfriend left his diary out. I read it and found out he was seeing someone else! THAT was an easy break-up!! :D
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