We’ve all encountered them—those freeloaders who contribute absolutely nothing but still expect an equal share of the credit. Whether it’s a colleague at work or that one classmate who mysteriously vanishes until presentation day, they somehow always manage to slide by unnoticed. But not this time.
A group of students in Taiwan decided they weren’t about to let their slacker teammate escape accountability. Instead of passive-aggressively muttering about it under their breaths, they went full medieval.
In a now-viral Threads video, the students can be seen delivering their group presentation like responsible members of society—except for one guy. Seated quietly at the side, he wasn’t clicking through slides or discussing research. No, he had his head and hands locked inside a cardboard cangue, a device historically used to publicly shame prisoners.
The sign on his makeshift punishment device read: “I did nothing for our group project.”
That’s right. They went full Scarlet Letter on this guy.
Strangely enough, the alleged slacker didn’t seem all that bothered. Despite his very public call-out, he was still smiling as if wearing a sign of shame was just another Tuesday for him. Confidence? Denial? Or simply realizing that at least he was still part of the group and, presumably, still getting a grade?
Naturally, the internet had a field day. Many netizens found the group’s approach hilarious and even chimed in with their own stories of freeloading friends.
“Luckily you didn’t even show up,” one commenter joked, tagging an absent pal. Another saw an opportunity, writing, “Great, I happen to have cardboard boxes at home.”
But perhaps the most interesting take came from one particularly pragmatic observer: “As long as I put that sign on, I can don’t do anything and pass [the assignment]. That’s pretty worth it.”
Hold up. That’s…not how this works? That’s not how any of this works!
Regardless, the moral of the story remains clear: If you don’t contribute to the group project, you might just end up in a DIY medieval punishment device. And honestly, if this method catches on, cardboard stocks might be the next big investment.
