Aussie Called Out For Mocking Visiting U.S. Friend's Sunburn After He Refused To Use Sunscreen

Australia is located at a latitude of 25° which puts it in the Southern hemisphere very near the equator. Countries in the Southern hemisphere have opposing seasons to the Northern hemisphere—winter in the Southern hemisphere is during June, July and August.

Also, 80% of the land in Australia receives less than 24 inches (600mm) of rainfall annually and 50% of the land gets less less than 12 inches (300mm) in an average year. Only the continent of Antarctica receives less rainfall than the continent of Australia.

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With minimal vegetation and such an arid climate in all but 20% of the country, both the heat and sun in Australia are very intense.

Australia holds multiple heat-related records: continent with the hottest extended region year-round, individual areas with the hottest summer climate, and highest sunshine duration.

The sun in Australia is no joke.

An Aussie turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback after a visiting friend failed to take his warnings seriously.

No_Caregiver4057 asked:

"AITA for laughing at my friend's sunburn?"

The original poster (OP) explained:

"I'm from Brisbane, and my friend from the USA came down and visited a few days ago. The first day, we went to the beach in the evening, and I pointed out that if we were going in the day, he needed to put on sunscreen."

"He didn't believe me, and said something along the lines of 'back where I'm from, nobody really wears sunscreen, it's just the sun, it can't really hurt you!'."

"I pointed out his skin is very, VERY pale and it will be burnt to a CRISP if he doesn't put on sunscreen and he said, 'Yeah, but I overheard someone say it's only going to be 30 degrees tomorrow, that's like really cold. If it's that cold surely I don't need sunscreen'."

"I tried to explain to him the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit as well as explaining that the temperature isn't what gives you a sunburn, but I ended up realising he was probably really jet-lagged and sleep deprived and so his brain probably wasn't working as well as it normally does—he'd just been on a flight."

"The next day we went to the beach again, and while we were walking there I asked if he put on sunscreen. He said no, and that he was a 'real tough man' and could handle the sun, and even made a remark insinuating that Australians are weak for putting on sunscreen."

"I offered him some of my sunscreen and he declined. Despite this, we had a good time at the beach. However, the next day we had planned to go to the movies, and I noticed that he was burnt ALL OVER HIS BODY. Like he was bright red and obviously in pain from having his skin cooked by the sun."

"I couldn't stop myself from laughing, and I said, 'bro you should have just put on some sunscreen, then you wouldn't look like a big beetroot' and he did NOT like being compared to a root vegetable while he was in pain from his full-body sunburn, and he chose to cancel the movies trip until I became 'less annoying'."

"I went back home, and couldn't resist the urge to comment on social media on one of his pictures from the beach trip the day before. I commented, 'Did you get a nice tan?'."

The OP summed up their situation.

"I laughed at my friend's sunburn, called him a beetroot, and was mean to him on social media."

Redditors weighed in by declaring:

• NTA - Not The A**hole
• YTA - You're The A**hole
• NAH - No A**holes Here
• ESH - Everyone Sucks Here

Redditors decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA).

"NTA, your friend is an idiot and got rightfully mocked for being one."

"First he seemingly doesn't know what Celsius is, then he tries to act all macho by saying he doesn't need sunscreen, then gets all pissy when he ends up getting sunburnt and you make a relatively tame joke at his expense?"

"And his ego was so fragile that he canceled spending time with you, a friend he flew across the ocean to see that he only has limited time with? He got what he deserved. Maybe he'll finally learn his lesson." ~ Kevin7650

"It's also pretty well known that Australia gets some of the highest solar UVR levels in the world."

"So the sun is literally stronger than elsewhere and can therefore hurt you more." ~ yumas

"NTA. He's annoyed at you, but angry his ignorance caught up with him and was exposed and burnt."

"I live in the tropics, and I have seen those macho men, and I have laughed pretty hard at them."

"I will admit, however, I have never compared any of them to a root crop. Beetroot or otherwise."

"I can't say if it's mean or offensive as I'm not sure how it stacks up against comparing them to cooked crustaceans such as shrimp or lobster. I do not wish to incriminate myself." ~ tango421

"NTA. He mocked you for telling him to wear sunscreen, the least you can do is return the favour, now that he's suffering the consequences of his own stupidity." ~ ExistenceRaisin

"I live in the USA and use sunscreen. Even though I am already tan, I can still burn. This guy was warned several times."

"NTA. OP, not sure about Australia but here in the US you can buy an Aloe gel that helps soothe sun burns and it's right with the sun screens in the store. Maybe grab him a bottle if it's sold there to help him out." ~ SnooMacarons4844

"Aussie here—the gel is good, but the aloe spray is heavenly on a sunburn, especially when you keep it in the fridge." ~ rebekahster

"NTA! I just don't understand this weird concept of 'I'm so manly I can take on the sun'. Didn't work out well for Icarus either." ~ teflon2000

"NTA, a lot of non Aussies really don't seem to get that the Cancer Council has had the 'slip, slop, slap' slogan and its updated variations for a reason. 1 in 3 Aussies will get skin cancer. 1 in 3! Those are some awful odds." ~ Lunavixen15

"You tried to warn him, and you offered sunscreen at every opportunity. It's not your fault that he was being a dumbarse. FWIW, your post made me giggle. NTA." ~ Sufficient-Bird-2760

"NTA. If he just wouldn't make so many remarks of the toughness of Australians, the uselessness of sunscreen, and act like a complete dumbass, I would feel bad for him."

"But he totally got what he deserved, and you making fun of him is expected per what he said about you like an idiot." ~ edebby

"NTA. As has been said, your friend is an idiot. You were showing more concern for his health than he was, even as he was mocking you for it: with that abject arrogance, he deserves to suffer the consequences. In a few days, his skin will be the only a-peeling thing about him." ~ NecroVelcro

"NTA . Some people just think they know better than others. This happened to my wife's aunt who visited from Europe. I am in New Zealand so our sun is similarly brutal. No convincing would get her to put on sunscreen."

"Instead she put on olive oil to help her tan. No matter what my wife, SIL, MIL, or FIL said to her she simply wouldn't believe them 'I tan, I don't burn', 'I go to the beach all the time', 'you probably should stop using sunscreen—it will make you pale'."

"Anyway the result was as expected. She got so burned she couldn't lie down properly to sleep for two nights, and it took a week for the burn to start fading. She spent the first four days sitting indoors applying all sorts of creams and lotions instead of going out."

"Honestly, you warned your friend and ignored you, then made fun of you. Turnabout is fair play." ~ VoltesVoltron

"NTA. As someone who grew up and lived in Australia for most of my adult life, I never understood how people on TV from the US and Europe could willingly lay out under the sun and tan in summer."

"I'm from Adelaide, and especially in the height of summer the sun is HARSH. Like you feel it stinging your skin after a few minutes, even before you visibly burn."

"Then I moved to the UK, and encountered a properly sunny day in the height of summer over here and realised that for whatever reason that I'm not intelligent enough to elaborate on, the sun in Australia feels much harsher than it does up here in the UK."

"I know the ozone hole has repaired, but I don't know if it's also something to do with geographic positioning and the angle of the sun or what, but yeah. When I realised that in other parts of the world the sun feels nice rather than actively hostile to the idea of life, I suddenly started to understand why tanning is a thing in some places."

"All of which is a really f*cking long-winded way to say I've seen more than a few folks from the US and UK specifically who seem to underestimate how harsh the climate is in Australia, assume they can just lie out on a beach like they do on vacation back home, then be utterly humbled by how viciously the sun hates human life in Australia." ~ InquisitorVawn

"NTA. He made his own sunbed, he can wallow in it. Is there anything you could get him (from a pharmacy maybe) that might help him with relief?"

"Long time ago, I was on summer vacation with my family. Somewhere in France, I think, near a lake. My sister, 3 years older than me, around 13/14 at the time, was an otter."

"She was always swimming, constantly in the water. At that time, waterproof sunscreen wasn't as good as it is now, so she got sunburn. My parents did make her wear a T-shirt while swimming, but that didn't help her face."

"At first she was incredibly red, so we called her 'lobster'. Then after a few days, we started calling her a 'barbecue sausage'."

"Because her skin was almost bursting open like a nice, crisp sausage... After that, she learned to apply sunscreen better, and it never happened again." ~ Zonnebloempje

The OP provided advice and sunscreen multiple times.

Reddit decided he was entitled to mock his visitor for his failure to use the resources available to him.