For me, growing up, I was around people who saw games as useless and a waste of time, but I loved them
I’ve always been into computers and tech and was called techy and a gamer and each time, it was said with a sort of disgust from the person saying it.
It made me feel like I shouldn’t be friends with the few people like me, and I spent a lot of my childhood staying away from people, and making sure that people didn’t learn that I played games
Even now, I get slightly uncomfortable being called a gamer or techy or any synonym even though people don’t really think that anymore around here.
Anyone else have something similar?
“Mature for your age”, “more responsible than other kids”. All it did was make me fear having fun and feel extra guilt when I broke rules.
When I was much younger, someone older said I’d grow up to be a heartbreaker. I was like… What? No. I’m nice, I’m not going to break hearts, what?.. Long after I realised it was a compliment on how I might look when I grew up. I still don’t think it’s a good compliment though.
It is a good compliment. At the end of the day, people will find you attractive and fall in love, even if you are already in a commited relationship or not interested. Being a “heartbreaker” is only shitty if you actively do something that makes it hurt the other person more - i.e. stringing them along, using people etc. Breaking hearts is part of life, even if someone is nice. At the end of the day neither you, nor the person that has fallen in love with you can change how they feel very much, it’s your actions in response to that that make you a shitty or good person.
When my overgrown 15 year old blowhard loudmouth father called me a “Readin’ Queer” because I didn’t want to watch every boxing match or any sporting event with him.
I get mistaken for Hispanic and told I look Colombian. My American name is pretty common white guy name but people call me by the Spanish variant.
But that’s not even the right continent and I have zero Hispanic heritage. All it tells me is that you look at skin color and not features, and you lump me into an “other” category. We don’t all look like KPop idols.
This is complicated by the fact that my South American wife is light skinned with green eyes, and when she speaks fluent Spanish people assume she is an American girl who learned the language due to me, her “Hispanic” husband.
Not a bad thing, just annoying, and please stop yelling that I “have to go back” when I’m in the park with my kids.
My second year calculus teacher called me baroque which rended asunder my math career.
Doesn’t that just mean without a well defined form? Used to grade pearls. Says more about the person saying it (I don’t understand you).
He was referring to the era from which my methods appeared in integration, which is to say there are more modern tricks that I don’t fully understand.
Years later, xkcd would be reassuring that it wasn’t just me. But it killed my ability to get a comsci degree.
certified gamer
Growing up my parents always called me “the good kid”, especially my dad. It just made me feel super awkward and bad though, I didn’t take it as a compliment. These days neither of my other siblings talk to my parents anymore either, I’m the only one still in contact.
This really reminds me of my family dynamic. Anything I do, my dad can excuse, but the smallest mistake my younger brother makes is a travesty.
I end up in the drunk tank, and my dad’s only answer is “it stinks in there, eh? 😂”
My brother doesn’t reply to a text for a couple of hours, and it’s the end of the world.
I hate it, because my bro is a good kid, ultimately. But I can see how much the way my father treats him affects him negatively. It ends up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Tell him. If it comes from the good kid he must think there is some truth to it.
Someone said I would be a good wife…I felt powerless and degraded. How did I manage to come off as so brainless and lacking in self respect that I’d have nothing better to do than be someone’s wife?
A good wife for someone, or for the person speaking? If the former, I probably agree with you. If the latter, I would mention that not all people have that image of a wife as someone defined by being housewife and executive assistant. Husband considers me a good wife because we love each other and I can handle the budget and hold down a job and cook so much better than he can (not a high bar to reach) but we are both adults, he cleans way more than I do, does the shopping at least half the time, we work together. He’d not consider a stereotype of traditional wife a good wife. I don’t know many people who do, come to think of it.
No a very traditional and backwards woman made a comment about how I’d be a good wife for her son who I don’t even know.
I don’t know how I managed to come across as that much of a worthless cored-out shell.
More likely she didn’t see you at all, only saw what she wanted to.
ETA: something like this happened to one of my daughters, her boss wanted her to marry his son (who she did not even like) basically because they liked her and wanted her in their family, and thought she’d be good for him, without even considering how bad he’d be for her!
Christ that’s so fucked.
How did I manage to come off as so brainless and lacking in self respect that I’d have nothing better to do than be someone’s wife?
genuinely curious, how did “you’d be a good wife” turn into “you’d be brainless and lacking in self respect, and would be nothing more than a spouse”?
Because what they clearly meant is that I came across as being nothing but help staff.
My family has said the same thing when doing something. Seems to be an old person thing to say.
I think it just bothers me that people shove the idea of being this cuddly nurturer at me and don’t give a shit if it’s what I want.
A chess improvement company once wrote an article about me and although I was deeply grateful for the opportunity I am also very glad I saw the first draft because the reporter invented a whole imaginary child. While cutting a lot of my thoughts about annihilation and how it’s a fairly staple tactical skill.
To his credit he removed it when I asked but…ugh. Can people not stay on topic ever? I swear to God I could be in the middle of defusing a bomb and someone would mention husbands or children.
My girlfriend in college told me that her friends all agree:
You’re the best asshole we know.
Someone said that I “got skinny” (I’d lost a bunch of weight, on purpose). She meant it as a compliment, but in my mind skinny = underweight/malnourished, so I went out for lunch that day and ate a bunch of McDonald’s.
Pretty bad, a little kid called me Asshole Eyes when I was 17. I am 60 and still remember.
I saw someone say that God wasted a perfectly good asshole by putting teeth in your mouth, best insult ever
I heard a biker tell a cop to take a flying fuck at a rolling donut!
I stole it a few times because it is that good.
I’m sorry but I’m gonna use that next time I need to burn someone 🤌
I agree. It was an Epic insult for a little kid to sling.
Everyone told me I was like my dad.
Feeling your pain.
And you didn’t like the analogy?
A “red wine guy”. Ugh.
Basically any and all compliments make me feel like shit, it’s not a good quality of mine but its the truth
Before I transitioned being called handsome hurt, I didn’t want that. Since I transitioned I have been called beautiful and sexy. I still feel bad, I don’t believe them. It’s odd because… I can kinda see what they mean? Like I personally like how I look sooo much better now it’s insane, but from other people it feels like a lie. Or else it makes me feel like I’m just an object to them, like an exotic sex thing, not a person.
I work as a gpu/graphics programmer, and people say I’m smart and talented. I never believe it, ever. When I was young I did not do well in school, like special ed classes. That early life experience is still internalized. It’s why I push myself really hard at the detriment of my own health. I truly believe I am not a smart person despite recognizing why people think I am.
Last year I was diagnosed autistic with Persistent Demand Avoidance sub type. I have read online that PDA people often struggle with compliments. Its super fucked tbh, I can never feel good about any accomplishment, nothing is enough, and I feel unlovable.
Not so much a verbal thing, but just the general first glance demeanor on a blind date or an internet date…tough to forget.
Also, growing up I was always told I’d never amount to anything spending so much time on computers and that I needed to do something with my life. Well, I made over $500k last year in software engineering consulting…so…yeah.
