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AIBU?

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Wouldn't be friends with ... AIBU to judge her for this?

112 replies

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:08

Last night I went out to someone's leaving drinks at work, afterwards me and two my colleagues went to meet with one of their girlfriends who had been out too.
We were all quite drunk, I have met this girl a number of times and I quite liked her. We have a brunch just the two of us for Sunday.

I don't remember exactly how it came up but she mentioned that she's only really friends with people who went to private school. She explained that she finds some (not all) people who went to state schools like to discredit her success (she's 6 years younger than me, making 15k more than me in the same job more or less so she's doing well!). That she's appreciates she is privileged but that can only take you so far and she's also worked really hard. So generally she finds others who went to private school aren't so keen to bring her down a peg or two and value her success.
I think I jokingly drunkenly responded that she and her boyfriend are my only friends who went to private school (I went to a grammar school). She was clearly drunk so I wasn't taking her too seriously.
The conversation continued and we talked about groups of people that we don't really have any friends from or wouldn't be friends with (all white innocent stuff like people who post there every move on social media).
Then she said very much unprovoked "oh I'm not really friends with fat people" now this took me back. I asked her to explain and she said that she doesn't mean someone who's just a little overweight but someone who is obese. She said she just assumes they are quite lazy and wouldn't enjoy most of her hobbies and that she knows it mean but she does judge. Now I don't get this one, and really when I look on her instagram all her friends are size 6-8 stunning girls. She's a 6 but lives an almost unsustainably active life.

At the time I just brushed it off and changed the topic but now I'm thinking about it - it's awfully mean. I told my closest friend and she said that while she doesn't agree with it, she understands but thinks it's one of those thoughts that should be kept quiet.

Now I'm not sure what next, she's the first new friend I've had in years, we have a good laugh and I was actually really looking forward to a girly brunch. My others friends all have kids now (I have a 19 month old and it's nice to have a non mum friend who doesn't want to speak about kids all the time).
She's intelligent, well spoken etc. so makes for a good sober conversation (clearly her drunk chat leaves a lot to be desired).

So I guess my AIBU to judge the opinions she disclosed drunk and to be considering cancelling brunch/ending the short lived friendship off the back of it?
Or do we all have our less nice side and this is just hers?

OP posts:
Janedoe82 · 31/05/2024 11:45

she is just young with no life experience. Lots of us were daft at 23.

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:44

SleepingStandingUp · 31/05/2024 11:40

Op I'd go to the brunch. And I say this as someone she wouldn't want to be friends with (state school and fat).

I'd judge her on how she treats people and id probably make a joke at brunch about us she going to ditch me if I eat too much dessert. Is she incredibly embarrassed it came out sounding like that or does she double down? If the waitress is overweight is she rider than to the slim one? Did she mean that she's just never gelled with someone obese because of their comparative ways to have fun? Id probably struggle to bind with someone who was focused on how .any calories in this and how many hours at the gym they've done. I wouldn't swear off all fit people but I Def have no gym obsessed friends.

I'm partially wondering if it was more off "I don't have any friends who are ..." than "I wouldn't be friends with ...". It was 1.30 we were both very drunk and coherence was at an all time low.

OP posts:
Butterleigh · 31/05/2024 11:43

She's a snob who will use you as her yard stick . People like her around themselves with people they think are below them to big themselves up . She sounds Narcissistic.

Allfur · 31/05/2024 11:42

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:33

I think people are being judgemental here using short descriptions of one conversation to make an assumption on both of our overall intelligence levels.
I'm not my best self when drunk and I don't know anyone who is. We have had interesting conversations about a whole host of topics and I do think that at least while sober she is generally very self aware.
I am put off by this one extremely drunken conversation. However I'm intelligent enough to know that this one conversation in these specific circumstances aren't reflective of either of us as a whole nor indicative of our intelligence levels.
This is one conversation out of many we've had and I don't expect my friends to have only highly aware, intellectually stimulating conversations, especially not at 1.30 in the morning having been out since 5.30 the night before!
But yes you go ahead and make assumptions based off of one conversation and tell me that is better than her making assumptions based off one fact about someone's life (schooling/weight). Good to see hypocrisy is alive and well!

Plenty of people are able to get drunk without making nasty generalisations about groups of people, those ridiculous views are her real views, in vino veritas and all that

SleepingStandingUp · 31/05/2024 11:40

Op I'd go to the brunch. And I say this as someone she wouldn't want to be friends with (state school and fat).

I'd judge her on how she treats people and id probably make a joke at brunch about us she going to ditch me if I eat too much dessert. Is she incredibly embarrassed it came out sounding like that or does she double down? If the waitress is overweight is she rider than to the slim one? Did she mean that she's just never gelled with someone obese because of their comparative ways to have fun? Id probably struggle to bind with someone who was focused on how .any calories in this and how many hours at the gym they've done. I wouldn't swear off all fit people but I Def have no gym obsessed friends.

DownWithThisKindOfThing · 31/05/2024 11:37

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:34

I've had a baby and I'm still a size 6/8 - not impossible!

Still awaiting middle age and menopause though… ;) was skinny for years and now all those things down the line I’m not.

you also seem to be getting quite defensive OP, you described someone who basically sounds like an ignorant, ill informed, narrow minded judgemental cunt and then take umbrage when people have pointed that out. Bear in mind all we have to go on is your comments about her, we don’t know her, so we’ve formed views on what you’ve said.

the80sweregreat · 31/05/2024 11:35

Some of the most intelligent and inspiring people I've ever known have been overweight
It's not always food , could be meds or thyroid problems or any illness ( which then stops being able to exercise) she isn't thinking outside the box of her own beautiful thin friends. God forbid one of those put on a pound or become pregnant, she may implode.
She'd hate me..lol

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:34

DownWithThisKindOfThing · 31/05/2024 11:29

23! Ha! Let’s see how this size 6 is maintained when/if pregnancy/middle age/menopause hit! Daft bint.

I've had a baby and I'm still a size 6/8 - not impossible!

OP posts:
thanKyouaIMee · 31/05/2024 11:33

I think it sounds like a drunken chatter - there's no way to know if she meant to say that / you heard it right - if you were all quite drunk there's a huge possibility that it's been totally misunderstood or misconstrued.

If you like her and get along, I'd still go to brunch and spend time with her! Drunk people waffle all sorts of nonsense.

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:33

5128gap · 31/05/2024 11:27

Do you think an intelligent person would decide they couldn't be friends with 94% of people?
Do you think an intelligent person couldn't engage in conversation about the privelege and advantage of private education without drunken shrieks of 'jealousy'?
Do you think an intelligent person thinks body size is a personality trait?

I think people are being judgemental here using short descriptions of one conversation to make an assumption on both of our overall intelligence levels.
I'm not my best self when drunk and I don't know anyone who is. We have had interesting conversations about a whole host of topics and I do think that at least while sober she is generally very self aware.
I am put off by this one extremely drunken conversation. However I'm intelligent enough to know that this one conversation in these specific circumstances aren't reflective of either of us as a whole nor indicative of our intelligence levels.
This is one conversation out of many we've had and I don't expect my friends to have only highly aware, intellectually stimulating conversations, especially not at 1.30 in the morning having been out since 5.30 the night before!
But yes you go ahead and make assumptions based off of one conversation and tell me that is better than her making assumptions based off one fact about someone's life (schooling/weight). Good to see hypocrisy is alive and well!

OP posts:
DownWithThisKindOfThing · 31/05/2024 11:29

23! Ha! Let’s see how this size 6 is maintained when/if pregnancy/middle age/menopause hit! Daft bint.

5128gap · 31/05/2024 11:27

Do you think an intelligent person would decide they couldn't be friends with 94% of people?
Do you think an intelligent person couldn't engage in conversation about the privelege and advantage of private education without drunken shrieks of 'jealousy'?
Do you think an intelligent person thinks body size is a personality trait?

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:27

TribeofFfive · 31/05/2024 11:24

I think you both sound pretty judgey tbh; saying you wouldn’t be friends with people who use social media a lot.
It sounds like you’re both crap company so the brunch will be dull. Who the hell spends a night out discussing groups of people they wouldn’t be friends with?

It's not about the use of social media in general. I do think it can be hard to be friends with someone who posts 20+ instagram stories everyday, needs to take a whole load of photos before you do anything (not just for dun but the right angle and the right look).
It was less the use of social media and more aspiring influencers.

OP posts:
whoneedssixteen · 31/05/2024 11:27

I'd say probably drunken chat and I'd continue to see her if meeting up was fun. If you don't like her or enjoy her company that's fine - don't see her. But if you do then don't terminate the connection on the basis of a drunken convo. There's no value in virtue signalling (except on here) and you may find if you eliminate acquaintances because you think you should then you may end up a bit lonely.

Everythingiscalmfornow · 31/05/2024 11:26

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:19

Having met a couple of her friends I'd be willing to guess they all share the same views!

A case of Birds of a feather then obviously. They deserve each other.
Perhaps real life will catch up with them one day and when they need a bit of kindness and empathy shown to them it will be lacking.

TwattyMcFuckFace · 31/05/2024 11:25

I wouldn't think twice about binning this one off because when it comes to friends, I choose quality over quantity.

If I had to think twice about it, I'd look at myself and wonder why I felt I needed to keep her around.

If the answer was because I felt I didn't have enough friends, I'd do something about that instead.

Cbljgdpk · 31/05/2024 11:25

I also suspect that she doesn’t really see that her privilege has taken her that far and isn’t friends with people who have been in a less privileged position because it reminds her of this

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:25

Cbljgdpk · 31/05/2024 11:24

How old is she OP? This is me potentially being judgemental but I find people with less life experience can be more judgemental

She's 23 so still very young. Only out of uni a year.

OP posts:
TribeofFfive · 31/05/2024 11:24

I think you both sound pretty judgey tbh; saying you wouldn’t be friends with people who use social media a lot.
It sounds like you’re both crap company so the brunch will be dull. Who the hell spends a night out discussing groups of people they wouldn’t be friends with?

Cbljgdpk · 31/05/2024 11:24

How old is she OP? This is me potentially being judgemental but I find people with less life experience can be more judgemental

ChildrenOfTheQuorn · 31/05/2024 11:22

I think it's just silly drunken rambling tbh and if the friendship is otherwise rewarding I'd just ignore it and move on. My friends aren't all carbon copies of me.

Toomanyemails · 31/05/2024 11:22

She sounds incredibly judgemental! Ruling out 93% of the population based on the school their parents chose and that's just for a start...

SallyWD · 31/05/2024 11:19

Not only is she judgemental but she also sounds rather stupid! For someone to say "I can't be friends with fat people, I can't be friends with people from state schools"? I mean WTF? It's just incredibly dumb!! Shows that an expensive education can't buy intelligence or empathy.
I'd tolerate her but I'd never see her in the same way again and wouldn't want to be close friends.

DownWithThisKindOfThing · 31/05/2024 11:19

She’d hate me, a state comp educated fatty with a good degree and job.

she sounds vile. How old is she that where someone went to school even comes up in conversations? 12? I can’t remember the last time someone introduced themselves to me, or me to them, outlining my education status.

she sounds not only judgmental but ignorant and ill informed with her comments on privilege also.

FrancieM · 31/05/2024 11:19

Everythingiscalmfornow · 31/05/2024 11:17

Well I'm surprised she has any friends at all.
You say she's intelligent? I would dispute that.

Having met a couple of her friends I'd be willing to guess they all share the same views!

OP posts: