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AIBU?

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Original poster

Boss called me an elephant at work

129 replies

feeIingaggrieved · 29/03/2025 21:12

My boss made a comment at work today and I can’t work out if I’m overreacting.

We were having a fairly normal conversation when, out of nowhere, he called me an elephant. I must have looked a bit taken aback because he quickly tried to laugh it off and said something along the lines of, “Oh, but elephants are the most intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom, they’re emotionally intelligent etc.”

A colleague who was there quickly changed the subject, and I just sort of let it go in the moment.

But the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel. I’m struggling to see how comparing me to an elephant in front of colleagues is appropriate.

AIBU to be annoyed by this?

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
rainbowstardrops · 02/04/2025 09:35

What a pointless post! Seriously, what is the point? 😡

Poorandbrilliant · 02/04/2025 09:06

It was a compliment
An elephant is the most caring, organising and maternal creature, keeping the herd together and caring for individuals wellbeing due to their high emotional intelligence nothing to do with size. Sorry you didn't know that

bubbariley · 31/03/2025 14:55

My boss used to call some people 'pachyderms', informing them that this means 'thick skinned' (like elephants and rhino's.) It's a compliment.

MagpiePi · 31/03/2025 09:40

HappiestSleeping · 30/03/2025 06:10

No, but painting the underside of my feet yellow enables me to hide upside down in bowls of custard.

Show quote history

“But I’ve never seen an elephant in a bowl of custard”
”Just shows you how good the disguise is!”

Laundereddelrey · 31/03/2025 09:25

Were you in the room or outside of the room when he said it.

Bambiwithlonglegs · 31/03/2025 09:20

It’s depends! Elephants have great memories but if you you’re overweight he was referring to that!

autisticbookworm · 31/03/2025 04:14

If. He said you are the size of an elephant that’s offensive. If he was referring to your memory it’s a clumsy compliment. If he randomly said it then he’s weird.

OnTheBoardwalk · 30/03/2025 23:32

I remember my grandma telling me grandad shouted 'here is your song' as Nellie the elephant was n the radio. Now I’m absolutely sure there was no violence involved but there might have been a bit of shouting

GingerEden · 30/03/2025 22:37

To amuse us all while we wait for OP to return (if ever?), here's the infamous Blue Peter elephant causing havoc. 😆

As mentioned by several PPs.

FeetLikeFlippers · 30/03/2025 21:56

24 hours and five pages of comments later, we are still waiting for context…. I’m actually starting to wonder if the people who run MN just post random fake stuff to get extra traffic.

TroysMammy · 30/03/2025 21:55

Are you always shovelling sticky buns in your gob?

TheTwinklyPoster · 30/03/2025 21:36

Pointless post, if your not giving us context!

Bowies · 30/03/2025 20:47

Usually in a work context this would be a standard compliment regarding your good memory/knowledge base, which it sounds like it was?

BoldAmberDuck · 30/03/2025 20:02

Absolutely useless post as there is no update at all. Waste of time everyone replying!!

B1indEye · 30/03/2025 18:25

Clearly he didn't mean that @feeIingaggrieved has the memory of an elephant as she's forgotten to come back and explain 😂

Tonkie18 · 30/03/2025 18:23

I call my daughter an elephant (she’s tiny) purely due to the noise she makes coming down the stairs. There’s no need! Were you being noisy at the time?

CommonAsMucklowe · 30/03/2025 18:20

And no further info from OP. Context is everything here.

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 30/03/2025 12:28

It depends whether you are called Eleanor - because Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Marchingintoapril · 30/03/2025 12:19

TorroFerney · 30/03/2025 07:06

Have you never heard it in the context of memory ? Which is I assume of course what he meant if they were having a conversation but also assume the op wanted us all to infer from the lack of information that he was referring to her being overweight.

Show quote history

Oh yes of course. That completely slipped my mind. I wish my perimenopausal memory was as good as an elephant's. 🫣😂

Deathinparadisefan · 30/03/2025 11:39

Is it because your ears are always flapping?

howshouldibehave · 30/03/2025 11:25

Just for giving no context at all, YABU.

Oioisavaloy27 · 30/03/2025 11:24

It depends on the context as it's a well known fact elephants never forget.

Hysterectomynext · 30/03/2025 11:05

Do you have canckels?

TheWeeDonkeyFella · 30/03/2025 10:29

As the OP appears to have forgotten making a thread I think we can assume the manager wasn't referring to her stellar memory! 🐘

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 30/03/2025 10:01

The situation appears to be a large grey area - did he mean you are good at staying on tusk?