To think some people are just miserable for the sake of it?

Some people view the world through a grey lense. It's the opposite of rose tinted glasses. Whatever happens in their life, they only see the downside and feel personally victimised by mundane, less-than-perfect things occurring. It is exhausting and frustrating to witness.

I had to stop being friends with someone because I honestly couldn't tolerate her negativity and moaning anymore. She can choose to be eternally miserable for no reason at all, but I did not sign up for that!

I feel that some people think it's a quality to moan.

Oh tell me about it. Years ago I had a next door neighbour who was such a misery that I started actively avoiding her. All she ever did was moan and complain. I found it absolutely draining talking with her for even just 15 minutes. Nothing was ever to her liking. I get it that everyone has gripes now and again,but this was constant. Every time I saw her,the second she opened her mouth,I knew it would be to moan or complain about something. Thank goodness she moved out of the area after a few years.

Your line about your mum calling your partner of 3 years your friend reminded me of my late DM. She kept referring to my DD's fiance as her 'friend' even when they'd been engaged for nearly 3 years! It only stopped when they married after a 3 year engagement,and I think she finally resigned herself to the fact that he was now her husband!

I have deep contempt for professional complainers: the sort of person who stays in a nice Airbnb in a beautiful place and then in a review homes in on the fact that one piece of crockery was slightly chipped. Or who buys takeout food and then demands money off because it wasnt prepared exactly as they imagined it.

Or the person who visits a landmark in a beautiful city and can’t stop whinging about the temperature. Or fixates on some really trivial and incidental aspect of the visit not being exactly as they expected it (such as the car park being further away than they expected). I feel like shouting shut up and count your graces, you spoiled twats.

It’s a deep selfishness, a lack of imagination and just being spoiled.

Woah!!

I am relentlessly optimistic and positive about pretty much anything and everything in life…. And if anything - I just think “you poor sod” if I hear someone whinging about something utterly trivial.

You sound like you want to hunt them down and murder them. @Thepeopleversuswork !!

Fuckletoad is being adopted!

Reviews like that are useful; if they're resorting to desperate nitpicking, the thing being reviewed must be pretty decent

That trait emerged in 2020/21. For some, following the rules wasn't enough, the rules had to be followed with the "correct" attitude of solemnity, duty and martyrdom. Enjoying things within the rules was scorned upon as though enjoyment itself was going to spread illness.

Yeah sorry, I really dislike professional moaning. Anyone who lacks the imagination to understand that the world isn’t set up for them deserves contempt. And people who get a buzz out of complaining are intrinsically negative and manipulative.

They may be depressed or whatever but I just don’t want to be around them.

Indeed: when you get an Airbnb with 29 positive reviews and one person moaning about chipped cutlery or a loose handle on a drawer you just immediately discount it as the rantings of someone with too much time on their hands.

God it’s depressing reading so many of the posts on this page! So many people moaning about other people

I agree... it's their idea of being automatically superior, as they've noticed that somebody has done something badly; but if they had been given the chance to do it, they'd have done it perfectly.

Another thing that gets me is people who review things on Amazon and the like, and they knock stars off just for the sake of it. I get that something boring like an electrical extension lead or an Allen key set isn't going to usher unparalleled joy into your life; but when did the seller ever suggest that it would? Giving it 3 or 4 stars because "It worked as expected" is just being awkward for the sake of it.

There was an infamous one that still does the rounds on TwiX, where somebody reviewed a textbook with the words "Dr Lewis saved my life!" and gave it 4 stars. Dr Lewis himself saw the review and responded, lamenting how he had no idea just what he had to do to earn that fifth star!

@Contain4i worked for a while in an extremely wealthy private club and I was surrounded by the least happy people I've ever come across. They could eat anything they wanted anywhere any day. They were literally dripping in diamonds. I think its boredom and lack of purpose.

I was a travel agent for many years. In my experience many people complain because they think it makes them look sophisticated and well travelled.
Well it doesn't!

I have a family member like this, it is so draining. I have taken a big step back from communicating.

Exactly. I think a lot of people get some sort of kick from the sense of being “discerning customers” who don’t fall for being conned.

Up to a point this is reasonable: it’s good to have your eyes open and not to fall blindly for a sell. But taken to extreme it just sucks the joy out of everything.

This is mil. She was taken away for her big birthday and treated to loads of things and at the end or it announced she’d rather have gone for a pub Dinner.
now we’re on the next big birthday and have organised a pub dinner and she’s beefing that she’s not being taken on a cruise.

we just ignore it. It’s draining

Some people are naturally glass is half empty, some people are naturally glass is half full. If you’re one of life’s optimists then the glass half empty brigade are so draining.

I’d have found it so difficult not to say, “We took you away for the last one, spent a fortune and really made an afford and you said that you’d have preferred just to have a pub dinner so that’s what we’re doing this time - as you asked. Is there a problem?”

It’s how I’ve started dealing with my mum. Pointing out what she said last time, how I’m giving her exactly what she said she would have wanted and asking her to explain her actual problem. It usually results in some mumbling, looking around then complaining about anything that she can see to change the subject. But at least I know that she knows I’m onto her behaviour and it doesn’t fly - I won’t be apologising or organising something else last minute to try and please her.

Yes, that’s going to be my approach this time. I had started the conversation with her over a year ago about what she wanted to do and she wasn’t forthcoming. Mainly because she wanted us to come up with the ideas so she could criticise it. Nobody is playing this time.

That is so sad. I hope your partner makes you happy!

Taken to extremes, that seems to be the case for a lot of billionaires. You, your children, your grandchildren will never have to worry about money ever again and you can buy pretty much anything you could ever possibly want - you can even go on Rightmove and effectively 'add to basket' the same as normal people do if they find a few books or other everyday items they want on Amazon and they've just been paid... but what is the one thing that seems to cause them to obsess over all their waking hours?!