What's the most ridiculous thing anyone has said to you?

[chimamandafan]

I occasionally volunteer at a local community centre. It's managed by a woman who tells anyone who cares to listen that she has a medical condition that means she can't eat. She looks well-nourished but I've always been too polite to ask her questions about her condition.

I volunteered at an afternoon event today. I get the seniors to their seats and make pots of tea. Cake was served. The woman who never eats was standing there eating cake.

'Look at you, eating cake! Are you better?' I said. 'Oh,' she said, 'you know me, you know I can't eat because of my medical condition.' 'But you're eating...' She walked off and is apparently really pissed off with me. Apparently I'm rude.

There are some real weirdos around, aren't there?

I am from South Africa, and did a bit of travelling.

I am not sure why it was always the Americans that asked the same vein of questions:

Them: where are you from?
Me: SA
Them: Do you have a pet lion (or, insert any big 5 animal)

I was on a bus and was singing along to the song that was playing. Man (who previously asked where I'm from) asks me how I know the song. I say it's been out a while so just know it. He then says, yes but how do you know pop songs, do you guys have radios?

He honestly thought we lived in a hut with our big 5 pets roaming free around our gardens, with no electricity or water.

Sadly it wasn't just one or two people either. It is quite alarming how many people don't know that there are cities in Africa.

@Zimunya that's just reminded me of someone I used to work with who asked to go part time on her return from mat leave, which was agreed. However she was absolutely furious that also meant her salary would be reduced accordingly and argued that it was wrong and unfair - she wanted the full time salary for part time hours. She complained to the head of HR in the end, they must have got a right giggle out of that one. She was an accountant!!!

@ShelfObsessed I have the same with schools. ExH couldn't physically understand why School A is the catchment school in our town but School B is closer because B is in the next town.

I knew someone who had a feeding tube through her stomach called PEG. They had a disability and couldn’t eat much normally. But they could eat small amounts of food that they liked.

This made me gasp in horror - what a horrendously insensitive thing for someone to say to you.

I'm so, so sorry for your loss.

Someone on here once told me bring my kids up bilingual was showing off. Sorry, but my kids need to be able to speak to me AND their father, I'm funny like that 🙄

LOL.

As a parent of 3 thats utter bullshit... my 3 do not play together, they occasionally fight together but have NEVER really played together.

Siblings are like any other children, they don't automatically want to play together especially not with kid of different ages, tastes and genders.

My 14 year old would not CHOOSE to play with a 2 year old and 5 year old. My 5 year old is a proper 'lad' swinging off things pretending hes a superhero and he does not want to play 'dollies' with a 'baby' who can't even talk properly yet so he doesn't understand. Being siblings does not change that.

I have had them at Forrest school today and spent the whole day feeling like im herding chickens because non want to be doing the same thing in the same area at the same time.

I rarely ever played with my brother either. We too where different ages, sexes and had little in common.

DH and his brother where actually close but that because they are both boys born within a year and share a lot of similar tastes.

Oh I love that one!😍

It depends on their personalities I think. DDs are four school years apart but always played together, and hang out together now at age 18 and 14. They are very different but their personalities compliment one another. Of course they have arguments, at the moment about borrowing clothes or makeup without asking, but they generally get on.

Spanne · Yesterday 19:45

You look like Madonna.

Were you parading round in your knickers and a corset, after $1,000,000 of Botox?

😃

How did you know she had a PEG? Did she tell you about it?

A few years ago someone compared my child going through cancer treatment to their dog dying 🙄

I mean I love my cat and would be gutted if there was something wrong with her but it’s hardly comparable!

I remembered another one!

When getting quotes for a new kitchen one of the sales agents explained bifolding doors 'like pleats in a skirt' along with hand gestures. I have 2 degrees and an MA. We went with another company!

"You shouldn't stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves" 🙄

I didn't think I had one but this just reminded me of my supermarket delivery driver a few weeks ago. He said, when I picked up the 10kg bag of basmati rice out of the box, that he had to check the docket several times just in case it was wrong as it's normally only Asian people who buy this stuff, that and bottles of soy! I am a middle aged white woman.

The way art is going I'd say 70% AI and or computer aided designed and enhanced art and 30% traditional art.

I remember a thread on here years ago from a young woman (about 22 I think) who had recently lost her mother. When she’d gone back to work, an older colleague had told her she knew exactly how she felt because her cat had died.

Most posters responded sensibly, but there was a depressing minority that said things like “Awwh, she’s trying to be nice and say she understands; if she’s older and lives alone she might be really lonely without her cat, maybe it was as bad for her as you losing your mom was for you”. Seriously?! Even if you’re daft enough to believe that, have more tact than to actually SAY it.

I moved to a big city in my 20s and had a colleague in early 20s, a city girl who had never been beyond her own postcode and had no shame in her ignorance. First she asked me a lot of questions about my big move from the country, calling me the 'country girl' etc. I explained I had just moved from another city so it wasn't a big change for me and also I'm from a county town just off a national road and not too far from a smaller city. I grew up in the town and although there was a bit of small town attitude I didn't know much about rural life as such. Despite this she constantly made reference to tractors etc but asked me the following questions at various times despite me repeatedly explaining where I was from:

1. Do you know blah blah from x town? A town 100s of km away in another county, and when I said no, why, she replied 'I thought you all know each other in the country'
2. during a severe storm when we were told go be extra cautious on country roads - 'are your parents able to get home OK'. I said yes they live just off an overpass so it's not a country road to which she replied 'but it's still in the country?!'
3. when I said I was into a particular popular singer 'but I thought people from the country only listen to country music'

When I returned to work after maternity leave, a colleague (who had worked with me for years) began telling me about her gall stones. "Oh Hollie, you'd not believe the pain I was in, it was worse than childbirth. Oh, sorry, you wouldn't know about that"

I pointed out that I did in fact know as my (vaginally born) DD was then 6 months old and she (colleague) had actually written in the birth congratulation card.

Colleague looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked "are you sure? A baby?"

Um, I'm pretty sure as I was there at the time... 🤦🏻‍♀️

She actually went and asked someone else too! Then came back and said "I'd never have guessed that you'd have had a baby, you're just not the type!"

Thanks. 😳

You absolutely CAN have a blood test that tells you what you're allergic to. It's called molecular allergology. It identifies the specific protein(s) you are allergic to. Some proteins are heat-sensitive and some are not, which explains why some people can be allergic to (say) raw apples but not cooked ones.

There are genetic disorders that manifest in later life (I have one)

Ah ok. Perhaps not such a daft comment then. I suppose it seemed ridiculous as to me genetic means the condition has been hardwired into your genetic material at some stage before birth.

A "friend" telling me I looked like mutton dressed as lamb in my new jeans. I was only 24!

A cousin's then-husband, on hearing I was walking part of a long trail for a week, said seriously "Why would you bother when you can drive it in a day?"

A customer calling me "dozy and complacent" because I worked in a bookshop. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Flying to the Isle of Wight in my dad's light aircraft from mainland England and my friend 'reminded' me to take my passport.

Similar to PP. We d just had a bank holiday weekend. Colleague said he'd love to just work 4 days a week every week. I said I was moving to a 4 day contract next month (80%). He couldn't believe it was possible and got really excited. I said yeah, it just impacts your salary. He was really shocked to learn I'd only be earning 80% of my salary. He was a high flying worker with a masters....

At university in halls of residence we were told there was a blood donation day going on in town so we went down to give blood. One girl who lived on the same floor as us said she’d go later. We went, gave blood and came back to halls.

The girl who went later arrived back dramatically after a few hours. Apparently, she’d been to give blood, had fainted when walking back through town and been taken to A&E where she was given a blood transfusion as her blood levels were low!! She was massively attention seeking but this was just ridiculous!!