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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to have told this girl off today...

190 replies

ImABadGirl · 27/05/2013 23:29

was a lovely sunny day today so I went bike riding with my family, as we waited in the queue for an ice cream, this girl screams and flicks a bug off her shoulder (we're in a country park)

anyway after a couple of minutes she looks at the dragonfly that she flicked off and promptly stands on it.

I'm quite at this and tell her so, there were a lot of kids around. My mum said I shouldn't have had a go at her so WIBU?

OP posts:

limitedperiodonly · 28/05/2013 11:51

I deliberately trod on a mouse in the street once. It looked like it had been poisoned because it was lying on its side gasping feebly. There was a small crowd round it going 'Ahh!'

When I put it out of its misery they stared at me like I was a monster. No one said anything though. They must have thought I was too dangerous to tackle.

Another mouse-murder incident. One ran out from under my rabbit's cage and I happily pointed it out to my dad who was sweeping up. He swung the broom in an automatic windmill action and crushed it. His aim was quite impressive, actually.

My mum went berserk that he'd done it in front of me but he kept saying: 'Why? It's vermin.'

I wasn't upset at the time but I think the one action definitely led to the other and possibly I should seek counselling.

Sallystyle · 28/05/2013 11:56

Complexnumber... that is why I do not allow my cats outdoors.

peeriebear · 28/05/2013 12:32

It's a bit sad all these people saying "It's only an insect". People are so disconnected from the world around them. Insects are amazingly complex and efficient, like little machines. Then some numpty reduces it to a crushed smear on the floor just because it's intruded into their solipsistic little universe.
When our alien overlords return and start squashing us willy-nilly, because we are nothing but insects to them, you'll all feel like right twats. So there.

ICBINEG · 28/05/2013 12:44

the point about 'it's only an insect' is not that they aren't awesome in their own way but that they outnumber us thousands (possibly millions) to one. So if you killed a million insect then it might be a thing to worry about...but one is meh whatever.

ICBINEG · 28/05/2013 12:46

If the alien overlords ever crush us then we will not feel like twats...we will think well at least we had it our way for a while...

imagine if we let every animal, insect and plant have it's own fulfilled life (presumably eating vitamin cubes for the rest of our lives) and then the aliens pitch up and exterminate us.....then we would feel like twats.

BackOnlyBriefly · 28/05/2013 12:53

You know her friends laughed and she was embarrassed because she got the loon?

It's like on the bus when the loon sits next to you and starts telling you about her operation or what her budgie did in a past life.

xylem8 · 28/05/2013 12:54

peerie so what would you do if you have a wasps nest under your eaves or an ants nest in your garden?

CajaDeLaMemoria · 28/05/2013 13:01

This is a truly bizarre thread.

I'm severely insect phobic. It relates to being locked in a shed as a child. I've had four rounds of counselling, but it took nearly 8 months for me to go outside again.

If a dragonfly landed on me, I'd probably sob and pass out. I wouldn't be able to touch it to get it off me. If it was on the floor for two minutes and not moving away, I may well step on it. I can't think of why I would, but I can't say I definitely wouldn't.

I can handle tarantulas, snakes and reptiles. But not house spiders, earwigs, butterflies. They petrify me.

TheFallenNinja · 28/05/2013 13:06

"Told this girl off"

I try to imagine how I would react to being "told off" in my twenties by anyone. I'm afraid I would have stood my ground and invited you to bugger off and mind your business.

limitedperiodonly · 28/05/2013 13:23

Some insects are more equal than others.

I'd find stamping on a dragonfly pretty mean. Someone mentioned a butterfly and I think people would think killing a ladybird or a bumblebee was heartless too.

I watched a documentary about a termite colony. They fought to the last soldier against some invading ants to save their little termite babies. The ants won in the end. It was very moving, I tell you.

It took me a while to realise that the camera crew had introduced the ants. Bastards.

xylem8 · 28/05/2013 13:29

You were very lucky she was polite enough not to give you a mouthful back!
You really have to learn to mind your own business!

GerundTheBehemoth · 28/05/2013 13:36

Newly emerged dragonflies are feeble and clueless. It takes them a few hours to become strong flyers, before that they are quite liable to crashland on the ground or blunder into people. This one unfortunately blundered into the wrong person... if it'd landed on me I'd have taken loads of photos of it before leaving it somewhere safe from stampy feet.

I haven't seen any dragonflies yet this year, just a few damselflies. It's too early in the season for most species.

morethanpotatoprints · 28/05/2013 14:55

TheFallenNinja

If she had been in the area I live, she'd have got a slap.
Violent women live round here, and wouldn't take too kindly to a jumped up telling them off.
I don't mean the OP is jumped up, just how it would have been perceived here. Very brave OP for standing up for what she believes though.
I still would have stamped on it myself too.

C999875 · 28/05/2013 15:02

No Y.N.B.U. I hate to see any creatures getting killed and especially infront of children. That dragon fly had as much right to live as she did. I second what Hidden home said. xx

LineRunner · 28/05/2013 15:06

As the sort of person who sees a spider and immediately builds it a small, comfortable habitat with a moss roof, I think that stamping on a dragonfly or damselfly in a country park is a pretty poor show.

TheBigJessie · 28/05/2013 15:09

Such people take a perverse pride in their over reactions
This. Can not stand deliberate Performance/Ostentatious "fear".

CrabbyBigBottom · 28/05/2013 15:13

Only read to page 3 because all the comment from twats were annoying me.

YANBU. I'd have done the same.

TheBigJessie · 28/05/2013 15:19

I do not believe this woman was actually phobic in any way. It just does not ring true. I have severe arachnophobia. (I don't kill spiders, we evict them.)

Evicting spiders or killing them are of similar difficulty tbh, because it entails getting nearer to the damned things instead of following my instinctual reaction to Get The Fuck Away From It.

If a spider lands on me outside, and I get it off me, I will not be approaching it to stamp on it. I will be keeping Well Away. Just like every other phobic I have ever met.

BackOnlyBriefly · 28/05/2013 15:49

That dragon fly had as much right to live as she did

That reminded me of that poster who was finally banned for saying that she'd put her dog before a baby.

I hope no one is on antibiotics just now. I can't bear to think of all those little viruses dying. Next time I see someone using synex I'm going to call the police.

stepawayfromthescreen · 28/05/2013 16:16

comments from twats?!
Lol, perhaps get something more important to campaign about than insect rights.

JakeBullet · 28/05/2013 16:18

YANBU, deliberate destruction of anything for no good reason is just wrong.

stepawayfromthescreen · 28/05/2013 16:27

well make sure you don't deliberately kill any headlice if you've got kids and they get an infestation jake, god forbid the poor headlice should be wilfully murdered.

Sallyingforth · 28/05/2013 16:37

Some ridiculous postings here.
Of course it's necessary to kill vermin.
But dragonflies are beautiful, graceful creatures and hurt no-one. To kill one unthinkingly is the act of someone who is mean-spirited and selfish.

ICBINEG · 28/05/2013 16:46

sally did you miss the part about how dragonflies do hurt lots of people with phobias?

Do no harm my arse.

Jan49 · 28/05/2013 16:48

I'm vegetarian but I confess I'm more bothered by you referring to an adult female as a "girl" than by her killing the dragonfly. I think you should have minded your own business and as punishment I think you should write 100 lines of "adult women are not girls".

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