To find these "jokes" pathetic?

[comfortmonitor]

Lost in the hospital trying to find a ward so i asked a man who worked there

me - excuse me do you know which way ward 40 is?

him - you've got the wrong hospital that's not here

me - ..... erm

him - HA! i'm only joking! this way..

Another example on my first day at a new job in a shop. Window cleaner comes in and asks to be paid.
I ask how much?
£25.
I go to ask manager and get another big laugh at how funny a joke he made and it's really £2

Wtf? It's only ever men that have done this to me and I really can't imagine them doing it to another man. Is it a power thing? It drives me mad!

Some men think they are fucking hilarious, and think their inane, sarcastic 'jokes' are funny. They're not.

My ex used make stupid 'jokes' and try and pull pranks. And he was sarcastic sometimes. Like I would say 'is that rain out there?' and instead of saying 'yeah it's just started...' he would say 'no it's someone sprinkling water from the roof with the watering can.' Just really stupid, inane, unfunny responses.

But woe betide I gave HIM a rude and sarcastic response to something. He went off on one, and sulked for HOURS. It was OK for him to be a sarcastic cunt though.

Glad I binned that fucker.

It's definitely a man thing. It drives me mad cos women are socialised to be polite and accepting and men take advantage of it to be funny. They have more respect for other men so don't do it.

My sister is married to a hilarious prankster. He is unbearable (to most people except his wife). Every conversation is a joke. You never know when to take him seriously, if ever, and laughing is tiresome.

@Conciseandnice

Men who are like this REALLY fuck me off. They are incredibly tiresome, and everyone hates them!

@kimanda I know right? It's exhausting and you just switch off. It's so hard to even look interested or amused. Luckily I only ever see my BiL at funerals so it (thankfully thus far) is not that often.

They're trying to make you look like an idiot. They succeed in making themselves look like arseholes.

Very true @concise and @terry!

Makes me do a full body cringe. So very Chuckle Brother.

It's pathetic and awful.

I'm adopted. Many years ago I had to go to the Family Records Centre in Islington for an appointment with an adoption counsellor/social worker to talk me through my adoption records. I had received a letter from her confirming the date and time. DP came with me and when we arrived at reception there was a male receptionist/security guy. At the same time we arrived there was another couple of a similar age to us.

I stated who I was and who I had an appointment with. The receptionist/security guy said "she's not in today". I was flummoxed and produced the letter confirming my appointment. In the meantime the other couple were looking worried. The woman said "but we've come all the way down from Manchester (or wherever) for a meeting with the same lady". The poor woman looked as though she was about to burst into tears. I wasn't feeling too good about it either, even though I live in London.

Eventually receptionist/security guy said "only joking, yes she's here".

I think both me and the other woman were so relieved, we didn't do anything. This was a long time ago. These days I would have reported that guy ASAP.

I have a family member like this and I try to avoid being in his company for long periods of time because it gets so infuriating. He repeats the same 'hilarious' jokes all the time and they're not even funny the first time. Sometimes, if I can be bothered, I take what he says literally and then pretend I don't understand when he tries to explain it was a joke. He finds it really frustrating, but not enough to stop doing it. He probably thinks I don't have a sense of humour as these people always think they're an absolute riot.

I was actually thinking of starting a thread on this exact thing a few weeks ago. But I was struggling to put it into words. I hate it.

Agree with all posters. It's not funny and it is 100% about men making women feel inferior. A few of my dad's friends used to do this to me whe I was young and I would give them a look, they would say something about teenagers being grumpy

Yes, I have never encountered a woman behaving like this.

Also I notice that men tend to do this if a woman is alone. I have been in situations when some guy has tried to start with this kind of behaviour and if you're in a big store or something, when your companion might have split off from you, as soon as they reappear, the stupid comments stop.

the fact that someone would make those comments in a hospital or adoption centre is appalling. I think they get off on making people feel awkward generally, but they target women more because they think women won't have a go at them.

I met one of these tossers at an appointment with the bank last year. He invited me into his office but did not indicate which chair I should sit in so I pointed to one and said, "Shall I sit here?" and he said, "Yeah go ahead". I sat down, he sat down opposite, stared at me and then said, "No only joking, that's my seat!" and jumped back up again! I was annoyed/bewildered but he clearly thought he was the funniest thing ever. It was so incredibly unprofessional - why would you try to wrong-foot a customer like that?

Actually this thread has given me the confidence. Next time a man does this to me I am going to say "you know women don't find these jokes funny at all don't you", I don't care if it's inappropriate as they are the ones being inappropriate in the first place.

My XH used to do this - really really tiresome. He'd say something that wasn't true, or answer a question incorrectly for a laugh and to get a reaction. It's not joking, it's lying, aka talking shit. He used to snigger like Muttley when he confessed to it being 'a joke'. (The sniggering used to make me feel murderous)

Thanks for this thread OP - I always feel good when I remember what a tool my X was and how much I enjoy not having to listen to his endless bollocksing

I know just what you mean. I remember when I was a kid jokey dads used to do it. Also suffered it as a young woman but since reaching middle age I think it's stopped. I must have an 'I don't tolerate fools' face. It's one of the joys of being over 40. Liberating.

If I phone my sister's house and say "Hi, is M* in?" BIL will answer "Yes she is." Followed by long silence .

That's tedious enough, but the above examples, when in a sensitive situation like hospital visiting or adoption counselling, are really appalling.

highlandcoo, it did make me wonder, some time later, how many middle-aged adoptees he'd pulled that stunt on.

I had appointment for an MOT and men were sitting outside drinking coffee. I went over to them and said I had an MOT and they told me 'we don't work here, we're working on that roof across the road'! And yes, I was on my own as prev post points out is often the case!
They were 'joking' - wouldn't say it to a man because they'd get decked! It seems they get away with it and their opinion of women stays the same - that we're all little idiots!!

It beggars belief that someone would deliberately do this in an adoption centre or hospital, where someone who's lost or clearly unfamiliar with the place is likely to be in a very emotional state anyway- perhaps going over childhood trauma, or visiting a dying loved one, or having tests for a life-threatening illness. But 'jokes' like this often seem to be intended to humiliate or intimidate women.

I'm so glad it's not just me!

@BoredOnMatLeave I think that's a great idea. If we all start saying how embarrassing it is for them hopefully it'll put them off doing it again.

When I was younger I would fake a laugh but recently I've started giving them a funny look. I've then been told to lighten up or a comment about smiling more. It's infuriating.

I was at the bus depot and asked t the office which was the quickest bus to get to the hospital (visiting a really ill relative and feeling very anxious about it) and the bloke said 'which ever one you jump in front of' and all the blokes around laughed hysterically. Then as I didn't laugh he said 'cos we'll call an ambulance' and sort of nodded and grinned as if he were helping me get the joke.

You're right, Inertia. Although it was odd that both me and the other woman had our male OHs with us. I wonder how much awful he could have been if we'd both been there without them?