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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think he wouldn't have said this to a man?

66 replies

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:12

A bit of back story about my crappy weekend which is kind of relevant to my AIBU...

DS (18 months) broke his elbow on Friday at soft play (he was standing on a little foam hump and fell off and landed his full body weight onto his arm Sad). It's been a crap weekend of being in hospital, x-rays, and a baby in lots of pain. Today we were waiting to hear from the surgeon to see if DS would need surgery. We were told we'd be called at some point this afternoon.

We'd booked DD (6) on a Greatest Showman musical workshop for today. Dropped her off this morning and there'd be a 5 minute performance at 3pm. DH took the afternoon off work to see it.

We didn't know if we'd both make it because one of us needed to stay at home to hear from the surgeon (we live rurally and don't get mobile signal so our contact number is our landline). Luckily he rang at 2.30pm to say that he's confident DS doesn't need surgery and his elbow will heal without it (yay!). So, we technically had enough time to both make it - but half way there there was an accident and traffic backed up. It meant that, to make it for 3pm, I just got out the car down the road on my own and legged it into the venue. There just wasn't enough time for DH to park up, get DS out etc.

When I got to the room where the performance was happening, parents had to stand against the back wall. I spotted a gap big enough for me, next to a bloke who was about 6ft (I'm 5'6) so squeezed into it.

Just as the performance finished, and everyone was applauding I heard the bloke behind me shout "Thank you so much" but didn't hear the rest of it because of the noise. I assumed he was thanking the performers. Then when the clapping died down he shouted (repeated) "Thank you so much for standing in my way the whole time so I couldn't see a thing". I realised he was talking to me so turned round and said "excuse me?" And he repeated himself (again shouting). I snapped "you should have said something rather than waiting until it was over and shouting at me". He looked a bit taken aback, I expect it's because I look meek. I was standing slightly in front and to the side of him (so not shoulder to shoulder) I don't see how he couldn't have seen. If he'd said something, I'd have crouched down to watch it. He only had to ask.

I was mortified, I started a job 2 weeks ago and a colleague was nearby, and I'm sure everyone heard (my DD certainly did as she asked afterwards who the man was who shouted at me). I've come away pleased that I didn't just say "oh sorry" (once upon a time I would have) but also furious. Probably hasn't helped that my weekend has been crap with my poor little DS, or that I felt bad DH missed the performance, but i am now incandescent with rage - because he would not have said that to a man, would he? If my (well built) DH had gone in and not me, he'd have kept schtum. I get so sick of putting up with this bollocks because people think women can't/won't fight back.

OP posts:
GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 06/08/2018 16:14

That was a lot of backstory Grin

delphguelph · 06/08/2018 16:15

Too true.

He would not have said it to a guy.

NewYearNewMe18 · 06/08/2018 16:18

Massive projection about gender there, if he said "Look you dozy moo, your fat arse was in my way" you might have point.

Mind you he's rather passive aggressive for a bloke.

comedycentral · 06/08/2018 16:18

I think the backstory counts otherwise readers would have a go at the OP for being late or drip feeding.

I think you were right, if he really couldn't see he should have spoken up. It sounds like he was just being a jerk.

I hope your little one is OK xx

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:18

Sorry Georgie Grin I did press post and think "well fuck at least I didn't drip feed" 😂 I'm trying to explain my stress and lateness!

OP posts:
araiwa · 06/08/2018 16:20

Tldr- i arrived late to a show and blocked the view of someone already there by standing in front of them. The person made a sarcastic comment about my blocking

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:20

NeeYear it's a projection about gender because men tend to pick on women rather than men because we are seen as weaker/meek/inferior.

And I think it was the right levels of passive aggressive for a man

OP posts:
funinthesun18 · 06/08/2018 16:20

It’s like when people kick off with noisy toddlers/their mum on the bus but don’t have the balls to kick off with a group of noisy teenagers on the bus. Cowards basically.

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:21

Good to see the usual MN misogynists making an appearance. Wouldn't be the same without you 👍🏽

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Iknowwhoyouare123 · 06/08/2018 16:22

My experience is that an awful lot of these men would also say that to another man.

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:23

Tldr- i arrived late to a show and blocked the view of someone already there by standing in front of them. The person made a sarcastic comment about my blocking

Fixed that :

TL:DR - I arrived late to a show, found a space next to someone much taller than me who waited until the end before shouting at me three times, rather than saying something quietly when I was actually (apparently) in his way.

OP posts:
PodgeBod · 06/08/2018 16:23

Yeah but if he asked you to move at the beginning he wouldn't get to feel so hard done by, would he? Hate people like that. Well done on not automatically apologising.

TheCakeCrusader · 06/08/2018 16:25

The guy was being a prat and as you mentioned, all he had to do was just ask if you could move a bit should you have actually been blocking his view.

He might not have said it to another man but some people are quite argumentive over the most minor issues so who knows?

You did well to call him out, maybe he’s not used to others answering him back when he has a strop in public!

TiredPony · 06/08/2018 16:25

How were you in his way if he was so much taller than you? I agree OP, he probably wouldn't have.

EmilyDickinson · 06/08/2018 16:29

You poor thing. I'm sorry you've had such a stressful time.

You are absolutely right. He wouldn't have said it to a man. And anyway if he was 6ft and you're 5ft 6 of course he could see. He was just making a fuss. He might have been frustrated that you stood in front of him because you arrived later but you could hardly have stood behind him and it hasn't really made any difference to him.

If it helps it really bugs me too when men do this. I particularly get it when I'm driving. Men shout at me when they overtake (when I'm doing the speed limit), when they get impatient when I wait for a gap in traffic (when they are too far back to see if it's clear), for not giving way to them when it's my right of way (e.g. Parked cars on their side of the road). I know they wouldn't do it to a man because it doesn't happen when my husband is driving.

Men like the man at your DDs concert do it because they think they can get away with it, so well done for standing up for yourself.

BackforGood · 06/08/2018 16:30

You (or I, or anyone else on this thread) has any idea if he would say it to a man Confused.
Hate these mass generalisations about 1/2 the world's population.

Sounds like he was daft not to say something as you moved into his way (if you were), and the fact he didn't, suggests you weren't really in the way (as you suggest).

BananaToffo · 06/08/2018 16:32

*Good to see the usual MN misogynists making an appearance
*
Don't do that. People are allowed to disagree with you without automatically being "misogynists"? Do you even know what that word means?

As far as "he wouldn't say fhat to a man"....maybe he would. You know that men suffer significantly more stranger aggression & violence in public than women do? No, you probably don't know or even care - just want an excuse to shout the M word, right?

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:32

Exactly Tired, which is why I felt a bit relieved that I wasn't near someone shorter than me! If it was me being 'blocked' I'd just have said 'excuse me would you mind kneeling down/moving to the left/moving to the right a bit please" - and I'd have obliged if it was him saying that.

Unless it is me as a serial stand-in-front-of-er - last year I went to a standing only concert, fairly near the front so everyone was shoulder to shoulder, and the woman behind me said "excuse me but I can't see" Confused i think she expected me to press an eject button and shoot off into the air Grin

OP posts:
GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:34

Banana of course I know what it means Hmm and not taking exception to people disagreeing with me, I merely recognise the usual posters who come into these kinds of threads with an agenda because they believe men can do no wrong. I strongly suspect some are MRAs

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NicoAndTheNiners · 06/08/2018 16:35

Oh God I've just been having a similar conversation. Some random bloke in the street called me a fucking stuck up cunt for not smiling at him. No way would he have abused a bloke like this. I'd never noticed him, trotting along in my own bubble.

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:36

You know that men suffer significantly more stranger aggression & violence in public than women do? No, you probably don't know or even care - just want an excuse to shout the M word, right?

Because they get into fights with each other. Rather than pick on lone females. Men fight other men. Women are not the problem here.

OP posts:
Andtheresaw · 06/08/2018 16:38

Do you have big hair OP?
The whole episode is making me think of Hairspray :)

GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:39

You (or I, or anyone else on this thread) has any idea if he would say it to a man

Well, the point wasn't to come on and ask if anyone could tell me the actions of this specific man - it's to say that type of man usually has no trouble doing this to a woman, but I'm gonna take an educated guess that if, for example, my 6'4" bodybuilding male friend did this he'd not have said a word (despite the fact that said friend wouldn't hurt a fly and is the softest person I know).

OP posts:
GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:39

Do you have big hair OP?

Lol!

The opposite - it's as flat as a pancake 😩

OP posts:
GunpowderGelatine · 06/08/2018 16:40

Some random bloke in the street called me a fucking stuck up cunt for not smiling at him.

Shock

That's disgusting.
.

OP posts:
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