To not care about people I have never met!

[topcat2014]

Now, for context, I am not talking about people in the news. And I would never wish ill health or bad luck on anyone.

However, DW likes to give me a run down of all the people she has dealings with each day - none of whom I have met. Thus, I can't visualise any of them or keep track of their stories.

Thus, I come up as disinterested - which is kind of true - but the reality is I just hear it like Charlie Brown's teacher "wah, wah, wah".

I think it is that I find it hard to follow the conversation when I have no idea of the people. A bit like I struggle to follow the Archers.

I feel your pain! My OH does this. Recants his work day using nicknames so you'll get 'Beefy and Tiny had a right row and Big Bird had to step in' we normally have good conversations so I'm happy with him but FFS shut up about work!!!

Yeah mil does this constantly and I have no clue who any of the people are. She spends any time wesee her talking about folk constantly that we’ve never met. She tells us over and over the same thing, possibly because we don’t respond due to having no fucking clue who Muriel,Sheila etc are!

My (lovely) MIL does this.

It's really hard to keep track because she'll talk about Chris or Barbara and I won't know if she's talking about work or something else.

She talks about people as if I know them, too. And never explains anything in context!

I can just about keep track but it bugs the hell out of my DH - maybe it annoys him more because it's his mum?!

MIL does this and sometimes it's not even about present day people but someone she lived near 50 years ago. Wrecks my head.
Thing is DH is starting to go the same way. Rattling on about people at work that I've never met and couldn't care less about.

My mother does this. I tried playing her at her own game recently and told her an acecdote about my neighbour’s grandchild and was met with stunned silence.

My mum does this about people who have died who I have absolutely no knowledge of whatsoever.

AFPH123 but surely you remember Gary? Gary, you know, he was at school with you. Well perhaps it was your brother. Anyway, Gary's ex Barbara, her cousin was the hairdresser, the one that did Louise's perm that time, well she had a baby to that guy from the garage, you know him, the one with the nose, his brother used to go to Joe's with our Karen, well his uncle Bob''s neighbour's dad died.

Garthfunkel - are you my Mummy?

I think people who do this must be a bit dim. My mother does it. I don't care about Mabel's brother's dog. When I was a child she would go on and on about a whole lot of people she worked with. I knew their names and everything about them but I never met one of them.

My parents do something similar but not quite the same - they’ll go on and on about people I was at primary school or nursery with, but haven’t seen since.

‘I bumped into Priscilla Stone the other day - you were in reception with her daughter, Pippa? Do you remember? No? Well Pippa’s had a baby boy called Alfie. 6lbs 8 he was. Priscilla said Pippa had to have a c-section because she has Crohn’s Disease, which doesn’t surprise me because I always thought she looked like a sickly child actually.’

I don’t care! I haven’t seen Pippa in 25 years!

My mum loves to do this. And she's all "you know them, they live here, and drive a red car" etc etc. I don't have a bloody clue who she's talking about half the time

I completely understand. My mum does this to me all the time. Tales of woe about people I've never met. Of course you wish no ill will, but you don't exactly have an emotional investment in people you don't know.

Ugh my colleague does this. I know so much about her friends and extended family and I really couldn't give a shit. I often wonder if these people are aware an entire office of strangers know all their business.

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

Oh, I have a friend that does this and it sends me batty. Through a hobby I met one of her ex colleagues; and I already knew all about the poor woman’s bad luck with men and the fact she had a boob job.

My mother does this, exactly what garthfunkel has written really. Drives me up the fucking wall. Yes I went to that sports club you are a member of but I haven't been for 10+ years so no, I don't know Bob and Ray who joined 6 years ago and I don't care about what health issues they have or their divorces.
The worst bout its that she often interrupts an actual conversation to tell us this shit because she can't stand to not be talking.

My mil does this. "Don't tell anyone, but Steph is pregnant again!"

WHO would I tell?! I don't bloody know who she is!

My mum does this a bit.
Her entire works revolves around the coffee shop she uses. They're like this weird community who only know each other from going there.
She is constantly updating me on certain people she bumped into.
I have no idea who they are and also don't give a flying pig.
But then with people I remember or know, she overexplains how she knows them/ I might know them.
Now, the latest is that a girl who went to my old primary school who I don't even remember what she looked like, lives a few houses round the corner from where we've moved to, she has a baby, blah.... I said to her, mum I didn't ever speak to her before, I never knew her, don't remember what she looks like so I don't know why you're telling me.
She likes to talk, that cafe is her world, my dad has no friends and doesn't go out much and isn't the greatest company. I'm glad she has her people. But I don't want them 😁

I get this too. And when I point out I don’t know Pete, and have no idea who his cousin is, am greeted with an astounded “of course you know Pete! Pete with the hair!” Still none the wiser.

My neighbour does this.
Every.single.day..

My OH also likes to come home and tell me stories about work. Two of the people he works with have a similar-ish sounding name and because I’ve never met them (and don’t particularly care a shit about them) I just can’t get my head around who is who.

Is it not an age thing? Anyone I interact with who does it is much older & generally retired & bored.

God, this does my head in. You are not unreasonable at all. I check out of such conversations. Even stopped saying yes or no at the appropriate times. Usually, these people talk at you and not to you anyway.

Stolen from Still Game-
"Him that had the gastric band that snapped at the trampoline park....."