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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have scolded teenagers for not wearing mask and coughing?

77 replies

Iggypoppie · 20/09/2020 16:41

On the subway yesterday a group of young teenagers we sitting together opposite me. None with masks. One boy starts coughing and saying jokingly to other passengers "I've got covid".

I saw red and shouted at them saying it wasnt funny, they should be wearing masks and it was horrible how they were showing how they didn't give a shit about other people.

But now I feel bad! Maybe the teenagers were suffering these past few months and I shouldn't have acted like the covid police 😬

YANBU - I did the right thing giving them a piece of my mind
YABU - I should've ignored them they are only young

OP posts:
IndecentFeminist · 20/09/2020 16:43

Why shout at them straight off? You just make yourself look deranged.

Original poster
Iggypoppie · 20/09/2020 16:50

Yes that's what I realise now. I don't think I shouted particularly but I did feel angry when I spoke. It's probably a result of my own stress. I saw red :-(

OP posts:
Laaalaaaa · 20/09/2020 16:51

Maybe they’re all exempt? Obviously shouldn’t have joked about having Covid.

Hendalle · 20/09/2020 16:52

YABVVU for shouting!

DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult · 20/09/2020 16:53

I would have just moved I think, you could have put yourself in a dangerous situation, not worth it.

Macncheeseballs · 20/09/2020 16:53

Yes a woman who gets angry in public is 'deranged', how unlady like Hmm

midgebabe · 20/09/2020 16:53

Did you do it well enough to make them cower ?

If not, YWBU, it yes , YWNBU

IndecentFeminist · 20/09/2020 17:01

Nothing to do with being lady like or not, the poster could well be male Confused

There's a halfway house, you could have just spoke to them.

IndecentFeminist · 20/09/2020 17:02

spoken 🙄

LaMarschallin · 20/09/2020 17:07

You're VU for saying you yourself shouted.

The verb is conjugated irregularly on MN as:

I gently mentioned
You shouted
They screamed.

lagerandblack · 20/09/2020 17:09

It was none of your business but they could have at least covered their mouths when coughing. They are just teenagers though.

PhylisPrice · 20/09/2020 17:09

They did it for a response and they got one. I honestly wouldn't think to much about it. If anything it's hopefully taught them a lesson to not be so fucking stupid!

MajesticWhine · 20/09/2020 17:11

Of course it's your business. Don't worry about it.

LoveNote · 20/09/2020 17:15

would you have shouted at a bunch of men or women? no, course you wouldn't. you may have asked them, but see red and shout?

teenagers? fair game......if this even happened of course. you shouted at children then come on here for a pat on the back

RonObvious · 20/09/2020 17:18

Am surprised at the responses here. The boys were acting like dicks. Coughing on people whilst joking that they had COVID? Whilst people have lost family and livelihoods to it? Complete dickheads, and I think it’s good for them to learn that that kind of behaviour has consequences.

FudgeBrownie2019 · 20/09/2020 17:19

YABU to shout at anyone. You have no need and it was rude. Of course they shouldn't be joking about Covid and in an ideal world should have been wearing masks, but how would you possibly know if they had unseen conditions which exempts them?

You lose the moral high ground when you start yelling at strangers for not wearing masks.

RonObvious · 20/09/2020 17:19

Ha! Just realised I assumed they were all boys, when you only referred to them as teenagers. My bad.

MomToTwoBabas · 20/09/2020 17:25

You were rude OP. I see a group of woman looked about in their 40s none with masks I didn't scream at them. Poor kids. My son was 6ft at 12 years old hes also high functioning autism but does go out with his mates hes made silly comments like that when hes coughed you shouting at him would have put him on a right downer.

ShinyPie · 20/09/2020 17:28

@RonObvious

Am surprised at the responses here. The boys were acting like dicks. Coughing on people whilst joking that they had COVID? Whilst people have lost family and livelihoods to it? Complete dickheads, and I think it’s good for them to learn that that kind of behaviour has consequences.
This. It's not unreasonable to publicly challenge rude behaviour.
InFiveMins · 20/09/2020 17:29

YABU. They may have been exempt for all you know. Even if not, it isn't your job to police mask wearing. You should have minded your own business.

Newnamenewopenme · 20/09/2020 17:33

Good on you! It was your business because you were in a public place where you have every right to be. Maybe next time they will think about their behaviour!

sadpapercourtesan · 20/09/2020 17:34

YABVU. I despise people who feel entitled to throw their weight around with teenagers in a way they wouldn't dream of doing with adults.

You have no idea who is exempt from wearing a mask and why that may be. You have no idea of the state of mind of another person and the effect your unsolicited busybodying may have on them.

The boy coughing and joking about having Covid was being silly. He's a teenager, they do that. It would have irritated me a bit. Your deranged public outburst, however, was inappropriate on an entirely different level.

earthyfire · 20/09/2020 17:36

I would have just moved. It is not up to you to police people and I doubt you would have spoken to adults in the same way.

BlueJava · 20/09/2020 17:46

Personal I think you're over thinking it. They should have had their masks on.

Original poster
Iggypoppie · 20/09/2020 17:46

Sorry to sound a bit like a teenager myself but they boys were goading people.

And yes I probably would've spoken to adults if they didn't look criminally insane.

OP posts: