Am I a laughing stock?

[CovidHeadache]

I jokingly call my house “surname towers” so for example if my surname was Jackson, my house would be called Jackson Towers. I’ve called it this for years, it’s very very lighthearted as I’m sure everyone knows. We host a lot of social events and I use the name in invites for example “birthday party, Jackson towers”, “Strictly finale party, Jackson towers” etc
In Christmas/birthday cards “love from A, L and all at Jackson towers”

All my friends and family know I call the house this and some call it this name too either in replies or just in general.

Anyway, last night I’d popped to my mums and my sister was there, we were talking about taking the kids to a Halloween event tonight and I said “why don’t you bring them back to the towers afterward and we can have a little party?”

My sister then said “I’m sorry but can we stop with this towers bullshit, it’s so cringy”. I said “It’s a joke! And you’ve never complained before!” My mum then said “not to your face maybe”. They both started laughing and my sister then said “no I’m sorry, someone needs to say something, people have been ripping the piss out of you for years for it, just give it a rest now”.

so to cut a long story short, turns out almost my entire family have been slagging me off for it for years and my sister hinted that my friends have too.

When I got home I rang my friend and asked her if the towers name annoys her and she said “no course not” so I asked if she knew if it annoyed anyone else to which she hesitated and then said “not annoy as such”. She wouldn’t elaborate further.

Now I’m pretty thick skinned and can mostly laugh it off if I’ve been a dick but this time I’m a bit upset, I keep trying to tell myself I’m not bothered but I can’t stop thinking about it. Have I been a laughing stock for years? If so AIBU to think someone might have mentioned it before now?

miserable b@stards nowadays who have lost there sense of humour and are jealous of the few who still have theirs!

great, but the endless "joke" was never funny to start with and is not getting any funnier just because someone keeps banging on about it.

None of the friends has said anything or tried to stop the OP to be "funny", what else do you want.

I think you should say it more and have a plaque made for your front door and get monogrammed stationary with that as the address. I love it.

Also Team OP here, having lived a few years at "The Goth Mansion" which claimed its moniker because we were / are Goths and its official name of "The Cottage" didn't really fit.

It had been a Cottage, second home to Victorian gentry allegedly, and was more like a two bed detached, but by the time we got to rent it, it was cheap, dilapidated, planning permission had been granted for demolition, and it had a very dodgy extension tacked onto the side, and electrics that could only be described as "quirky".

I don't think it was even us who coined it, but it stuck and friends often remember happy times there, especially since DP died.

What strikes me about the OPs post is that as an annoyance, in the grand scheme of things, the people bitchily carping about it obviously aren't very pleasant, and it does come across as bullying. It's not harming anyone, and even when I find things irritating about people I love, I wouldn't dream of nit picking them, especially when it's nothing harmful in the least.

As for all the comments about people being try hard or up themselves, so what? If everyone was the same the world would be very boring. I think there are some people who would like nothing better than to submit to the Borg.

A little creativity, a little eccentricity will always find it's home and tribe x

To all at "Jackson Towers" - greetings from "Plan B", my current abode, and may tornados never strike your turrets!!

My FIL does this but he often says the correct word first then tracks back and repeats himself but with his wrong word in place. It’s so annoying. He’s not a child, he’s a grown man ffs.

I understand why people think the "joke" has worn thin. It's not original, so probably wasn't a side-splitter the first time OP used it. Over time it has gone from mildly funny, to not funny, to irritating.

A friend of mine, who in every other way is a kind and likeable person (but not a good comedian), has an annoying habit when travelling in a car.

When approaching a village, town, or county "welcome to" sign, he will announce in a pompous announcer kind of voice, "Here we are in sunny whatever the place is called". It wasn't even funny the first time and is often an unnecessary interruption in whatever conversation might be taking place.

It seems to be a verbal tick he just can't control though, because even he doesn't seem particularly amused by it.

It is really cringey.

But it's so tedious to have a not that funny anecdote repeated annually

I'd rather live with the tedium (it won't kill you) than hurt a friend's feelings about it.

None of the friends has ever said anything!

This made me laugh. OP, you sound lovely and your sister and mum have been a bit mean. Am sure you’re not a laughing stock. It seems as if your sister was trying to take you down a peg or two.

I wouldn't give a second thought :) towers...palace..castle.. who cares

Ok, it's tedious. But if it's once a year, and you love him, and he's a good person, is it worth hurting his feelings over it and suggesting everyone has been laughing at him behind his back for years about it?

Sorry, going out and buying a plaque, to sign post even harder that you want you home to be referred to as that, changes it from very cringy to a bit pathetic.

You have obviously been ramming it down people throats and not pulling it off as a "joke" and your sister has been the first to crack.

Gosh, aren't you a little fun sponge 🙄

To be fair, we don’ t yet know if OP bought the plaque or if she recieved it as a gift.

But mi casa has always been su casa!

how ungrateful! 🤣

She "cracked" and had stuff "rammed down her throat" over a sign OP had in her own home?

The issue though, is that op seems to lack self awareness and is unable to read the room. It isn’t ‘fun’ for the people around op who have to listen to it and have their Xmas cards and birthday cards signed off with this mention of ‘Towers’, so it’s obviously worn extremely thin to the point these people find it irritating and pathetic and have been slagging off taking the piss out of op for it for a long time. Yes it’s mean but I also see their point.
It’s not about not being a ‘fun sponge’, it’s about the op being worried that people are slagging her off.

Those that are telling op to carry on and ignore the haters…fair enough, that’s fine if you’re happy to be slagged off and have the piss ripped out of you and you aren’t bothered. But op obviously is bothered hence why there is a thread about it asking if she is a laughing stock.

When someone creates a thread on here asking for opinions, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. I don’t think it’s fair to say other posters are not fun when in reality they are just stating what the majority of people would think in this situation and what op’s family and friends are obviously thinking.

Also Team OP here, having lived a few years at "The Goth Mansion" which claimed its moniker because we were / are Goths and its official name of "The Cottage" didn't really fit.

I don't think it was even us who coined it, but it stuck and friends often remember happy times there, especially since DP died.

Again. Still not really the same.

I can't really explain it because I don't have a problem with people doing this sort of thing and we have plenty pf.alde up words etc there's just something in the way the OP.descrobed it that landed differently to other people who say they do similar.

Possibly the way they use it in verbal invitarions. It's a bit like when people refer to themselves in the third person. Or that they sound like they've forgotten its a joke and it's unnecessarily overused.

Whatever. It doesn't really matter but if everyone else who does similar has friends that go along with it and the OP's friends and family have become irritated by it, there's clearly.something about the way there doing it that is a bit irritating.

Goodness.

You know how things sometimes just become a figure of speech? A habit? Like giving your ordinary house a nickname?

That's all that has happened.

I am sure the OP isn't chortling 'Boom Tish' every time she uses the term 'towers'. or expecting people to find it funny or laugh or experience 'fun' every time she says it.

Let alone her family and people like you to get so worked up about an ordinary nickname for her house.

It's just a figure of speech.

Goodness!
Have you actually read what I’m saying??
It’s not about what op says. It’s more to do with having a lack of self awareness about the fact that others might find it irritating - to which in op’s case they obviously do. I think it’s gone way past a ‘figure of speech’ when it’s mentioned all the time in every day conversation and even on Xmas/ birthday cards and invites.
For strangers on MN to keep egging op on and telling her to carry on regardless when her close family and friends have all being slagging her off isn’t really fair. Because op has stated she’s quite upset by it. People have given their reasons why they would find it irritating and posted those reasons on this thread… which is what op wanted to know - if she’s seen as a laughing stock.

It’s something we do in our family - it’s just a bit of fun, Origami Acres et al. You aren’t harming anyone by doing it, at least it shows you have a sense of humour. Don’t let them rain on your parade.

I also doubt that her friends have been 'slagging her off for ages'.

It's probably no more than a minor expression of irritation but MN does like a bit of hyperbole.

Maybe read the op’s post where she has stated very clearly that her sister has said her family have been ripping the piss out of her for years.

thank you for clearing that up.