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?

I'd also say, there's a difference between people referencing your catch phrase and you being 'a laughing stock'. I had a boss who would often say "Come into my parlour....said the spider to the fly" when inviting you to his office for a meeting. Obviously we called his office 'the parlour' with heavy irony (and in his accent!) and his nickname was Spiderman. We really liked him but material like that is irresistible.

Didn’t Terry Wogan take the piss out of himself by referring to his house as “Wogan Towers”?

Mind you, the size of the bloody place, he could have got away with it!

I understand it's a joke and used ironically, but to do it constantly brings you into the territory of people who say "methinks" a lot and "m'lady" - bit Alan Partridge.

OP, it’s harmless calling your home X Towers but obviously makes you a little bit of a joke to family and friends.

If you were my friend I’d eye-roll and think “Here goes Hyacinth again…” I’d consider the house name to be your foible and not really think too much more.

In your shoes, you can either stop referring to your house as Towers or use it all the time to wind people up.

My MIL does this and i would never say anything as if comes from a good place but I do roll my eyes as I find it cringy. But I think that’s my problem and I find a lot of parent behaviour cringy. I would not make them feel bad about it though so I agree your sister is unkind

This is a bit Partridge!

The Jacksonmeister from Jackson Towers

Yes, me too. They sound mean-spirited.

I think the turning point was when it turned into a ‘thing’

I think using it all the time is what makes it less funny.

I think it's really odd to say to your mum & sister " bring them back to the towers" rather than "come back to ours".

I think that probably edges it towards cringe.

Oh come on... it's really cringey if someone puts up "Jackson Towers" as a sign outside their two-up two-down terraced house and has a go Hyacynth Bucket-style if others refer to is as 112 Bogstandard Road or whatever the real address is.

But jokingly referring to it as "Jackson Towers" with close friends and family, and not trying to imply it is anything more than it is - fine.

Not exactly a funny joke, but incredibly harmless and one might explect close friends and family know you well and like you a lot and presumably this harmless joke fits in with the rest of your personality?

We refer to one of friends' houses as Surname Towers sometimes. They do the same with us. It is a bit of mutual piss taking.

We have a downstairs bedroom. It gets called the Garden Suite when we are telling guests which room they are in. There aren't any other options.

Maybe we are sad unfunny middle aged gits. I am ok with that

It's a harmless joke OP. Your sister sounds mean.

When I got home I rang my friend and asked her if the towers name annoys her

You rang your friend just to ask her this?!

You seem a bit much OP.

I think saying it every now and then is funny but you seem to use it excessively which is a bit cringey.

I used to live in a studio flat and I would call it the mansion or playboy mansion sometimes but I was a teenager and it was tiny and could barely fit a bed in, let alone anything else.
If I was still there then maybe I’d say it every now and then or maybe say it in a text “are you coming to the mansion later?” But no way would I write in in invitations or cards etc

Its not what you’re calling it, it’s more the fact you seem to do it a lot like it’s really funny which makes it a bit cringey.

I think your reaction is quite extreme though and I wonder if your personality is generally a bit much.

I’m a bit embarrassed for you, OP. I too have a 3 storey townhouse and wouldn’t dream of calling it that - unless I was directly referring to the chaos (like Fawlty towers!).

Nah I cba with such boring fuckers in my life. It’s hilarious

@Cucy That's a bit of an unkind post. (At 10.06.)

@Cucy That's a bit of an unkind post. (At 10.06.)

When I got home I rang my friend and asked her if the towers name annoys her

This is a little odd Op

in any event, what did you expect her to respond given you’d cornered her like this.

The fact you behaved like this would indicate maybe there are other issues at play here

A joke...that you've been saying for years, and seemingly everytime you refer to your house. Can you not see how tedious that would get, even if it were funny at the start

Yeah it’s embarrassing sorry . I’d cringe if someone sent me an invite and put meet at whatever towers.

I think it’s the fact it’s gone on and on for years that might have made it wear a bit thin.

As a joke it’s funny a couple of times. Saying it over and over again could get quite grating.

That said, anyone who actually likes you probably isn’t fussed - your family sound a bit mean.

I’d stop doing it though.

Our NDN call their house (a 3 bed semi) "Street Name Manor" it is a joke, they even have a sign on the house with the name, everyone knows it's not a manor house, it's a piss take because they have a long drive. I think your family are mean.

I think we re all guilty of being a bit twatty sometimes. I know I am. Especially to people we trust and feel comfortable with. Look... The whole towers thing probably got quiet eye rolls, but in a sort of indulging way - you sound like a lovely person who is likeable.

Compare and contrast this to your sister/mother's behaviour. Now that smells that resentful twatty. You aimed at welcoming people with your twattiness, they aimed at hurting people. Awful lot of hurtful twatty posts on mumsnet too. I know what version of twatty Id like to be friends with.

Christ people lack a sense of humour these days - it's a joke and one I'd not be bothered by