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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Fed up with passive aggression!

61 replies

Passaggressfedup · 22/12/2025 13:51

Username change due to professional confidentiality.

It's all there in the title! Today, after another round of dealing with passive aggressive behaviour, I want to shout that it really isn't ok!

We seem to have come to a point in society where physical aggression is more than ever shamed and punished. What progress we have made to get to this point, with yet more to be made.

This however seems to have been exchanged by a more than ever growing level of retaliation using passive agression. Worse is that many seem to think that it's an absolutely appropriate and even commended substitute.

MN is a minefield of it. Some posters seem to have become experts in the matter as have some people in the real world....and they seem to carry the glory with pride, seeing themselves as the beholder as of a life skill mastery.

Right now I want to shout that it really is not okay and the damage of such behaviour is polluting our society.

Today, start of week, only 13:30 and I've already had to deal with it three times with three different people. My OH, who always self congratulate himself for always keeping a very low level tone of voice and appearing calm and in full control, yet will use strident words, manipulating memories to make me doubt myself, and refusing to listen to me because my voice happens to be an octave higher than his, which is clear evidence in his view that I am rude and nasty!

Then the big boss, known to be a bully and hated by everyone, but people are choosing self preservation and therefore telling her what she wants to hear in her face. However hard I try to express my differences in a calm, professional and collaborative manner, she can't help herself by sending yet another array of rude emails, full of demands and sarcasm. I won't even describe the third instance today!

I pride myself in always trying to be kind, thoughtful and empathetic. I might not always succeed, but these are the values I hold closest to me heart.

I believe in honesty and openness when you disagree with someone and the whole let's agree to disagree with no hard feelings. If this means voices going up a bit, speech speeding up, it's ok, as long as you leave matters without resentment.

The way I feel now is emotionally shattered. Exhausted by people who value themselves so highly for dealing with things with such control when what it really is is subtle aggressive manners thrown to cause as much emotional harm as possible whilst coming out of it with flying starts.

These people have nothing to be proud of. They are more interested in controlling and winning the argument than in finding a reasonable compromise. They really are not nice people!

Rant of the day 😁

OP posts:
Rippleok · 22/12/2025 13:52

Goodness you are surrounded by a lot of unpleasant people OP.
How depressing for you.

Thankfully, this has no relation to my experience of the people around me nor wider circle

Rippleok · 22/12/2025 13:54

My OH, who always self congratulate himself for always keeping a very low level tone of voice and appearing calm and in full control, yet will use strident words, manipulating memories to make me doubt myself, and refusing to listen to me because my voice happens to be an octave higher than his, which is clear evidence in his view that I am rude and nasty!

this sounds like two people that don’t like each other and shouldn’t be together

Taupeness · 22/12/2025 13:55

I am always wary of people who describe themselves as "kind, thoughtful and empathetic", whilst ranting about other people...

ETA: I'm wary of them full stop. They tend to be emotional vampires who blame everyone around them whilst holding themselves up to be saints.

Rippleok · 22/12/2025 13:57

Taupeness · 22/12/2025 13:55

I am always wary of people who describe themselves as "kind, thoughtful and empathetic", whilst ranting about other people...

ETA: I'm wary of them full stop. They tend to be emotional vampires who blame everyone around them whilst holding themselves up to be saints.

Edited

“I’m too nice”

I always think… I bet no one who knows you thinks that!

ThisQuirkyHare · 22/12/2025 13:59

Taupeness · 22/12/2025 13:55

I am always wary of people who describe themselves as "kind, thoughtful and empathetic", whilst ranting about other people...

ETA: I'm wary of them full stop. They tend to be emotional vampires who blame everyone around them whilst holding themselves up to be saints.

Edited

I tend to agree with this.

I'm nice and I'm the keeper of what is nice. If you do something I don't agree with then you're not nice. It's quite arbitrary really and ironically fairly passive aggressive.

Rippleok · 22/12/2025 14:01

So you’re a shouter and anyone who isn’t… is passive aggressive

ok

5128gap · 22/12/2025 14:08

You might not mind settling a disagreement by raising your voice and rattling out your words really quickly, but others would find this highly problematic. Because your communication just serves to silence them by making it hard to get a word in or be heard doing so. Then you expect 'no hard feelings'. What if they have been upset by the argument and are not ready to let it go just because you've said your piece?
Your husband's behaviour sounds manipulative. As he is using your behaviour in the argument to deflect from the reasons for it. And if he's reinventing the past, he's gaslighting you. However that's a problem in your relationship, and I don't think it serves to illustrate that 'people' are PA in general. Mostly they will just be communicating their displeasure/disagreement in their preferred style, just as you do.

AddictedToBooks · 22/12/2025 14:42

I'm totally with you.
I've had a weekend from Hell, full of loads of passive aggression and barbs about my mental health (I've had therapy and am on antidepressants so those comments really hit where it hurts).
In the end, I ended up having a big crying meltdown on my own yesterday and felt so low and so miserable - all because of relentless passive aggression and arseholes who are unable to deal with their own anger and instead turn it onto people who don't deserve it.

I hope your day gets better xxx

greenwithglee · 22/12/2025 15:07

If your way of dealing with people is to raise voices and show demonstrable anger you need to be comfortable with the fact that not everyone is comfortable with that form of aggression and retaliate in their own way. It sounds like you need to learn how to be assertive rather than aggressive so you stop forcing people to respond to your aggression with another form.

That said sometimes you need to learn also when to walk away. You hate your boss, shes not going anywhere, she isnt going to change, and she makes you miserable. Why aren't you looking for a new job? You are never going to win this one?

You and your OH sound like you despise each other. It doesnt sound like a healthy loving relationship. What are you doing with him?

Abittrumpy · 22/12/2025 18:25

I bet @Passaggressfedup is fuming at the responses!

Fuckoffeasypeelers · 22/12/2025 18:28

Taupeness · 22/12/2025 13:55

I am always wary of people who describe themselves as "kind, thoughtful and empathetic", whilst ranting about other people...

ETA: I'm wary of them full stop. They tend to be emotional vampires who blame everyone around them whilst holding themselves up to be saints.

Edited

Agree

People turn themselves into victims instead of shaking it off

Passaggressfedup · 22/12/2025 21:17

Haha, very predictable responses from MN posters, very much confirming my point!

OP posts:
Taupeness · 22/12/2025 21:20

Passaggressfedup · 22/12/2025 21:17

Haha, very predictable responses from MN posters, very much confirming my point!

Well, not really.

Abittrumpy · 23/12/2025 06:25

Passaggressfedup · 22/12/2025 21:17

Haha, very predictable responses from MN posters, very much confirming my point!

oh dear…. Are you now stomping around shouting!! 😂

Passaggressfedup · 23/12/2025 07:50

oh dear…. Are you now stomping around shouting!!
I never said I shouted. An octave higher than calm is not shouting. Regardless, your words are unnecessary, unkind and can only have been written with the intention to upset. Why? You could write them as calmly as possible, add a smile to it, and yeah, this is what my original post was about. Nasty use of words intended to hurt the recipient for no good reason.

A perfect example of passive aggressiveness used by people who think they are doing nothing wrong because what? It's just words?

OP posts:
Abittrumpy · 23/12/2025 07:56

Passaggressfedup · 23/12/2025 07:50

oh dear…. Are you now stomping around shouting!!
I never said I shouted. An octave higher than calm is not shouting. Regardless, your words are unnecessary, unkind and can only have been written with the intention to upset. Why? You could write them as calmly as possible, add a smile to it, and yeah, this is what my original post was about. Nasty use of words intended to hurt the recipient for no good reason.

A perfect example of passive aggressiveness used by people who think they are doing nothing wrong because what? It's just words?

Yeah, you’re a shouter 😆

Abittrumpy · 23/12/2025 07:58

“add a smile to it”?

Passive aggression in emoji form!

SoulSearchBeHonest · 23/12/2025 08:02

I think you've had a mix of replies. Some you'll like others you'll dismiss.

Yellowcar22 · 23/12/2025 08:02

Reminds me of a quote I heard. If you know a arse you know arse. If you know lots of arses maybe you're the arse.

Passaggressfedup · 23/12/2025 08:13

I think you've had a mix of replies. Some you'll like others you'll dismiss.
I didn't start this thread to seek approval or disapproval about me as a person. It was about discussing why passive aggression seems to be seen by some as an acceptable mean to be unkind and hurt people, when other forms of aggression are rightly considered unacceptable.

I suppose it's also questioning why some people have to turn everything personal. I gave personal instances to illustrate my view, not to expect anyone to feel sorry for me, and certainly not to make it a platform for people to be unkind for not apparent reason.

This is why I said this thread was indeed illustrating my point. Why the need to write that I am obviously not a nice person if I dared to write that I am? Why the need for @yellowcar22 post? Why the character assassination when my post was to discuss what I feel is a rise in passive aggression?

OP posts:
Abittrumpy · 23/12/2025 08:15

Oh don’t be daft
You’ve had a few posts, no name calling, no nastiness.

rickyrickygrimes · 23/12/2025 08:16

Can you give an example? I’m never sure what passive aggressive looks like 🤷‍♀️

Abittrumpy · 23/12/2025 08:16

This reply has been deleted

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Passaggressfedup · 23/12/2025 08:19

@Abittrumpy, each of your posts have been unkind. You don't have to be name calling to be rude and unpleasant. Can I ask why you felt it appropriate to be so when you don't know me?

OP posts:
Abittrumpy · 23/12/2025 08:20

This reply has been deleted

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