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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want to be lectured at

31 replies

ShakyBake · 27/03/2026 21:28

Perhaps just me but as I get older my patience for people in authoritive roles giving lectures on the rights and wrongs and how we should be living our lives has drastically decreased.

Listening to the newly appointed arch bishop of Canterbury and I ended up turning off. Same with prince Charles recently, I can't help but think you people were born roughly the same time as me, what makes you think you know better. Half of them don't practice what they preach anyway especially if it involves oil and then you see them on a private jet

OP posts:
BigYellowBus · 27/03/2026 23:58

Do you know that the Archbishop of Canterbury doesn't practise what she preaches?

WaryOliveBird · 28/03/2026 00:09

because you may not follow your own advice but the advice itself could still be correct etc

HaroldMeaker · 28/03/2026 00:12

I agree although I’ve no idea what the arch bish or Charles are instructing us on as I don’t listen. But yeah, in theory you’re bang on op

PollyBell · 28/03/2026 01:32

So unless any of has proof of what these people do or not we put our own bias to it so why would we be mpre right than then

And just because they speak does not mean we are being lectured too I would only presume that if we had issues of our own, or chips on our shoulders

Batties · 28/03/2026 01:44

I don’t know why you expected anything else when listening to the Archbishop of Canterbury or Prince Charles.

RedTagAlan · 28/03/2026 01:49

Is lecturing not a Bishops job ?

Isittimeformynapyet · 28/03/2026 02:22

It's just possible the Archbishop was not actually addressing you.

HelenaWaiting · 28/03/2026 02:29

Isittimeformynapyet · 28/03/2026 02:22

It's just possible the Archbishop was not actually addressing you.

I'm not religious but I listened to it and it absolutely wasn't a lecture. The OP seems to want certain people not to speak.

SpanThatWorld · 28/03/2026 06:36

The reason that we might listen to someone - even if they're the same age as us - is that they might have devoted more time and interest to studying a topic than I have.

I suspect the Archbishop of Canterbury has spent far more of her life studying what Jesus said than I have. Were the teachings of Jesus of especial value to me, I might indeed find the AoC to be worth listening to.

There are a lot of climate scientists out there telling me that the world's climate is changing. (This seems more persuasive than Dave next door telling me that it was really hot in 1976.) Whether the climate scientist flew to a conference in the US or paddled herself there in a bathtub doesn't negate the value of her research or the truth of what she is saying.

OrdinaryGirl · 28/03/2026 06:40

What was it about what she was saying that you objected to?
www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speeches/archbishop-sarahs-installation-sermon

OrdinaryGirl · 28/03/2026 06:45

This is the only bit that contains the word ‘must’, and I must admit I struggle to see how this could be construed as ‘lecturing’

To not want to be lectured at
AbitSceptical · 28/03/2026 06:46

It’s literally her job!

Don’t listen if you’re not interested.

Bishop Sarah was involved in a project I was involved in. Do I agree with her 100% - no - but I did come to respect her more than most people.

Age doesn’t guarantee wisdom.

daisychain01 · 28/03/2026 06:51

I can't help but think you people were born roughly the same time as me, what makes you think you know better.

They don't necessarily think they know better than you, but they are talking to a global audience across all generations, not just to you. If what they say doesn't chime with you, that's OK there will be others, of different age groups or even the same age group, who are inspired by their words.

i have to say after this week's wall to wall bloody depressing and infuriating coverage of what's going on in the ME, I am far more likely to be inspired by the peaceful loving and wise words of the new ABC or our King than feel they are telling me something I already know.

Elaine118 · 28/03/2026 06:53

Has Charles been demoted?

sorrynotathome · 28/03/2026 07:02

Yeah but you probably follow “influencers” and buy the crap they tell you to. AoC’s job is literally to provide guidance.

Ginmonkeyagain · 28/03/2026 07:08

I mean showing leadership and giving the country spiritual and moral guidance is literally the Archbishop of Canterbury's job.

Luckily you live in a free country and you have no obligation to listen to her or follow her guidance.

JuliettaCaeser · 28/03/2026 07:13

DH has always felt this very strongly and as I hit menopause I now do too so it makes me wonder if an acceptance of being lectured at is hormonal.

School also annoys me. Both schools mine have attended preach moral courage etc in assemblies yet in both cases the senior management have shown the opposite. Despite numerous statements school 1 failed to act on a group of misogynist boys routinely abusing girls. . School 2 failed to act when a teacher had an affair with a pupil. Seems abit rich them bleating on to the kids about doing the right thing etc.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 28/03/2026 07:30

You know that he’s actually King Charles now?

I don’t know what he has been saying but if it’s about the environment, he has been talking about it from way before most people had even heard of it, to his own detriment.

You could choose not to read/watch these things, of course.

Octavia64 · 28/03/2026 07:32

I know lots of people born roughly the same time as me.

i spent my life studying and teaching maths. They listen to me when I talk about maths or education and I listen to them on topics they know stuff about.

JuliettaCaeser · 28/03/2026 07:39

If it’s a knowledgeable person talking about their subject that’s different- love it.

If it’s someone lecturing adults on how to behave particularly if they are in that position through an accident of birth it’s absolutely cringeworthy.

NigellaDelia · 28/03/2026 07:42

@ShakyBake What did the AoC and King Charles say that has caused you so much distress?

Agewise, I'm probably halfway between those two people. I think it's their role to speak out about issues and for us to do as we see fit with the information, but personally I find it helpful. I go to church most weeks and try to take something out of the sermon that will help me during the week.

Personally I would rather listen to clerics and people who are interested in the environment than politicians. However, I do listen to them because they talk about issues that may affect my life.

DeftGoldHedgehog · 28/03/2026 07:43

I sort of know what you mean. I had a realisation a few years ago that senior men at work are mostly just windbags, I can do the job at least as well as them and my views are just as relevant, if not a good deal more sensible at times.

HoskinsChoice · 28/03/2026 09:00

ShakyBake · 27/03/2026 21:28

Perhaps just me but as I get older my patience for people in authoritive roles giving lectures on the rights and wrongs and how we should be living our lives has drastically decreased.

Listening to the newly appointed arch bishop of Canterbury and I ended up turning off. Same with prince Charles recently, I can't help but think you people were born roughly the same time as me, what makes you think you know better. Half of them don't practice what they preach anyway especially if it involves oil and then you see them on a private jet

So you're saying people who are born at the same time all have roughly the same knowledge? So you have roughly the same knowledge as a surgeon on how to do a heart transplant just because you're the same age. You would know how to build a house because you're roughly the same age as a builder. You know as much about HR law as I do because you and I are roughly the same age?

Hopefully that puts into context how ridiculous you are being.

MasterBeth · 28/03/2026 09:18

I think it's healthy to question the motives or expertise of anyone who's telling us how to live our lives, however old they are.

If that person is a noted heart specialist telling us how to avoid heart disease I have the greatest respect for their advice.

If that person is pondering on what "Mary" may have been thinking about when she was being impregnated by God with God, I have rather less respect. I cannot believe an intelligent person believes this nonsense is true, so she is either not very bright or deliberately lying to us.

daisychain01 · 28/03/2026 17:05

MasterBeth · 28/03/2026 09:18

I think it's healthy to question the motives or expertise of anyone who's telling us how to live our lives, however old they are.

If that person is a noted heart specialist telling us how to avoid heart disease I have the greatest respect for their advice.

If that person is pondering on what "Mary" may have been thinking about when she was being impregnated by God with God, I have rather less respect. I cannot believe an intelligent person believes this nonsense is true, so she is either not very bright or deliberately lying to us.

Clearly intentional, but you sound insufferable using this thread to slag off a world religion. Not a good look. Great, you don't believe in God so whatever the Archbishop of Canterbury says you're going to discredit. That doesn't make you clever or right, it makes you an arse. I'll leave it at that.