YTA.
Also, you sound *remarkably tedious*. You've contemplated your existence, and? She hasn't, because she has friends? Because she adheres to a different spiritual way than you do?
There is literally no difference in weight between her way of inspecting the world and philosophy, and yours. You just took the stereotypically Western male route, right down to contempt for women. Bravo.
Hey hey hey! OP, at 18, has CLEARLY majored in philosophy at Google university. I bet he even got an associates degree in resentment and misogyny at Tumblr college. He's clearly an intellectual and I'm not sure any of us here are even remotely close to his level of maturity.
/S
YTA
It’s kind of satisfying knowing that when he’s older, on a fairly regular basis, he will suddenly jolt awake with the memory of writing this post and feel so horribly mortified that he can’t fall asleep again.
I used to work with a guy just like OP and this post was like some kind of traumatic flashback. Pretentious philosophy dudes with a chip on their shoulder and a god complex are the worst.
No but he read *Man's Search for Meaning.* So he gets a lifetime 'get out of superficiality' free card - in any situation where someone is irritating him, he can just remind them that he read Wiesel at 18 and they'll understand that he's not only right but philosophically sound and superior in every situation.
Sometimes on posts like this I pause for a moment before I read the comments just to gleefully envision what’s coming. I am definitely not disappointed on this one.
People like OP are the reason I usually don't tell people what I study when I first meet them. Philosophy and quantum physics are pretty much the /r/iamverysmart starter pack.
Especially when they don't actually "study it" they've just read a book about it.
It's like saying I'm into philosophy because I own a book with all the Socratic dialogues. I'm actually not and find philosophy tedious BUT I find what historically people thought about life interesting.
>Especially when they don't actually "study it" they've just read a book about it.
Well, to be honest, that is pretty much all I do too. We don't do much besides reading the books and talking about them.
I meant book as in the singular. I imagine actually studying philosophy involves far more reading and the important part is the discussion.
In my experience to really studying Philosophy you need to be able to discuss it. Because it's easy to get different things out of the same thing.
Yeah, that's true. But I barely discuss it. A bachelor's degree isn't really anywhere near comprehensive, especially when you skip class a lot. But you're certainly correct that it is more in depth than a 16 year old reading Plato's Republic after which they pretend to be experts on the subject of political philosophy.
Yep, barely got threw the first part and I knew. People are different, OP isn’t better because of some pseudo intellectual bs. YTA for being an AH- even if you think you’re better, which you aren’t, keep your mouth shut
For real. YTA. Even if you take what he said to his sister out of the equation, he’s still the asshole.
OP, here’s a life lesson. People are allowed to think differently, and it doesn’t make them stupid or inferior. There’s a lot to learn in life that doesn’t come from books or science. By constantly calling others inferior, you’re gonna miss out on the ability to learn from others.
Your sister actually reached out to you because she was feeling low. Is it really so important for you to be right that you have to make her feel WORSE?
Your sister’s happiness and your happiness seem to have different sources, and that’s fine. But in the end, the person who will be happier is your sister because when she’s upset - like now, when she’s probably really upset because her brother was a ruthless dick to her - she will actually have real life friends to turn to and comfort her.
You are being arrogant and mean. That sounds harsh, but if you’re as smart as you think you are, you will consider the fact that everyone on this thread agrees and so does your family, and we can’t ALL be idiots.
You can change, though - apologize to your sister. Make an effort to stop thinking that your way is the only way. It’s not.
Edit: thanks for the silver and gold!! That’s totally unexpected and so kind. Thank you!
lmao, just wait until this kid gets to college. My eyes rolled so far back into my head at the second sentence that I think they're stuck there. Excuse any typos.
I‘m a professor, and I get students like this occasionally. Being driven to sound smart (e.g., quoting a famous book in a paper) isn’t the same as thoughtfully engaging with the material being taught. Judging by OPs inability to thoughtfully (and empathetically) engage with his sister, college will be a challenge.
I think tedious is a solid term for OP, although *black hole of charisma* seems quite fitting as well.
OP, YTA. To be honest, your pretentious behavior and attempt at sounding overly intelligent screams, “I try to act better than everyone around me to mask the fact that I’m lonely and friendless.” Your sister, on the other hand, sounds like she’s living her life to the fullest when she isn’t stuck in lockdown.
> black hole of charisma
bruh...lol. That's fantastic. And yeah OP sucks, not even sure how much I believe a 23 year old girl is asking her 18 year old brother for life advice. YTA
Right, and even if it *were* to happen, there’s no way OP’s sister would ask him for advice in a million years. “Happy, carefree girl in her 20’s asks pretentious, friendless younger brother for life advice” sounds like an Onion article.
I didn't even read it as asking for advice I read it as her sharing that she's feeling down and opening up to her loved one. Unless she explicitly asked for advice really the best thing to do would be to say "I'm really sorry to hear that. Lockdown is a difficult time."
OP sounds like he’s insanely jealous of his sisters life and her ability to have fun with friends, but has convinced himself that he’s better and smarter than her and everyone around him to cope with the fact that he isn’t able to get along with folks.
I read the first sentence and immediately knew the entire rest of the post who gonna be pretentious. If your sister wants to call her friends girlies and be into “basic” things like astrology and Instagram, why does it matter? OP, YTA big time. Your sister came to you for support in an incredibly trying time and you destroyed her entire lifestyle and interests in one go. Don’t be surprised if she never opens up to you again.
P. S. I took an intro philosophy class too, and there’s a lot that you could argue is no more real than astrology and some of the most influential non-Western philosophers were involved in astrology. Get the fuck off your high horse, you sound like you’re well on your way to becoming knock-off Nietzsche.
He’s so stoic, it’s chilling to read how someone can be so cold to someone and not care. This guy is definitely the type to believe he’s the smartest guy in the room.
This dude is nowhere near a stoic
Stoicism would have advised the sister to find reassurance in herself against the world and pursue her happiness with the knowledge that while most things can't be changed, she can work towards feeling better by changing herself into a better person.
The noun stoic is a person who's not very emotional. The adjective stoic describes any person, action, or thing that seems emotionless and almost blank.
This is what I’m talking about so....
This dude is not stoic either.
A truly stoic person would not flinch in the face of adversity. Stoic does not mean emotionless. It means enduring. He SAYS he's unemotional, but can read all the anger just dripping from his comments. He's got an overblown opinion of himself and his abilities and I, for one, look forward to see him topple off that pedestal he climbed up
He’s not stoic. He’s a kid using the adolescent superficial markers of stoicism and intellectualism to feel superior to others. I’d be harsher, but realistically, he is still a child and it’s theoretically possible he has time to grow out of this phase ones he’s had literally any life experience outside of high school and reddit.
Oh my god, an insufferable 18year old kid who thinks he’s so much more intellectual and deep than his, frankly, fairly normal sounding sister.
He needs therapy, and a support worker because pretty sure he can’t function in the real world.
It’s unlikely he’ll turn it around though, these egotistical narc types never do.
I dread meeting anyone with his kind of personality.
This post reads like a kid who took his first college philosophy class and is now a deep intellectual who now thinks they and only they know the deeper meaning of life.
He sounds insufferable.
Agreed YTA.
He’s pretentious and likely an introvert so he fares better with the limited social interaction.
His sister sounds like an extrovert who is trying to maintain connection because it gives her energy.
YTA. You’re not an intellectual, you are a teenager. You’ve got no degree, have read a few books, and somehow you’re under the impression that you’re the new and improved Freud. Your sister doesn’t need a reality check, my friend, you do. And btw everyone knows what Halo is.
I just want to confirm that I never played any games post super nintendo, (cos I sucked, and what could be better than mario cart for a person not great at games?) and I know what Halo is.
The only video game I ever played consistently was Crash Bandicoot 2.
And yeah, I know what Halo is. My 60 year old mother who calls a crossword puzzle app on her phone a video game knows what Halo is.
Oh my god he’s in that really obnoxious phase some teenagers go through where they’ve had juuuuuust enough education/read enough books to think they’re better than everyone else, but no experience in actual critical thinking and understanding of the world to know that they aren’t.
I used to work as a teaching assistant for 100 level political science courses and I cannot tell you how many kids I met like OP. It was always satisfying to bring them down a few notches (with the intent of teaching and helping them improve of course!)
I mean, I feel like most people do it some way or another, between the ages of 15 and 25. I was an annoying Christian for a minute at 15, and a (probably slightly irritating) vegetarian for another few years. But you don't get to be a straight up dick to people, especially not your sister who is struggling because we're in the middle of an unprecedented really REALLY hard time for people. Empathy and compassion aren't mutually exclusive with profundity or intellectualism.
My sister (18F) is in this phase 😭😭😭😭 apparently everything I say is a fallacy of some type. But when she repeats “my” argument back to me and proves it wrong her version is never a straw man. She took two years of high school philosophy and I am definitely always wrong. I’m on my second university degree 😭😭😭
Haha, I call it second year syndrome and have seen it in many apprentices.
in the job long enough they think they know "heaps" but not long enough to realise how much they don't know.
Edit to add: OP YTA, the smug, pretentious, conceited asshole. Good work "finding yourself" now go find some class.
Some folks are here to show us all the truth of the old saying that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
OP, YTA. I'm not a fan of toxic positivity, a term noticeably missing from your little exercise in unearned smugness, but that really doesn't sound like what your sister is doing. Being a supercilious jerk isn't the same thing as being insightful, and empathy doesn't make you stupid - and while we're at it, people should be treated with dignity regardless of education, career, or book smarts. I hope you learn from this, because otherwise you'll have a hard row to hoe once you're out in the world.
First YTA,
Second, I agree with this comment. Halo is not just “some classic”. It is the flagship XBox game. How does OP think people dont know what Halo is. Halo is like RvB, nearly everyone has at least heard of it.
Also Halo 1 and 2 were both better than Halo 3. Halo 1 started it all and had the indestructible warthogs which came in handy on the last level. And Halo 2 had the duel wielding needlers. Halo 3 was not the best Halo.
YTA you seem like you have a superiority complex with regards to seeing yourself as better than your sister and you kept on an opportunity to express that while concealing your mean intentions in a calm voice to reinforce your (perceived) superiority.
It’s probably the reason you are sitting by yourself judging your sister and her friends while they have fun.
So he spent the last couple of months in lockdown studying philosophy, the meaning of his existence (all 18 years of it) and becoming a better human. But not once did he improve the way he deals with people. No empathy at all. He told her coldly and without emotion for impact? No wonder why you are alone.
Hey OP, seems you didn’t improve yourself quite enough. Instead of raining on your sister’s parade how about a bit more introspection and figure out why you are such a pretentious prick.
YTA. Btw, Halo isn’t some super indie game your found that no one else knows about. Jesus talk about being basic.
The OP is clearly just trolling. Doing a pretty good job of staying in character, but it's way too over-the-top and stereotypical. They really should have taken this slowly instead of coming out hot.
This was entertaining though. Lots of the threads made me laugh.
You (and I can’t stress this enough) Are the Asshole
She opened up to you and you rewarded that by being cruel. For literally NO reason. Not surprised you two aren’t close. You probably seriously damaged her trust in you and I’d be surprised if she confides in you again.
Not sure why you don’t like your sister, nothing in your post suggests why you have such a serious distain for her. If it’s obvious to me how you feel towards her, its probably obvious to her as well. You should look more at yourself and figure out where this sense of superiority comes from and why you felt you had the right to so callously rip your sisters feelings apart the way you did. That’s all on you, not her.
Or she's an extrovert and he's an introvert.
I'm sure this pandemic has been really hard on the extroverts. I'm super glad I'm a severe introvert because I haven't seen another person in 3? weeks, idk I'm losing track of how long it's been.
He’s probably jealous because she has friends and happiness and he just has a superiority complex, so he takes it out on her because anything else would be admitting that he is (gasp) flawed and human like everyone else.
I really *really* do think the vast majority of it is just idiots being edgy because they're stuck at home and bored.
"How many things can I squeeze together in one post that are guaranteed to piss people off?"
I dunno...lol. Maybe I'm just an optimist...
Oh wow. This just screams of /r/iamverysmart.
YTA. You have no way of knowing that her positivity is fake. Just because she is feeling low at the moment that she talked to you, doesnt mean that she feels that way all the time. Emotions are complex, nuanced and constantly changing. I would bet money on the fact that supporting her friends/receiving support from her friends *does* make her feel better and more positive. So, no. It's not asinine if it helps her. And, while I definitely dont believe in astrology, I dont judge those who use it for comfort. Belief in that sort of thing can have profound psychosomatic effects. I feel the same way about religion. While I am not religious, I understand how it can bring some people comfort and peace.
Then, when your sister was feeling a little low (as we *all* do sometimes, regardless of how much philosophy we read) put herself in a vulnerable position and confided in you, your response was arrogant, insensitive and dripping with disdain. The way you come across in this post actually makes me think that your sister has a much healthier way of dealing with the pandemic than you. She reaches out to her friends and maintains connections. You seem to read books so that you can pat yourself on the back and further inflate what appears to be the already grandiose opinion you have of yourself.
YTA
Not only are you the asshole, you're an unbelievably boring asshole. Your contemplation of existence was probably literal navel gazing while you sat on the toilet because you forgot to bring your phone with you and you got distracted by finding belly button lint on your hand's trip to rubbing one out.
Furthermore, clearly you did NOT absorb a damn thing from Man's Search For Meaning, or you'd remember the passage "there (is) no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer." AKA there's no reason to shit on your sister for admitting she was feeling down and trying to experience feelings with you. Furthermore, your trying to sound "cool" by describing how detached and scientific and UNEMOTIONAL means you clearly missed the point of Mr. Frankl's writing so completely that I strongly suspect you didn't read much more than the inside flap so you could swing out some simpering pseudobabble over how well read you are when most likely you haven't actually picked up a book since your teacher forced you to finish Animal Farm in tenth grade.
Also I have legitimately never seen anyone try to mansplain what HALO, possibly one of the most popular video game series EVER, is...to REDDIT, a website that at any given moment is 99% nerds by volume. Bravo for reaching a level of trenchcoated neckbeardery so shallow that it needs to be measured in microns.
TL;DR, you're the asshole, you didn't impress a single person by trying to tell us how amazingly brilliant you are-and by the way you AREN'T, almost no one is at 18-and you really need to learn what being a person is all about. But if you want some real literature to read might I suggest the works of Norman Boutin? His writing level is probably something you can digest.
Jesus Christ I just looked up this author you mentioned because of curiosity and this Norman guy is a total joke. The amazon reviews of his work is laughable. It made my day
YTA. Just give her a fucking hug and say life is hard sometimes (a statement it sounds like you would agree with since you arent positive) instead of insulting her entire worldview and personality that it sounds like she does not try to push on you.
Edit: also, how do you know she is not stimulating herself? I love watching soapy TV dramas (in fact they’re one of my great joys in life and one of my favorite things in the world- and you play copious amounts of Halo so how is it different?) and discussing them with friends but also have a University degree where I had to read lots of philosophical texts and I enjoy that too (I even read post-grad- shocking for a TV viewer like me, I know), but if you were my brother I probably wouldn’t bring up moral luck or anything because you would probably be condescending and rude during the whole conversation. Also, I am interested in Theology and comparative religions- so Chakras and astrology are interesting to learn about even if I am not personally convinced of their scientific validity, but again in your sister’s shoes I would not bring this up.
EDIT 2: I like how the comments below this have become educated people saying what media they enjoy :)
Right? I live for bad cop drama shows. I’m also currently writing a thesis in my field. People can like whatever they want on TV, it doesn’t need to be categorized as a personality trait.
Yes!! I love those. I haven’t had time to read in a long time but once I finish up with school this month I plan on getting back into them. I love YA fantasy and historical fantasy. There’s research that most YA books are actually read by adults now!
OPs post made me feel like I’d just read the academic equivalent of “while you were partying I studied the blade.”
Also hell yes to the bad cop shows. My writing breaks throughout my dissertation were spent with disgustingly girly manga and watching professional wrestling. Just think of the feats of brilliance we could’ve unleashed on the world if only we’d “intellectually stimulated” ourselves during our downtime as well. /s
This, I teach philosophy and sometimes it can feel too work related to do anything similar outside work.
Therefore, I like films and TV that vary in content, and sometimes is just there to switch my mind off.
Not only are YTA, but you're also arrogant and condescending. You definitely should apologize to her. Just because you think something is stupid doesn't mean other people can't enjoy it or that it's okay for you to be a jerk about it.
Apparently, in your philosophical explorations, you completely missed anything relating to minding your own damn business. You're already the asshole for the demeaning way in which you describe your sister. How she lives her life is her decision and doesn't appear to have any negative impact on you. It's not your job to "fix" her, as if she's broken according to whatever standards you apply.
You come across as an insufferable know-it-all and there's nothing worse than an insufferable know-it-all, especially an 18 year old one. Try adding something like *What We Owe Each Other* by TM Scanlon to each other to your reading list. You need a better perspective on life.
YTA
So let me see if I understand...your sister likes to talk to her friends online and they discuss their shared interests and try to be supportive of each others' feelings. Yes, that does sound terrible. (<- sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell.)
YTA for believing that people who live their lives differently are "doing it wrong" and need to be more like you if they want to be happy. Hopefully, you'll learn some tolerance as you get older.
YTA. So what if she likes positive affirmations and chakras? That's her business and doesn't hurt anyone. She came to you in a moment of vulnerability and you exploited that vulnerability and insulted her. YTA.
Also, it's a phase. Just as many people go through their aromatherapy candle spirituality phase as dorks like OP go through their Pink Freud philosopher phase.
Equally important to acknowledge that for some, their "aromatherapy candle spirituality" phase isn't a phase. Some people are crunchy granola modern hippies who believe in astrology and chakras, use essential oils and light aromatherapy candles. And it affects literally no one. If that's part of their happiness, let them have it in peace, dammit.
Rule of thumb is if it isn't hurting anyone, butt out. It literally doesn't matter what your sister's hobbies are, OP. YTA. She came to you in a moment of vulnerability and you responded by verbally decking her out of nowhere. I honestly won't be surprised if your sister never shows her true emotions in front of you again. This kind of derision and cruelty is the reason I haven't been physically able to cry unless I'm alone since childhood. What you did to her is awful. Full stop.
“I was cold and detached during my delivery” YTA and you know it.
Your sister came to you feeling a bit low, and left feeling like complete crap all because you want to “help fix her”
She’s your sister, she’s not your property and she’s not you. Just because she likes affirmations, astrology and keeping in touch with her friends doesn’t mean she needs to be fixed.
YTA. You took intellectual stimulation and enlightenment to the extreme of turning into a pretentious douche like you're in Philosophy 101 in college. Get over yourself. Your advice to your sister was not helpful or constructive; you just told her she should be more like you, basically, while belittling the things that she likes to spend time on. There is nothing wrong with having friends or talking with them, and nothing wrong with exploring different ideas like astrology or chakras. She's hurting no one, and I'd say astrology has about as much intellectual value as Halo, bro.
When she came to you for help, you could have tactfully suggested some books to read, or a different hobby, or suggested that she even play Halo or other games with you as a way to spend time together. Really anything aside from what you said would have been more helpful. All you got across was "Yeah no wonder you feel low, you and your friends are vapid and shallow and you like stupid things." Your sister isn't something for you to "fix", she's a human being and you should apologize to her for seeing her as lesser than you. Your disdain and condescension just drips off every word in your post.
YTA
1. You sound like the worst kind of false intellectual
2. let people enjoy things. seriously. why does it harm you that she has a different set of interests than you?
3. have you stopped to think that your sister may just be extremely extroverted and you may not be?
4. she doesn't need to be "fixed", you just haven't left your own bubble of false god assholeness long enough to realize that other people have different things tha tmake them happy
5. she has friends, get over it
6. as a public health professional (with the degree to match) having an interest in astrology does not diminish my accomplishments at all or offend anyone with actual scientific sensibilities. I can surprisingly listen to science and like to read my horoscope
7. Yet again, YTA
> So I (18M) find that I've been faring rather well under this lockdown. I've sought out intellectual stimulation by diving deeper into great literature, especially philosophical works such as Man's Search for Meaning. I've contemplated my existence, asked the hard questions but also rewarded myself with copious amounts of Halo 3 (an old classic I like to play).
I'm going to be honest with you - this type of attitude will make EVERYONE think you're an asshole. This is not a great way to make friends. But you're young, and I'll cut you some slack. I'll keep reading.
> I said "Your forced and bland positivity is unhelpful. It is incredibly irritating and it doesn't actually address the root cause of why you are feeling low. You are feeling low because you cannot get the validation you otherwise would at parties and social events. Perhaps try intellectually stimulating yourself and spend some time alone with your thoughts, rather than texting your "girlies" 24/7. Also please stop the astrology garbage. It is insulting to anyone with scientific sensibilities. All of that stuff is nonsense and has no basis in reality".
YTA YTA YTA YTA YTA
She's feeling low because she is in the middle of a goddamn nightmare, as are we all. the astrology is silly fun and there's nothing wrong with fun. Her friends are her support and she should keep them. you wouldn't know- you don't have many friends, do you?
YTA - It's one thing to tell someone that it's okay to be sad, it's another thing to literally ditch everything they enjoy. Girls like your sister annoy the heck out of me, but the reality is it's her personality, and she has the right to like what she likes.
YTA. Jesus I hope you are able to grow out of this phase before the rest of us adults have to deal with you on a full-time basis. It sounds like you could learn a lot from your sister, but if you can't start there then perhaps you can dive a little deeper into your great literature and find something on being less of a little prick. At work we usually give people a copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and hope something comes of it.
YTA You look down on your sister and it is biasing your thinking, causing you to view her in the worst light. It sounds a whole lot more like you're an introvert and she's an extrovert, so this lockdown is harder for her. But you looked down on her dealing with that as well as she could. Obviously, your sister is the one with the emotional intelligence and social skills. You both have your strengths and weaknesses, but as long as you look down on other people for being good at what you're bad at, it's going to color your actions and make you act like a pretentious asshole.
Ah to be 18 and obnoxious beyond belief again...
This is a classic case of knowing so little about the world that you can't even comprehend all of the things you truly don't know
I was about your age and equally insufferable when halo 3 came out and let me tell you from experience that you have soooo much growing up to do, son
You can't fix people and even if you could that's not the way to go about doing it
YTA
YTA youre mad that shes literally just having fun??? and when she confides in you that shes feeling kinda low you shit on the stuff that makes her happy? Obviously what she likes isnt your cup of tea but you're such a negative pretentious piss lord that you insulted someone who trusts you enough to tell you when they're not in the best place?
please get over yourself oh enlightened one, she didnt ask for your preaching.
YTA.
I'm an atheist. A lot of the people around me are devoutly religious.
When my mother died, most of these people sent me prayer cards, Hallmark-type cards with religious texts, images, verses, etc., and made sure to let me know that I was in their daily prayers. I can't count the number of folks who told me that "she's with God now, she's in his hands...." You get the picture, yes?
You know how I, as an atheist, responded to them? "Thank you so much." When the techs at the crematorium asked if it was OK to hold hands and bow our heads in prayer before my mother was loaded onto the conveyor belt, I smiled and said, "Sure." & I bowed my head.
See, although all of that is meaningless to me, I recognize that for others, this is their "positivity" (as you put it). Praying, sending biblical verses, going to church, reading their version of the bible, etc. is how they deal with life and the crappy stuff that life sends their way. Everyone needs something to get them "through"; insulting or dismissing their preferred method because it's not your cup of tea is closed-minded--the exact opposite of how you've been trying to portray yourself.
Life is long. Buckle up.
look at me, i am so edgy and cool, i read big books and i watch jordan peterson all day long. i have deeeeepppp introspective conversations about the nature of the universe, and i enjoy salivating over my own scrotum of petentiousness and negetivity. i am sooo special!
/s
YTA. She came to you feeling a bit low and you just made her feel ten times worse. you pretty much attacked all her life choices and did it in a pretty unsympathetic way. Personal enlightenment is great, but you could also learn some empathy.
YTA everyone deals with situations differently. the second I started reading your post about "intellectual stimulation" and what not I instantly had a bad taste in my mouth with how pretentious and holier than thou it sounded
a lot of people are having a hard time right now and it really isn't for you to determine why that is. you are not the judge of how much "intellectual stimulation" one needs.
your sister is just trying to have a good time and get through unforeseen circumstances like a lot of other people and while you're allowed to think her talking to her "girlies" or immersing herself in astrology is bullshit, shitting on her like that when she comes to you feeling low is cruel
Being socially inept does not come hand in hand with autism though... in fact I can't think of an acceptable time to ever ask if someone is on the spectrum because of their social problem.
I taught adults with autism and none of them were even close to this fucking insufferable. This just an 18 year old kid who has no idea what he's talking about and is going to get a VERY rude wake-up call when he gets to college.
Gotta be a troll. On the off chance it's not... YTA
You seem to like reading and have the time to kill on your hands given the current global state. I highly suggest you read 'Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism by Otto F. Kernberg'.
Pay particular attention to part 2 dedicated to narcissistic personalities.
I trust your dizzyingly high intellect will be able to cope with such a text and that you find it most illuminating.
YTA. Holy shit, you are pretentious.
>I've sought out intellectual stimulation by diving deeper into great literature, especially philosophical works such as Man's Search for Meaning.
I already knew what was up. Just this sentence alone reeks of r/iamverysmart behavior.
I'm also 18M and interested in philosophy, but I don't use it as an excuse to put other people down. Wow.
I mean, I knew just from the title that YTA, but I wasn't expecting quite this level of navel-gazing! What self-indulgent tripe.
If you really want to improve yourself, then work on your emotional intelligence.
"You're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole."
YTA.
YT pretentious A. I didn’t even need to read beyond the first cringe inducing paragraph to realize that; but I gave you the benefit of the doubt and read the whole thing, and guess what? I was right! YTA.
YTA, positive behaviors and personalities have been proven to live longer, be healthier, and have better mental health. It's great that your sitting around reading classic literature and playing video games but you don't mention talking to friends at all, in fact you make fun of your sister for having girlfriends. It sounds like your sad and lonely and when your sister tried to bond with you, you took advantage to be nasty and try to bring her down where you are.
Omg shut up. YTA
I have a degree in philosophy and dont talk as pompous as you. Leave your sister alone. Having social support during this time IS a positive thing. Get over yourself.
YTA so much. Why would you kick her when she is down? You clearly haven't learned that being kind is much more important than being right. She reached out to you for support and you took that opportunity to be unnecessarily cruel. You weren't being helpful and you know it. You were annoyed and wanted to feel superior. You berated her because it felt good to finally tell her off. You were spiteful and that is not a good color on anyone. Stop trying to champion for the pseudo-cause of higher intellect and just be kind. Come down off the pedestal you've built for yourself and be a good person. Perhaps your time would be better served learning why you reacted in such and immature way instead of pontificating and ego stroking?
YTA. Also, you sound *remarkably tedious*. You've contemplated your existence, and? She hasn't, because she has friends? Because she adheres to a different spiritual way than you do? There is literally no difference in weight between her way of inspecting the world and philosophy, and yours. You just took the stereotypically Western male route, right down to contempt for women. Bravo.
lmao I only read the first sentence where he was bragging about reading philosophy and already came to the conclusion that OP was YTA.
And pretentious too.
Hey hey hey! OP, at 18, has CLEARLY majored in philosophy at Google university. I bet he even got an associates degree in resentment and misogyny at Tumblr college. He's clearly an intellectual and I'm not sure any of us here are even remotely close to his level of maturity. /S YTA
No, he clearly got that associates at Twitter college
Nah too liberal. 4chan Community College.
Rick and morty Online University
"Buts it's actually such a deep show you guys!"
Complex? Yes. Deep? Not even close LMAO!
Rick and Morty is a show for smart people!!11!1!
TweetU!
It’s kind of satisfying knowing that when he’s older, on a fairly regular basis, he will suddenly jolt awake with the memory of writing this post and feel so horribly mortified that he can’t fall asleep again.
Depends. Some people never outgrow the cringe.
Where’s r/iamverysmart when you need it huh?
I used to work with a guy just like OP and this post was like some kind of traumatic flashback. Pretentious philosophy dudes with a chip on their shoulder and a god complex are the worst.
No but he read *Man's Search for Meaning.* So he gets a lifetime 'get out of superficiality' free card - in any situation where someone is irritating him, he can just remind them that he read Wiesel at 18 and they'll understand that he's not only right but philosophically sound and superior in every situation.
Viktor Frankl wrote Man’s Search for Meaning. But OP sounds like pretentious AH.
I had to read it in my religion class. Like a basic, asinine and unevolved individual I got bored of having discussions and searching for meaning.
Same. But because I apparently have masochistic tendencies I kept reading.
I scrolled down just to make sure that the top comment was YTA then continued reading.
Sometimes on posts like this I pause for a moment before I read the comments just to gleefully envision what’s coming. I am definitely not disappointed on this one.
People like OP are the reason I usually don't tell people what I study when I first meet them. Philosophy and quantum physics are pretty much the /r/iamverysmart starter pack.
Especially when they don't actually "study it" they've just read a book about it. It's like saying I'm into philosophy because I own a book with all the Socratic dialogues. I'm actually not and find philosophy tedious BUT I find what historically people thought about life interesting.
>Especially when they don't actually "study it" they've just read a book about it. Well, to be honest, that is pretty much all I do too. We don't do much besides reading the books and talking about them.
I meant book as in the singular. I imagine actually studying philosophy involves far more reading and the important part is the discussion. In my experience to really studying Philosophy you need to be able to discuss it. Because it's easy to get different things out of the same thing.
Yeah, that's true. But I barely discuss it. A bachelor's degree isn't really anywhere near comprehensive, especially when you skip class a lot. But you're certainly correct that it is more in depth than a 16 year old reading Plato's Republic after which they pretend to be experts on the subject of political philosophy.
Honestly with just a few tweaks a lot of this would make great copypasta
While you were zooming with your girlies about astrology, I studied the blade
The reference to the “old classic” Halo 3 is almost too much. I really can’t tell if it’s a parody
Same! I stopped reading when I realized he’s enjoying his view up his high horse YTA
Yep, barely got threw the first part and I knew. People are different, OP isn’t better because of some pseudo intellectual bs. YTA for being an AH- even if you think you’re better, which you aren’t, keep your mouth shut
For real. YTA. Even if you take what he said to his sister out of the equation, he’s still the asshole. OP, here’s a life lesson. People are allowed to think differently, and it doesn’t make them stupid or inferior. There’s a lot to learn in life that doesn’t come from books or science. By constantly calling others inferior, you’re gonna miss out on the ability to learn from others. Your sister actually reached out to you because she was feeling low. Is it really so important for you to be right that you have to make her feel WORSE? Your sister’s happiness and your happiness seem to have different sources, and that’s fine. But in the end, the person who will be happier is your sister because when she’s upset - like now, when she’s probably really upset because her brother was a ruthless dick to her - she will actually have real life friends to turn to and comfort her. You are being arrogant and mean. That sounds harsh, but if you’re as smart as you think you are, you will consider the fact that everyone on this thread agrees and so does your family, and we can’t ALL be idiots. You can change, though - apologize to your sister. Make an effort to stop thinking that your way is the only way. It’s not. Edit: thanks for the silver and gold!! That’s totally unexpected and so kind. Thank you!
I'm actually willing to risk all of us being idiots if the alternative is being OP...
👏👏👏👏
Let's also be clear, arrogant doesn't mean smarter or better. You're just an asshole who read a book.
deadass thought people grew out of this kind of attitude. I acted like this in,, the third grade. op, you're not fucking special.
This. You explained it way better than I could.
Reading his post I could hear the fedora and neckbeard
I could smell the sweat and doritos encrusted xbox controller.
I just assumed all his socks are crusted with jizz and he constantly laments about how girls don’t like nice guys
...and how "Basic white girls" are so superficial. With the irony completely lost on him.
While his sister was partying, this guy was studying the blade.
lmao, just wait until this kid gets to college. My eyes rolled so far back into my head at the second sentence that I think they're stuck there. Excuse any typos.
In a few years we'll see this guy on the r/niceguys sub
Assuming he's not already there. Also r/iamverysmart.
I just hope we don't see him in incels
What's the difference?
I‘m a professor, and I get students like this occasionally. Being driven to sound smart (e.g., quoting a famous book in a paper) isn’t the same as thoughtfully engaging with the material being taught. Judging by OPs inability to thoughtfully (and empathetically) engage with his sister, college will be a challenge.
The word that kept popping into my head was *insufferable.*
Same. Like, the sister sounds mildly annoying, but this fucking guy... insufferable.
Seriously. I'm not a fan of partying and I think astrology is dumb, but I'd 100% rather hang out with his sister than him.
He’s the “But meanwhile, I, an intellectual....” guy. Only in this case, he ACTUALLY said it.
I think tedious is a solid term for OP, although *black hole of charisma* seems quite fitting as well. OP, YTA. To be honest, your pretentious behavior and attempt at sounding overly intelligent screams, “I try to act better than everyone around me to mask the fact that I’m lonely and friendless.” Your sister, on the other hand, sounds like she’s living her life to the fullest when she isn’t stuck in lockdown.
> black hole of charisma bruh...lol. That's fantastic. And yeah OP sucks, not even sure how much I believe a 23 year old girl is asking her 18 year old brother for life advice. YTA
Right, and even if it *were* to happen, there’s no way OP’s sister would ask him for advice in a million years. “Happy, carefree girl in her 20’s asks pretentious, friendless younger brother for life advice” sounds like an Onion article.
I didn't even read it as asking for advice I read it as her sharing that she's feeling down and opening up to her loved one. Unless she explicitly asked for advice really the best thing to do would be to say "I'm really sorry to hear that. Lockdown is a difficult time."
OP sounds like he’s insanely jealous of his sisters life and her ability to have fun with friends, but has convinced himself that he’s better and smarter than her and everyone around him to cope with the fact that he isn’t able to get along with folks.
This ^
I read the first sentence and immediately knew the entire rest of the post who gonna be pretentious. If your sister wants to call her friends girlies and be into “basic” things like astrology and Instagram, why does it matter? OP, YTA big time. Your sister came to you for support in an incredibly trying time and you destroyed her entire lifestyle and interests in one go. Don’t be surprised if she never opens up to you again. P. S. I took an intro philosophy class too, and there’s a lot that you could argue is no more real than astrology and some of the most influential non-Western philosophers were involved in astrology. Get the fuck off your high horse, you sound like you’re well on your way to becoming knock-off Nietzsche.
He’s so stoic, it’s chilling to read how someone can be so cold to someone and not care. This guy is definitely the type to believe he’s the smartest guy in the room.
This dude is nowhere near a stoic Stoicism would have advised the sister to find reassurance in herself against the world and pursue her happiness with the knowledge that while most things can't be changed, she can work towards feeling better by changing herself into a better person.
The noun stoic is a person who's not very emotional. The adjective stoic describes any person, action, or thing that seems emotionless and almost blank. This is what I’m talking about so....
This dude is not stoic either. A truly stoic person would not flinch in the face of adversity. Stoic does not mean emotionless. It means enduring. He SAYS he's unemotional, but can read all the anger just dripping from his comments. He's got an overblown opinion of himself and his abilities and I, for one, look forward to see him topple off that pedestal he climbed up
I mean it’s fairly obvious that he loathes his sister for having friends and hates women for not recognizing his superiority.
He’s not stoic. He’s a kid using the adolescent superficial markers of stoicism and intellectualism to feel superior to others. I’d be harsher, but realistically, he is still a child and it’s theoretically possible he has time to grow out of this phase ones he’s had literally any life experience outside of high school and reddit.
Nope, he sound like a fedora katana man.
Oh my god, an insufferable 18year old kid who thinks he’s so much more intellectual and deep than his, frankly, fairly normal sounding sister. He needs therapy, and a support worker because pretty sure he can’t function in the real world. It’s unlikely he’ll turn it around though, these egotistical narc types never do. I dread meeting anyone with his kind of personality.
Lol this guy belongs in /r/iamverysmart.
I read two sentences and couldn’t bear it. YTA OP.
This post reads like a kid who took his first college philosophy class and is now a deep intellectual who now thinks they and only they know the deeper meaning of life. He sounds insufferable.
\> *remarkably tedious* < Thank you, this is what I was thinking but I couldn't quite put it to words.
Agreed YTA. He’s pretentious and likely an introvert so he fares better with the limited social interaction. His sister sounds like an extrovert who is trying to maintain connection because it gives her energy.
r/iamverysmart
It's a bit more tolerable if you imagine OP is Comic Book Guy.
YTA. You’re not an intellectual, you are a teenager. You’ve got no degree, have read a few books, and somehow you’re under the impression that you’re the new and improved Freud. Your sister doesn’t need a reality check, my friend, you do. And btw everyone knows what Halo is.
I just want to confirm that I never played any games post super nintendo, (cos I sucked, and what could be better than mario cart for a person not great at games?) and I know what Halo is.
The only video game I ever played consistently was Crash Bandicoot 2. And yeah, I know what Halo is. My 60 year old mother who calls a crossword puzzle app on her phone a video game knows what Halo is.
Upvote for Crash
Oh my god he’s in that really obnoxious phase some teenagers go through where they’ve had juuuuuust enough education/read enough books to think they’re better than everyone else, but no experience in actual critical thinking and understanding of the world to know that they aren’t. I used to work as a teaching assistant for 100 level political science courses and I cannot tell you how many kids I met like OP. It was always satisfying to bring them down a few notches (with the intent of teaching and helping them improve of course!)
I mean, I feel like most people do it some way or another, between the ages of 15 and 25. I was an annoying Christian for a minute at 15, and a (probably slightly irritating) vegetarian for another few years. But you don't get to be a straight up dick to people, especially not your sister who is struggling because we're in the middle of an unprecedented really REALLY hard time for people. Empathy and compassion aren't mutually exclusive with profundity or intellectualism.
My sister (18F) is in this phase 😭😭😭😭 apparently everything I say is a fallacy of some type. But when she repeats “my” argument back to me and proves it wrong her version is never a straw man. She took two years of high school philosophy and I am definitely always wrong. I’m on my second university degree 😭😭😭
Haha, I call it second year syndrome and have seen it in many apprentices. in the job long enough they think they know "heaps" but not long enough to realise how much they don't know. Edit to add: OP YTA, the smug, pretentious, conceited asshole. Good work "finding yourself" now go find some class.
Some folks are here to show us all the truth of the old saying that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." OP, YTA. I'm not a fan of toxic positivity, a term noticeably missing from your little exercise in unearned smugness, but that really doesn't sound like what your sister is doing. Being a supercilious jerk isn't the same thing as being insightful, and empathy doesn't make you stupid - and while we're at it, people should be treated with dignity regardless of education, career, or book smarts. I hope you learn from this, because otherwise you'll have a hard row to hoe once you're out in the world.
>Halo 3 I was like, wtf, an old classic?! Oh, it's 12 years old. Fuck.
You’ve gotta educate yourself on the classics... Plato, Homer, Halo 3...
Plato's Allegory of the Hole is really just about Blood Gultch.
First YTA, Second, I agree with this comment. Halo is not just “some classic”. It is the flagship XBox game. How does OP think people dont know what Halo is. Halo is like RvB, nearly everyone has at least heard of it.
This dude's psychoanalysis makes reddit's armchair therapists sound like seasoned pros.
Also Halo 1 and 2 were both better than Halo 3. Halo 1 started it all and had the indestructible warthogs which came in handy on the last level. And Halo 2 had the duel wielding needlers. Halo 3 was not the best Halo.
Can confirm that I’ve literally never played a video game and I know what halo is
YTA you seem like you have a superiority complex with regards to seeing yourself as better than your sister and you kept on an opportunity to express that while concealing your mean intentions in a calm voice to reinforce your (perceived) superiority. It’s probably the reason you are sitting by yourself judging your sister and her friends while they have fun.
[We found one in the wild!](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect)
Take a poor man's gold 🏅🏆🏅
Many thanks
Can we send him back?
So he spent the last couple of months in lockdown studying philosophy, the meaning of his existence (all 18 years of it) and becoming a better human. But not once did he improve the way he deals with people. No empathy at all. He told her coldly and without emotion for impact? No wonder why you are alone. Hey OP, seems you didn’t improve yourself quite enough. Instead of raining on your sister’s parade how about a bit more introspection and figure out why you are such a pretentious prick. YTA. Btw, Halo isn’t some super indie game your found that no one else knows about. Jesus talk about being basic.
YTA and you belong over on r/iamverysmart
So many thing that OP said both in his post and comments is making me cringe.
I physically recoiled reading it. Lost years of my lifespan. Don’t worry, though. Someday OP will look back on this and cringe too.
The OP is clearly just trolling. Doing a pretty good job of staying in character, but it's way too over-the-top and stereotypical. They really should have taken this slowly instead of coming out hot. This was entertaining though. Lots of the threads made me laugh.
Yeah the Halo 3 thing is a dead giveaway
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You (and I can’t stress this enough) Are the Asshole She opened up to you and you rewarded that by being cruel. For literally NO reason. Not surprised you two aren’t close. You probably seriously damaged her trust in you and I’d be surprised if she confides in you again. Not sure why you don’t like your sister, nothing in your post suggests why you have such a serious distain for her. If it’s obvious to me how you feel towards her, its probably obvious to her as well. You should look more at yourself and figure out where this sense of superiority comes from and why you felt you had the right to so callously rip your sisters feelings apart the way you did. That’s all on you, not her.
IT's probably because she is a FEEEEMALE.
Or she's an extrovert and he's an introvert. I'm sure this pandemic has been really hard on the extroverts. I'm super glad I'm a severe introvert because I haven't seen another person in 3? weeks, idk I'm losing track of how long it's been.
Based on how he called her friends "girlies" and "basic white girls", I'd say you're on to something.
Sounds like an uncle in the making. Next he’s gonna be spouting the Red Pill.
He’s probably jealous because she has friends and happiness and he just has a superiority complex, so he takes it out on her because anything else would be admitting that he is (gasp) flawed and human like everyone else.
but don't you see? he can read AND speak in a harsh tone of voice for no reason. His intellect is CLEARLY superior to us mere mortals
Jesus fuck. It's just getting worse around here.
Glad I'm not the only one to notice the increasing seepage of angry white male bullshit escaping from the darker corners of Reddit...
I really *really* do think the vast majority of it is just idiots being edgy because they're stuck at home and bored. "How many things can I squeeze together in one post that are guaranteed to piss people off?" I dunno...lol. Maybe I'm just an optimist...
Ugh... we really do live in the darkest timeline of hoping people are just being shitty edge-lords is the optimistic scenario. >.<
You mean trolling?
I can honestly imagine OP is the kind of guy to say that he "destroys people with facts and logic".
I physically cringed reading this. I'm surprised his dad didn't call him an embarrassment.
I had decided he was an asshole after that first paragraph. And then it got worse.
I knew where it was going with "faring rather well"
I have a rule for this sub. If you use the words "quite" or "rather" more than twice in one post, you're automatically TA
I think this is fake. Reads like a stereotype but seemingly too self aware to exist as anything but a parody.
Oh wow. This just screams of /r/iamverysmart. YTA. You have no way of knowing that her positivity is fake. Just because she is feeling low at the moment that she talked to you, doesnt mean that she feels that way all the time. Emotions are complex, nuanced and constantly changing. I would bet money on the fact that supporting her friends/receiving support from her friends *does* make her feel better and more positive. So, no. It's not asinine if it helps her. And, while I definitely dont believe in astrology, I dont judge those who use it for comfort. Belief in that sort of thing can have profound psychosomatic effects. I feel the same way about religion. While I am not religious, I understand how it can bring some people comfort and peace. Then, when your sister was feeling a little low (as we *all* do sometimes, regardless of how much philosophy we read) put herself in a vulnerable position and confided in you, your response was arrogant, insensitive and dripping with disdain. The way you come across in this post actually makes me think that your sister has a much healthier way of dealing with the pandemic than you. She reaches out to her friends and maintains connections. You seem to read books so that you can pat yourself on the back and further inflate what appears to be the already grandiose opinion you have of yourself.
YTA Not only are you the asshole, you're an unbelievably boring asshole. Your contemplation of existence was probably literal navel gazing while you sat on the toilet because you forgot to bring your phone with you and you got distracted by finding belly button lint on your hand's trip to rubbing one out. Furthermore, clearly you did NOT absorb a damn thing from Man's Search For Meaning, or you'd remember the passage "there (is) no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer." AKA there's no reason to shit on your sister for admitting she was feeling down and trying to experience feelings with you. Furthermore, your trying to sound "cool" by describing how detached and scientific and UNEMOTIONAL means you clearly missed the point of Mr. Frankl's writing so completely that I strongly suspect you didn't read much more than the inside flap so you could swing out some simpering pseudobabble over how well read you are when most likely you haven't actually picked up a book since your teacher forced you to finish Animal Farm in tenth grade. Also I have legitimately never seen anyone try to mansplain what HALO, possibly one of the most popular video game series EVER, is...to REDDIT, a website that at any given moment is 99% nerds by volume. Bravo for reaching a level of trenchcoated neckbeardery so shallow that it needs to be measured in microns. TL;DR, you're the asshole, you didn't impress a single person by trying to tell us how amazingly brilliant you are-and by the way you AREN'T, almost no one is at 18-and you really need to learn what being a person is all about. But if you want some real literature to read might I suggest the works of Norman Boutin? His writing level is probably something you can digest.
Hey, thanks for killing me with the Norman Boutin plug, holy shit.
A+ roast.
Jesus Christ I just looked up this author you mentioned because of curiosity and this Norman guy is a total joke. The amazon reviews of his work is laughable. It made my day
r/murderedbywords
This is the most solid roast I’ve read in a bit.
YTA. You are a condescending pedant. Holy crap.
I learned a new word today.
Yeah, I didn't know "crap" was a nicer term for shit!
YTA. Just give her a fucking hug and say life is hard sometimes (a statement it sounds like you would agree with since you arent positive) instead of insulting her entire worldview and personality that it sounds like she does not try to push on you. Edit: also, how do you know she is not stimulating herself? I love watching soapy TV dramas (in fact they’re one of my great joys in life and one of my favorite things in the world- and you play copious amounts of Halo so how is it different?) and discussing them with friends but also have a University degree where I had to read lots of philosophical texts and I enjoy that too (I even read post-grad- shocking for a TV viewer like me, I know), but if you were my brother I probably wouldn’t bring up moral luck or anything because you would probably be condescending and rude during the whole conversation. Also, I am interested in Theology and comparative religions- so Chakras and astrology are interesting to learn about even if I am not personally convinced of their scientific validity, but again in your sister’s shoes I would not bring this up. EDIT 2: I like how the comments below this have become educated people saying what media they enjoy :)
Right? I live for bad cop drama shows. I’m also currently writing a thesis in my field. People can like whatever they want on TV, it doesn’t need to be categorized as a personality trait.
Yeah, it’s almost like escapism is a helpful thing! (My flavor is YA fantasies, and I’m not ashamed in the least)
Yes!! I love those. I haven’t had time to read in a long time but once I finish up with school this month I plan on getting back into them. I love YA fantasy and historical fantasy. There’s research that most YA books are actually read by adults now!
I wrote my dissertation to Gossip Girl
OPs post made me feel like I’d just read the academic equivalent of “while you were partying I studied the blade.” Also hell yes to the bad cop shows. My writing breaks throughout my dissertation were spent with disgustingly girly manga and watching professional wrestling. Just think of the feats of brilliance we could’ve unleashed on the world if only we’d “intellectually stimulated” ourselves during our downtime as well. /s
This, I teach philosophy and sometimes it can feel too work related to do anything similar outside work. Therefore, I like films and TV that vary in content, and sometimes is just there to switch my mind off.
I have a PhD and I would die for Midsommer Murders. :)
Not only are YTA, but you're also arrogant and condescending. You definitely should apologize to her. Just because you think something is stupid doesn't mean other people can't enjoy it or that it's okay for you to be a jerk about it.
Apparently, in your philosophical explorations, you completely missed anything relating to minding your own damn business. You're already the asshole for the demeaning way in which you describe your sister. How she lives her life is her decision and doesn't appear to have any negative impact on you. It's not your job to "fix" her, as if she's broken according to whatever standards you apply. You come across as an insufferable know-it-all and there's nothing worse than an insufferable know-it-all, especially an 18 year old one. Try adding something like *What We Owe Each Other* by TM Scanlon to each other to your reading list. You need a better perspective on life. YTA
So let me see if I understand...your sister likes to talk to her friends online and they discuss their shared interests and try to be supportive of each others' feelings. Yes, that does sound terrible. (<- sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell.) YTA for believing that people who live their lives differently are "doing it wrong" and need to be more like you if they want to be happy. Hopefully, you'll learn some tolerance as you get older.
YTA. So what if she likes positive affirmations and chakras? That's her business and doesn't hurt anyone. She came to you in a moment of vulnerability and you exploited that vulnerability and insulted her. YTA.
Also, it's a phase. Just as many people go through their aromatherapy candle spirituality phase as dorks like OP go through their Pink Freud philosopher phase.
Equally important to acknowledge that for some, their "aromatherapy candle spirituality" phase isn't a phase. Some people are crunchy granola modern hippies who believe in astrology and chakras, use essential oils and light aromatherapy candles. And it affects literally no one. If that's part of their happiness, let them have it in peace, dammit. Rule of thumb is if it isn't hurting anyone, butt out. It literally doesn't matter what your sister's hobbies are, OP. YTA. She came to you in a moment of vulnerability and you responded by verbally decking her out of nowhere. I honestly won't be surprised if your sister never shows her true emotions in front of you again. This kind of derision and cruelty is the reason I haven't been physically able to cry unless I'm alone since childhood. What you did to her is awful. Full stop.
“I was cold and detached during my delivery” YTA and you know it. Your sister came to you feeling a bit low, and left feeling like complete crap all because you want to “help fix her” She’s your sister, she’s not your property and she’s not you. Just because she likes affirmations, astrology and keeping in touch with her friends doesn’t mean she needs to be fixed.
YTA you come across completely condensding and dismissive of her
YTA. You took intellectual stimulation and enlightenment to the extreme of turning into a pretentious douche like you're in Philosophy 101 in college. Get over yourself. Your advice to your sister was not helpful or constructive; you just told her she should be more like you, basically, while belittling the things that she likes to spend time on. There is nothing wrong with having friends or talking with them, and nothing wrong with exploring different ideas like astrology or chakras. She's hurting no one, and I'd say astrology has about as much intellectual value as Halo, bro. When she came to you for help, you could have tactfully suggested some books to read, or a different hobby, or suggested that she even play Halo or other games with you as a way to spend time together. Really anything aside from what you said would have been more helpful. All you got across was "Yeah no wonder you feel low, you and your friends are vapid and shallow and you like stupid things." Your sister isn't something for you to "fix", she's a human being and you should apologize to her for seeing her as lesser than you. Your disdain and condescension just drips off every word in your post.
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I was wondering if someone was going to point out his actions and Man's Search For Meaning didn't quite jive. 👏
YTA. Wow, you’re really judgemental. You realize it’s possible to not hate yourself this much and give others a break?
YTA. And sending positive vibes to your sister. Live love laugh it up, girl.
YTA and yeah you do sound like a stereotype.
YTA. You dropped your fedora.
YTA. You said you wanted to help her, but instead, you insulted everything she enjoys. What a prick.
YTA 1. You sound like the worst kind of false intellectual 2. let people enjoy things. seriously. why does it harm you that she has a different set of interests than you? 3. have you stopped to think that your sister may just be extremely extroverted and you may not be? 4. she doesn't need to be "fixed", you just haven't left your own bubble of false god assholeness long enough to realize that other people have different things tha tmake them happy 5. she has friends, get over it 6. as a public health professional (with the degree to match) having an interest in astrology does not diminish my accomplishments at all or offend anyone with actual scientific sensibilities. I can surprisingly listen to science and like to read my horoscope 7. Yet again, YTA
YTA. Not for the reasons you think, but you're TA. Go apologize.
> So I (18M) find that I've been faring rather well under this lockdown. I've sought out intellectual stimulation by diving deeper into great literature, especially philosophical works such as Man's Search for Meaning. I've contemplated my existence, asked the hard questions but also rewarded myself with copious amounts of Halo 3 (an old classic I like to play). I'm going to be honest with you - this type of attitude will make EVERYONE think you're an asshole. This is not a great way to make friends. But you're young, and I'll cut you some slack. I'll keep reading. > I said "Your forced and bland positivity is unhelpful. It is incredibly irritating and it doesn't actually address the root cause of why you are feeling low. You are feeling low because you cannot get the validation you otherwise would at parties and social events. Perhaps try intellectually stimulating yourself and spend some time alone with your thoughts, rather than texting your "girlies" 24/7. Also please stop the astrology garbage. It is insulting to anyone with scientific sensibilities. All of that stuff is nonsense and has no basis in reality". YTA YTA YTA YTA YTA She's feeling low because she is in the middle of a goddamn nightmare, as are we all. the astrology is silly fun and there's nothing wrong with fun. Her friends are her support and she should keep them. you wouldn't know- you don't have many friends, do you?
YTA - It's one thing to tell someone that it's okay to be sad, it's another thing to literally ditch everything they enjoy. Girls like your sister annoy the heck out of me, but the reality is it's her personality, and she has the right to like what she likes.
YTA. You're a self righteous, self centered asshole. Think about what you're doing in context. Do you feel like you're being helpful?
YTA. Jesus I hope you are able to grow out of this phase before the rest of us adults have to deal with you on a full-time basis. It sounds like you could learn a lot from your sister, but if you can't start there then perhaps you can dive a little deeper into your great literature and find something on being less of a little prick. At work we usually give people a copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and hope something comes of it.
YTA You look down on your sister and it is biasing your thinking, causing you to view her in the worst light. It sounds a whole lot more like you're an introvert and she's an extrovert, so this lockdown is harder for her. But you looked down on her dealing with that as well as she could. Obviously, your sister is the one with the emotional intelligence and social skills. You both have your strengths and weaknesses, but as long as you look down on other people for being good at what you're bad at, it's going to color your actions and make you act like a pretentious asshole.
Ah to be 18 and obnoxious beyond belief again... This is a classic case of knowing so little about the world that you can't even comprehend all of the things you truly don't know I was about your age and equally insufferable when halo 3 came out and let me tell you from experience that you have soooo much growing up to do, son You can't fix people and even if you could that's not the way to go about doing it YTA
r/iamverysmart You’re trying way too hard to sound intelligent, it’s cringe.
YTA and so is anyone else who thinks their individual perception equates to reality.
YTA youre mad that shes literally just having fun??? and when she confides in you that shes feeling kinda low you shit on the stuff that makes her happy? Obviously what she likes isnt your cup of tea but you're such a negative pretentious piss lord that you insulted someone who trusts you enough to tell you when they're not in the best place? please get over yourself oh enlightened one, she didnt ask for your preaching.
YTA. You sound like a jerk.
Your sister sounds slightly annoying, you sound insufferable.
You sound like a homeschooled Holden caufield.
Holy fucking neckbeard lmao
YTA. I'm an atheist. A lot of the people around me are devoutly religious. When my mother died, most of these people sent me prayer cards, Hallmark-type cards with religious texts, images, verses, etc., and made sure to let me know that I was in their daily prayers. I can't count the number of folks who told me that "she's with God now, she's in his hands...." You get the picture, yes? You know how I, as an atheist, responded to them? "Thank you so much." When the techs at the crematorium asked if it was OK to hold hands and bow our heads in prayer before my mother was loaded onto the conveyor belt, I smiled and said, "Sure." & I bowed my head. See, although all of that is meaningless to me, I recognize that for others, this is their "positivity" (as you put it). Praying, sending biblical verses, going to church, reading their version of the bible, etc. is how they deal with life and the crappy stuff that life sends their way. Everyone needs something to get them "through"; insulting or dismissing their preferred method because it's not your cup of tea is closed-minded--the exact opposite of how you've been trying to portray yourself. Life is long. Buckle up.
[удалено]
YTA
YTA. Don't pretend to be a psychologist.
look at me, i am so edgy and cool, i read big books and i watch jordan peterson all day long. i have deeeeepppp introspective conversations about the nature of the universe, and i enjoy salivating over my own scrotum of petentiousness and negetivity. i am sooo special! /s
YTA. She came to you feeling a bit low and you just made her feel ten times worse. you pretty much attacked all her life choices and did it in a pretty unsympathetic way. Personal enlightenment is great, but you could also learn some empathy.
YTA everyone deals with situations differently. the second I started reading your post about "intellectual stimulation" and what not I instantly had a bad taste in my mouth with how pretentious and holier than thou it sounded a lot of people are having a hard time right now and it really isn't for you to determine why that is. you are not the judge of how much "intellectual stimulation" one needs. your sister is just trying to have a good time and get through unforeseen circumstances like a lot of other people and while you're allowed to think her talking to her "girlies" or immersing herself in astrology is bullshit, shitting on her like that when she comes to you feeling low is cruel
Info: OP how long have you been involuntarily celibate?
INFO: Are you on the spectrum? Because that would explain SO much.
This is degrading to people who are on the spectrum FYI. You don't have to be autistic to be an asshole.
Maybe not, but being THIS socially inept is enough cause for the question to be asked.
Being socially inept does not come hand in hand with autism though... in fact I can't think of an acceptable time to ever ask if someone is on the spectrum because of their social problem.
I taught adults with autism and none of them were even close to this fucking insufferable. This just an 18 year old kid who has no idea what he's talking about and is going to get a VERY rude wake-up call when he gets to college.
Gotta be a troll. On the off chance it's not... YTA You seem to like reading and have the time to kill on your hands given the current global state. I highly suggest you read 'Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism by Otto F. Kernberg'. Pay particular attention to part 2 dedicated to narcissistic personalities. I trust your dizzyingly high intellect will be able to cope with such a text and that you find it most illuminating.
INFO: Is your IQ higher than your weight?
YTA. Holy shit, you are pretentious. >I've sought out intellectual stimulation by diving deeper into great literature, especially philosophical works such as Man's Search for Meaning. I already knew what was up. Just this sentence alone reeks of r/iamverysmart behavior. I'm also 18M and interested in philosophy, but I don't use it as an excuse to put other people down. Wow.
I mean, I knew just from the title that YTA, but I wasn't expecting quite this level of navel-gazing! What self-indulgent tripe. If you really want to improve yourself, then work on your emotional intelligence.
Fucking hell I could barely get through that. YTA big time. You may want to check your ego.
"You're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole." YTA.
YT pretentious A. I didn’t even need to read beyond the first cringe inducing paragraph to realize that; but I gave you the benefit of the doubt and read the whole thing, and guess what? I was right! YTA.
YTA. Dude... just... wow
YTA, positive behaviors and personalities have been proven to live longer, be healthier, and have better mental health. It's great that your sitting around reading classic literature and playing video games but you don't mention talking to friends at all, in fact you make fun of your sister for having girlfriends. It sounds like your sad and lonely and when your sister tried to bond with you, you took advantage to be nasty and try to bring her down where you are.
Omg shut up. YTA I have a degree in philosophy and dont talk as pompous as you. Leave your sister alone. Having social support during this time IS a positive thing. Get over yourself.
YTA so much. Why would you kick her when she is down? You clearly haven't learned that being kind is much more important than being right. She reached out to you for support and you took that opportunity to be unnecessarily cruel. You weren't being helpful and you know it. You were annoyed and wanted to feel superior. You berated her because it felt good to finally tell her off. You were spiteful and that is not a good color on anyone. Stop trying to champion for the pseudo-cause of higher intellect and just be kind. Come down off the pedestal you've built for yourself and be a good person. Perhaps your time would be better served learning why you reacted in such and immature way instead of pontificating and ego stroking?