the bagel has to be 35 years old and a natural born American, though. Otherwise, I’m with you

In my dealing with the C- level types I can tell you most of them are narcissist themselves and go on to create or try to create smaller versions of themselves. They treat their kids like garbage if they don’t live up to their perfect standards and the kid either becomes their parents or they are completely insecure…

Indeed. Some people grow up embracing their empathy. In materialistic nations, though, I theorize it is discouraged to be empathetic and more sociopathic/psychopathic to get ahead in life.

This is true.

‘I think it would look better for you if you were a classically trained musician.’

Wait staff especially.

It can be even more insidious than that.  (speaking unfortunately from experience)  The waitress probably “isn’t worth the energy”...they might make a snide comment to you about it but still be superficially - sometimes ‘over the top’ nice to her.  It’s potential equals or competitors that are really the…

Also, if you dare to disagree with them or criticize them, they fly into a rage and immediately go into character assassination mode.

I don’t know anything, but anything, about horses and riding but two seems really unsafe for anybody to be on the back of an animal that much larger than they are.

In fairness, the pony was much cheaper than the bedazzled Bugatti Chiron Kylie was originally gonna buy for the kid.

To be fair, many narcissists adore and dote on their children — until the children have a mind of their own and an opinion to express. Around age three. And then all bets are off (especially for the same-gender child).

I’m not a particularly creative person, so this may not be helpful. But I do find that I’m energized by trying to find ways to keep my work meaningful online. I teach at a university, and online teaching and learning is inherently inferior to the classroom. I don’t want to be doing it and could get very depressed…

I haven’t gone to any of my high school reunions, because I’m not a glutton for that type of punishment. I did hear through the grape vine that the 10 year one was essentially just ‘divorced, disheveled, destitute’ repeat. With some ‘she had five kids with three different people’ thrown in.

I think the last time I willingly spoke to someone from my high school class was 1994. I graduated in 1996.

The commenters on here have been pretty influential in my life. It was a Jezzie who gave me this idea! The way she wrote her response was so chill, mature, and direct. I wish I’d saved it, but I remember feeling very envious of a person who could casually write a response and then block the person.

Legit. Every time someone who bullied me, was cruel to me, fucked up my body image, made fun of me for wanting good grades, tries to friend me I remind them of it. I don’t care if you had a come to jesus moment (they didn’t, they feel guilty that shitty stuff happened to me and they want to feel good about feeling…

1) You’ve got anger issues, you should really see someone about that.

Why would my children pay this bill 50 years from now, when last year Amazon didn’t pay any taxes at all?

I don’t go to reunions for two reasons:

He stole it from Alton Brown’s recipe.