Viewing 39 posts - 41 through 79 (of 79 total)
  • Dealing with manipulative people… what's your solution?
  • hora
    Free Member

    Goad her on?

    Not a chance, it’d end up with egg on your face/looking like you are in the wrong. She has all the time in the world whereas you have 10things on your plate at any one time.

    Avoid. Including social engagements/doo’s etc from now on.

    uselesshippy
    Free Member

    Should.have got her off her tits…
    Then left her in the depths of hell, in shangrila. 😈

    thejesmonddingo
    Full Member

    It sounds like attention seeking behaviour,as Sui says,ignore,she’ll hate it,or tell her she’s looking for a reaction and you’re not going to react,she’ll strop,and end up looking like a spoilt 5 yearold.

    boblo
    Free Member

    Take the pi$$ remorselessly until she’s completely unsure of herself. Simply destroy her self confidence with your whit and badinage. That usually ends well at a social gathering….

    brooess
    Free Member

    tell her she’s looking for a reaction and you’re not going to react,she’ll strop,and end up looking like a spoilt 5 yearold.

    that’s pretty much what did happen – it would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so tragic – a 39 year old woman stropping out of a tent in the rain after I refused to be drawn into an argument, going a short distance away and bawling her eyes out… <close enough for maximum attention of course>

    I’m wondering what the next move will be – there was an abusive text which followed this incident (Thursday) and another text yesterday trying to blame me for the abusive text which she sent 😯

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Send the text to me I will write the reply 😉

    thejesmonddingo
    Full Member

    Don’t reply,it only feeds her behaviour,and be careful who you discuss it with,if she becomes aware that you are upset,that too will encourage her,just play it dead bat,ie “I don’t know why she got so upset,it was all about nothing” etc.

    thejesmonddingo
    Full Member

    If you can keep your cool for a while,she will go away and not bother you anymore,you’ll probably find your friends are glad,as she’ll not want to socialize when you are there.These people are sad and needy,but won’t recognise it.

    unovolo
    Free Member

    Pop round with a Smiths album,some whiskey and let the evening take its course.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    unovolo – Member
    Pop round with a Smiths album,some whiskey and let the evening take its course.

    Or, a nice film to watch;

    SidewaysTim
    Full Member
    user-removed
    Free Member

    Pretty much what Cougar said.

    The description in the OP made me think you MUST be writing about a mutual ‘friend’. My wife had the misfortune to get drawn in to the world of perhaps the most passive-aggressive person I’ve ever met.

    She is a large girl (mid 30s) and has a very, very loud voice. She dominates conversations and is incredibly sensitive to any suggestion that she is in any way out of order, whilst also being incredibly insesitive towards others. She dishes it out in spadefulls but can’t take any back. At all. As in the OP, she lashes out verbally, sulks and badmouths whomsoever has been unlucky enough to cross her. Every ounce of drama is drawn from every situation.

    On the other hand, she can be very thoughtful (rarely), is a great organiser and is good fun in a big group and small doses.

    She wormed her way into our group of mates and although everyone feels the same way about her in private, she always jumps on any plans with huge enthusiasm, and no-one wants to tell her to get lost. We often organise holidays and away days in term time to avoid a huge scene (she’s a teacher).

    To make it all much worse, it turns out she’s now going out with one of the guys in our social group. Frankly, he’s a bit desperate, but none of us knew he was that desperate 🙁

    Feel better for that.

    EDIT – meant to say, the guy she’s now seeing is a really gentle, unassuming kind of a guy. Not very socially able but still a decent bloke. All her previous relationships have been car crashes in slow motion, shrouded in secrecy and drama. This new relationship was kept secret from some of us for six months. God knows why, as no-one gives a shit really, apart from feeling sorry for the guy…

    Cletus
    Full Member

    So what are you all doing for her imminent 40th birthday?

    My partner’s cousin is similar. He is 44, has not had a relationship for 20 years and long term unemployed. Despite this he has an incredibly high opinion of himself and seems to delight in trying to stir up trouble.

    In my case this is mainly by mentioning incidents from 20+ years ago when we used to hang out in the same group and before I met my partner.

    Ironically he is the reason that I met my partner 12 years ago when our group bumped into a group containing his female cousins.

    Since then my partner and I have gone through a lot including having children, death of parents and serious illness. We have become responsible adults and parents but he does not seem to have grown up or changed at all.

    We just try to have as little to do with him as possible but have to see him at family events. When he starts trying to wind either of us up we just change the subject or find that the kids suddenly need supervising!

    brooess
    Free Member

    So what are you all doing for her imminent 40th birthday?

    There’s a party, which I won’t be at, despite having an invitation. I want to send a clear message without having to actually communicate with her…

    Other friends will go I think, but as much out of a sense of duty/pity/longevity of friendship as much as anything else

    spchantler
    Free Member

    jesus who needs enemies with friends like you lot? must be nice being in the right all the time…sometimes people are just unhappy, for whatever reason. a true friend would engage and challenge (in a helpful way) her behaviour, and try and understand whats going on in order to offer help. thats called growing up. remember, we all need a hand sometimes, consider yourself lucky that its not your turn

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    Tantrums are attention seeking: been spoiled as a child and not been confronted enough to grow out of it yet. Will you be able to fix them? No! Can you make them regret crossing the line in future? Maybe!

    IMO, ignore tantrums. Or give them something worth crying about. But don’t play along.

    psling
    Free Member

    Body-clock is ticking, she obviously wants your baby…

    On the other hand, sounds like the classic definition of a non-violent psychopath!

    slowoldgit
    Free Member

    Once folk grow up (normally when kids appear), they realise that the ‘old gang’ was just that, something from their old days.

    I find that rather sad.

    Some of my peer group met in early-mid twenties, paired off in or out of the group, started families at about the same time, holidayed at half-term with the children, watched them grow up, and now anticipate the next generation.

    She’s been like it for twenty years, so I fear there’s nothing you could do that would change anything.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Life’s too short to be dealing with this. Just avoid her don’t invite her to anything. If you have to be around her just tell her calmly that you are not going to enter into a discussion / comment on whatever issue she is raising. If she persists with others just ask her politely and in front of everyone to stop.

    kimbers
    Full Member

    whats going on?40 posts and even hora hasnt suggest you shag her and be done with it!

    hora
    Free Member

    Its one girl in the mans handbook that says emphatically no. She’d do it willingly then go round and confess to your partner that she ‘should know’.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    jesus who needs enemies with friends like you lot? must be nice being in the right all the time…sometimes people are just unhappy, for whatever reason. a true friend would engage and challenge (in a helpful way) her behaviour, and try and understand whats going on in order to offer help. thats called growing up. remember, we all need a hand sometimes, consider yourself lucky that its not your turn

    Need any help getting onto that high horse of yours? 🙄

    Cougar
    Full Member

    sometimes people are just unhappy, for whatever reason.

    Sometimes, people are inherently just dicks.

    3dvgirl
    Free Member

    Other friends will go I think, but as much out of a sense of duty/pity/longevity of friendship as much as anything else

    maybe they actually just like her, i like having friends that are ****, as it makes me look good.

    user-removed
    Free Member

    a true friend would engage and challenge (in a helpful way) her behaviour, and try and understand whats going on in order to offer help. thats called growing up. remember, we all need a hand sometimes, consider yourself lucky that its not your turn

    That’s very true, but the girl I spoke of is no friend of mine. She’s a hanger-on. A tagnut. I suspect the same is true in the OP’s case.

    deadlydarcy
    Free Member

    Sometimes, people are inherently just dicks.

    Sometimes, people are inherently judgmental.

    sicklilpuppy
    Free Member

    Stop inviting her, she’ll get the message soon enough.

    uselesshippy
    Free Member

    Should’ve just locked her in a portaloo and left her too it. 😀

    jambourgie
    Free Member

    Should’ve given her a massive dab of MDMA.

    Sounds like a classic case of d*ck deficiency syndrome. Can you not ‘help her out’?

    mrmonkfinger
    Free Member

    She doesn’t sound that manipulative. Immature yes. Properly manipulative would mean far more subtlety than spitting the dummy and having a bit of a cry.

    Anyway. Cougar has it nailed. Ignore, avoid, life is too short, and some people are simply giant rear ends who can’t or won’t be helped.

    joepose
    Free Member

    Just punch her!
    You know u want to……

    Or maybe the cats thing?

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Sometimes, people are inherently judgmental.

    Y’know, I think if I had the choice of being judgemental or being a dick, I’d choose the former.

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    Seems like you have two choices:

    1. Help (sounds like it is needed) or,
    2. Ignore

    The stuff in between seems rather nasty, unnecessary and unpleasant to me.

    loum
    Free Member

    deadlydarcy
    Free Member

    Y’know, I think if I had the choice of being judgemental or being a dick, I’d choose the former.

    Aye, I can see that’s the general consensus of the thread.

    piemonster
    Full Member

    Can’t help but think the women’s life is actually a bit grim.

    But yeah, what Cougar said.

    brooess
    Free Member

    1. Help (sounds like it is needed) or,

    Absolutely. I know I’ve given a very brief precis and not the full details but help and general ‘putting up with x sulking again’ have been very forthcoming for the last 20 years – from everyone in the group – all of whom are nice people who get on with each other very well… and have probably done more to help than most would have done.

    It’s the abuse she’s begun to dish out in the last couple of years that’s leading to people walking away… I don’t think people are willing to help if that’s what they get in return…

    She fell out with her therapist too btw 😯

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    you cannot help everyone and only you can decide if you want to help

    We all gave up with a similar friend around the 40 mark as 20 years was enough for us all to learn nothing would change.

    People make their own lives if you have not sorted yourself out to not be a complete asshole to those around you whom you love and respect by 40 then IMHO there is little hope.

    perhaps loosing all here dear friends will be the catalyst..perhaps her behaviour means she will grow old sad and alone …..who knows but she is ploughing her own field and it is up to you what you will put up with

    pymwymis
    Free Member

    Can you explanin why you actually bother to invite her to your get togethers ? Stop it. Now.

    Just ditch her and move on.

Viewing 39 posts - 41 through 79 (of 79 total)

The topic ‘Dealing with manipulative people… what's your solution?’ is closed to new replies.