The Humble-Brag

[Fair]

The world is selfish!! I don't see how this isn't apparent to everyone. All you have to do is GLANCE at FB to see it... but it's all around.

 

Go help out in a soup kitchen for the holidays and give out blankets to the homeless... in fact, I'm doing that next year. That's what Christmas is really supposed to be about.. not stuffing our fat faces and taking more than what we need from others when we've already got so much.

 

Especially at Christmas the selfishness really shines. I swear, it makes my blood boil.

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

The world is selfish!! I don't see how this isn't apparent to everyone. All you have to do is GLANCE at FB to see it... but it's all around.

 

Go help out in a soup kitchen for the holidays and give out blankets to the homeless... in fact, I'm doing that next year. That's what Christmas is really supposed to be about.. not stuffing our fat faces and taking more than what we need from others when we've already got so much.

 

Especially at Christmas the selfishness really shines. I swear, it makes my blood boil.

 

We can tell .

 

I largely agree with you. We live in such excess it's embarrassing.

[1fish2fish]

I have a friend who posted last week "Something AMAZING is happening!!!!" and several comments later asking her what it was, and she still wouldn't say....said she can't "let the cat out of the bag just yet." :rolleyes:

 

 

Ugh. One of my friends did this and turns out she became a "Isogenix" pusher and was starting to build her "team". lol

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

Ugh. One of my friends did this and turns out she became a "Isogenix" pusher and was starting to build her "team". lol

 

Haha yes, I did wonder if it was a MLM business. Sounds exactly how these things tend to start!

[ChatroomHero]

Go help out in a soup kitchen for the holidays and give out blankets to the homeless... in fact, I'm doing that next year.

 

 

 

Ah, the "I'm so giving, I have the true meaning of Christmas figured out and I am going to donate time at a soup kitchen and really give back to the community...next year." humble-brag.

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

People who rely on soup kitchens to eat do so more than just once a year . Usually, even every day!

[Fair]

Ah, the "I'm so giving, I have the true meaning of Christmas figured out and I am going to donate time at a soup kitchen and really give back to the community...next year." humble-brag.

 

Actually I get generally angry at all the selfishness, and feel guilty over my own, at times. It shouldn't just be me it should be all of us doing more to help each other.

 

It's hard not to look at people with the blinders off and not completely despise the human race.

 

Plus everyone knows what "the true meaning of Christmas is" ... I'm not saying I'm the only one who has it figured out. it's just that most people choose to ignore it.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Fair

[Imajerk17]

I'm sorry OP but this just comes across as a silly rant on your part.

 

Let's do the math here. I have a few hundred friends on FB. If each of them posts a "good news" post about themselves 10x/year it would come to about 10 of these posts *a day* appearing on my feed. Which sounds about par for the course.

 

And yet I have no problem w it. FB is for keeping up w people you know. Those who do post too much for your liking--you know you have the option of seeing fewer of their updates. (You also have the option of donating money for every post on FB you see that you don't like, but I digress.) Meanwhile what are most people on FB supposed to do instead--not post ANYTHING or only post Bad News

 

Meanwhile, just as bad as Humblebragging is being a killjoy and a downer for others' joys, which is how you are coming across here.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Imajerk17

[basil67]

Ugh. One of my friends did this and turns out she became a "Isogenix" pusher and was starting to build her "team". lol

 

One of my friends also couldn't let the cat out of the bag yet. Turns out she donated eggs to an infertile couple.

[basil67]

Actually I get generally angry at all the selfishness, and feel guilty over my own, at times. It shouldn't just be me it should be all of us doing more to help each other.

 

It's hard not to look at people with the blinders off and not completely despise the human race.

 

Plus everyone knows what "the true meaning of Christmas is" ... I'm not saying I'm the only one who has it figured out. it's just that most people choose to ignore it.

 

That's because you use the word "should" with respect to others. As soon as we start putting our own values on others and saying that's what they SHOULD do, we will be disappointed.

 

How about learning to accept others as they are? Without judgement. This is also a very giving thing to do. One of the kindest women I know is so special because she sees positive attributes in pretty much everyone.

 

There is more than one way to give.

[Fair]

I'm sorry OP but this just comes across as a silly rant on your part.

 

Let's do the math here. I have a few hundred friends on FB. If each of them posts a "good news" post about themselves 10x/year it would come to about 10 of these posts *a day* appearing on my feed. Which sounds about par for the course.

 

And yet I have no problem w it. FB is for keeping up w people you know. Those who do post too much for your liking--you know you have the option of seeing fewer of their updates. (You also have the option of donating money for every post on FB you see that you don't like, but I digress.) Meanwhile what are most people on FB supposed to do instead--not post ANYTHING or only post Bad News

 

Meanwhile, just as bad as Humblebragging is being a killjoy and a downer for others' joys, which is how you are coming across here.

 

To be fair, I'm on an anonymous forum. I could only be a killjoy if I was actually saying these things to the people I know on FB. I don't say anything. I post nothing but jokes for the most part.

 

It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other when it comes to what they post... all bragging or nothing... But people are on social media platforms are all trying to "outdo the jones's".... see who can scream the loudest about how great their lives are. You can post all kinds of things it doesn't always have to be THAT but that's mostly all it is. And mine, as opposed to yours, is a very small friends list. But it's a constant stream every day. I just wish there could be ONE thing at least, that people don't somehow manage to ruin.

 

Perhaps to you it's just a silly rant. Perhaps it is... but need to get it off my chest anyway.

[basil67]

To be fair, I'm on an anonymous forum. I could only be a killjoy if I was actually saying these things to the people I know on FB. I don't say anything. I post nothing but jokes for the most part.

 

It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other when it comes to what they post... all bragging or nothing... But people are on social media platforms are all trying to "outdo the jones's".... see who can scream the loudest about how great their lives are. You can post all kinds of things it doesn't always have to be THAT but that's mostly all it is. And mine, as opposed to yours, is a very small friends list. But it's a constant stream every day. I just wish there could be ONE thing at least, that people don't somehow manage to ruin.

 

Perhaps to you it's just a silly rant. Perhaps it is... but need to get it off my chest anyway.

 

If you aren't exaggerating or looking through storm coloured glasses, then it sounds like you need new friends.

[ChatroomHero]

To be fair, I'm on an anonymous forum. I could only be a killjoy if I was actually saying these things to the people I know on FB. I don't say anything. I post nothing but jokes for the most part...

Perhaps to you it's just a silly rant. Perhaps it is... but need to get it off my chest anyway.

 

 

I think most people would agree with some of it (attention seeking etc.) being too much on FB from some people, but frankly FB is a social media platform, a platform for anyone to say pretty much anything about whatever and whenever they want.

 

 

If I buy apples at the store it's because I want to eat an apple. Others might use it to make an apple pie. It would seem silly for me to judge someone poorly for wanting to make a pie from them. A bit selfish for me think how someone else used their apples should be defined by me, I guess. I think the same goes for how someone decides to spend their time and give back or not give back.

 

 

As far as giving back, people you might think of as selfish might be the ones that gave more than you ever thought of giving, you just don't know it because they don't broadcast it like many would.

[Fair]

I think most people would agree with some of it (attention seeking etc.) being too much on FB from some people, but frankly FB is a social media platform, a platform for anyone to say pretty much anything about whatever and whenever they want.

 

 

If I buy apples at the store it's because I want to eat an apple. Others might use it to make an apple pie. It would seem silly for me to judge someone poorly for wanting to make a pie from them. A bit selfish for me think how someone else used their apples should be defined by me, I guess. I think the same goes for how someone decides to spend their time and give back or not give back.

 

 

As far as giving back, people you might think of as selfish might be the ones that gave more than you ever thought of giving, you just don't know it because they don't broadcast it like many would.

 

Trust me they broadcast everything. They wouldn't let something like THAT get by.... nor anything that makes them look good... that's how I know they're not doing it!

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

Trust me they broadcast everything. They wouldn't let something like THAT get by.... nor anything that makes them look good... that's how I know they're not doing it!

 

Sorry, but this is a very ridiculous assumption. You can't possible know this with certainty. So, sorry, no, I don't "trust you" on this.

 

Many people put their best face forward on social media (which is one thousand times preferable to the ones who only complain). Just last night I saw an adorable "family photo" of a young married couple and their infant child, in front of a Christmas tree. Had the wife not been vulnerable and open in the last days and weeks nobody would know that it will likely be the one and only family Christmas picture they ever have together because her new husband has decided he wants to bail and is filing for divorce. My point is, what we "see" on social media is only a sliver of what is actually happening in real life.

[basil67]

To me, social media is a like a house party. When someone we don't know well comes to make small talk with us, we don't bore them with the minutia of life. Nor do we burden them with our issues. Instead, we talk about what's been going on in our lives in a manner which is upbeat and positive.

 

Close friends often rely on each other during bad times. But they do their venting and supporting privately. None of them would go airing their dirty laundry at a house party. FB is no different.

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

T None of them would go airing their dirty laundry at a house party. FB is no different.

 

Haha well some of them do!! Unfortunately! With some you can even clearly detect their drunk and sober posting patterns .

[Fair]

Sorry, but this is a very ridiculous assumption. You can't possible know this with certainty. So, sorry, no, I don't "trust you" on this.

 

Many people put their best face forward on social media (which is one thousand times preferable to the ones who only complain). Just last night I saw an adorable "family photo" of a young married couple and their infant child, in front of a Christmas tree. Had the wife not been vulnerable and open in the last days and weeks nobody would know that it will likely be the one and only family Christmas picture they ever have together because her new husband has decided he wants to bail and is filing for divorce. My point is, what we "see" on social media is only a sliver of what is actually happening in real life.

 

Well that's my point. we see the good.. much of it over the top... but not the bad. I've never denied they don't show the bad... my complaint is that they're obnoxiously overblowing the good.

 

I mean, come on... if you were in someone's physical presence... ie - their living room, bragging about yourself, how quickly do you think you would go down in their estimation? Probably within minutes.

 

I don't see how it's suddenly acceptable on social media. It's still obnoxious. It still secretly makes a lot of people p***ed off even if they never tell you.... just like you wouldn't tell them if they were sitting in your living room directly across from you. But you'd still be sitting there thinking what an ass they are.

 

I don't see why the words braggart, insensitive, insecure, obnoxious, etc. don't apply when it comes to social media, but the same behavior is frowned upon if it's done in person??

[basil67]

Haha well some of them do!! Unfortunately! With some you can even clearly detect their drunk and sober posting patterns .

 

Good point. I guess I left out the part where we avoid the ones at a party who air their dirty laundry. Just as often happens on FB.

[basil67]

Well that's my point. we see the good.. much of it over the top... but not the bad. I've never denied they don't show the bad... my complaint is that they're obnoxiously overblowing the good.

 

I mean, come on... if you were in someone's physical presence... ie - their living room, bragging about yourself, how quickly do you think you would go down in their estimation? Probably within minutes.

 

I don't see how it's suddenly acceptable on social media. It's still obnoxious. It still secretly makes a lot of people p***ed off even if they never tell you.... just like you wouldn't tell them if they were sitting in your living room directly across from you. But you'd still be sitting there thinking what an ass they are.

 

I don't see why the words braggart, insensitive, insecure, obnoxious, etc. don't apply when it comes to social media, but the same behavior is frowned upon if it's done in person??

 

I spend far too much time on social media, yet I've never seen anything close to what you're describing. My gut feeling says that you're over blowing the whole issue. But if you're not overblowing it, why do you have these "obnoxious" people as friends? Just delete them and the problem is solved.

[rushed]

Trust me they broadcast everything. They wouldn't let something like THAT get by.... nor anything that makes them look good... that's how I know they're not doing it!

 

I outright brag on my facebook all the time. "My kid got this outstanding award!" "Just got tickets to this killer concert!" "On my way to Monterrey with my handsome fellow!" "Look at these gorgeous flowers I received!"

 

I have never posted on my facebook about my monthly donations to the ACLU or the Southern Poverty Law Center or that I volunteer to visit with the elderly every week.

 

You might want to rethink your logic, OP.

[BluEyeL]

So if someone indeed has a good life what should they do? Hide under a bed and feel guilty about their luck ?

 

I think you are a true friend if you are able to be happy for your friends successes. it's much harder to do than being there when things are tough while being secretly happy that it's not you, or that others are miserable too.

 

There are some people who annoy me in Facebook too and those are the ones who post too much or keep ranting about stuff all the time so I choose to see less of them or even completely hide some of them. Do the same.

 

I don't have an issue with people sharing their good news because I'm happy myself. I see how being unhappy would make me envy them. Maybe you are just envious of others lives? Drop that attitude it's not helpful. And not a lot

more noble than the one of the braggarts.

[wmacbride]

No bites? Well, just a thought. Perhaps we should all make 2018 about being less self absorbed.

 

Let's start thinking of the people we may have hiding on your social media accounts who don't have a family while we're shouting from the rooftops about how wonderful our own families are... really, do we have to keep shouting about how much we love our kids? Everyone assumes this is true anyway.

 

And how about the vacations we've taken and all the photos we're flashing of our tropical island paradise when there are others who can barely afford to put food on the table let alone go twice a year to Jamaica, or build cabins at the lake...

 

How about reaching out to each other instead of using social media solely as a platform to blow our own horns and glorify ourselves and to glorify how 'busy' we are... oh, no one has ever been busy before...

 

How about we stop taking so many selfies and expecting others to admire us... constantly.

 

And maybe that pic of our big Christmas meals or being shown to someone who is alone and didn't get one?

 

Or maybe bragging about our wonderful spouses is akin to rubbing it in the face of someone who isn't or perhaps has never known love?

 

In short, how about making 2018 about being better people?

 

Before you suggest these people just stay off fb... maybe it's a connection they need and would appreciate if not for being subjected to so much selfishness. It's not for us to insult them by basically saying, well if you don't like it ... eff off, then. Why can't we all stop being so selfish?

 

Actually, a person who wants the world to stop being happy simply because they aren't is quite selfish. I'm not talking about outright bragging or someone saying "look what I have and you don't", but someone who is simply happy and thankful for all the good they have in their lives.

 

I brag about mu kids because they have all worked their collectives asses off to get what they have. They have been through difficulties some can't even begin to imagine, yet they have been able to succeed in their own ways. Am I proud? You'd damned well better believe I am. What is wrong with me sharing details about that?

 

If I work hard to cook a meal, if my family is able to be together through an adversity, if I have been lucky enough to have good in my life or be fortunate enough to be able to have the opportunity to help someone else and maybe bring them some happiness, why shouldn't I talk about it?

[Starswillshine]

Some of the very people who I know who complain about these sort of things, are the very people that when they go on a vacation, they post every detail, every photo, etc.

 

Hear all the time, "So and so is obnoxious posting about all her trips." So and so travels a lot, we can all be envious of that. Then that same person (who doesn't travel often) goes on a family trip and I can likely tell you every place they ate along with what they ate. Every place they visited. Etc.

 

I love people sharing about their lives. I LOVE vacation photos. I love photos of people's cooked meals. I love it when friends get new furniture and post the photos. I love, LOVE hearing of their kids doing well. And while my marriage is failing, I am so extremely happy to see my friends and their marriages thrive. I don't want them to suffer.

[Timshel]

I'm glad I don't have Facebook.