One-uppers

[FBisthedevil]

Do you have people in your life who always have to "one up" you? Whatever you're doing they're doing it better. My MIL - any medical ailment you have, she's had it, has it, and it's always way worse than you. My BIL - I get a new car that I'm proud and happy about so I'm telling some family members. He has to take over and tell everyone about his BMW something or other and how, when he got pulled over for doing 140mph, the cop was in awe of it. DH - I have a bad day at work and want to tell him about it. He's always had a worse day, worked harder, likes to say "that's nothing compared to how it used to be when I worked at ......"

 

[EMom]

Yes, there’s one on each side of the family. They’ll never change.

 

[Alicefan]

Yes, but the ones I know are far worse than what you describe.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I have a friend like this. She’s fine when it’s just our core group of friends but if there’s an event and new people are around, forget it. She has to prove herself and she does the one upper stuff. We love her but we all need our space from her at times.

Then there’s my SIL. Her one upping is just depressing. It’s all about how much worse she’s had it. If I say I made my son do X, I have to hear about how awful her mom was and all the awful things her mom did and how my son is so lucky. It’s all of the time. I can’t call my brother without her constantly chiming in throughout the entire conversation. Anytime I talk to him she has to butt in with something depressing to “one up” my vent. Lol

My SIL is also a know it all. The best was when they started to plan a WDW trip. I started to give advice when asked and she shot me down each time. Everything I told her she had looked up already and I was wrong. The last straw was when I told her character meals are about $50 a person on the CHEAP end and to plan accordingly. She shot back that they were $15-30 for breakfast and I told her that’s regular breakfast, no characters. She would not let up. It got to the point where my brother snapped at her a bit. I bowed out after that. If they asked me something I gave a very vague answer and gave them a website to look up themselves.

 

[Alicefan]

On the other side of this coin. Have you ever been accused of trying to one up someone or make it "about you" for trying to add to the conversation? I had a co-worker one time get mad and say, "It's not all about you!" When I was explaining that I could relate to her story because something similar had happened to me. For me, if we're having a conversation and I'm telling my story and you say, "yes girl, that happened to me back in high school so I know what you're talking about!" That doesn't strike me as one upping, but relating and adding to the conversation. A part of the back and forth. This girl, I guess expected me to stare at her blankly and act like her story didn't remind me of anything in my own life? That to me would just be weird. To me, in that situation it's more about the other person not giving a crap about what you have to say...it's all about THEM. I know a lot of those types and they will flat out cut you off if you try to actually have a conversation. They only want to do the talking and what you say isn't important.

 

[Kitty 34]

Yes, one of my sisters. ANY thing she or her kids or her grandkids do are always better than me and my family. It's been that way from the get go. I take her with a grain of salt and hang out with my other siblings instead.

 

[slo]

Yes - I find it funny and it makes me laugh.
My DH and I do a lot of this

 

[lovesmurfs]

My grandmother (my mom's mother) was like that, but in her head she wasn't making it up. She even told someone at her doctor's office that she had been close to someone who died on 9/11. She didn't know anyone.

Holidays -- my dad saved up for a pearl enhancer for my mom, and was excited to show my grandmother. She went out and bought something that obviously cost a LOT more and gave it to my mom at Christmas, BEFORE my dad could give it to her. Just one example, but it caused so much angst and emotion.

 

[kymom99]

I have a friend who is a name dropper. It’s always Dr. whoever, attorney whoever. Acts like they are on a first name basis. I asked my dentist about her because they went to the same country club and at first he was like who? Then he realized he knew who I was talking about because he played in a golf tournament with her husband once. I don’t get the hype. They all put their pants on one leg at a time like I do.

 

[Buckeye218]

Eh, I would just mock them by one-upping their one-upper....something so ridiculous it couldn't be topped just to call them out on what they're doing.

 

[amcnj]

This is reminding me of how much I enjoyed Jon Lovitz doing his pathological liar character!

 

[Kitty 34]

This is reminding me of how much I enjoyed Jon Lovitz doing his pathological liar character!

Would he be on Youtube? I might have to look that one up------get it one-up.

 

[tvguy]

LOL, I'm guilty of being a "one DOWNER". Can be just as annoying to people (and folks on the DIS Boards) as being a one upper.
I don't like change.
Some folks get a new family car every 5,6 or 7 years, I kept mine 31 years.
Some homeowners buy a different house and move every few years. Google says the average length of home ownership is 8 years, I've been in my house 38 years.
I work in an industry where people often move jobs and cities every 2 to 3 years. I've had 3 jobs in the same city in the last 44 years. My wife has been in the same job 42+ years.

 

[Disneylover99]

I’m happy to say I don’t really know anyone like this.
Or maybe I haven’t noticed cause it’s me. Lol.

 

[firefly_ris]

This is reminding me of how much I enjoyed Jon Lovitz doing his pathological liar character!

That's the ticket!

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

My mother is the one-upper. It's impossible to have any kind of meaningful conversation with her because she always steers it to be one-sided and all about her. I dread her calls they are 45 minutes to an hour of nonstop bragging or complaining on her end, with the occasional "mm-hmm" and "uh-huh" thrown in from me. And she complains that no one ever wants to talk to her on the phone...

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I have someone in my life like this. If the Virgin Mary appeared to her and said, "I am going to bear the son of the Lord," she'd reply, "Me too but it's twins." You cannot go to her with a problem. One sentence in you get, and then she's off and the next thing you know you're listening to *her bigger troubles.*

 

[amcnj]

Would he be on Youtube? I might have to look that one up------get it one-up.

Ha ha! I am now going to have to go look for clips of him performing that routine!

 

[debknight]

Penelope, "one-upping".

 

[TippyThomas]

Heck, I've noticed it in threads here every now and again. I just figured it was how some people are.