# Disappointed in my friends regarding my birthday

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-in-my-friends-regarding-my-birthday/658543>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 16, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-in-my-friends-regarding-my-birthday/658543 "2013-05-16T19:27:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-in-my-friends-regarding-my-birthday/658543/81 "2013-05-21T18:15:58Z")

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> [@vontsira](#):
>
> I often feel that the Jehovah’s Witnesses – most of whose ideas I find, well, odd – are perhaps onto something, in their doctrine / rule of having nothing to do with birthdays, or the celebrating thereof. They see the whole birthday thing as tending greatly to promote the baser and less positive human traits – self-centredness, jealousy, greed, spite, hypersensitivity, competitiveness of a negative kind – and as leading to overall more misery, than happiness or goodwill.
> 
> Perhaps there might be something to be said for just ignoring birthdays – everyone’s, across the board?

This approach tends to work best for me. I do like an acknowledgement from my closest family. It’s a milestone for my parents. But aside from that, I do not think anyone else knows when my birthday falls and I prefer to keep it that way. I cannot recall anyone ever asking. My birthday is suppressed on Facebook for various reasons, this being one of them.

Some people may be able to navigate this minefield, but I prefer to avoid it altogether just like I avoid other such situations with ambiguous expectations. I like to show the people in my life some appreciation on my birthday, but since that is not the norm, it is easy to overdo and look affected even though it is not my intention.

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**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-in-my-friends-regarding-my-birthday/658543/83 "2013-10-07T10:51:15Z")

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Reported

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