# Few things are more annoying than someone who's less sick than you acting like they're more sick than you **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 14, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085 "2024-01-14T20:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/41 "2024-01-22T21:34:47Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I don’t know if I _should_ admire them, but I do. Someone too stupid, oblivious, or ego-absorbed to engage in self-preservation is not an admirable trait IMO. YMMV of course. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/42 "2024-01-22T22:19:34Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Someone too stupid, oblivious, or ego-absorbed to engage in self-preservation is not an admirable trait IMO. As someone who probably most closely resembles a stoic, I agree with this. In my case it’s guilt making me that way. (So “stupid” probably applies, and maybe “oblivious” sometimes because I ignore problems because I don’t have time to deal with them.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/43 "2024-01-22T22:31:36Z")
“Guilt” is a word meaning “Valuing others’ priorities for me higher than my own priorities for me.” IMO a bad habit. One can certainly _choose_ to defer one’s interests in favor of others’ interests. And often _should_ do so. But when they’ve taken that option away from you so you’re trained to _always_ defer your interests in favor of to theirs, that’s unhealthy guilt, not healthy generosity / love / caring / etc. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/44 "2024-01-22T23:34:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While granted that’s annoying, it’s also annoying when you don’t really feel particularly sick at all. In fact, you feel just fine, and would have no problem going in to work like normal… except that you can’t, because you’re probably contagious. I feel fortunate that my paranoia meant that I masked and quarantined my way through most of Covid. Finally got it recently, but it was so mild that I got to take over our computer room and have my own “guest room”. I’d yell through the door “Call me if there’s anything I can do! I feel fine!” and my wife would say “No, no no… don’t you dare touch that door handle until I’m out of the house!” And I thought “Hey, I finally have a disease where I get to stay home, but I feel good enough to read and watch stuff on TV!” _Woo-hoo!_ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/45 "2024-01-22T23:38:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > When I’m truly ill, LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE. Yep, that’s how I am, for the most part. If I’m really bad, I may ask you to bring me some warm tea and an extra blanket, but other than that, I’m more than happy to heal in my quiet little space away from everybody and I don’t have to feel guilty about doing absolutely nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/46 "2024-01-22T23:38:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But when they’ve taken that option away from you so you’re trained to _always_ defer your interests in favor of to theirs, that’s unhealthy guilt, not healthy generosity / love / caring / etc. Oh no I agree 100%. It’s not a virtue. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/47 "2024-01-31T19:31:05Z")
UK Chat Show host Russell Harty (RIP) related this story concerning his father’s death. Harty Senior was old and sick so his demise was no surprise to anyone when he died in the early hours one morning. Harty Junior visited a neighbour later that day to tell her the sad news. Quoth the neighbour, ‘I’m sorry to hear that. Mind you, I had a shocking night myself’. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/48 "2024-02-01T22:41:21Z")
Did they ever say WHY it was a shocking night? Like, drop the other shoe already! Don’t leave us hanging! (Sorry, I have no frame of reference to make me care more about Harty _pere_’s demise than about the events that engendered astonishment in the neighbor of Harty _fils_.) ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085/49 "2024-02-01T22:49:11Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > UK Chat Show host Russell Harty (RIP) related this story concerning his father’s death. > > Harty Senior was old and sick so his demise was no surprise to anyone when he died in the early hours one morning. Harty Junior visited a neighbour later that day to tell her the sad news. > > Quoth the neighbour, ‘I’m sorry to hear that. Mind you, I had a shocking night myself’. Granted, this is totally unrelated and obscenely inappropriate. Still, now This is a [Shocking Night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEygbbZK-u0)… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/few-things-are-more-annoying-than-someone-whos-less-sick-than-you-acting-like-theyre-more-sick-than-you/996085.md?page=2)