Maybe I should end a friendship.

[enipla]

Excellent friends can give you some shit. Once in a while. Because they know you.

They don’t however, mock or humiliate you in any circumstance. Your choices can be questioned but shouldn’t be challenged. Unless you have totally gone off the rails.

He’s a ‘Truther’? So he’s also an idiot. Buh Bye.

My Wife and I each have very good long time friends that seem to define themselves by having an SO - a significant other.

Really weird. As both of them are VERY strong attractive women that pull in high 6 figure salaries. And their boyfriends are often, well to be blunt, pieces of shit. They seem to think that they must have a boyfriend, or people will think less of them. That’s what I see anyway. I can’t figure out who’s using who.

To the OP - Friends aren’t a baseball card collection. They come and go. This one seems to need to go.

[Abracadebra]

@Shakes

Are you sure you’re not gay? Because you sound like a battered housewife that keeps apologizing for her husband.
This is not how typical relationships work between two straight men. At least, that has not been my experience.

Until I read this, I assumed the OP was female, and no, I’m not kidding.

[billfish678]

@VinylTurnip

So we aren’t a bunch of liberal know-it-alls with our heads up our asses?

I know right?!

[MyFootsZZZ]

@Abracadebra

Until I read this, I assumed the OP was female, and no, I’m not kidding.

Nice. Last I checked, I’m a dude though.

As far as giving Straight Dope ‘a fair shake’, he familiarized himself with this site when I showed him the last thread I wrote about him. He didn’t give it a fair shake regarding 9/11 though.

The more I think about the guy, the more I realize that I was once a little like him. He’s too cynical, which I think is making him depressed. He admitted to me that he doesn’t really care if I would vote for Hillary, and that it doesn’t matter to him who I vote for, because hates all politicians. I still can relate too that on some level, but I would rather vote for who I think is the lesser of two evils. I mean… there’s no question he must harbor hatred towards a government he believes had something to do with 9/11. :rolleyes:

He hates commercials. I do to some degree too, but he gets all bent out of shape about the fact that nothing you see is sincere, and it’s all just about trying to sell a product.

He especially hates this ad:

While I can see why, (the guy looked more confused than happy), I don't think Samsung said: "Let's exploit this man and his handicapped so we can showcase our new service!" He thinks it's was done with ALL bad intentions.

He’s cynical about ‘shrinks’, and once again, thinks everything is driven by money. That’s what he meant by saying: “I’m you’re friend, not some guy in a lab coat who sees you as a dollar sign.” He’s NOT trying to hurt me… he’s just extremely ignorant. I suggested that he see someone to talk to, but that’s not going to happen any time soon.

For the two times I remember him saying offensive crap to me, I can remember him saying PLENTY of good things about me too. According to him, I’m “sick”, (which is a GOOD thing apparently). That’s how he introduced me to his buddies; “This is my buddy. He’s sick!”

I am getting sick of him though… Just the way he views the world, it’s too pessimistic. I feel for him, because I use to hate the same sorts of thing. After a while, I started accepting things I use to hate. There are even TV ads that I enjoy. To him it’s ALL about money and greed and power… everything.

So far, I don’t mind taking a break from him… but damnit, I miss playing video games the guy. Last few days I’ve hung out with friends I haven’t seen in a while.

[Kaio]

@The_Second_Stone

God doesn’t call on us to only be kind to easy people who agree with us and are sane. We’ve got to learn to get along, and that requires practice.

That would (or ought to be) true of both parties. If your client doesn’t put forth the same amount of effort to get along and be respectful, is he really meeting you halfway, or is he taking advantage of your good nature?

Up to you if you want to let him get away with it, but you’re not obligated to put forth more effort to be civil and decent than he does.

[Kaio]

OP: I’ll just point out the title of this thread is “Maybe I should end a friendship,” while now you are coming up with every justification in the book about how he’s not that bad and you can totally remain friends cuz he’s just misunderstood. You’re sick of him, but you won’t do anything about it. Just step back and LOOK at that for a while. Battered wife syndrome doesn’t sound too far off.

If you don’t want to end it, why did you ask us if you should?

[SJL4041]

Maybe Battered Friend Syndrome has a better ring to it. I may be a shallow person but I don’t think I’ve ever put as much thought and effort into a non-sexual relationship as the OP. I mean, tracking and pondering what television commercials this dude likes? I’m not going to lie - it’s a little weird. It sounds like he likes having friends he can boss around, and you like being pushed. He’s the Bart; you’re the Milhouse.

[Stringbean]

@MyFootsZZZ

He especially hates this ad:

That ad is piss-shit feel-good corporate dogshit.

(Sound like something he would say? 'Cause it’s true, and he doesn’t care to fancy up fraudulence. If you want a simpleton to cry with when you’re being emotionally manipulated by profit-seeking entities, get a girlfriend)

[MyFootsZZZ]

Not tracking or pondering what tv ads he likes. Just giving an example one he doesn’t like because he tries to see the bad in everything.

I’m staying away from the guy. That’s what was suggested of me here… I’m taking peoples advice.

I guess the more people that say I should run from this guy, the more I think I should.

I’m hardly Milhouse. Milhouse doesn’t stand up for himself. Nor am I the Beavis to his Butt-Head.

How do I have ‘Battered Friend Syndrome’? Dude hasn’t laid a finger on me. You could say he “verbally abused” me… twice. But Jesus… I have thicker skin. I don’t get offended when a 9/11 truther calls me an idiot, but Jesus, it’s not like I think that’s appropriate either. So I gave him the business.

He just called me up, to see if we could chill tonight and I said no, that I’m busy.

My last post might have been about some of the problems he has, but it was also saying that, though I do feel sympathetic, I don’t need that negativity in my life. I must not have been clear about that.

He’s on his way out. I’m not going to cut him off right away, but I’m not actively trying to be his friend either. Just fazing him out seems to be the best course of action imho.

[Freudian_Slit]

@MyFootsZZZ

While I can see why, (the guy looked more confused than happy), I don't think Samsung said: "Let's exploit this man and his handicapped so we can showcase our new service!" He thinks it's was done with ALL bad intentions.

Hijack, I know, but I just assumed that guy was an actor…

[MyFootsZZZ]

Stringbean, I would very much like a girlfriend.

[MyFootsZZZ]

And for what it’s worth, I didn’t like that ad either, but I don’t just don’t HATE it as much as he does. I don’t think about that stuff anymore. I use to dwell on it like he does… no longer.

[The_Second_Stone]

@Kaio

That would (or ought to be) true of both parties. If your client doesn’t put forth the same amount of effort to get along and be respectful, is he really meeting you halfway, or is he taking advantage of your good nature?

Up to you if you want to let him get away with it, but you’re not obligated to put forth more effort to be civil and decent than he does.

He’s doing the best he can with the limited social gifts that he has. As long as it doesn’t hurt me, they guy needs someone to treat him respectfully.