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People who tell long, boring stories/jokes
Former Member
Posts: 122,046 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
How do you deal with someone who frequently tells very long, boring stories / anecdotes / jokes - and why do they do it? Do they think they're entertaining - or do they just want people to listen to them? The worst part is when I don't react by laughing or being delighted, which they respond to by telling me that I "didn't get it". However, I do understand what they said - I just didn't find it in any way entertaining.
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This sounds like it's quite frustrating for you. I can definitely understand feeling misunderstood or annoyed when others blame you for not "getting" a joke when really you just don't think it's funny. I obviously can't speak for anyone else, but my guess would be that people tell long jokes/stories for both of those reasons. They probably think they're entertaining and/or they want people to listen to them. I'm not sure if this will work for you, and maybe other people will have other ideas, but whenever I don't find someone else's joke funny but don't want to sit frowning, I usually just make a polite smile. That way you are acknowledging that you heard, but you're not faking a laugh.
Perhaps that will work for you?
- Mica
A similar thing is when people boast about having done stupid things - and expect me to congratulate them. For example: "I got so smashed last night; I can't remember what happened. It must have been great, because I woke up in the morning in a skip, covered in my own vomit". Similar boasts involve accidents, fights etc. - and ending up in A&E or a police cell.