why are people so weird about birthdays

[TurdBerglar]

why do they want all this recognition/acknowledgement?


I hate it. I hate overt attention to begin with. especially if im getting recognition for something that's effortless/useless. It makes me feel really stupid. it seems im very far from the norm on this.

this woman at work goes through the trouble of making this retarded monthly birthdays display. another job I had did the same shit. this month it was gingerbread men and Christmas trees with people's names and birthdays on them. it took her some effort to make this thing. as soon as it went up I waited for the area to be cleared and I took my name down. she was asking everyone why my name had been taken down... "is he a Jehovah or something?". she just kept tracking my friends down and asking why it was taken down. she finally had a chance to ask me after a week or so and kinda confronted me about why I took it down. and I told her... "it's my business and only my business. I don't want people knowing when my birthday is. I feel that it's personal business and information like that shouldn't be displayed". she got a little shitty about that and asked me why I felt that way. I don't need some creeper knowing when my birthday is and I don't need silly superficial attention to feel good about myself. everyone just look at me as if I was some sort of asshole. well sorry that im not some attention starved pussy like the rest of you shits. trying to force me to accept attention from everyone. if I don't like it, it should be a none issue. just go about your business and leave me out of this one, please.

[Dorothy Wood]

Hahaha, sounds like a sitcom plot.

I like birthdays, I don't think they need to be posted/celebrated at work though. However my coworkers filled a closet with balloons for my last birthday and I liked it.

I usually try to make my birthday fun for everyone. This recent bday, I planned a comedy show and people got to party and eat cupcakes, have a good time laughing at the different performers. Then I told the audience it really wasn't my birthday. :)

[ms.peachy]

Yeah, birthdays posted publicly at work, that's a little weird. I mean they do that in my kid's class, but she's 7. Bit ridiculous for grown ups in a supposedly professional working environment.

[Lyman Zerga]

attention no
cake and presents yes

[Dorothy Wood]

This got me thinking about why I want attention, or why anybody does. I guess because it feels good. Life is hard and sometimes it's just nice to celebrate stuff. I think it's only bad when people get all demanding and spoiled about it.

[TurdBerglar]

overt attention does not feel nice to me at all. It feels overbearing. I feel as if I'm expected to give back gratitude to the person(s) giving the attention. but how can I be appreciative about something that's meaningless to me? it just pisses people off that I don't care so I try to avoid it as much as possible. people get so irritated with me that I tend to not expect much from them. why would that that be irritating?

[Dorothy Wood]

Well people like to feel accepted. They're reaching out to connect and you're like "meh", so their feelings get hurt. I do that accidentally a lot, I hurt my friends feelings...but the ones who know me best understand its not personal, I'm just not that excitable. Unless stuff is funny or really awesome, I'm pretty stoic.

[TurdBerglar]

but it's no reason to get mad at me! fuckers! :mad:



it would be like giving a gift of dog shit and getting pissed that they didn't appreciate it.

but I went though all this trouble! I searched high and low for the perfect shit! I put so much time and effort into doing this for you! :(

but I don't like dog shit, sorry... you know I don't like shit...

[Dorothy Wood]

Ok but what's a real example?

Like, I got in trouble once because I wasn't excited that my mom's boyfriend bought me a $300 sewing machine. I didn't sew, so I thought it was dumb. I was 20, I could've just used the money. I'm glad I have it now, but I still dont sew so it's totally unnecessary.

[rirv]

I had a thought the other day that what we should really celebrate on our birthdays are our mothers for bearing us for nine months and then going through a massively traumatic physical experience to bring us into the world.:cool:

[TurdBerglar]

giving the gift of shit is funnier than a real example...


excitement is exactly what the problem is. I never get excited. I don't even like being around excited people. it gives me a headache. im just like.... jesus christ! calm down everyone!

when i was a kid my family would get so mad at me because I wouldn't jump up and down and be crazy opening gifts christmas morning. they thought I didn't want the shit they were giving me. my dad would especially get mad at me thinking I was ungrateful.

I just always saw overt attention as a way for needy people to try to get you to like them. and that's what a lot of people do with birthdays. people you don't even like and ignore will try to get on your good side with birthday acknowledgements. thinking that you'll appreciate it and maybe turn around and randomly like them.

birthdays are so stressful to me because im just like... so what and it bums everyone else out so much.

[Dorothy Wood]

Well you should make up a story about a birthday tragedy that happened that makes you hate birthdays. Then look off into the distance and then close your eyes and say "I can't do this", and walk away.

[Guy Incognito]

I dont really do birthdays, specially at work , like to keep on the DL but this year (my 40th) coincided with the work christmas party. I went for a meal with my family instead of going to works do but i had to explain this to people at work when they asked if i was going to the works party. s'pose i could have lied but as a result a lot of people knew about my birthday this year. got to work that day, desk covered in decorations and balloons, got a massive cake and a big collection and presents. I was quite touched really, thought it would be bit weird but it was a nice feeling

[ms.peachy]

Well you should make up a story about a birthday tragedy that happened that makes you hate birthdays. Then look off into the distance and then close your eyes and say "I can't do this", and walk away.

Ha ha, yes, do this.

[cosmo105]

^hahahaha! That's perfect.

Turd, you are one of probably a very few people that feel this way. You're definitely in the minority, unfortunately. I would think that by being actively anti-attention and taking your name down you actually brought more attention to yourself, no? At any rate, workplaces are some of the few places were you can't avoid people knowing your birthday. Maybe you can just speak to whoever manages HR and ask them just not to tell that woman when your birthday is and it'll get forgotten next year.