weird conversation overheard

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

My husband has a mean busy body aunt who told my husband that his mother was more beautiful than me when she was my age ( which I think is a very bizarre thing to say )and then he told her that I am prettier than her son's German wife and the arguement went on and on.. Not who is brighter...or more educated.. Why is this woman even thinking about other women in these terms?

For example,my husbands brother got a car....so everyone asked him why he doesnt have a car and why he did not save his money and buy one ( this was last week) Well this morning I heard his older brother crashed the car. No one is talking about the car now. Whats the deal with all this competition between family members and material stuff and who is uglier or prettier.

Anyone else see any of this wacky competitive stuff in your MENA extended family? His family is a mix of Moroccan and Algerian by the way. The competitive stuff and the yelling about it seems so strange.... who has a car etc... who has this and that

[mybackpages 0]

Every culture has its dysfunctional families.

[Ban Hammer 13,490]

sounds like a springer show.

[sarah and hicham 3]

I'm sorry that you're upset about not being as pretty as your husband's mother when she was your age. Bummer.

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

Every culture has its dysfunctional families.

I just wanted to know if this was culture or more dysfunction....if no one else has seen any of this then well I guess I have my answer...

[chaishai 1]

most of my in laws (Bils, Sis, MIL, FIL, aunts uncles etc etc) are extremely competitive mostly about superficial things.

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

I'm sorry that you're upset about not being as pretty as your husband's mother when she was your age. Bummer.

LOL

You didnt get it.LOL. I AM NOT UPSET... I found it weird that people would even get into conversations about cars or how people look or compare...I am not used to that in my family nor the heated debate or comparing.. I found it odd

[JeanneVictoria 55]

sounds like a springer show.

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

most of my in laws (Bils, Sis, MIL, FIL, aunts uncles etc etc) are extremely competitive mostly about superficial things.

I will take that as a YES then. I have an aunt who likes to compare kids and achievements and things like this but this was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY out of the norm..

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

My husband has a mean busy body aunt who told my husband that his mother was more beautiful than me when she was my age ( which I think is a very bizarre thing to say )and then he told her that I am prettier than her son's German wife and the arguement went on and on.. Not who is brighter...or more educated.. Why is this woman even thinking about other women in these terms?

For example,my husbands brother got a car....so everyone asked him why he doesnt have a car and why he did not save his money and buy one ( this was last week) Well this morning I heard his older brother crashed the car. No one is talking about the car now. Whats the deal with all this competition between family members and material stuff and who is uglier or prettier.

Anyone else see any of this wacky competitive stuff in your MENA extended family? His family is a mix of Moroccan and Algerian by the way. The competitive stuff and the yelling about it seems so strange.... who has a car etc... who has this and that

I have an aunt who is exactly like that. Loves to compare skin tone among all the women in the family. And loves to compare the men by their homes and cars.

ETA: My family in Indian, not MENA. But your story rings true for me.

Edited December 6, 2007 by VJ Troll

[ya falaha! 0]

I believe it's a mixture of culture and dysfunction here. There are members of my husband's family who are insanely jealous and competitive. I've also seen this in other Arab families. I had an Iraqi bf once whose family would always want to one up each other. They would go into serious debt to do so. This is not limited to Arabs though. I've seen this kind of stuff within my mother's Italian/Sicilian family, too.

[sarah and hicham 3]

I figured you'd be upset since you speak quite highly of your looks and how you attract every man you meet in MENA like a magnet.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Another thing... if one family visits another family in their home, if the host family wants to "insult" the visiting family, they will make a point of putting out photos and awards of their kids displaying their wealth and accomplishments. On seeing it, the visiting family is obligated by custom to say something nice, which will be the host families segue into turning the entire visit into a speech on how well their family is doing.

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

sounds like a springer show.

springer is over in an hour.. I have to be around this woman for extended periods of time when I am there.. I really dont dislike anybody.. she is kind of the same way with everyone,,,, really snarky,,,, even with my husbands mom. She is very mean most of the time to everyone.... her brother married a girl from Algiers and then she and her daughter were so mean to the younger woman....then gossip starts and then this person has this and that person has that... And look who she is with... and look at their clothes... and bla bla bla bla bla.....I have so little family I have a hard time figuring out to deal with her other than just be polite

[sarah and hicham 3]

Another thing... if one family visits another family in their home, if the host family wants to "insult" the visiting family, they will make a point of putting out photos and awards of their kids displaying their wealth and accomplishments. On seeing it, the visiting family is obligated by custom to say something nice, which will be the host families segue into turning the entire visit into a speech on how well their family is doing.

Sounds like a headache to me.