Calling All Meanies
 

Let's just say (hypothetically, of course) that someone you know (let's call her dtp) was on a beach vacation (for example). While relaxing on the beach, a fellow vacationer awakens ms.dtp from her peaceful slumber to offer some officious parenting advice regarding dtp's eldest child. dtp nods politely, though the advice giver (let's call her Shamu) is way off base and it's none of her motherfucking business. dtp speaks to her eldest child and tells him not to play with Shamu's pups anymore, as Shamu appears to be mentally unbalanced.

So the dtp-offspring and dtp (and the help, natch) are enjoying some lunch, and Shamu won't let it drop. Shamu comes back (to the dtp LUNCH TABLE!) to offer further officious suggestions (and to clarify her prior advice). At this point, dtp has had enough and suggests that officious advice goes both ways. If Shamu wants to offer it, she should be able to hear it as well. dtp then proceeds to suggest that Shamu's daughter may want to lay off the cheeseburgers.

Shamu is shocked (SHOCKED!) that dtp would say such a thing, but doesn't mess with dtp the rest of the vacation.

So, my question for the expert meanies out there is, were such a thing to have occurred, would (the hypothetical) dtp's response have been (a) not mean enough, (b) too mean, or (c) just right?

Inquiring minds MUST know.

Calling All Meanies
 

Mmm, cheeseburgers.

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like with you and slave only add in a vagina and another mouth, oh, and make at least one of the guys attracted to vaginas.

Calling All Meanies
 

What was her criticism about? Because depending on the subject, this could be the equivalent of Hank responding to a criticism I make of his political positions by calling me fat.

OTOH, you did shut her up, so why do you care?

On a personal level, it concerns me a teeny bit that you seem to think "fat" is an irredeemable sin, but I think that discussion has been beaten to death on the boards.

ETA and what rp said. Except my tummy hurts, so I think no cheeseburgers for me today.

ETA again that your derogatory name for her also is a fatness thing. You are more creative than this, missy.

Calling All Meanies
 

Is Shamu's daughter within hearing range? What about dtp's children? Does dtp have any concern about criticizing people's weight in front of her kids?

I think this gentle reader might have qualms about bringing the (assumed) innocent child into it as opposed to directing the comment to Shamu herself and her meddling ways, but I'm not sure I have all the information.

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Like a charm, apparently.

Young Bush
 

Ahh, life is good this morning. Extra $$ to bet on Cincinatti this weekend.

Confidential to he whose screen name is too long for me to send him a PM
 

What's to get? It's not about brevity. It's about creativity. "Ghost" takes as long to say as "out." Someone (I think Grand Puba was the first, but I could easily be wrong) took it a step further and started saying, "I'm Swayze" (pronounced Swayz or Swayzee, depending).

"5,000" is short for "Audi 5,000 or 5Gs" because people used to say "I'm Audi" instead of "out."

TM

Calling All Meanies
 

No. big difference.

Attacking the child is the only proper response. She was attacking yours, and to attack back would have been the best way to wrap the whole situation.

Once at a city-picnic some bilmore-esque mom was telling me how perfect her 4 year old was since she TOOK AWAY HIS TV. My kids were raised by TV, and could hear, so I had to get defensive. Good natured, I told her that kids today need to be able to deal with the quick cutting thought process that you can only get watching hours of videos- she was depriving her son. It was light hearted- to show we all make choices, and her's was just different than most of us.

But bulldog comes back with, "oh no, he's so much more creative and focused on detail since we took him off". So I had to drop the big-one:

"creative and more focused that the average kid means ritalin by the middle of kintergarden. Best dust off that TV"

Bitch,

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I hear Hank uses them too. Go yell at him.

Calling All Meanies
 

Her advice was that I ought to be playing with my son instead of sleeping on the beach, because she didn't want to play with him (my son). (Not that anyone asked her to.) I think one of her choice phrases was, "I didn't come on vacation to play with your children."

So, I felt that if she wanted to hand out parenting advice, she ought to be able to hear some as well. It's not a sin to be fat -- I'm hardly some sort of toothpick -- but I figured it would be most likely to shut her up (and something she wouldn't be able to repeat to the daughter -- who was not within earshot). In my view, it's one thing for an adult to be fat (which she was -- a good 250 if she weighed an ounce), as adults are responsible for their diet choices. I also think it is rather irresponsible not to take more care of your child's diet. Of course, that's my view, and Shamu doesn't have to agree, or listen to it -- but if she doesn't want to hear others' parenting tips, she shouldn't be doling them out.

Calling All Meanies
 

I can't believe you are so lazy.

Why didn't you just tell the help to play with your kid?

Calling All Meanies
 

I was short-handed that day. I only had one help. She was playing with the other kid.

(uh, I mean that's PROBABLY what happened to dtp)

Calling All Meanies
 

I was somewhere recently where a well-meaning bystander (nosy bitch) took it upon herself to point out that the Brazenette was without shoes, and so was at risk of hurting herself.

It wasn't enough that she interupted me once to tell me this... but when I failed to correct my obviosu parenting oversight, she returned to speak to me about it 2 more times.

Finally I said to her "I assure you I will not enlist your help should I have to take my daughter to the emergency room." What I was thinking was "Who the fuck made you in charge of my kid?"

Calling All Meanies
 

Shamu was just jealous that you had help.