A general overview, I was a pretty awkward kid in high school but came out of my shell towards the end and this gave me motivation going forward to interact with many different people.
Since high school, I got into great shape, went to a really good university, am in a great relationship and have a good job. I’m well traveled and do my very best to help impact people’s lives in a positive way. Any of my faults I see in myself or am told I do my best to improve on. Generally people that I have met that I did not go to high school with get along very well with me and treat me with a great deal of respect.
When I come into contact with people who I went to high school with, I am now 25 for some background they try to make me the joke of the group and act as if I am an idiot, can anyone explain why that is?
6 comments
Describe 2-3 incidents when that happened and why do uou think that happened
It can be that they still behave the same as they did on HS and can’t see that they’re reproducing old and bad behaviors even tho the circumstances have changed. It can also be that you have this dynamics crystalized in your mind and you read their behaviors as the same of the HS time. Do this inner research and see if you aren’t just more sensitive to their comments because of how they treated you on HS or if it’s in fact the way they act just towards you. If it’s something they can change and it’s actually a friend group tell them you don’t like it and ask them to treat you more kindly. If it’s just some HS acquaintances nevermind leave them behind and go on with your life. The new people on it treat you better.
People often see you in one role, or at a level in their social hierarchy, and it’s hard to change that view. Once, a former coworker I hired for a gig still tried to boss me around even though I was in charge. This is why some people switch jobs to move up.
They probably haven’t matured since those days.
Or maybe it’s one of those meme-like mentalities they have where they associate you with what they remember you being like and it’s almost like a nostalgia trip for them.
Or, and I hope you don’t take offense to this, they’re basically bullies and always have been, and they see you as an easy target because you don’t stand up for yourself.
If it bothers you, just tell them to let it go or that you’re a different person now.
They probably still perceive you the same way they did back in high school, the same thing happened to me, I just ended up cutting them all off and no longer speak to anyone from HS. Belittling people to be funny is such childish behavior
Everytime I’ve hung out with old friends in the past couple years, they’ve disappointed me. They try to make me the butt of jokes that aren’t jokes, they are INSULTS and try to make me look dumb in front of whoever we’re with and it took me way too long to realize that they’re just not my friends/not people who I need to socialize with anymore. Period. Because at that point it’s just disrespectful for no reason. People you hang with shouldn’t treat you like that. It was hard for me because it was friends I’ve had since I was 6 years old but people grow apart.