"IF YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY, WAIT TILL YOU HEAR THIS!"

I've written about one-upsmanship previously; last night I encountered the first-prize one-upsmanship winner! I was visiting a friend when one of her neighbors "just dropped by" to borrow something (that should have been an indicator that I was not going to like her, because I cannot tolerate the rudeness of people not calling before "dropping by"!). A mutual friend was also there visiting and the three of us were planning to go out for dinner. When the neighbor said, "I didn't mean to interrupt anything", I thought that she should have noticed two different vehicles parked outside and that might have been a clue that her neighbor had company.

My friend mentioned we were going out for dinner shortly and I thought the neighbor would leave betimes! In the same situation, would not a sensible person have left? The neighbor had no semblance of manners as she plopped down and joined in the conversation!

When the neighbor intruded, I had been telling a fairly amusing story (at least my two friends were slapping their thighs laughing!) and my friend said to start the story over from the beginning. At the end of the story, my friends and the neighbor all laughed appreciatively and the neighbor said, "If you think that's funny, wait till you hear this!"

Although I was somewhat taken aback, but being in my friend's home, I did not respond to the one-upsmanship. Her story wasn't even vaguely amusing and not one of the three of us laughed. Perhaps my friends did not laugh out of loyalty to me and the perceived putdown, but the story was just not funny; that's why I didn't laugh. The three of us merely looked uncomfortable. Finally, my friend stood up and announced we were going to leave! Only then did the neighbor leave!

I am reminded of another occurrence: when we moved into our current home, a number of people commented that they would like to see the house, among them a brother-in-law of one of my brothers. During the "tour", in the dining room, I pointed out an exquisite, crocheted tablecloth which my sister-in-law had made for me as a wedding present, and the dunderhead said, "If you wanna see somethin' really pretty, you should see what we have in our dining room." I said, deadpan, "Until you said that, I thought this WAS really pretty." He obviously did not grasp my sarcasm, as he continued bragging about their paraphernalia!

Are these kinds of people so nescient or obtuse not to be able to realize that they have insulted another person?

Les said, "You have the worst luck in meeting ignorant people!"