In my experience, people like the person you talked about think that they are doing everyone a favor by "telling them the things that no one else has the guts tell them." It usually only takes a time or two of pointing out to them that they are really doing more harm than good and no one is better off for their advice to get them to stop. It's especially effective to you catch them doing it and point it out to them just at that moment.

You really think so? You've got to be kidding! People like that are usually so insecure that the only way they can maintain any semblance of self-esteem is to slam others, belittle them and their abilities. If they can't bring themselves up, they'll tear others down.

 

As Dom mentioned, it doesn't matter if you catch them or not. They're always right. Against Obama till he wins, etc. So catching them is irrelevant. They'll just wiggle out of it.

 

People like that are toxic and dangerous. You have really only one solution: RUN!!!!!! Push them out of your world. Maybe they'll figure it out eventually, but if you stick around and try to help them, they'll pull you under with them.

I love being mean, and I still get laid.

I work with a couple of people who sound

just like that friend of yours...

 

Hugs,

 

Laurie

Yeah, yeah, yeah...the penis art may be entertaining now. But just wait until you're stuck in the loop of 'Aunt Rose's vacation picture hell'.

Tough love... My friends and I have gotten pretty good about 'helping' each other with our weaknesses or bad behaviours.

 

If this is someone you like in general and they just have this one annoying habit, then you can take it upon yourself to 'correct' them. Teasing or some other technique seems works for some.

 

For example, we have this friend who ocassionally drops names to try to impress. Whenever we catch her doing this, one of us will drop down and making a motion as if we are sweeping dirt into a dust pan with a hand brush. When someone asks what we're doing, we say that we're sweeping up some of the names our friend dropped.

 

Another person's weakness is when she starts getting all down, depressed and all 'Woe is me'. That's when someone starts playing the invisible violin.

 

Or for others, we'll make a motion with our hand as if it's a claw with long nails and make a hissing noise. This is useful to let people know when they're getting too bitchy.

 

My goodness, I just realized that people are like dogs and just need that constant correction whenever they exhibit an unwanted behaviour.

 

It sounds like your friend just needs a proverbial thwap on the nose with a rolled up newspaper whenever he's being bad. You just need to come up with a symbol or something for his negativity.

 

Or you could just say 'Stop being such a b*tch' when he gets that way.

I'm wondering what motion they make when you're around? I'm guessing a "creeping kid" stalker-like motion, or that universal tube massaging gesture.

..........I avoid people like that, the less sounding board they have to flaunt themselves with, the bigger the reality that their mirrored image will comeback to them as the pinhead they really are.

I have a friend like this named Cody. He loves to find the negative in everything except himself. He can always best anyone without ever having to prove it, and most of the time he lies when he brags. He thinks he's always right and totally anti conformist. If you love it, he hates it and vice versa, and he does this no matter what. I've actually caught him liking something that the other day he didn't like, only because I did like it. He drives me insane with the lies and the negativity and the need to beat other people down all the time.

 

But on the rare occasion when he isn't lying, bragging, or going out of his way to be different, he is really nice and fun to be around. And I like that side of him so much that I'm willing to suffer through his delirious sense of superiority. I know he only does it because he doesn't really like himself and needs to lie to make himself feel better. I also know, I'm not the coolest person to be with, so I can deal with him knowing I have my own flaws.

passive-aggressive tendencies often lead to murder.

 

just say no!

You know I used to eat bacon. It was part of breakfast. I was sitting there one day and realized, I don't really like the way it tastes. I Never really did.

 

I haven't eaten it since that day.

My point?

 

Perhaps it's time to disassociate yourself with the guy. Wake up and smell the pig. Tell him he no longer adds to the quality of your life and that your life will not suffer his absence.