My Brother Humiliated Me at Mom’s Party—I Couldn’t Stay Silent

Being the black sheep in a family is never an easy position. Lots of “Why can’t you be more like so-and-so” or “You need to learn more from your brother.” In this Redditor’s case, he was humiliated by his brother on their mother’s special day.

Here’s his story.

Last night was my mom’s birthday, so the whole family got together at a nice Italian restaurant we usually go to. About halfway through, my brother stood up to make a toast.

Instead of saying something sweet about my mom, he decided to “joke” about how I’m the family screw-up who can’t keep a job or a relationship. “Happy birthday, Mom. You raised three great kids... and then there’s you, still trying to figure everything out.” Everyone laughed. My mom laughed.

I just sat there, burning up inside. I’ve been through a really rough year (divorce + job change), and instead of support, they turned it into a punchline. I told my brother to shut up, and my dad immediately jumped in, saying, “Don’t ruin your mother’s night.”

So I grabbed my stuff and left. Later, I got a barrage of texts in a family group chat saying I “embarrassed” the family and “made it all about me.”

Now I’m sitting here wondering... am I overreacting, or was I completely justified in walking out? I can take a joke, but with the way my mind has been recently, I took it seriously.

The people of Reddit came to this man’s aid.

Most of the responses sympathized with the man and agreed that the family was rude. Being in a difficult place is no laughing matter.

• I’m so sorry. They owe you genuine apologies. I would take a step back from them since they can’t show basic respect. © wishingforarainyday / Reddit
• That wasn’t a “joke,” it was a public humiliation dressed up as a toast. It’s one thing to lovingly roast someone when everyone’s in on it, but taking your lowest points and turning them into entertainment while you’re still actively going through it is cruel. © lovelopetir / Reddit
• You’re not the one who made it about you. Your brother did that. Take back your life.
  © Analogy****** / Reddit
• I think the best thing to do is block your brother on all forms of communication. Let your mother know you’ve blocked him and that you won’t be going to any event where he’ll be present, since you won’t put yourself in a position to be disrespected again. © *****baker319 / Reddit
• You’re not overreacting. Laughing at someone’s misfortunes is not nice. Idc if everyone in the room plus the guy in the back is laughing. They are all wrong.
  I don’t usually say to anyone to distance yourself from your family. I would in this case. © Fearless_Friend7447 / Reddit

Being humiliated by a stranger is one thing, but a family member is a completely different level of cruel. No one deserves to be degraded just for the sake of a laugh. Just look at how this husband embarrassed his wife in front of their friends, bringing her to tears.