Girlfriend mocked his profession to impress her rich friends at her birthday party — his response left the room silent

A man (u/moist-sense6372) walked out of his rich girlfriend's birthday dinner after she repeatedly made fun of his profession. The boyfriend shared the story on Reddit on November 10, gaining widespread support. His girlfriend came from a privileged background, while he worked in construction. The man wasn't financially well-off, but was proud of his work and could make a stable living. Everything was okay except her parents often looked down on the man.

At her birthday dinner, the girlfriends started making jokes about him, such as how he spends more time with power tools than people. She was basically mocking his profession. "Her friends laughed and kept making jokes about me being the handyman boyfriend," he added. The man kept his calm until he reached his threshold. "At one point, she said she was surprised I even owned a suit," he recalled. The man felt humiliated, so he got up, paid his part of the bill, and left. "Later that night, she called me, saying I had embarrassed her and ruined her night," the boyfriend shared. He confronted her and told her that he was tired of being her punchline. In response, she said he should learn to take a joke. "Now she has not spoken to me in three days," the boyfriend revealed, asking if he was wrong to walk out. 

Things get ugly in a relationship when partners start disrespecting each other. More often than not, conflict arises when both partners come from different socio-economic backgrounds. People may argue it's a random observation, but a survey by LendingTree validates the idea. The survey found that about 1 in 4 couples with income differences experience frequent conflicts. They also found that men are more likely to report tension because of income differences than women. 

Meanwhile, the Reddit story received an overwhelming response online, with people supporting the boyfriend for standing up for his self-respect. For instance, u/divaofbourbon commented, "NTJ. People are abusive in different ways. A 'joke' is just their belief or perception. She has shown you what she thinks of you. I think you deserve someone who loves and respects you." u/leolawilliams5859 wrote, "She has shown you who she is and what she thinks of you; she thinks that you are a handyman and that you are beneath her. If you stay in this relationship and you go into the future with her, that's how she is going to treat you — like she's better than you. 3 days — let's make it forever."

u/juzme99 said, "People are not jokes; does she care about you at all? Or only supplying entertainment for her friends? Her friends are low class, and the only person who was embarrassed was you, at her behavior." u/famous_glove_7905 shared, "It’s not a joke. It’s cruel and humiliating to be treated that way. Dismissing it as a joke is such a cop-out. I really hate that shit, 'I was just joking.' Please, oh please, how is it funny that I work in construction? It’s funny how? Like I’m a clown? Here for your amusement? Just how the f**k is it funny?"

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