Have you ever had a rival or nemesis?

[Anonymous]

I want to hear your story! Maybe you grew up with a neighbor kid who was always doing this same stuff as you, but better. Maybe you had a work nemesis who you always wound up in competition with for projects and promotions. Maybe your rival is a sibling. Maybe you were leaders of rival gangs who faced off in a Jerome Robbins choreographed modern ballet. I want to hear about it.

Questions for discussion:

What it a friendly rivalry or did you dislike each other? Were you friends before or after?

How did it end?

Do you think they considered you their rival/nemesis or was it more one sided?

Do you think the rivalry made you better in any way or were you worse off for it? Why?

[Anonymous]

My main intermittent best friend also rival from prep school is now a sitting US senator.

I'm sitting here on my sofa at close to noon on a Tuesday still in my robe and slippers with an open bottle of wine and I haven't showered in a few days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My main intermittent best friend also rival from prep school is now a sitting US senator.

I'm sitting here on my sofa at close to noon on a Tuesday still in my robe and slippers with an open bottle of wine and I haven't showered in a few days.

Say more. This sounds like a good story, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My main intermittent best friend also rival from prep school is now a sitting US senator.

I'm sitting here on my sofa at close to noon on a Tuesday still in my robe and slippers with an open bottle of wine and I haven't showered in a few days.

Tell us Moore about Shelley. Did you see this for her then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My main intermittent best friend also rival from prep school is now a sitting US senator.

I'm sitting here on my sofa at close to noon on a Tuesday still in my robe and slippers with an open bottle of wine and I haven't showered in a few days.

Tell us Moore about Shelley. Did you see this for her then?

See, this is how I learned that Shelley Capito went to Holton-Arms and has a degree in zoology (????). I love this website sometimes.

[Anonymous]

There was a woman at work I could.not.stand.

She was often between 45 mins and an hour late to meetings. Would take calls in the middle of meetings -- leaving the room, and come back 30 mins later with a coffee from the cafe in her hand. No one else in my org takes calls in the middle of a meeting (and she's low on the totem pole). When it was her turn to perform during hands on trainings she would act weird and attention seeking. She would beg for hours because she was broke, even asking management to ask if anyone else would give up their hours, and then come in the next day showing off her new Prada shoes. Just entitled and disrespectful in general. So disrespectful, and felt the rules didn't apply to her.

I eventually started going after her. I couldn't help myself. If she said something stupid in a meeting, I'd call her out. My favorite was when she'd ask about something we'd gone over during the first half of the meeting when she wasn't there yet because she was late -- I'd say something like "We already went over this; can we please move the hell on?" I'd use an aggressive enough tone that people would be smiling under their hands about it. Eventually other people started calling her out aggressively as well.

She left about 6 months ago. Good riddance. I'm afraid she'll come back though -- I have zero doubt she'll be fired from her new job; she's a terrible employee.

[Anonymous]

No, but I know a lot of b!+¢hes on the scene in the early 2000s who thought I was some kind of rival for them. Can’t remember their names tho…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My main intermittent best friend also rival from prep school is now a sitting US senator.

I'm sitting here on my sofa at close to noon on a Tuesday still in my robe and slippers with an open bottle of wine and I haven't showered in a few days.

You have my attention. Say more words. 🍿

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a woman at work I could.not.stand.

She was often between 45 mins and an hour late to meetings. Would take calls in the middle of meetings -- leaving the room, and come back 30 mins later with a coffee from the cafe in her hand. No one else in my org takes calls in the middle of a meeting (and she's low on the totem pole). When it was her turn to perform during hands on trainings she would act weird and attention seeking. She would beg for hours because she was broke, even asking management to ask if anyone else would give up their hours, and then come in the next day showing off her new Prada shoes. Just entitled and disrespectful in general. So disrespectful, and felt the rules didn't apply to her.

I eventually started going after her. I couldn't help myself. If she said something stupid in a meeting, I'd call her out. My favorite was when she'd ask about something we'd gone over during the first half of the meeting when she wasn't there yet because she was late -- I'd say something like "We already went over this; can we please move the hell on?" I'd use an aggressive enough tone that people would be smiling under their hands about it. Eventually other people started calling her out aggressively as well.

She left about 6 months ago. Good riddance. I'm afraid she'll come back though -- I have zero doubt she'll be fired from her new job; she's a terrible employee.

This isn't really a rival, just an annoying person who was disliked in your workplace (for good reasons it sounds like), and as a result people were hostile towards her until she left.

Rival/nemesis implies some kind of competition. What you describe was totally one sided and it doesn't sound like she was in competition with you, just a thorn in your side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My main intermittent best friend also rival from prep school is now a sitting US senator.

I'm sitting here on my sofa at close to noon on a Tuesday still in my robe and slippers with an open bottle of wine and I haven't showered in a few days.

You have my attention. Say more words. 🍿

+1, this sounds like the premise of a novel I would like to devour over the holiday break.

To be clear, PP, I'm 100% on your side. You are the heroine of this story. Tell it that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, but I know a lot of b!+¢hes on the scene in the early 2000s who thought I was some kind of rival for them. Can’t remember their names tho…

Booooooring. This thread is for confessing to real rivalries, not posturing for an invisible audience.

[Anonymous]

I'm not pretty or interesting, so no rivalry to be had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a woman at work I could.not.stand.

She was often between 45 mins and an hour late to meetings. Would take calls in the middle of meetings -- leaving the room, and come back 30 mins later with a coffee from the cafe in her hand. No one else in my org takes calls in the middle of a meeting (and she's low on the totem pole). When it was her turn to perform during hands on trainings she would act weird and attention seeking. She would beg for hours because she was broke, even asking management to ask if anyone else would give up their hours, and then come in the next day showing off her new Prada shoes. Just entitled and disrespectful in general. So disrespectful, and felt the rules didn't apply to her.

I eventually started going after her. I couldn't help myself. If she said something stupid in a meeting, I'd call her out. My favorite was when she'd ask about something we'd gone over during the first half of the meeting when she wasn't there yet because she was late -- I'd say something like "We already went over this; can we please move the hell on?" I'd use an aggressive enough tone that people would be smiling under their hands about it. Eventually other people started calling her out aggressively as well.

She left about 6 months ago. Good riddance. I'm afraid she'll come back though -- I have zero doubt she'll be fired from her new job; she's a terrible employee.

This isn't really a rival, just an annoying person who was disliked in your workplace (for good reasons it sounds like), and as a result people were hostile towards her until she left.

Rival/nemesis implies some kind of competition. What you describe was totally one sided and it doesn't sound like she was in competition with you, just a thorn in your side.

It wasn't one side. I only gave my side here, my post was long enough as it is. It was absolutely a competition. I'm pretty sure she tried to get me fired at one point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, but I know a lot of b!+¢hes on the scene in the early 2000s who thought I was some kind of rival for them. Can’t remember their names tho…

Booooooring. This thread is for confessing to real rivalries, not posturing for an invisible audience.

What is wrong with you? You need a therapist. Stop typing away at people on the internet to get attention and get out your aggression. DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, but I know a lot of b!+¢hes on the scene in the early 2000s who thought I was some kind of rival for them. Can’t remember their names tho…

Booooooring. This thread is for confessing to real rivalries, not posturing for an invisible audience.

What is wrong with you? You need a therapist. Stop typing away at people on the internet to get attention and get out your aggression. DP

You're right.

PP, please continue with your story about how all the other girls were jealous of you 25 years ago but how you never think of them at all. This is a safe space.