Like it's true. I'm an adult and I'm smart and I'm good at everything I do. I could clearly make a better volcano and they hurt my self-esteem by entering theirs in a competition I can't join. When they started crying they got all the attention and it made me cry louder so bystanders would pay attention to me instead. The people restraining me said I'm the asshole (I'm not) but I think they're the asshole for not acknowledging I'd make a better volcano or letting me prove it. ATTA?

  • Plibbert@lemmy.ml
    ·
    1 year ago

    OP: "science fair" "competition".

    You mean an exclusive bourgeois dick measuring contest? Sounds like that little piggy imp had it coming.

      • NewLeaf
        ·
        1 year ago

        There it is.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      The kid was probably bourgeois. I don't care what happens to Romanovs so it was easy to emotionally distance myself from the situation.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I didn't let them speak back. It was a simple passing comment before they turned it into a whole thing and when they tried to speak I plugged my ears and mocked them.

      edit: And legally I should be able to scream at a child if they're wrong. 1st amendment look it up.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      I know so much more than kids and could do anything better than them. I would debate any child and win but they don't let me compete.

  • NewLeaf
    ·
    1 year ago

    That child sounds like a toxic narcissist. What's their star sign? I'll bet I already know without asking.

    If I were you, I would have explained that life is not fair, and if they start gatekeeping competitions, then all they are really getting are participation trophies and are basically "whatabouting" actual science fairs. It's almost like they don't believe in fairness at all, despite being at a fair. I'll bet if you look deep enough into that kids homework, you will find out they learned where Ruzzia is on a map, which makes them suspect at best.

    How are you going to learn to make a proper volcano whilst gatekeeping the adults in the room who make the tough decisions like what whether to use plaster of Paris or papier mache? They're too young and idealistic to get their volcanoes to be accepted by the broad public anyway. Best get behind the person with experience. You can brainstorm better volcanoes after we win the most important science fair in our lifetime.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      I'd agree with that diagnosis. I don't know their star sign but I'm actually an empath and can see someone's energy. They were not an indigo child, unlike me. Very grey aura if anything.

  • ElGosso [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    That child was being emotionally manipulative. Obviously volcanoes are incredibly dangerous and should only be handled by experienced adults.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      That's what I was screaming at the kid at one point. They're only using baking soda and vinegar. I'D use lava. It would be so much more impressive and everyone would clap for me and love me. I was so mad at them I was shaking.

  • sovietknuckles [they/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    TTA. You were simply speaking the truth, which the child and bystanders could not handle. Learning the truth had to start somewhere, maybe they'll thank you someday.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      They weren't crying with me. That's the problem. They should empathise with my pain knowing that I can't enter the science fair and rightfully claim the prize they got. Instead the selfish little piece of shit was all like "me me me".

  • SootySootySoot [any]
    ·
    1 year ago

    NTA - Saying everyone can make good volcanoes is communism, you're just establishing your alpha status in this meritocratic society and making sure the child knows that their volcano skills couldn't earn them enough rent. Better to make them give up their dreams early.

  • JohnBrownsBussy2 [undecided, they/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    You can't assert that you can build a better volcano without evidence. For example, while most adults could build a volcano better than a child, you hadn't yet established that you weren't a fail-child.

    So, either bring a better volcano or alternatively a copy of your paystub/W-2 and photos of your living situation to validate that you have the resources to assemble a better volcano. Until then, YTA.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      I'm not allowed to make a volcano for it. That ageist discrimination is the root of the issue. The child didn't respect my authority and the school officials didn't respect my capabilities.

      • JohnBrownsBussy2 [undecided, they/them]
        ·
        1 year ago

        You can't hide behind the school rules here. You don't need to submit a volcano to this particular contest or any contest in general to profer the requisite evidence to validate your claims. You simply need to have the evidence available somewhere, and an evasion to producing said evidence makes me suspect that you may indeed not have the wherewithall or perhaps the requisite materials/space to actually construct a superior volcano.

        • happybadger [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          1 year ago

          I've tried every science fair in my area. I've tried to just walk into schools and ask science teachers if I can show the kids how to make a really good one. They want credentials and proof I'm a parent of one of the kids there.

  • iArtemis [she/her, it/its]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    NTA. This happened to my cousin once. I eventually convinced them to just divorce their partner so they wouldn't have to deal with the kid anymore.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      I would be so happy if I had a child because I could show them that I'm so much better than them at everything they do. I would outperform them and they could not leave me.