Hey there, Captain Awkward – My dear roommate (Clay)’s ex-boyfriend was abusive. He had mental health issues, and emotionally manipulated roommate (they/them) in various ways. I spent a lot of time helping my roommate to process the feels and vulnerabilities emerging around what happened in their relationship – and potentially over invested myself in their …
GASLIGHTING
#1141: “Help with De-Escalating Arguments when Dr. Jekyll Turns into Mr. ‘Abandonment/Control Issues’ Hyde”
Behind a cut for controlling and emotionally abusive behavior.
#1132: “Don’t go on vacation with Nazis.”
We take a break from important kitten content for this equally important reminder: You don’t have to pretend to tolerate Nazis for the sake of faaaaaaaaamily.
#1127: “I think my friend is falling in love with me and I don’t feel the same way.”
334 Comments
Dear Captain, Nearly 2 years ago I joined a MMORPG community for the first time. Through a series of events, I met a guy who has become one of my best friends. We are bizarrely similar at times and he’s really been there for me. It started out just online but we now have each …
Rule Explainer: Why We Don’t Diagnose People Through The Internet
There’s a really interesting conversation about narcissism that popped up in a comment thread yesterday that made me think harder about the “Don’t offer diagnoses for people based on letters or internet comments” rule we have here and I’d like to expand on it. At length.
Ask A Manager: “My dad is dating my boss, and they want me to go to couples’ therapy with them.”
Did y’all read this letter over at Ask A Manager? Alison deftly handled the workplace advice, but I can’t stop thinking about the letter and I want to say a few things to the poor Letter Writer about the family stuff. Letter Writer, This is a horrible situation for so many reasons. Your boss is …
#1085: “My partner keeps inviting his ex-girlfriend to stay with us and by stay with us I mean ‘in our bed.'”
Hi Cap’n. Here is issue: My partners’ ex, and boundaries. I have great relationships with my exes, I think it’s healthy and awesome. This is a new and different world, apparently. My partner’s most recent ex is in our lives a LOT. There are good reasons for this that go beyond their ongoing friendship, but …
#1083 and #1084: Nazis Are Beyond Awkward, Do Not Engage.
Behind a cut for Nazis and the extremely triggering Nazi stuff they say and do.
#1018: My boyfriend’s female “friends.”
Greetings, Captain Awkward! To get to the point, I keep getting inklings that my boyfriend isn’t as loyal as I would like but I’d love your perspective and any advice you might have. My boyfriend has a couple of female friends who are not friendly to me, and he doesn’t seem to mind this. For …
#781: “The whole family agrees with me!” and other manipulative logic.
Hi Captain, A bit of backstory: last spring, Fiancée and I (both US citizens) returned to the US from Europe, where I had been working and she was going to school. My parents offered to let me stay with them while I looked for a job, and Fiancée went to stay with her mom several …
