Someone wrote this down
I watched it happen to my closest friend. We were out with the wider group and one of them started in on her — the tone that's technically a joke, aimed at the same soft spot every time. Everyone laughed. I laughed. That's the part I keep returning to: I laughed, some reflex noise, while her face did the thing where it holds very still. I had words. I use words all day at work. In that moment I had nothing — just heat in my face and a decision arriving one beat too late, over and over, until we ordered.
What they wish they’d said“That joke lands on the same spot every time. Give it a rest.”
What would help: ideas for a response
Something here sound familiar?
Writing your own version, only for you, is often the first step.