There is an interesting tendency. People value some things because they are good. However, people tend to “forget” that those “good things” always have a context. Choosing to ignore this fact is a well-loved technique for those who want to get all the benefits without ever actually having to earn them. One such example is stealing one’s thunder. The only way to stop this phenomenon is by refusing to play along, which is not easy, as there are often so many others who participate in a play, either because they are not able to recognize it or because they have their own interests at stake.

More info: Reddit

An amazing housewarming celebration turned messy after a woman’s brother decided to use it for his own purposes

Image credits: Nicole Michalou (not the actual image)

While this redditor’s girlfriend was getting dessert, her brother proposed to his girlfriend

Image credits: u/ItsNotMyPartyOrYours

Image credits: RODNAE Productions (not the actual image)

Image credits: u/ItsNotMyPartyOrYours

Before that woman could answer, the redditor told his girlfriend’s brother to sit down and stop being rude to his sister

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)

His girlfriend’s brother was mad, the couple left and later messaged this man calling him “a prick”

The story told by this redditor is just a perfect example of stealing one’s thunder. In the story, his girlfriend’s brother proposed to his girlfriend, and one might wonder how one could be so rude as to question such a magical, amazing move. On the flip side, after getting to read the whole story, we feel there might be something unsettling about the overall situation. The whole thing started with his girlfriend buying a house. This woman had just bought a house and was extremely excited about it. One might agree that most people do not go around buying themselves houses just any day. Some would consider themselves lucky for getting to do it once in their lifetime.

On this occasion, the redditor’s girlfriend made an amazing dinner, inviting many people to her housewarming party. Symbolically, right when she was getting a dessert, her brother proposed to his girlfriend. As the redditor puts it, he was mad, because his girlfriend’s brother hijacked her party.

The sad thing, but possibly still worth it, is that many times, not playing along does not “pay off” as highly as stealing someone’s thunder.  More often than not, people do not want to acknowledge they did something wrong and both sides end up in a fight. After the redditor told his girlfriend’s brother to sit down and stop being rude and disrespectful to his sister, which, in and of itself, could be regarded as a bit bold and definitely a brave move, the couple ended up leaving. Additionally, the party was very awkward after that and a lot of people left early. 

The party was awkward afterwards and the woman’s mother was furious, as she wanted her son “to stop living in sin”

Image credits: Timur Weber (not the actual image)

At least, the man’s girlfriend thought what he did was sweet, even if he did not have to do so

Obviously, not all the people were happy about the sequence of events, which is first and foremost due to the fact that most people try to avoid conflicts at all costs, even when it might lead to a positive change. First of all,  the girlfriend’s brother did not acknowledge he did something wrong and called this man “a prick”. Even the girlfriend’s mother was furious, as she wanted “her son to stop living in sin”. As if hijacking his sister’s housewarming party is somehow needed for that. 

At least the redditor’s girlfriend told him that him advocating for her was sweet, even if he did not have to do what he did. But, well, who knows, this might be one of the reasons, why she likes him: for standing up for the right thing, even if it might lead to some ignorant people being angry at him.

Curiously enough, BBC journalists asked people in the streets of London where the well-aimed expression “to steal one’s thunder” came from and every single person pointed to sky, but did not know the exact historical event that gave the expression its name. In 1709, a man named John Dennis needed a thunder sound for his play that was set to run in The Theatre Royal Drury Lane. For this purpose, Dennis invented a special thunder machine that made a noise just like a clap of thunder. Unlike the machine, the play was not successful. For this reason, his play was very soon replaced by a new production of Macbeth; however, when Dennis went to see it, he was outraged as he found the thunder machine was used without asking his permission.

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As the story goes, Dennis was shouting: “They will not let my play run, and yet they steal my thunder!” It might be noted that “stealing one’s thunder” is just one of the many English words and phrases whose origin, in one way or another, is related to theatre. Unfortunately, Dennis did not have a patent for his machine, while it is also true one cannot patent every single thing and sometimes gets to voice their disappointment in other people’s behavior, as did this redditor.

The story got 21K upvotes on Reddit and commenters were united in supporting this man. It was emphasized that the woman’s family has a history of hijacking her events and she is already “used to it”, while her youngest brother can get away with anything.

Commenters on Reddit were united in supporting this man, emphasizing that his girlfriend’s family has a history of hijacking her events

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