Becoming a surgeon is no small feat.
It takes years of medical school and specialized training.
So when Redditor No-Pickle-7453 was told they weren’t a real doctor by a family member, they lost it.
The Original Poster (OP) went to subReddit “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) to check their behavior.
They asked:
“AITA for snapping at my aunt who said I wasn’t a real doctor?”
She went on to tell her story.
“I [35-year-old female] am a plastic surgeon.”
“I went through years of medical school and residency, but it was worth it. I originally started med school with the hopes of going into psychiatry, but surgery really interested me.”
“The problem started years ago when I first told my family that I was going into plastic surgery because it was what interests me the most.”
“My parents, siblings, and [brother-in-law] were all supportive and whenever I felt like giving up they were always there to push me.”
“But a lot of my other family members weren’t as supportive, my aunts always made snide comments about it, as well as my cousins, uncles, and grandparents on both sides.”
“They were all happy when they knew I was in med school but completely flipped when they found out I was pursuing plastic surgery.”
“It annoyed me at first, but I learned to just move on from it.”
“But recently, my cousin [40-year-old female] on my dad’s side, who’s the daughter of the aunt who keeps making comments about my job, done a PLC [post leaving certificate] on nursing and childcare.”
“Which didn’t bother me I couldn’t care less what she does, but my aunt thought I should know everything that’s happening with her daughter.”
“Every time I see her, she goes on about how smart her daughter is and how amazing she is for doing a PLC in nursing and childcare”
“But the last time I saw her, she said something that really annoyed me.”
“Me and my sister were over at her house because she had some hand-me-downs to give to my nephew.”
“We were all eating when she said, ‘it’s great that she’s going into medical school’ (she’s not; she doesn’t even have the brains for medical school) ‘maybe we can finally have a REAL doctor in the family’”
“I sat there in silence for a second, thinking wtf is she talking about? And then looked at my sister, who looked equally as pissed off as me.”
“I snapped back and said, ‘her changing kids’ soiled pants doesn’t make her a doctor and her knowing how to clean a cut doesn’t either.’”
“‘She’s not in medical school. She’s too dumb for that. She wouldn’t even last a week before dropping out.’”
“My aunt looked really pissed off and yelled at me for being rude, and then she told me I wasn’t much of a doctor either.”
“I yelled back at her that I went through years of med school and residency, and that I’m a licensed doctor and surgeon, and that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“My aunt started crying and left the room, so me and my sister just left. A few hours later I got a text from my cousin calling me a b*tch for what I said and “attacking” her mom.”
“I got more texts from other family members, and it somehow traveled to my mom’s side of the family as well.”
“Majority of them are telling me to apologize for yelling at my aunt, but my immediate family (mom, dad, brother, sister, in-laws, girlfriend) are telling me not to.”
“Now I’m being shunned by both sides of the family, and they’re all refusing to talk to me and won’t even let me tell my side of the story.”
“So was I TA?”
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
-
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors decided:
“NTA -“
“Oh did it “somehow” travel around the family?”
“You can tell them I said to piss off.”
“And that the plastic surgeon who fixed my 5-year sister’s face when a dog ate it, so now that within a year nobody could tell it even happened to change her life for the better was, IN FACT, madam, a REAL doctor.”
“And so is the “plastic surgeon” who put my friend’s chest back together after her double mast giving her back confidence and her mental health, so there!”
“We’re taking those new ta-ta’s to Hawaii this year and bringing a happy, emotionally healthy friend with them!”
“Oh I’m so angry on your behalf.” – Posterbomber
“My daughter at 18 months split the middle of her forehead open. I did not have healthcare insurance at the time.”
“Our pediatrician refused to do the stitches because he didn’t want to scar her for life. He called a plastic surgeon who agreed to take us in right away. He treated my daughter.”
“Asked no questions about payment, just went about stitching her up & aftercare. 10 stitches on the outside & about 20 on the inside.”
“Left a tiny thin scar you can only see if she gets a bug bite near it & it is now on the hairline, not the middle of her forehead.”
“A month after the stitches, I called about the bill because nothing had been sent.”
“The woman who answered the phone looked into it & got back on the phone & said if they were going to bill me, I would have been sent something by then, so not to worry about it.”
“A plastic surgeon doctor, not only a real doctor but also a compassionate one as well.”
“NTA.” – R_U_N4me
“NTA. A lot of people have an out-of-date/Hollywood idea of what a plastic surgeon really does within medicine.”
“They think you picked your specialty so you can get rich giving wealthy vain people boob jobs.”
“They forget about all the people that need reconstructive surgery because of car accidents, fires, flesh-eating bacteria etc. Your aunt sounds ignorant.” – AeroZepplin153
“This right here. So many people focus on the “cosmetic” aspect of plastic surgery and don’t consider how valuable and specialized their skill set is.” – PrscheWdow
“Remind them it’s illegal for a nurse to call herself a doctor. NTA” – Ok_Stable7501
“NTA. According to your family, accident victims don’t need facial reconstruction surgery, huh?”
“They assume that you are just out there catering to liposuction and nose jobs for people with too much money.” – dajur1
“ESH. Calling your cousin dumb and too stupid for school is absolutely the wrong tack, even if you were insulted by her mother.”
“There was cruelty in what your aunt said about you, but there was also cruelty in what you said about your cousin.” – readshannontierney
“NTA for snapping at your aunt. I completely understand that”
“If your cousin also made those comments, then you’re definitely NTA” – WingJay5042
“NTA!”
“I’m not sure what kind of plastic surgery you practice, but I got diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago, and my plastic surgeon has been absolutely phenomenal to me.”
“Thank you so much for all you do. A good plastic surgeon is a doctor, scientist, and artist. Thank you for all you do for your patients!” – Ana041973
“NTA. God I have no idea how people can be so uneducated; plastic surgery is one of the most competitive fields to match into.”
“You would need to be the cream of the crop even to consider it as a field, and your dumba** aunt is shaming you?”
“If I were you, I’d cut out every single family member who supported this shaming and drive away in my Ferrari.” – alter_ego624
“Okay ngl, as an infectious disease doctor, I’ve made my share of jokes about surgeons barely being doctors, but that’s just friendly collegial ribbing, lol.”
“Plastic surgery is a super competitive field, so you’re clearly not just a doctor, but a doctor who studied really hard and learned a ton of medicine.”
“At least before you became a scalpel jockey and forgot it all. ;)”
“NTA, obviously.” – onepareil
“ESH”
“You’re a real doctor, and you have the degree to prove it.”
“You lost the high ground when you said your cousin was too dumb for medical school and wouldn’t last a week. Lowering yourself to your aunt’s level made you just as hateful as she is.” – sparrowhawk75
“Your family seems toxic. Everyone is the AH, but especially the aunt.” – strikingviking23
“Aunt can dish it out but can’t take it, pfft. NTA.” – Prestigious_Isopod72
“These comments are ridiculous, and so are those sh*tty family members.”
“Even plastic surgery done for less “virtuous” reasons is still surgery and thus requires four years of medical school and at least one surgical residency to be done competently.”
“‘Yes you’re a real doctor because sometimes breast implants are given to cancer survivors’ is a nonsensical statement.”
“Might be a mild ESH because there was no need to drag your cousin into the line of fire, but the aunt is worse.” – waterfireandstones
Time to cut out some cancerous family members.