Did you ever quit going to a club meeting, group meeting, etc. because somebody you couldn't stand

[raccoon]

was there?

I've had that experience recently. A group I used to belong to, I quit going because of one person who attended
and was so over the top that for me, it ruined it. Part of it too, was the realization that so many other people were
apparently willing to put up with her shenanigans.

[LynneSin]

1. I went to an OA meeting once

I thought it might help with my weight loss.

I lasted one week. My assumption was that I would be Anonymous and wouldn't have to speak until I was ready to speak. Some dumbass sitting next to me started waving her hand and screaming 'WE HAVE SOMEONE NEW LET'S LET HER TALK'. Next thing you know everyone was pawing all over me and I ended up making an excuse and leaving 5 minutes early. Never went back although I did write a letter to the guy that I was disappointed that I was put in the center spotlight when I really wasn't ready to be there and thought that went against what OA meetings were all about.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Are you kidding me?

That's how we were raised.

[sadbear]

3. I used to go to a local atheist group meetup

but all the damned libertarians, paulbots, and various other randian psychos drove me crazy (and away!) But it wasn't just one person.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I used to go to church, but the preacher and choir hogged the microphone.

And every once in awhile, someone would have a seizure of some sort that caused them to babble incoherently.

I finally decided to just stay home.

[ohiosmith]

5. Boy Scouts.

Scout Master was a complete dick.

[rug]

6. I had to quit my sociopaths group for that very reason.

[Liberal Veteran]

7. And yet, you are still posting here.

[rug]

8. It's court-ordered.

[Populist_Prole]

9. Boy Scouts & little league baseball

Never made it out of the cub scouts and I didn't particularly like most of the others in my "den". It was something my parents wanted me to do, but I felt like I was just going through the motions of their trying to hard to socialize me.

In little league it was just a matter of not really having my heart in it. I was not very athletic, and before age 12 was shorter, scrawnier than most my age and somewhat timid. Not the worst player but surely in the bottom 3rd or so. The better players and were not the least bit shy about berating the lesser athletic types. I will say this though: There was thankfully none of the "winning is everything" type coaches or overbearing poor sport parents that seem to define little league baseball. I found the coaches ( all of them fathers of other players ) to be very fair and helpful. As I said I wasn't the worst, and the times I could do well from time to time brought rare accolades from the better players and a good feeling but it was not the norm. Games and even practice used to stress me out for fear of looking bad. I couldn't wait till it was over and breathed a sigh of relief when it was...till next time. I'm glad my parents never came to the games, and I knew even then I was there because they wanted me to be there. Even today, coworkers who are little league coaches say matter of factly that most of the kids there don't really want to be there.

[Kali]

10. are you kidding

I quit things like that because they say prayers or the Pledge of Allegiance, rarely get to the point of knowing the personalities

[mimi85]

11. As Groucho said....

"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member".

Actually, I don't think so. I'm not much of a joiner. I do remember my best friend in high school (still is my BF) and I joined the debate club/team cause there were a couple of cute guys in it. Oh, yeah, I joined the Spanish club for the same reason. Hmmmm...I'm starting to see a pattern here.

When I got sober, eons ago thank goodness, I went to a few AA meetings. Quit that one because there weren't cute guys in it - j/k. There were quite a few people that got me to stop going however one woman was way pushy about being "friends" and I did stop going mainly due to her. I know they've helped tons of people, but the whole thing was a bit too cultish for me.

[HeiressofBickworth]

12. Years ago I joined the Red Hat Society

It was billed to be a non-religious, non-political group of over age 50 women who got together to do fun things. I went a few times: a play, a lunch, but it soon became apparent to me that their real purpose was to support a church some of them went to. There were two women who headed this effort. I quit when I went to a holiday lunch where all they talked about was collecting money to give to a family from their church. I'm not opposed to charities, but this group, IN PARTICULAR, was not supposed to be a charity or church affiliated or even a "do good" group. It was supposed to be "girls just what to have fun" group. I never went back.

[Ineeda]

17. I always thought the Red Hat Ladies were creepy.

The whole premise of the poem,

"When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells and run my stick along the public railings and make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and pick the flowers in other people's gardens and learn to spit."

is rebellion and non-conformity. Can you imagine any one of them doing any of the things mentioned above? The Red Hatters are 100% about conformity!! Actually, it's sad. Now they bring to mind The Handmaid's Tale, for some reason.

[HopeHoops]

13. Yeah, cub scouts. Somehow the leader's and assistant leader's kids won the pinewood derby.

This despite the fact that both of their cars had lost races and there were three of us with undefeated cars. Fuzzy math or something. I quit right then and there. That was utter bullshit.

[rrneck]

14. Yep. Used to enjoy it too...

[Pool Hall Ace]

15. Al-Anon

While I met many nice people, there were too many kooky control freaks. And while the group claims not to be allied with any sect or denomination, every meeting ended with the 'Lord's Prayer' -- not very welcoming to non-Christians.

[raccoon]

16. Exactly the experience I'm having with this particular group,

It's an Al Anon group, and "there were too many kooky control freaks" in this one.

And yes, I can see what you're saying about the Lord's prayer.