"Nepo Baby" Gets Yelled At In Busy Restaurant After Lecturing Her Friend About Importance Of Pursuing Your Passion Regardless Of Pay

"Your choices are yours to make. Not hers. When she pays your bills she can speak."

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• April 23, 2024

It was a difficult decision for a then 23-year-old to leave his dream job in the film industry. His friends were flabbergasted about his decision to leave a career he was passionate about for a stable paycheck at a 9 to 5 job.

One friend, in particular, Ally, still pesters him to return to the film industry. OP explained to Ally why he had to leave the industry, but none of his reasons weakened her determination.

Ally brought it up each time they saw each other. She said it was better to work for something you were passionate about than a job that just paid the bills.

Ally didn't have to fight for her place in the film industry because she was well-connected. Her dad is a veteran video editor while her aunt influences the local film scene.

She didn't have to endure the mistreatment OP did when he still worked as a freelance stylist. Ally was not scared about being underpaid or not being paid at all because she had a safety net.

Ally is a "nepo baby" while OP is the breadwinner and oldest son in a 6-person Asian household. Ally couldn't fathom OP's situation and how the systemic issues in the film industry killed every ounce of passion OP had.

OP tried for two years to make Ally see the situation from his perspective to no avail.

She relentlessly tried to convince him to pick up his passion once more as she didn't have many friends in the industry.

Things came to a head when OP and Ally met for dinner recently.

Ally caught OP during a bad day, and he finally snapped. He yelled at her in the middle of the restaurant. He told her to f*ck off, paid his bill, and stormed out. Once he calmed down, OP realized he could have been kinder to his friend.

OP now works for a corporation that manages libraries. He specializes in children's programs.

Redditors understood why OP snapped after being hounded about the same topic for two years.

The same issues exist in the industry. OP isn't even paid enough or reliably to make the job more bearable.

She wanted OP to go along with what she wanted.

Can Ally's attitude be considered entitlement? Is she just out of touch?

It's easy to preach about pursuing ones passions when you don't have to worry about bills, food, and housing.

Plus, it couldn't have been easy for OP to see his peers who were from families connected to the industry not suffer through the same mistreatment he was subjected to.

OP was unhappy with his experience. It would have been detrimental to his health if he stayed in the industry that was so cruel to him.

It was probably humiliating for Ally to get yelled at in a very public setting. For that, OP has to apologize. However, Ally needs to recognize how disrespectful she has been to OP.

OP said in an update that while he didn't explicitly enforce boundaries with Ally, he thought she understood where he was coming from because she saw the pressures and difficulties that almost broke him.

OP sent a message to Ally to apologize for his outburst and asked her to meet with him. She has yet to reply or acknowledge his apology.

It is safe to assume that Ally and OP haven't spoken since that dinner. He did not post any updates in the subreddit or his profile.

OP's outburst was understandable after enduring two years of repetitive conversation. While his delivery could have been better and less humiliating, Ally needed to know how disrespectful she was to her friend.

Chelsi