My brother-in-law isn't allowed to play music at family parties anymore.

By @noeltbh · Family

He thinks he's some kind of professional DJ, but he just ruins the vibe for everyone. I finally did something about it at a family BBQ and now my wife is mad at me.

The full story

My wife's family is great, but her brother is one of those guys who thinks his music taste is a personality. At every single get-together—birthday, holiday, a random Sunday—he hijacks the speaker. He doesn't play party music. It's always some obscure indie band or depressing acoustic stuff that just brings the whole mood down. You can see everyone's face fall a little bit. Nobody ever says anything. They just suffer through it to keep the peace. This past weekend we had a big family thing. He puts on this mumbled, sad-sounding music and everyone is just kind of standing around awkwardly. My wife gave me the 'don't you dare' look before it even started. But I've had it. I work hard all week. I want to relax and listen to some normal music at a party, not feel like I'm at a funeral for a band I've never heard of. So I just walked over, didn't say a word, unplugged his phone, and plugged mine in. I put on a generic 70s rock playlist. It wasn't genius, but it was music people could talk over and nod their heads to. The whole vibe of the party instantly picked up. People started laughing, talking more. My work was done. Of course, my brother-in-law got all quiet and sulked in the corner. Later, my wife told me I was a jerk and embarrassed her brother. they says I could have handled it better. I say 20 other people had a better time because I did what they were all afraid to do. A couple of my cousins even texted me later saying 'thank you'. Now it's just this awkward tension and I know the next family function is going to be weird.

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