Serious question, did I mess up by telling my brother his side gig was a bad idea at my own birthday dinner?
Last month at my birthday dinner at a place off 5th in Columbus, my brother brought up how he put $800 into some online course that teaches you to flip stuff you find at garage sales. I laughed and told him it was a dumb way to burn money in front of our parents and his girlfriend. He got quiet, finished his burger, and left before cake. I figured he'd get over it, but he hasn't called me in 5 weeks and my mom keeps dropping hints that I owe him an apology. Here's the thing though, I still think the course is a waste, but I'm starting to wonder if saying it out loud at his expense was the actual bad take. He just wanted someone to be excited for him and I took that from him at my own party. Do you tell family the truth even when the truth is just your opinion, or do you let them find out on their own?
Watched my buddy do almost the exact same thing to his sister when she started selling those candles. He told her it was a joke in front of the whole table at Easter, and she didn't talk to him for two months. Here's the weird part, she actually made decent money on those candles and he had to eat crow later. The real damage wasn't his opinion, it was that he made her feel small in front of people she loved. You can tell your brother the course seems like a waste, but doing it at a birthday dinner just makes you the bad guy no matter who's right.