The Petty Power of “Not Bad for Being Almost 50”: A Masterclass in Minimalist Revenge
Birthdays are supposed to be a celebration—a time for cake, candles, and maybe a little harmless teasing about getting older. But what happens when your ex turns every birthday into an annual pity party, and even after you escape the relationship, the drama follows you around the sun? If you’re Redditor u/Yodabrew1, you serve up a slice of petty revenge so subtle, so clean, the internet stands and applauds.
This is the story of how a single, perfectly calibrated text—just six little words—delivered maximum damage to a narcissistic ex and won the hearts (and snarky comments) of r/PettyRevenge.
The Setup: When Every Birthday Is a Battle
If you’ve ever been in a relationship with a narcissist, you know the rules: you’re always walking on eggshells, and nothing you do is ever quite good enough. For u/Yodabrew1, his ex-wife’s birthdays were “a sad state of affairs,” no matter how thoughtful the gifts. In his own words: “It was always my fault she had made another lap around the sun.” (Relatable, anyone?)
Eventually, wisdom—and self-preservation—prevailed. He broke free, only to discover that narcissists don’t just fade quietly into the background. Instead, his ex would periodically send him messages reminding him what a “horrible person” he was, usually timed to coincide with his own birthday. As he put it, “Meh, it’s good for laughs.”
But two years ago, the tables turned. The ex sent a selfie captioned, “this is what winning looks like.” It was meant to sting. But instead of engaging in a drawn-out text war, OP (Original Poster) responded with the now-legendary line:
“Not bad for being almost 50.”
The message was delivered; the damage done.
Minimal Words, Maximum Impact: The Art of Petty Precision
What makes this particular clapback so legendary? As u/kudzuacura raved, “Fantastic. Nice and simple response.” Sometimes, less is more—and in this case, the subtlety was the sledgehammer. As u/SaucyHammy put it, “Deadass the cleanest kind of petty. One sentence, max damage.”
For those unfamiliar with narcissists, their Achilles’ heel is often their age or appearance. So when OP tossed out his “almost 50” remark, it was like tossing a lit match into a fireworks factory. As u/Expert_Slip7543 sagely noted, “For a narcissist’s ears max damage indeed! Well done OP.”
And the aftermath? Pure chaos. OP reported, “Words not meant for children’s eyes were sent after. Had to block after that.” Sometimes, the best revenge is not just living well, but living with the knowledge that your six-word text is still echoing in someone else’s head.
The Peanut Gallery: Reddit Weighs In
The beauty of Reddit’s r/PettyRevenge isn’t just the stories—it’s the commentariat. The community turned OP’s tale into a group therapy session for anyone who’s ever sparred with a narcissist.
Some tried to one-up OP’s burn, like u/Rainy_Grave, who suggested, “I don’t care what anyone else has said; you look great for being nearly a half-century old.” Others, like u/PunfullyObvious, argued that OP’s actual response was “expertly played” and “could be taken as benign or even nice, but is clearly a brutal burn when read by its target.”
There were other stories of age-related pettiness, too: u/redditt2104 described orchestrating a birthday prank where every bar wished her narcissist ex happy 60th, 61st, and so on—despite him turning 50. “By the time he got back I thought he was going to explode!!” (To which another user replied, “You are a petty genius!”)
And of course, the classic balloon prank came up more than once. u/TheHobbyWaitress mused, “She deserves a balloon bouquet with big ‘50’ balloons delivered to work for her 50th.” It’s clear: when it comes to milestone birthdays, the internet has ideas.
Why the Petty Works: Catharsis, Comedy, and Closure
Why does a story like this strike such a chord? It’s not just the schadenfreude (though that’s definitely part of it). It’s the universal satisfaction of seeing a bully get a dose of their own medicine—especially when it’s served with a smile.
As u/PunfullyObvious observed, the genius of OP’s message is that it threads the needle between polite and pointed, plausible deniability and maximum psychological impact. It’s “benign or even nice” if you squint, but to someone obsessed with age and image, it’s a mic drop.
Some commenters, like u/LadyBAudacious, even applauded OP’s generosity in wishing his ex well: “You’ve a very generous, kind and forgiving personality. I’d be hoping she wasn’t doing well after all that sh1t.” Others speculated about whether the ex was truly “over” her former partner—after all, she’s still sending selfies with captions like “this is what winning looks like.”
And then there were the jokers. (Because it’s Reddit.) “You don’t look a day over 65,” quipped u/Brilliant_Cattle_602. “Born in the previous millennium…” mused u/rasmusdf.
Takeaways: How to Win at Petty (Without Losing Your Cool)
So what’s the moral of this story? Sometimes, the best way to deal with a toxic ex is not with grand gestures or epic rants, but with a single, well-placed sentence. Especially if it’s the kind of message that can be read as a compliment—or as the ultimate burn.
If you’re ever tempted to get petty, take a page from OP’s playbook: keep it short, keep it subtle, and let the narcissist do the rest.
Have you ever gotten revenge with just a single sentence? Or witnessed a masterclass in petty precision? Share your stories below—because sometimes, the best birthday gift is knowing you got the last word.
Original Reddit Post: Not bad for being almost 50