I Need To Get This Off My Chest!!

Why is it that some people TALK AT you rather than to you?  I have recently had a guts full of being TALKED AT by older people.  What is it that they don't get?  In polite society you talk with other people, this includes waiting for their responses, asking them about them etc.  TALKING AT is egotistical, arrogant and just plain rude, and I for one am over it.  And why is it that they have become so self centered!

My father rings me supposedly to talk with me instead he ends up only talking about himself, telling me stories he has already told me and ignores me or gets huffy if I say "yes you have already told me that".  Then he rings my children and does the same thing.  We really don't care how much money he has and how much he has given to my step-brother.

Then at my m-i-l's funeral both he and his partner spent the whole time talking about themselves - including for the umpteen time telling me about his money and his planned trip.  It was like they were holding court - not allowing us to circulate to talk to others. While it was nice they came to pay their respects - truly I am sorry I even told them about the funeral because by the time they left I was so angry it took all my time not to tell them to bugger off.  Even as we are walking to the cars, he is still busy trying to tell me about what he is doing for Christmas - like I care.  He hasn't included me in his Christmas for years and the only reason he is doing so now is because no-one else is around this Christmas.  And all this while stuffing his face with scones and cream.  He even had the audacity to go up to complete strangers and start to talk about himself.  Does he not get that we were there to celebrate my m-i-l's life not his!!  And that is not to mention what he was wearing - please - who wears track suit pants and a polo shirt to a funeral, even though they were dressy track suit pants, they are still track suit pants.  And given is rotund overweight size this was not a pretty sight.  Not to mention his partner talking at the top of her voice on the way into the service saying "I want that top" and "your shoes too" about what I was wearing.  

Then we have the 2 older male rellies that flew over for the funeral, they spent the whole time competing with each other trying to TALK AT me, not with me, not really giving me or anyone else for that matter a chance to get a word in edgewise.  

What is going on with these people

Truly if this is what happens when you get old shoot me now!!